Trek Velocis Mips Review

Our impact test gave back favorable results, and its excellent comfort — care of good padding, head band, and chin strap system — sealed the deal for our love of the Trek Velocis MIPS. Ventilation is pretty much as good as it gets, and we kept comfortably cool even on hard climbs out ot the saddle. We loved many of the little details of this helmet such as one of the best sunglass garage we've seen and the quick release Y-buckles, but there are other niggling details we hope will be resolved in future revisions. The Velocis is light — really light — which may be worth the premium you pay for such a high-level helmet.

Impact Test

As do all the helmets in our lineup, the Trek Velocis MIPS closely follows the safety standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, but that doesn't quite tell the entire story. We took it upon ourselves to have independent impact tests performed by ACT Lab (and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited impact testing lab) done on this helmet and see how the results from those tests stack up. This lab performed two impact tests: a slow test, and then a fast test using a crash test dummy head, which was outfitted with various sensors.

Collecting data measured by the accelerometer force sensors found in the dummy head, we can then calculate and measure the helmet's capacity to handle impact forces. The slow impact tests were done at a height of 1 meter, to mimic more routine, lower-stakes crashes, like failing to unclip when coming to a stoplight. The second impact test was from a height of 2.3 meters to cover being in a crash that would have more force, like a crash you may experience in a crit. race on a particularly tricky turn, or when you're involved in a losing battle with a motor vehicle.

Slow Impact Test Results

The Trek Velocis MIPS was one of the higher performing helmets in our “slow” impact test, bettered slightly by only a few other models. For these results, it is one of the higher-priced models.

Fast Impact Test Results

The Velocis MIPS also fared well on our fast impact test results, being just a little weaker than its “slow” standings.

Taken holistically, the Trek Velocis MIPS came out as having one of the better calculated scores out of all the helmets in our lineup in both the “slow” and “fast” test scores.

Our results are corroborated closely by Virginia Tech's bicycle helmet impact testing results, which give it five stars out of five themselves. We're happy to see these separate tests so in line with each other, giving us confidence to highly suggest this helmet if impact test scores are important to you when choosing a helmet.

Comfort

Comfort is sometimes sacrificed for performance in race pedigree helmets, but this certainly is not the case for the Trek Velocis MIPS, which performs admirably in most every category, including being a piece of equipment you actually want to put on and not merely discretionary.

Padding is generous on the inner face of the helmet, which really sets this helmet apart from other manufacturers' offerings. A genuine Boa dial in the back can be used to adjust the fit extremely precisely, and the entire back hardness can be vertically adjusted as well. Light in weight means less neck strain after a long day chasing segments.

Ventilation

It takes an impressive feat of engineering to create a helmet that wraps your head in a protective layer while also allowing excellent ventilation — and the Trek Velocis MIPS does exactly this. You'll find 16 generous vents allowing air to flow freely through and out of the top, sides, and back of the helmet, helping to keep you cool on even the hottest of days out in the saddle. An elevated lateral bar wrapped in carbon fiber keeps the structural integrity of the helmet in check without sacrificing too much on its momentous airflow. Chatter from the wind at high velocities is kept at a minimum, no matter the angle of attack of the wind.

A detail to note for those who perspire generously: the amount of coverage of the padding in the Velocis is more than most high-end helmets. This could be a blessing or a curse — left up for you to decide, depending on personal preferences. We didn't experience any sweat dripping down into our own eyebrows after saturating the padding ourselves.

Usability

For a premium helmet, Usability is somewhat of a mixed bag on the Trek Velocis MIPS. The Y-buckles are absolutely excellent, having a quick release system to make on-the-fly adjustments painless, even with gloves on. The Boa dial in back is as good as it gets, allowing for precise adjustments, a click at a time. The chin strap snap works as designed, with the loose strap keeper just meaty enough to do its job and no more.

But we do have some gripes. The back harness does have a tendency to pop off the vertical adjustment point, something we've had to pop back in on more than one occasion before putting the helmet back on to ride (though never DURING a ride!). The interior padding is a standout, but it's a little bit of a chore to remove it for cleaning, as the six-pronged padding stays in place using a set of delicate hooks and mini velcro patches which attach to the helmet itself with rubber loops.

None of these are dealbreakers, but if this helmet has a weakness, it's the above minor annoyances. The Trek Velocis MIPS comes in S/M/L, fitting head circumferences from 51-63cm. It currently comes in seven colorways, somewhat constrained to mostly red, white, black and surprisingly: lavender.

Weight

At only 270 grams for a size Medium, the weight of the Trek Velocis MIPS is like the rest of its pedigree: competitive. High-end helmets aren't always the lightest, as they try to balance aerodynamics into the equation of making a great helmet, but the Velocis is one of the lightest in our lineup, while also being pretty slippery.

Even though weight was a critical design constraint for the Velocis, no corners in quality seem to have been cut, which is one of the reasons why we really adore this helmet — you'll get what you pay for. The fragile EPS foam is well covered with a more durable liner, and the lateral brace is itself wrapped in carbon fiber. The Boa dial uses a Dyneema cord rather than a flexible nylon bar to shave a few more grams without sacrificing strength or usability.

Should You Buy the Trek Velocis MIPS?

If you're looking to buy the best of the best, this is it. Ventilation and comfort are excellent, as is its light weight and impact test scores. The little niggling details aren't enough to detract us from reaching for this helmet, putting it on, and at least feeling just a little bit faster.

What Other Road Bike Helmets Should You Consider?

Not many road bike helmets come close, but a few excellent suggestions can be made. The Giro Aries Spherical could be its main rival, having many of the same strengths, but probably edges it out when it comes to its unrivaled airflow. If the price for this elite helmet seems to you outrageous, come back to Earth with the Lazer Tonic Kineticore, an extremely well-designed helmet that's available at a journeyman's wages.