Looking at a new helmet, like the look of the Bell Ghisallo.. any thoughts on Giro/Bell?

i have the bell sweep R CSC colors and it's pretty nice. plus not everybody has it, whereas almost EVERYBODY has Giro. I went into a store and the guy said Bell owns Giro but I don't know about that. I prefer the Bell b/c it has the same, if not nicer fit then the Giros at 2/3 the price or even 1/2 when compared to the Atmos. Also, you may want to look into getting one of the European ones, they are extremely light and fit like a glove. I tried the Cateye and was temped to choose it over my CSC Sweep R. But I have to support my team.

In my experience it comes down to what fits you. I seem to have a Bell head. Currently I have a Ghisallo and love it. Others seem to have Giro heads. I often wonder whether there is any statistical significance between Bell/Giro opinions and Campy/Shimano opinions. Can one have a Bell head and Campy hands?

I had a Bell helmet and when I went to replace it splurged on a Giro. I wasn't going to spend that much money, but when I tried them on, it was just more comfortable than the cheaper helmets, and that seemed pretty important for those long rides.

I don't like the bell logo in the front. My friend got a ghisallo but then proceded to pop the logo off.

I went ahead and got an atmos

This is my experience too. Even the cheapest Bell helmet feels good on my head. I've never tried a Giro helmet that was comfortable for me. My father-in-law is the opposite.

Try them on. They're all good helmets. With both brands, the more you pay the less you get (less helmet = more cooling vents).

Bell does own the Giro. They bought them out a few years ago. Today, the helmets are made in the same factory. Warranty and customer service are identical. Values are pretty much the same. The main difference is fit. Bell uses a rounder mold; Giro is more oval inside. I've heard that some of the newer Giros like the Atmos don't follow the old Giro shape, though.

The cheapest Bell/Giro helmets come in only 1 size. More expensive helmets come in 3 sizes. Good fit means the helmet is more likely to stay on your head (and protect it) in a crash. If you can get a good fit with the one-size-fits-all helmets, that's good for you.

Hmmm reminds me of "Shimano or Campy"

I have a round head I guess, since Bell helmets fit and Giros don't. I have a Ghisallo and an Alchera. The Alchera fits like a glove, while the Ghisallo is a tad looser, but still good fit. (Both same labeled size.)

I got both on sale at Nashbar.

I have found that if a helmet fits right, I wear it. If it doesn't fit I don't use it. I bought a Specialized a while back that kinda, sorta fit, but never was right. I was always being distracted while riding because of it. After a couple of rides never wore it again.

Except that Shimano and Campy are different companies that are competing against each other. Bell and Giro are the same company, just like Trek/Klein/Gary Fisher are the same company.

WHAT? since when did tghis happen? Man things change!

Non issue. Get the helmet which fits the best. And if it happesn to be a Bell or a Giro then great.

Agreed.
Much like a bike...

Last year I rode with a Bell helmet. This year I'm riding a Giro and like it better than the Bell. They both fit me well but I found the Giro was lighter and I'm quite pleased with it.

I've read articles demonstrating the people with "Bell" craniums have higher IQs. Giro heads, having lesser intelligence, are more prone persuasion (e.g., from marketing personnel or peer groups).

Jeez it'd be the same way if lance wore bell!

Giro Atmos.

Giros seem to fall apart on me really quickly and suddenly. I haven't tried the Bell, but that's what my next helmet will be.

Koffee

Bell. All the recent Giro's I tried had a little pointy thing that was poking me in the top of the head, and looked extra-dorky on me. My previous helmet was a Giro that I bought in a rush just before a group ride and ended up keeping for 12 years.

Ended up buying the Fusio Bell. Great helmet - all the features of the Ghisallo for $40 less. GPS system is great - on the Giro's I was between med and lge, GPS system took care of that

Not sure about the Bell versus Giro head shape comparison. My head is far from round...perhaps more narrow width wise and longer front to back. My new Bell Ghisallo is awesome...fits perfectly...love it.
I also measure right between sizes and went with the large which has plenty of adjustment down.
As to having a Bell head and Campy hands..perhaps more plausible...what I run...lol.
George

I was surprised that Bell and Giro are the same company - they sure are quiet about it on the websites and keep their brand identity quite distinct. Seems Bell bought Giro in 96, Bell since merged with Riddell (2004). A few things I found on the web.... (by the way, happy Furio owner)


Bell Buys Giro
Bell Sports Adds Giro To Roster
By Steve Frothingham
SCOTTSDALE, AZ-"If you're number one and you can buy number two, it's usually a good idea."

That's how one Bell Sports executive described the company's latest move, the purchase of archcompetitor Giro Sports Design.

Bell officials expect to complete the sale in early January, following a 3~day filing period required by the Securities & Exchange Commission. The price paid for Giro, which did $15 million in sales in 1994, is confidential.
"Giro's a great brand to add to our portfolio. We've always been a branded company," said Terry Lee, Bell's chief executive officer and chairman.
Lee is promising Giro executives that the Santa Cruz, California, company will continue to operate its sales, marketing and product development departments separately from Bell's other brands. Giro also will have a separate booth from Bell Sports at this fall's trade shows.

It's a different strategy than Bell followed after purchasing Blackburn, VistaLite and Rhode Gear, which were lumped into Bell's retail division.
'The Giro acquisition was more strategic in terms of our longterm ability to lead the marketplace. Preserving the brand is more important than any dollars we could save consolidating sales and marketing," Lee said.
Lee also has no plans to sell Giro helmets in the mass market where Bell sells BSI, Bell and Cycle Products brands. 'We don't need Giro there. It's a specialty brand," Lee said.

While Lee admits that Giro has been chipping away at Bell's market share lately, Bell is continuing to offer its Pro Series line exclusively to specialty retailers.

Staff at Giro's and Bell's specialty divisions will go head-to-head in the marketplace. "they'll be competing for bragging rights at the company picnic," joked Paul Thatcher, Bell's marketing communications manager.

Giro's founder, chief executive officer and largest shareholder, Jim Gentes, is continuing to work for the company, reporting to Lee. Bill Hannemann continues as Giro's president.
In 1985, Gentes left Blackburn, where he was a designer, to start Giro. The company's first product was an aerostyle triathlon helmet. In 1986 he introduced the ProLite, the lightweight, Lycra-covered helmet that built Giro's reputation as the most innovative, high-end helmet maker in the U.S.

While Bell never regained control of the upper high-end market, Giro was never able to follow Bell into the mass market
Two years ago Giro attempted to sell a line of LeMond helmets to mass merchants, but soon discovered it was unable to compete on price. And Giro's line of baseball cap-style helmets, the Fat Hat, also flopped.
"We realized what we're not It's not in our skill sets to go into the mass market. We're a highprice helmet maker," Gentes said.
After years of competing with Bell, Gentes is still adjusting to the situation. "Our industry is growing up. This is the way the business world works. It took a while to get over the competitiveness with Bell. I'm looking forward to working with Terry and learning about how a public company runs," Gentes said.
Competitors estimate Bell's and Giro's combined share of the specialty market at 50 to 70 percent. But they are betting that the two companies will be unable to maintain that market share now that they are together.
"I think Giro's product will go downhill," said Brent Knudson, who, as president of Epic Team Manufacturing, is in charge of Specialized's helmet program.
Specialized's research indicates that Specialized is ahead of Giro, but well behind Bell in specialty retail unit sales. But in dollar sales, Specialized is a close third behind Bell and Giro because of Giro's higher average price, Knudson said.

"We are really enthused about the opportunity this gives us to solidify our position," Knudson said.
It's easier to compete against one company than two, noted Al Stonehouse, president of Diamondback, which reentered the helmet market last year with its Avenir brand.
"As they consolidate, they will gain some efficiencies that will help them compete. On the other hand, they will have more commonalty in their product and in the way they approach the market with programs. That gives a company like us more opportunity to be competitive," Stonehouse said.
"The purchase will probably have the desired affect of reducing the level of competition in the industry, which will cause an upward affect on helmet prices, which we would welcome," he said.
Copyright 1996 by Miller Freeman, Inc, Santa Fe, New Mexico. All rights reserved.

NEW YORK, August 12, 2004 – Fenway Partners, Inc., a leading private equity firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bell Sports Corporation, the world's leading marketer of helmets and accessories for bicycling and other action sports, from an investor group including GarMark Partners, L.P., Wachovia Investors, Inc. and Chartwell Investors, for approximately $240 million. The transaction will merge Bell Sports and Riddell Sports Group, the leading provider of football helmets and other branded sporting goods, equipment reconditioning services and sports collectibles, which Fenway purchased in June of 2003.

The combined company, which will produce more than 7 million helmets annually, will have projected 2004 revenues of more than $300 million and a strong capital structure. The new company's key brands - Bell (bicycle and action sports helmets and accessories), Giro (bicycle and snow sports helmets) and Riddell (football helmets, worn by 85% of the NFL) - are market leaders with reputations for highest quality products, state-of-the-art design, technological innovation and a focus on safety and protection. Together, Bell and Riddell will have the world's largest research and development effort focused on head protection. The combination provides both companies with access to all major distribution channels and a global sourcing network to expand the breadth of products offered by each, which will accelerate the execution of their current business strategies.

wow, sicne when did they put global positioning systems on helmets?

pepsi or coke?
I have a bell bicycle helmet and a giro ski helmet...
Just go try some on...get one with which you're comfortable and don't worry about branding one name over another until you get sponsored.