Limar’s Air Stratos MIPS is a lightweight, well-ventilated helmet designed for road and gravel use.
Sitting towards the lower end of Limar’s range, the Air Stratos MIPS takes the formula of the highly rated Air Stratos and incorporates a MIPS Air system for added protection against rotational impacts.
Costing £121 / $169.95 / €167.16, it offers excellent comfort and performance at a reasonable price.
The only downside is it appears to make little consideration for aerodynamic efficiency, though this isn’t something you’ll notice unless you're racing against the clock.
Limar Air Stratos MIPS helmet specification and details
The Air Stratos MIPS is one of Limar’s more budget-oriented options, sitting above the standard Air Stratos and the Air Star, but below more aerodynamic options such as the Air Speed or Air Atlas.
Its design focuses primarily on comfort, ventilation and low weight, with 15 vents distributed evenly across the outer shell.
Retention is taken care of by Limar’s Air Fit System, which is an evolution of the Air Fit Evo system found on its higher-end helmets.
This comprises a height-adjustable cradle at the rear, with a rotary dial, plus adjustable ear straps and a removable chin pad.
The low-friction MIPS Air system technology is incorporated into the helmet padding itself.
According to the brand, this helps improve both weight and ventilation compared to a conventional MIPS liner (as seen on the Smith Optics Ignite MIPS). It’s also used on premium lightweight helmets, such as the Trek Velocis MIPS and Specialized S-Works Prevail 3.
Overall, the design is modern and compact with an up-to-date aesthetic.
As previously noted, Limar doesn’t make any claims concerning the aerodynamic performance of the Air Stratos MIPS, though it’s fair to say that’s not unusual at the price.
If you want an aero road helmet on a budget, then Van Rysel’s FCR (£89.99 / €100 or £119.99 / €125 with MIPS) ought to be a consideration, but there’s little choice beyond that.
In terms of weight, the Air Stratos MIPS impresses, weighing only 231g for a size medium.
That’s less than the claimed weight (240g), but – more pertinently – less than many similarly priced road helmets.
Van Rysel’s FCR helmet, for example, weighs significantly more at 293g. As noted, though, the FCR uses a more aerodynamic form factor, with fewer ventilation holes.
Looking at more vented options, Lazer’s Strada KinetiCore (£89.99 / $109.99 / €119.95) and Rudy Project’s Skudo (£82.99 / $169.99 / €119.90) helmets are notably heavier at 287 and 260g, respectively.
Despite this, the polycarbonate shell wraps all the way round the lower edge of the EPS foam shell, which bodes well for long-term durability.
The Air Stratos MIPS is available in two sizes, medium (53 to 57cm) and large (57 to 61cm), and three colours – Iridescent Matte Black (tested), Iridescent White and Matte Deep Green.
Limar Air Stratos MIPS helmet performance
In use, the Limar Air Stratos MIPS impressed, with excellent comfort and ventilation.
Setting it up is simple, with ample height adjustment in the cradle and easy-to-adjust chin and ear straps.
Fitting my ponytail through the retention system was a bit of a tight squeeze, but not impossible.
When my colleague, Matt Baird, reviewed the standard Air Stratos (without MIPS), he noted the rotary dial is fairly small.
It is smaller than comparable dials on the Van Rysel FCR or Kask’s Sintesi, however I didn’t have any issues with adjusting it – either on the fly, or with full-finger cycling gloves on.
I don’t have the largest hands, though, so others may have a different experience.
On the head, the minimalist MIPS Air padding provides excellent comfort without adding too much warmth, while the 15 ventilation holes offer tangible cooling at both low and high speeds.
Given its low overall weight, it’s no surprise the Air Stratos MIPS feels light on the head too, and I didn’t experience any pressure points or hotspots.
The chinstrap padding felt a little superfluous – I’ve not suffered from a lack of it on most other helmets, but it is removable, so if you don’t like it you don’t have to use it.
I was also pleased to find the Air Stratos MIPS can securely store cycling sunglasses in its front vents well, because this can be useful when climbing or in poor weather.
Racers might be disappointed the Air Stratos MIPS doesn’t give much consideration to aerodynamic efficiency, though.
There are few helmets at this price that feature full aerodynamic styling, but with the recent launch of Van Rysel’s FCR it feels a more notable omission.
That’s not to say the Limar Air Stratos MIPS is a parachute – its compact design and shape aren’t likely to be too inefficient. Certainly, it’s not something you can feel while riding.
Nevertheless, it might be a deal breaker for those concerned with marginal gains.
Limar Air Stratos MIPS helmet bottom line
Limar’s Air Stratos MIPS offers a comfortable fit and plentiful ventilation in a smart-looking and lightweight package.
The addition of MIPS adds a bit to the price, but doesn’t hurt performance and is a welcome addition.
Racers might rue the lack of aerodynamic optimisations, but at this price it’s hard to complain about the level of performance on offer.
Product
| Brand | limar |
| Price | 168.00 EUR,121.00 GBP,170.00 USD |
| Weight | 231.0000, GRAM (M) - |
Features
| br_MIPS | yes |
| br_helmetType | road |
| Features | Available sizes: Medium, large Available colours: Black, White |
