ABUS has announced the GameChanger 2.0, its second-generation aero road helmet.
The new helmet is claimed to offer improved ventilation for the hottest days and to be aerodynamically optimised for the high speeds professional riders race at.
Priced at £279.99/€299.95 with a MIPS Air Node system, or £239.99/€249.95 without, the ABUS Gamechanger 2.0 builds on the original GameChanger, maintaining a similar overall profile and style.
The GameChanger 2.0 will be worn during the 2023 Tour de France (and other WorldTour races) by ABUS’ sponsored professional teams, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Movistar Team.
Extreme temperatures
With temperatures during the 2022 Tour de France reaching 40°C, cycling is increasingly being forced to reckon with extreme weather.
Of course, the best aero road helmets have always needed to balance aerodynamic efficiency and ventilation, but such conditions naturally pose hurdles for manufacturers.
ABUS’ senior product manager, Lukasz Tamajka, told BikeRadar that increasing ventilation on a helmet is typically detrimental to its aerodynamic efficiency.
Yet if riders opt to race with a vented helmet because an aero one is too uncomfortable in hot weather, that may not be optimal from a performance perspective either.
The initial design goal for the ABUS GameChanger 2.0 was therefore to maintain aerodynamic performance but improve ventilation.
In the end, Tamajka says ABUS was able to make improvements on both fronts by taking inspiration from the Airbreaker (the German brand’s lightweight, vented road helmet) and the GameChanger TT (its time trial helmet).
Ventilation for modern sunglasses
Though the GameChanger 2.0 appears similar to its predecessor at a glance, there are some key differences in terms of ventilation.
Three large vents have been added along the brow, for example. These, Tamajka says, account for the recent trend towards oversized cycling sunglasses.
When the original GameChanger launched in 2017, most cycling sunglasses were relatively small.
Around 2020, though, many riders were suddenly sporting extremely large sunnies reminiscent of those seen during the 1980s.
According to Tamajka, these close off the space between a rider’s sunglasses and helmet, reducing ventilation to the forehead.
The new brow vents apparently improve ventilation to this area by 32 per cent, while the two outermost holes can function as a sunglasses storage port, too.
ABUS has also redesigned the internal channelling of the GameChanger 2.0 and widened the diffuser at the rear of the helmet.
This is claimed to result in 20 per cent more air flowing through the helmet, harnessing the Venturi effect in a similar manner to the POC Procen time trial helmet.
ABUS doesn’t make specific claims about how much cooler your head will be as a result of these changes, but our initial test rides with the GameChanger 2.0 suggest the results are impressive.
For example, temperatures averaged 25°C and peaked at 29°C during one test ride (with lots of climbing) on the launch event.
To its credit, though, I barely noticed it while riding – which is exactly what you want from a helmet.
Optimised for higher speeds
Along with temperatures, the speeds pros race at have risen substantially in recent years, too.
As a result, the GameChanger 2.0 has optimised speeds from 46-52kph.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the GameChanger 2.0 isn’t effective at reducing drag at slower speeds, but the realities of modern racing have prompted ABUS to update its design parameters.
According to Tamajka, the GameChanger 2.0 is around 2-5 per cent more aerodynamic than its predecessor, depending on the rider and their riding position.
This is said to have been achieved by widening the rear of the helmet, which makes the effective Kammtail aerofoil length 11 per cent longer.
The trailing edge of the top of the GameChanger 2.0 has also been lowered by 8 degrees, which is claimed to improve the helmet’s performance when riding in a head-down position.
Lastly, a perforated plastic structure on the top of the helmet, which ABUS calls an ‘aeroblade’, is claimed to help improve the aerodynamics and ventilation of the helmet, depending on the angle of the rider's head.
To arrive at a final design for the GameChanger 2.0, Tamajka says ABUS performed multiple CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations, and wind tunnel and track tests.
Tamajka says ABUS performed 90 wind tunnel test runs with Movistar Team rider Enric Mas in one day, testing various helmet designs, yaw angles, head angles and wind speeds.
He also noted pro riders frequently bring competitor products to wind tunnel or track tests, and is confident the GameChanger 2.0 is competitive with the best in its class.
ABUS GameChanger 2.0 details, pricing and specification
The ABUS GameChanger 2.0 is priced at £239.99/€249.95 with ABUS’ own padding, or £279.99/€299.95 with a MIPS Air Node system.
It is available in three sizes (S, M and L), 11 colours and with or without a MIPS Air Node liner.
The claimed weight for a size-medium GameChanger 2.0 (without MIPS) is 265g, although our white, medium test sample weighs 279g.
ABUS says helmets with the MIPS system weigh 6-8g more than ones without.
Like its predecessor, the GameChanger 2.0 uses fixed side straps, with a weighted piping along the front edge to ensure the straps sit close to your face.
This means the fit around the ears can’t be adjusted, but ABUS claims this confers a small aerodynamic benefit.
For those interested in where their bikes and kit are made, the ABUS GameChanger 2.0 is produced in Italy at ABUS’ own factories.
