Other Features
The Giro Zone MIPs has an elastic strap to affix the goggle strap to the helmet. This works quite well, and I much prefer this system over any other goggle attachment system I’ve used.
Rather than a normal buckle closure, the Zone has a magnetic closure device. It took me a few days to get used to it, but once I did, I very much prefer it over a traditional buckle. It’s very easy to open and close with one hand, and easy to buckle closed in awkward situations, such as attaching your helmet to the bottom of a backpack shoulder strap (while leaving your backpack on) — the male and female pieces seem to find themselves and close automatically.
The ear pads of the Giro Zone MIPs are easier to hear through than ones found on other helmets, such as the Giro Montane. However, they could be a bit bigger. I found that with the helmet on, they didn’t quite reach to the bottom of my ears and were a bit drafty on really cold days. This is likely a fit issue, so I suggest you try on the helmet first to see if you have the same problem. I also had a problem with one of the ear pads easily falling out – though it never fell off while I was wearing the helmet. Considering I didn’t have a problem with the other ear pad, and Cy had no problems at all, it’s probably a manufacturing tolerance issue, and I don’t necessarily expect all Zone MIPS helmets to have a problem here.
Finally, the Zone MIPS also comes with an integrated POV mount. Giro didn’t send us one of the mounts, so I can’t comment on how easy or difficult it is to add or remove. But Cy Whitling has played with one and found that it was easy to add and remove, and felt very secure on the helmet. I do like the idea of this, as helmet camera mounts are pretty obtrusive in appearance, even without a camera attached, and an integrated clip-on mount has a better chance of breaking away in the case of a crash, instead of catching and creating additional forces. The mounting point on the Zone MIPS looks slick, and I wouldn’t really know it was there were it not in the feature description.
Bottom Line
While the Giro Zone MIPs does run a bit warm, the fit is very secure and comfortable, and it integrates seamlessly the Giro Contact goggle. The Stack Vent system really does work well to keep your goggles from fogging, and I really like the Fidlock magnetic buckle system and goggle attachment design.
Overall, the Giro Zone MIPs is a high-end helmet with an excellent top-of-the-line feature set.