Review: Giro's New Coalition Lightweight Full Face Helmet
A sizeable wave of lightweight full face helmets has hit the market over the last few years, likely fueled by increased eMTB sales, and the fact that more riders than ever are moving quickly through technical terrain where a little extra protection certainly doesn't hurt.
Giro's new Coalition helmet is the latest addition to this fast growing segment. It checks in at a competitive weight of 787 grams for a size medium, and uses Giro's Spherical Technology, where two two separate layers of foam are connected by elastomers that allow them to move independently, a design that's intended to reduce the amount of impact force that reaches the brain.
Giro's new Coalition helmet is the latest addition to this fast growing segment. It checks in at a competitive weight of 787 grams for a size medium, and uses Giro's Spherical Technology, where two two separate layers of foam are connected by elastomers that allow them to move independently, a design that's intended to reduce the amount of impact force that reaches the brain.
Giro Coalition Details
• Spherical Technology system
• 23 vents
• Weight: 787 grams
• Colors: black, white/blue, metallic coal/mineral, dark shark dune
• Sizes: XS/S, M/L (tested), XL/XXL
• Certifications: CE/CPSC/ASTM DH/BMX/NTA
• MSRP: $325 USD
• giro.com
• Spherical Technology system
• 23 vents
• Weight: 787 grams
• Colors: black, white/blue, metallic coal/mineral, dark shark dune
• Sizes: XS/S, M/L (tested), XL/XXL
• Certifications: CE/CPSC/ASTM DH/BMX/NTA
• MSRP: $325 USD
• giro.com
Unlike some lightweight full face helmets that use a ratcheting dial to adjust the fit, the Coalition works like a traditional full face, relying on the thickness of the check pads (25 and 30mm thick options are included). Three different shells are used to accommodate six sizes, from XS to XXL The Coalition is available in four different colors, and retails for $325 USD.
DETAILS
Lightweight full face helmets have something of a checkered reputation when it comes to chin bar strength – the thinner profile and additional venting means they're not usually as strong as you'd find on a dedicated downhill helmet. To address that, Giro came up with what they're calling the 'Halo System', where a bushing system integrates the chinbar into the rest of the helmet, a design that helps reduce the amount of force that's transferred during an impact. According to Giro, the result is a chinbar that's almost twice as strong as what's required to meet the ASTM chin bar deflection testing standard.
Other features include an adjustable visor that uses three breakaway bolts, a Fidlock magnetic buckle, and Ionic+ antimicrobial padding.
The two different foam layers are joined with elastomers that allow them to rotate independently.
The Coalition uses a Fidlock magnetic buckle on the chin strap.
FIT
Giro's Insurgent downhill helmet fits my size medium, ovalish head shape extremely well, so I was glad to find that the Coalition was just as comfy. The padding isn't quite as thick, and there's more room around the ears compared to the Insurgent, but the helmet is just as secure, even when worn without goggles. That's important, since there's no ratcheting fit system to snug things down. That's not the end of the world, especially since plenty of full face helmets do a great job without one, but it does mean that the fit around the head can't be fine tuned to the same extent as it can be on a helmet like the Fox Proframe RS.
VENTILATION
It's still supposed to be winter here in the Pacific Northwest, even though the temperatures lately have been downright springlike. That means I haven't been able to test the Coalition in fully sweltering conditions, but I was impressed with how well the helmet breathes on long, slow climbs – I never got that stuffy, almost claustrophobic feeling that can arise when there's not adequate ventilation.
A full face will always be warmer than a half shell, but the vents in the chin bar help prevent hot air from blowing back at your face, and the vents around the ears make it possible to hear what's going on around you, rather than muffling the outside noises.
The X shape in the chin bar does make it a little trickier to cleanly spit through it or squirt water from a bottle, but if that's the price to pay for extra strength I'm will to adapt.
WEIGHT & PRICE
The Coalition falls in line with many of the helmets in this category – there are multiple options in the 800ish gram weight bracket, and with a price between $300 - $350. A few of my favorites are listed below (the Coalition is now on my list of favorites too), and you can also check out Henry Quinney's recent round-up article for even more options.
Fox Proframe: 820 grams / $359 USD
Bluegrass Vanguard: 776 grams (large) / $350 USD
POC Otocon Race Mips: 750 grams / $420
Pros
+ Comfortable, secure fit
+ No creaking or squeaking from the liner
+ Well ventilated for a full face helmet
Cons
- Lack of a retention dial means that fit is reliant on padding thickness
Pinkbike's Take
 | The new Coalition helmet is an excellent addition to Giro's lineup. It's comfortable, well ventilated, and comes in at a reasonable weight for this category. The design of the Spherical system makes a lot of sense, and while I luckily didn't put it to the test, it's good to know it's there if things don't go as planned out on a ride. |
Author Info:
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As for using crashed helmets, as long as the shell is in tact, EPS is not cracked or the adhesive isnt dislodged from the shell, you CAN continue wearing the helmet.
No reason to buy this Giro.
Dainese Linea 01 MIPS is 570g (217g lighter!), DH certified, and the same price!
What additional protection does the Giro have?
I have a pretty large head and the Trigger fits me well, its very adjustable.
On the sizing side of things, I tried to try on an iXS trigger and couldn't get it past my ears. That helmet isnt alone in this regard, I also couldn't get on the Troy Lee offering or the Proframe. The 7iDP in XXL is the only full face I've found that worked for my overly large noggin. TBH I have my doubts this helmet would fit since they dont even have a sizing guide listed here or on their website.
However unfortunately there’s virtually no way to do that on the full face side as they’ve only tested 4 helmets so far. I want to pay for the helmet being actually better, not just the marketing saying it’s better (why is kali such a joke?) and the VT testing is really all we have. And they really can, and seem to have, push the industry forward and give us safer, better products.
People use to say on here all the time “they all meet DOT, they are all the same, don’t waste your money spending more than $5 on a helmet” well that’s pretty hard to argue now…
this helmet is more a substitude for half shells if one needs more protection than for full face that needs more ventilation.
for me: i rate the safety aspect higher than the ventilation aspect.
However, Giro launched the Aether spherical in August 2018.
It sure must be amusing sight yet worrisome all the same. I wouldn't fancy running into one of these athletes holding on for dear life and I can't see it do any good for trail advocacy either.
edit means: spherical mips means, there is no "stupid yellow layer" anyway. so cool for you, just in case you don't like the colour yellow. you no longer need to destroy a helmet in it's core function, which is: tuned system to protect ya noggin.
If MIPS makes you feel safer, good for you. Keep paying a lot of extra cash for a product that is not proven to help you in a crash. I would rather have the option to not pay more for unnecessary and unproven devices.
In some years time, these rotational BS systems will die just like fanny packs, livestrong bracelets, anti-vibrations stickers, magnetics bracelets, etc.