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News / The Mips Brain Protection System

WHAT IS MIPS?

Your brain is everything you are, and it is very sensitive. That’s why it is so important to protect it. Giro helmets with the Mips Brain Protection System offer more comprehensive protection that can help to reduce the energy transmitted to your brain in the event of an impact. Less energy transferred to your brain during a crash equals more protection for you.

MIPS IS AN ADDITIONAL
MEASURE OF PROTECTION

Mips is a patented Brain Protection System (BPS) available in almost every Giro helmet model. It adds a measure of protective capability in certain impacts beyond the helmet’s outer shell and impact-absorbing foam liner and helps to reduce rotational motion transferred to the brain—especially during those first critical milliseconds. That’s why we encourage you to look for the yellow dot on Giro helmets.

TWO MILLISECONDS COULD CHANGE
YOUR LIFE

Two milliseconds. That’s 100 times faster than the blink of an eye! And yet during an impact, this fraction of a second could be the most important moment of your life, because that is all the time it takes to suffer a brain injury.

HOW DOES THE MIPS BRAIN PROTECTION SYSTEM WORK?

When a helmet with the Mips Brain Protection System is subjected to an angled impact, the low friction layer inside the helmet (identified in this image in yellow) allows the helmet to move. That movement during those crucial first .0002 seconds can reduce the amount of rotational motion (a combination of rotational energy and rotational forces) transferred to the brain and reduce the risk for minor and severe brain injuries. It’s important to acknowledge that no helmet, including Mips-equipped helmets, can prevent all potential injuries. But by reducing energy transmitted to the brain, the potential for and the severity of a brain injury can be reduced and you likely won’t even notice Mips, but your brain will when it needs it the most.

HOW DO WE TEST HELMETS WITH MIPS
TECHNOLOGY?

The Mips BPS has been scientifically proven to reduce rotational motion from angled impacts when implemented in a helmet. And every Mips-equipped helmet model is thoroughly vetted through testing to global standards, as well as Mips’s own standards to ensure it performs properly.


  • More than 25,000 tests to-date.
  • Top ratings in independent testing from third party laboratories.
  • Every helmet model validated prior to production approval, with mandatory reduction of rotational forces of at least 10%, compared to comparable helmets without Mips technology.
  • Developed in consultation with doctors, scientists, biomechanics engineers, and riders.

But we don’t take those results or the technology for granted. That’s why we continue testing helmets in our DOME Test Lab as well as in partnership with Mips, in order to optimize the performance and integration of the Mips Brain Protection System to our standard.
In addition to the battery of tests mandated for compliance to leading global standards, we built three separate test rigs specifically to evaluate the performance of helmets when subjected to rotational motion. Based on the results of our own testing as well as the evidence from Mips and independent labs, we believe that Giro helmets equipped with the Mips Brain Protection System may provide an additional measure of protection in certain impacts, without adverse effects to other performance benefits. That’s why we choose to incorporate the Mips Brain Protection System into nearly every helmet model we make, so that you can get the Giro helmet you want for road, trail, gravel, urban or downhill riding.

MIPS IS THE MARKET-LEADING TECHNOLOGY

Mips are pioneers when it comes to brain protection, and they are a key partner in our effort to improve helmets. With data from more than 25,000 tests to-date, plus top ratings from independent test labs and ongoing research, we believe that the Mips Brain Protection System is the leading brain protection technology. It also allows us to create a wide range of helmets for different styles of riding, without compromising comfort, ventilation or other performance criteria. That’s why we believe Giro helmets equipped with Mips are a step forward in head protection, and helmets with Spherical Technology, powered by Mips, are the best helmets you can get.

“…all the tech we need to increase safety without any of the drawbacks.”

“the protective qualities you need… to help reduce the rotational effects of side impacts…”

“probably the most important thing to look for when starting your helmet search…”

“…a beautiful, elegant and stealthy solution to
fighting oblique impacts.”

“Mips is a fantastic testimony of technological innovation that makes a difference in everyday life through improved safety…”

GIRO OFFERS MIPS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

MARKET-LEADING PERFORMANCE AND PROTECTION FOR EVERY RIDER

SPHERICAL TECHNOLOGY

Ball-and-socket design, powered by Mips, combines market-leading design, performance and protection

Giro integrated mips

An integrated measure of protection with enhances comfort and performance

mips equipped

An added measure of protection

READ THE FAQS

SAFETY

No. The MIPS® BPS is not a multi-impact technology, and currently there is no cycling helmet that can guarantee to be truly “multi-impact”.
No, because every impact is a unique event and every rider is different. Nobody can say when, where or how a crash will occur, or how severe the impact might be. But we do know that brain injuries often happen in an instant and without excess speed or force.
We wish it was possible to claim that helmets could be 100% effective. But the truth is that NO HELMET CAN PREVENT ALL INJURIES, and there is no standard threshold for defining a concussion. Every impact is a unique event involving many factors that cannot be predicted, and every rider is a unique being. While helmets are proven to be up to 85% effective according to valid studies, it is not possible to claim that a helmet can prevent a brain injury in every case.

TECHNOLOGY

Integrated MIPS® seamlessly combines the essential MIPS BPS components with the helmet’s Roc Loc® fit and stability system in a single unit, reducing weight, excess plastic and additional elements that can compromise comfort.
Developed at the Bell+Giro Dome in partnership with MIPS®, Spherical Technology’s unique Ball-and-Socket design, powered by MIPS, redirects impact forces, bringing market leading design, performance and brain protection together without compromising comfort, ventilation, weight or style. It’s available in our most premium helmets road, mountain, ski and snowboard helmets.
MIPS® Technology is a step forward in helmet design, and a market-leading technology. We do not have any ownership in MIPS. But unlike other brands, we don’t simply add this “off the shelf technology” to our existing helmets. Giro™ helmets equipped with the MIPS BPS are designed specifically with MIPS from the start, and many models incorporate unique features and benefits, including what we call Integrated MIPS® and Spherical Technology™, that are only possible because we’ve spent years collaborating with the designers behind MIPS and we have our own a world-class test lab (the DOME).

PERFORMANCE

The system is unique to each helmet model, and designed to work without compromising fit, function or ventilation compared to a traditional helmet. There is some added weight, but it’s only a few grams per helmet.

PRODUCT CARE

No. The MIPS® BPS is permanently integrated into the helmet when it is built, and it cannot be retrofitted.
You should inspect your helmet regularly for any signs of damage, especially after a fall. If you have any questions about the condition of a helmet, please contact us to set-up an inspection.

STANDARDS

All cycling helmets must meet the required standards for the market they are sold in, regardless of whether they include the MIPS BPS or not. The MIPS® BPS does not affect standards requirements or certification, but it can provide an additional measure of protection in certain impacts.
No. While many helmets use similar materials and all bicycle helmets must meet relevant standards, the truth is that helmets equipped with the MIPS BPS are available in a wide variety designs for different types of riding, from Children’s helmets to Full-Face designs for mountain bike riding. Whether you choose our premium Spherical Technology-equipped helmets offering luxurious comfort, ventilation and comprehensive protective capability, to our more basic MIPS-equipped models that bring the benefits of MIPS to any rider, you have choices in style, performance level and price while still getting the added measure of protective capability that the MIPS BPS offers.
In addition to the main components of the helmet and the MIPS BPS (a LOW FRICTION LINER that is anchored to the helmet’s FOAM LINER by an ELASTOMERIC ATTACHMENT SYSTEM) every MIPS-equipped helmet must be validated by MIPS® to ensure that it meets their standards for reduction in energy transmission to the brain, compared to an equivalent helmet without MIPS.

DISCLAIMERS

Mips AB and Mips China (collectively, “Mips”) cannot and do not warrant that an individual who suffers a collision, fall, or other blow to the head while a person is wearing a helmet equipped with the Mips system will never suffer any concussion or other injury. No impact protection system can protect a user from all injuries and user assumes all risks, including all risks of bodily injury or death or loss of or damage to property, arising out of user’s participation in athletic, recreational and other activities while wearing a helmet equipped with the Mips system. To the extent permitted by applicable law, Mips expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, express or implied, other than those expressly made by Mips. Warning: the Mips system in a helmet has been positioned in accordance with specifications for that particular model of helmet. Users are warned not to remove, reposition or otherwise tamper with the Mips system in the helmet. Wipe clean using a mild detergent without bleach.