Almost every modern helmet today uses Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam but it wasn’t always like that. The innovation came to market in the mid-1970s and at the time, there weren’t a lot of companies pushing the technology forward. While the bike industry began coalescing around the idea, Limar’s parent company, Manifattura Polistirene Espanso (MPE), was already an experienced provider of shaped polystyrene for other applications. By the time Limar produced the brand’s first bike helmet in 1988, the company already had over 20-years experience.
Tech Specs: Limar Air Atlas MIPS
Price: £265 / $319.95
Available colours: Iridescent Matte Black, Iridescent White, Matte Gray, Matte Amaranth, Matte Black Titanium, Matte Blue, Above the clouds, Pink Blue
Rotational Impact technology: MIPS Air
Weight: 253g as measured in size M without 26g UFO fairing
Almost 40-years later, things have changed a lot but there are some constants. One of them is that Limar is still known for making some of the lightest bike helmets you can buy. The Limar Air Atlas MIPS is the brand’s premier aero offering developed with input from Astana. The helmet finds itself in our list of the best road bike helmets as the best option for a lightweight helmet and, given that it’s also aero optimised, it shows up on the best aero helmets list as well.
There is a bit of an asterisk involved in the lightweight title though. It’s worth exploring the details around that as well as the rest of the experience of what it’s like to wear the Limar Air Atlas MIPS. If you are looking for a new helmet, aero or not, keep reading to see if Limar has the best option for you.
Design and aesthetics
By the early 90s, it became clear to helmet manufacturers that using a protective outer coating over a helmet’s EPS foam had a number of advantages. The outer cover created a slip plane in a crash, it held the foam together and protected in day to day use, but it also turned helmet manufacturers into fashion companies. Limar points to the brand’s 1993 sponsorship of Team Gatorade as the first time that any helmet carried team colours. Obviously, the trend continued.
Today Limar sponsors Team Astana and claims the team was instrumental in development of the Air Atlas + MIPS. For consumers, that means one of the eight colorways available is an Astana option with a white…
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