Oakley is showcasing a new aero road helmet and some unreleased sunglasses at the Velofollies trade show in Belgium.
Despite the best efforts of our roving reporter, Jack Luke, the American brand steadfastly declined to offer any concrete details on their names, specifications or prices.
As always, though, that won’t stop us bringing you the latest news and scoops – let’s take a look at what we can surmise by simply peering into the perspex case in which they’re ensconced.
A new aero helmet for Alaphilippe
Let’s start with the aero road helmet.
From the front, at least, it appears to draw inspiration from the Specialized S-Works Evade 3 – a model widely regarded as one of the best aero helmets available.
There are three open vents, one central and two on the temples, the latter of which also appear to offer sunglasses storage (as you’d expect from a brand best known for its sunglasses).
There are another two vents that appear to be closed off with plastic coverings – could these be removable to adjust the helmet's aerodynamics and ventilation, in a similar manner to Scott’s Cadence Plus helmet?
We weren’t able to get a shot of the rear of the helmet, although we expect it incorporates an exhaust port to help draw air through the helmet and over the rider’s head.
The top of the helmet is closed, with no ventilation holes (presumably for improved aerodynamic performance), and appears to have two little plastic, or perhaps rubber, protrusions – one on either side.
Could these be designed to act as aerodynamic devices to disrupt the airflow over the helmet at a precise point, in an attempt to reduce drag? As noted, Oakley refused to give us any insight into the helmet’s design, but we’ll be keen to learn more about this detail when an official announcement eventually arrives.
The red colour scheme and Tudor logos make it clear the helmet is destined for the heads of riders in the Tudor Pro Cycling Team, such as new signing Julian Alaphilippe.
We also don't yet know whether this new helmet will complement or supersede the brand’s Aro 7 aero helmet, which was announced less than a year ago. Perhaps the famously style-conscious Alaphilippe didn’t fancy the integrated visor?
Refreshed Katos?
As for the sunnies, they appear to be an updated version of the Katos, combining the nose-covering one-piece Kato lens with updated arms.
The arms are, to our eye, somewhat reminiscent of Oakley’s classic M2 frames, popularised by Lance Armstrong during his heyday in the early 2000s, with the rubberised section extending further towards the lens.
Per the engraved writing on the bottom left corner, the lens uses Oakley’s Prizim technology, which is claimed to boost contrast (and help convince you the hundreds of pounds or dollars they cost is worth it).
As with the helmet, we were only able to view the sunglasses from the front and side, so we couldn’t get a look at the nose piece to see whether there have been any updates there.
Given that was one of the few low points of the original Katos (our tester found the lack of adjustability in this area to be a small annoyance), we hope there have been some changes there too.
As with the helmet, though, we’ll have to wait and see.
