Abus has updated its GameChanger aero road helmet, adding a MIPS option. Abus claims that the new GameChanger 2.0 helmet’s new forehead entry ports and redesigned exit ports improve airflow through the helmet. It also says that the redesigned tail is more aero and that the redesigned strap junction is more comfortable. Finally, the new helmet can be fitted with Abus’s QUIN crash detection system.
UK price for the non-MIPS helmet is £239.99, while the MIPS version retails for £279.99. There are 16 non-MIPS colours and four MIPS colour options.
Abus’s first high-end MIPS road helmet
The headline change is that Abus will offer a MIPS option in the GameChanger 2.0, implementing the lower profile MIPS AIr Node system, which integrates MIPS into the helmet’s padding, rather than the original MIPS, which requires a separate layer within the helmet shell.
Abus has been one of the few helmet makers not to offer MIPS sliding plane tech in its high-end road helmets, although its Powerdome road helmet and some of its MTB, urban and children’s helmets already incorporate the tech. Other helmet makers like Kask and Lazer have their own alternatives to MIPS which they implement in some of their helmets.
Improved airflow
Abus has made a number of other updates to the original GameChanger with the new version 2.0. That starts with new front eyebrow vents, which it says allow up to 32 per cent more airflow into the front of the helmet.
Abus says that the shape of the lateral struts of the helmet cage also pushes more air into the helmet at higher speeds, as well as improving airflow over the helmet’s outer surface. Changes at the rear are then claimed to increase air outflow by 20 per cent.
There are other changes at the back as well, with a longer kamm-tail, which Abus says is optimised for 46 to 52kmh rider speeds and increases the helmet’s virtual airfoil length by 11 per cent. The kamm-tail edge is lowered by 8 degrees from the original GameChanger, which Abus says improves the helmet’s aerodynamics when riding in the drops.
A new Aeroblade design on the top of the helmet is claimed to improve both aerodynamics and ventilation, helping to draw air more efficiently from the head.
There’s also a new strap design that sees a wider V-shape and, in the MIPS helmet, there’s a new Fidlock magnetic buckle, making getting the helmet on and off easier.
Finally, Abus has made it easier to dock your sunglasses at the front or rear of the helmet, with eyewear ports that work with straight and curved sunglass arms.
Crash detection system
The Abus GameChanger 2.0 integrates with the brand’s QUIN accelerometer-based crash detection system. This fits into the helmet and works in a similar way to the Specialized ANGi sensor, detecting a sudden acceleration and alerting your named contacts via a phone app which sends SMS and email alerts along with your GPS location.
The QUIN sensor is rechargeable by micro-USB without the need to remove it from the helmet.
All Abus helmets are made in the brand’s own factory in Italy. Abus has been helmet sponsor to the Movistar team since 2017, when it supplanted Catlike. The GameChanger helmet is one of the main options used by the team, along with the AirBreaker lightweight helmet.
Abus GameChanger 2.0 specifications
Sizes: S, M, L
Claimed weight: 260g / 265g / 275g
Colours: Non-MIPS 11 / MIPS 4
Price without MIPS: £239.99 / €279.99
Price with MIPS: £279.99 / €299.99
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