I’ll get right to the point: This is one of the rare times when the question of ‘Would I buy this?’ can be asked in more than a hypothetical sense. I have spent my hard-earned cash on an FCR. The combination of its remarkable value, fit, and aero design led me to add it to the select few helmets that I have bought in recent years.
Van Rysel has been kicking around for a few years now. A house brand of French sporting super-retailer Decathlon, Van Rysel has gained a significant following since Decathlon became a title sponsor of the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale WorldTour team.
When the team partnership was launched, it came with the unveiling of a completely new Van Rysel product line, including the RCR Pro road bike. The theme across all of Van Rysel’s products is that, on the surface, they represent remarkable value. In my opinion, this value is no more evident than with the FCR aero helmet from the French retailer.
At £100 / AU$150 / €100 the FCR undercuts other brands of aero helmets by a significant margin. Specialized’s Propero 4 retails for £65 / AU$160 / €90 more than the FCR and the same is the case for MET’s Rivale with a comparably vast £50 / AU$120 / €70 price difference. The question is, do those other more expensive helmets have something the FCR doesn’t (besides distribution in the United States; sorry Yanks, the FCR is not available on American shores)?
The Short of It: The FCR helmet from Van Rysel punches well above its weight offering a legitimate budget aero helmet.
Good Stuff: Comfortable fit, decent cooling, sturdy glasses placement and a fabric storage bag.
Bad stuff: This version foregoes rotational energy impact management, the retention dial is bulky, and with no aero data from Van Rysel it is impossible to quantify the helmet’s aero credentials.
Price: €100 / £100 / AU$150
Fit and feel
The FCR gives the impression of a premium-priced helmet. The satin finish on the white colourway that I tested has a nice feel while wrapping your fingers around the edges reveals that the polycarbonate shell continues into the inside of the helmet. This is ideal if you’re a little clumsy with your helmets when it isn’t on your head, as it further protects the perimeter from any accidental knocks and dents.
At 253 grams for the non-MIPS version, it is one of the lighter aero helmets available at this price point saving around 25 grams over Specialized’s Propero 4. The Propero does include a MIPS Evolve Core liner, while our tested FCR lacks rotational energy impact management; Van Rysel does have a MIPS Air-equipped version of the FCR in the lineup. The FCR feels light and distributes its weight in a balanced way when on the head.
It is also nice to see that even at this budget-friendly price Van Rysel provides a drawstring storage bag, a small thing that further makes the helmet feel more premium than its price may suggest.
For my small and ovalish head, I found the profile of the helmet to sit nicely with no hotspots or discomfort. Even with my slightly pointy crown the FCR accommodated my head with the helmet extending down nicely at the brow and on the sides of my head. As someone who also spends time in mountain bike helmets, I appreciate a helmet with slightly more coverage as it has the subconscious benefit of feeling like it offers greater protection – whether true or not. It does sit a little wider on the sides than other helmets. Aesthetically this may be more of an issue for riders with narrow heads. I found the size of the helmet to be a little bit exaggerated by the way the bottom curves slightly inwards.
Adjusting the helmet was a fast and easy affair. The cradle adjuster at the rear is a simple three-position system, and the middle position worked best for me. I mention that detail because, compared to other helmets I have recently tested such as the Trek’s Circuit WaveCel and Kask’s Mojito 3, it is nice not to need to set the cradle at its extreme considering my head size (53 cm) is at the smaller end of most helmet ranges.
Although functional, the plastic dial adjuster on the FCR is a little cumbersome and bulky. I have found as the temperature has dropped and I now find myself riding with winter gloves, this extra bulk has actually meant that adjusting the helmet’s retention is easier than other helmets with smaller dials. It’s this area that I think most shows that compromises are made to keep the price down. It is far from a terminal issue but does hint at the helmet’s budget price tag.
A more premium Boa dial might not have made it onto the FCR but a Fidlock Snap buckle remarkably has. This is a feature that tends to be reserved for helmets at the premium end of the helmet spectrum. Instead of a conventional buckle, the Fidlock Snap uses two magnets to fasten the strap, releasing the straps is simply a case of sliding the two parts of the buckle sideways.
Does the Fidlock Snap buckle add anything to the safety or performance of the helmet? No. It does mean that you can fasten and release the straps of the helmet with one hand and it is easier to use with gloves on. As nice and premium as this feature is I wouldn’t say it was a necessary inclusion.
The straps themselves are a familiar affair, standard black webbing is split around the ears with a plastic Y-shaped splitter. I am never a fan of dialling in my fit with these ear splitters as doing so with the helmet on your head is a faff. The anchor points on the helmet give plenty of space around your ears and the height of the splitter is in a good position that is comfortable on my skin. The height of the ear splitter is fixed so although it worked nicely for me it is worth trying the helmet on to ensure it works for you before purchasing.
One issue I found to be a continual – albeit slight – frustration was that the straps were prone to creeping. This meant that before almost every ride I did need to fine-tune the straps to a length that was not too loose. Even looping the straps back through the small rubber retainers did nothing to avail this issue; annoying, but not a deal breaker.
Aero thoughts
The exact aerodynamic properties are not available for scrutiny (plus, keep in mind that the aero performance of a helmet is a rather person-specific thing), however Van Rysel does reveal that the helmet was developed in conjunction with Swiss Side, the wheel brand noted for its aero expertise. It is also the helmet used by Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale in flatter and faster races, making it the cheapest helmet in the WorldTour with a victory to its name.
I did reach out to Van Rysel to get some more specific information on the aero performance of the FCR, but they were unable to share anything with me.
What they did say was, “At high speeds, aerodynamics make all the difference. The FCR helmet is the result of meticulous wind tunnel testing by some of the most demanding riders and is one of the fastest and most comfortable helmets in the professional peloton. It is therefore aerodynamic, lightweight, and most importantly, provides excellent safety, thanks to a validation protocol that exceeds European standards.” However, this still leaves a question mark over the genuine aero credentials of the FCR.
Without any hard wind tunnel data it is hard to analyse exactly how the FCR stacks up in comparison to its competition. Visually at least the FCR has the makings of a wind-cheating helmet with an exterior profile that looks to sit somewhere between Specialized’s Propero 4 and S-Works Evade 3.
The rear of the helmet tapers off slightly before a blunt profile makes way for the exhaust vents. It certainly doesn’t have the same exaggerated rear of the S-Works Evade 3 but it tails off with a widely recognisable aero look.
For hotter and hillier dates, the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team will wear Van Rysel’s better-ventilated RCR helmet.
Cooling
As with any aero helmet, what you get in one hand you have to give with the other. Most aero helmets forego optimal ventilation in exchange for increased aerodynamic performance. Fortunately, I have been using the FCR since August, giving me time to test the helmet in warmer conditions to really put the helmet’s cooling to the test.
After my first few rides with the helmet, I had to make a conscious note to observe the FCR’s ventilation. Upon reflection, this is a testament to the helmet’s cooling properties. Riding around in mid-20s (°C) heat I wasn’t aware of excessive heat build-up or that sensation of a hot orb around your head that never seems to dissipate.
With seven vents, the FCR is one of the more copiously ventilated aero-road helmets. The three main vents do a good job of drawing air into the helmet with air flowing nicely over the top of my head in a largely unrestricted fashion. Compared to the recently reviewed Trek Circuit the volume of air that the FCR lets in is superb. The two smaller vents at the brow of the helmet do a great job of bringing cooling air to your forehead that seems to work wonders at preventing any sweat from building up at the brow and dripping onto your glasses.
Two further small vents on the sides of the helmet serve a dual purpose. These are a welcome inclusion that many aero helmets omit, bringing an added cooling flow through the sides of the helmet. Purely based on their size, these are considerably more restrictive than the main front vents but added airflow in an aero helmet isn’t a bad thing.
The second role these side vents play is that they are perfectly positioned to hold your glasses. They do this with adequate effectiveness. Some glasses like Scott’s Torica struggled to find a dialed-in position in the vents with a small adjustment required every now and then. Other glasses like Oakley’s Jawbreaker or Flight Jacket that have grippier, rubberised temples sit nicely in the vents with little need to adjust their position once stowed.
At the very top of the helmet is a small vent that barely interrupts the profile of the shell. This might harm the FCR’s outright aero properties but as the temperature climbs this additional vent did wonders for introducing cool ambient air to the rear of my head. In most conditions, this is not something that I feel I need but as the temperature climbs or as speed decreases the additional vent makes the FCR a cooler helmet than other aero offerings like Trek’s Ballista and MET’s Rivale.
I do think that the need for this additional vent could be mitigated with some more considered design inside the helmet. Compared to Specialized’s aero helmets, the FCR’s channelling from the front to the back is relatively shallow. Deepening this would give enough space for a smoother flow of air internally and could potentially increase the aero performance by removing the need for the top vent.
The exhaust vents to the rear of the FCR are large enough for incoming air to be cleared from the helmet with relative ease. The aero profile tapers nicely as it reaches the back of the helmet however, this gives way to three exhaust vents. While it works, I feel a larger central vent would be more efficient given its direct path from the front vent and the vent on top of the helmet.
MIPS is an option
The version of the FCR I had was the standard model, however there is a MIPS Air-equipped option for £30 / €20 more. Given that even the MIPS-equipped option undercuts all of its direct competition it seems like a smart investment to spend that bit extra for this feature.
The brand claims that the MIPS-equipped option adds 10 grams to the weight of the helmet bringing the FCR Mips in a size small to a total weight of 263 grams. This keeps it 14 grams lighter than Specialized’s Propero. MET’s Rivale MIPS however, does fair a bit better in this respect with a small coming in at 240 grams.
Unfortunately at the time of writing Virginia Tech, the widely recognised independent helmet-testing institution, has not tested the FCR to give it a safety score to compare. Currently, the FCR is not available in the USA, but is in Europe, Australia and the UK.
Would I buy this helmet?
Well, yes, I did, in fact. If you are looking for the outright fastest helmet out there, this might not be it and without any wind tunnel data, it is hard to make a case in the FCR’s defence. It is likely that what the FCR gains with its excellent ventilation it does lose on a sheer aerodynamic front. But aerodynamics aren’t the only consideration, and the FCR performed well on a variety of factors.
Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the FCR to any rider looking for an aero helmet. Although there may be more aero helmets out there, for almost everyone other than those looking to save every last watt it is hard to look past the FCR.
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