Having been manufacturing helmets and accessories in Italy for other companies and their own brand for more than 30 years, SH+ is a bit of a holdout in true European production. For the coming model year they have just introduced their new Shalimar helmet that blends an aerodynamic advantage with proper venting to make it wearable year round. While many might just call it an aero road helmet, SH+ wouldn’t pigeon-hole it, and a lot of its early testing was even done racing on their regional marathon XC circuit. To match up with the new helmet, SH+ has also introduced a couple of new RG5000 pairs of shades that offers wide coverage, integrated venting, and a couple of fit options…
Shalimar
The new Shalimar was developed in the wind tunnel in an effort to gain an aero advantage over their most popular Shabli helmet. Designed and produced 100% in Italy (down to its packaging), the new Shalimar uses a row of wide front facing vents to draw air into internal channels, while the top of the helmet is a bit more smoothed over, and then hot moisture-laden air is extracted out of the back. Those main front vents get fins to control airflow, and as a result the helmet has a distinctly different look from the front and the side.
Head-on the helmet is very open, and only the top panel, covered in the SH+ logo, suggest an aero focus. But from the side those vents appear much more closed off, and this is where they claim to really get that wind cheating effect.
The in-mold EPS & polycarbonate Shalimar helmet with its 24 vents, is certified to EN 1078, ASTM, & CPSC testing, so versions will be available in most international markets. It uses a large one-piece laser cut, padded liner that serves both to wick sweat away from your head and to act as a mesh screen to keep bugs out. The helmet is held on by SH+’s one-handed height and circumference adjustable Speed Turn System V retention setup, and an easy to use ‘automatic’ buckle chin strap.
The Shalimar is available now for 180€ in two sizes to fit heads from 53-62cm around, with claimed weights of 240g for the XS/S and 270g for the M/L. It comes in 15 different colors with either a white or black base and color accents, or in all hi-vis yellow and orange models. It even offers an optional snap-on plastic cover (in clear, white, or black) to get you through wet and cold winter riding.
RG5000
On their sunglasses side of things, also made in Italy, SH+ has just added a new top-of-the-line pair of shades called the RG5000, designed specifically to complement the aero advantage of the new helmet. Available in the standard lens shape above for cyclists with large faces, and the trimmed down WX lens shape below for those with smaller faces, the idea is to provide a comfortable and close fit that blocks out the wind.
Both pairs of glasses share the same frame with its adjustable nose piece and temples, and are available in more than a dozen color combinations. Then you can add in the easily interchangeable two vented lens shapes in more than a dozen colors, mirrored finishes and photochromic tints to suit pretty much any look you could imagine.
The glasses are designed specifically to fit perched in the vents of SH+’s helmets, as well as many made by other manufacturers. Both versions of the glasses are available now starting at 109€. Race Pro line glasses come with both colored, orange & clear lenses and a clamshell case, while the Reactive line include just one set of lenses and the case. SH+ also offers some prescription lens compatibility with a rear clip-in Rx frame available separately.
