Catlike Whisper or Giro Ionos

billaustin

Hi guys, i think I've made my mind upalready on this but I just wanted to see what the general thoughts of you all are. I'm currently riding with a Giro Ionos (Livestrong colours) and I find it very good, comfortable and it looks the part. I was up in Wheelworx during the week and they have the Catlike Whisper in stock and while a little unusual I like the design, it's a bit different.

So go on then, what do you think?!

crashoveroid

billaustin wrote: »

Hi guys, i think I've made my mind upalready on this but I just wanted to see what the general thoughts of you all are. I'm currently riding with a Giro Ionos (Livestrong colours) and I find it very good, comfortable and it looks the part. I was up in Wheelworx during the week and they have the Catlike Whisper in stock and while a little unusual I like the design, it's a bit different.

So go on then, what do you think?!

Go for the Catlike i think they are much better looking then the Giro

Idleater

billaustin wrote: »

So go on then, what do you think?!

Met Stradavarius or Sinethesis

Danbo!

Is there anything wrong with the Ionos? Tis an expensive helmet so why not keep it until you have to change it? I dropped mine down concrete steps a while back and cracked it. Had to replace with a bell for ~75, not sure of model, couldnt bring myself to fork out for the Ionos again.

abcdggs

billaustin wrote: »

Hi guys, i think I've made my mind upalready on this but I just wanted to see what the general thoughts of you all are. I'm currently riding with a Giro Ionos (Livestrong colours) and I find it very good, comfortable and it looks the part. I was up in Wheelworx during the week and they have the Catlike Whisper in stock and while a little unusual I like the design, it's a bit different.

So go on then, what do you think?!

did you happen to notice how much the catlike was going for?

doozerie

nereid wrote: »

Met Stradavarius or Sinethesis

I've been using the Stradivarius for several years now and am currently on my third. I replace them due to age rather than due to problems but one issue that I've had with each one of them so far is that the internal pads disintegrate very quickly once you start washing them. And if you wear the helmet daily, as I do, then you do have to start washing them before very long.

I've not been able to find replacement pads for my models of Stradivarius so I've replaced the helmet once the pads get so badly worn out that the helmet is just uncomfortable to wear. This tends to coincide roughly with when I'd replace the helmet anyway but better or replacement pads would make the last year or so of use a lot less of a pain. Although I really like the Stradivarius in almost every other respect, next time I buy a helmet I think I'll be looking for one with better pads or one for which replacement pads are readily available.

As for the Catlike versus the Giro, on aesthetics alone I'd lean towards the Catlike. I've read good things about the ventilation in the Catlike too though I've never actually tried one myself - having said that, I've not read anything bad about the Giro either.

billaustin

The price difference isn't too huge, the ionos is around 180 and the Catlike is 173 in Wheelworx. Thanks for the good advice guys.

Comm2

which ever helmet fits your head best and is most comfortable, that's the most important thing.

doozerie

Just to add to this thread for anyone looking to make the same decision as the OP, I bought myself a new helmet recently and my choice too came down to between the Giro Ionos and the Catlike Whisper Plus. Wheelworx was the only local source of the Catlike that I found, for 174euro, whereas the Giro is more readily available (cheapest source I found was 162euro from Slane Cycles).

I went for the Catlike, but only because it fit me better. In most other respects, aesthetics bias aside, I think the Giro is actually a better choice. I found the Giro to be a narrower fit so while the medium was the "right" size for me it was more snug than I'd like on the sides of my head - maybe that wouldn't actually prove to be an issue over time as the pads compress a little but I wasn't willing to take that chance and the large size was just too big. I'd seen it mentioned that Giro helmets are better suited to oval heads while Catlike are better suited to round heads, and my experiences would seem to support that view (...or maybe my head is actually ovalised in the other plane!). Also, I could feel one of the ridges on the inside of the Giro against the top of my head, which could become uncomfortable after wearing the helmet for a few hours.

My reasons for considering the Giro a better option are:

* While both helmets obviously have to meet safety standard EN1078 in order to be sold within Europe, the Giro box stated that it meets the US safety standard too which is more demanding in certain areas. Perhaps the Catlike meets the US standard too, but it has no mention of it on the packaging and, as such, on paper the Giro appears to be a "safer" helmet. If you consider EN1078 to be enough then obviously meeting other certifications isn't a selling point for you, but personally I find it a good thing that a helmet also meets more stringent requirements imposed elswhere.
* The Giro comes with a full set of spare pads, plus a liner for winter use, whereas the Catlike comes with spare pads for the top and sides of the helmet only (no spare for the pad that sits against your forehead, which is the one that most needs replacing in my experience).
* The Giro is cheaper.
* I believe that Giro have a crash replacement policy, where you can (I think) buy a replacement helmet at a discount if your existing one is damaged in a crash. I've not looked into the details but I've seen people relate both good and bad experiences of the policy online. Worth looking into though if you are a Giro owner. Catlike packaging mentions nothing about such a policy, but on the other hand they do provide a 2-year warranty versus 1-year warranty from Giro.
* If colour concerns you, then the wider availability of the Giro means that it is probably more readily available in the colour of your choice. By comparison, I was limited to what Wheelworx had in stock - I wanted a white helmet, just for visibility, but ended up with a black one as it was the only colour in my size that didn't make my eyes bleed. ...as my bike is black too (for similar reasons of lack of choice) I'm becoming quite the ninja cyclist so I'm having to rely on my guaranteed Irish luminous white legs to remain visible to other road users.

By the way, Wheelworx also sell the Giro so you get the opportunity to compare it side by side with teh Catlike, which is useful. One thing to note too about the Catlike is that Wheelworx have models with manufacturing dates of 2008, 2009, and 2010 - nothing unusual about that except that I found that a model of the Whisper Plus dated 2008 was a different fit to one dated 2009. The 2008 model seemed to be larger and the medium was basically too big for me, whereas the medium 2009 model was just right.

I've only used the Catlike for one ride so far, but it was very comfortable throughout and the venting works well. From reviews that I've read, the Giro is also very comfortable and its venting works well too, it's just a shame that it didn't suit my head.

Beasty

doozerie wrote: »

* The Giro is cheaper.

I think the only reason it is cheaper is because Slane don't charge VAT - if you check wiggle, who stock both helmets, the Ionos is around £170, and the Whisper £158 (both including VAT). Slane don't seem to do the Whisper, but if you could find a UK retailer that did, and are not required to charge Irish VAT, you would probably find it quite a bit cheaper than Irish retailers

Lumen

doozerie wrote: »

While both helmets obviously have to meet safety standard EN1078 in order to be sold within Europe, the Giro box stated that it meets the US safety standard too which is more demanding in certain areas. Perhaps the Catlike meets the US standard too, but it has no mention of it on the packaging and, as such, on paper the Giro appears to be a "safer" helmet. If you consider EN1078 to be enough then obviously meeting other certifications isn't a selling point for you, but personally I find it a good thing that a helmet also meets more stringent requirements imposed elswhere.

Yes, US regs are stricter.

FWIW I use the latest Limar Pro 104 Ultralight which doesn't pass the US tests.

doozerie

Beasty wrote: »

I think the only reason it is cheaper is because Slane don't charge VAT - if you check wiggle, who stock both helmets, the Ionos is around £170, and the Whisper £158 (both including VAT). Slane don't seem to do the Whisper, but if you could find a UK retailer that did, and are not required to charge Irish VAT, you would probably find it quite a bit cheaper than Irish retailers

That is true, it should be possible to source the Catlike cheaper. I've gotta admit that my conscience played a part in my deciding to buy it from a local Irish retailer as I generally buy a lot of stuff from abroad (though my conscience was noticeably silent when I considered buying the Giro from Slane Cycles, for some reason). Now that I've appeased my conscience on this occasion though, I'm free to buy from anywhere for another few months at least