BikeRadar can reveal the new Oakley Aro 7 helmet with an integrated visor.
Spotted at the COREbike show, the Aro 7 shares a name with Oakley’s integrated time trial helmet launched in 2017.
But the new Aro7 is aimed at road riding and racing, with greater ventilation minimising the risk of feeling hot-headed on race day.
Practicality meets performance
While the previous Aro 7 focused on time trialling, the new version pairs performance with practicality, so you can wear it for more of your riding.
Speaking to BikeRadar, Oakley UK’s Simon Clark says that while time trial helmets are great for events, they are often too hot for general riding.
“Most of the time, people want to be riding in an actual, fast road helmet,” says Clark.
Clark adds that while time trial helmets are great for events, they are often too hot for general riding. He says you can use the Aro 7 “for anything”, including fast club rides and crit racing.
To avoid heat build-up, the new aero helmet has vents across the front and rear, presumably to encourage a circulation effect through its interior.
We haven’t heard anything official from Oakley yet, but there could be an aerodynamic benefit to the large vent across the Aro 7’s front.
According to Dr Jamie Pringle, applied sport scientist and part of the setup at Vorteq Sports, a world leader in cycling aerodynamics, there is a growing trend for helmets with significant air intake and exhausts.
Pringle says knowing how to use airflow through a helmet, there is potentially a significant aero advantage.
The visor attaches to the aero road helmet with magnets and can be stored in an upside-down position when it’s not needed.
Clark points out the practicality of this in triathlons: “You can leave [the visor] stored on top of the helmet in the transition zone, whack [the helmet] on, and flip it over and you’ve got your aero visor.”
Why use an integrated visor?
An integrated visor may seem like an odd choice over the best cycling sunglasses, but it can offer a further aero advantage over typical aero road helmets.
Oakley is not the only brand to bring integrated visors to road riding. POC teased a helmet with an integrated visor at the 2024 Tour Down Under.
The Aro 7 visor attaches to the aero road helmet with magnets and can be stored in an upside-down position when it’s not needed.
There is arguably a more obvious reason behind Oakley incorporating a visor into its latest road bike helmet.
Clark points out Oakley is “an optics-driven brand, so [we do] anything to integrate optics into our helmets.”
The rest of Oakley's helmet range has details to help integrate glasses, such as Oakley’s Unobtanium grippers to hold glasses in place.
When will the Oakley Aro 7 be available?
The new Oakley Aro 7 is set to launch in March.
It will be available with a visor for £272 or without for £212.
The Aro 7 and visor will come fitted with a Prizm road lens, but Prizm Road Jade and Prizm Road Low Light lenses will be available as accessories.
Visor or no visor, the road bike helmet will come with a hard carry case.
