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Giro Dime Helmet Review

For kids looking for a skater-style helmet for use with their bikes, the Giro Dime Helmet has fantastic air flow, but is not dual-certified for skateboard use, and also doesn’t feature a dial-adjust fit system. Read the review for all the pros and cons.

stock image of black giro dime helmet

QUICK LOOK

Giro Dime

RATING: Highly Recommended

MSRP$45

BEST FOR: Kids looking for a skater-style helmet for biking use (not dual certified).

SIZE: 47 – 55 cm

ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM: Adjusts with pads

WEIGHT: 420 g

PROS:

  • Air vents with deep channels create great airflow for less sweaty heads
  • Available with or without MIPS safety technology
  • Sealed pads prevent sweat from dripping down your face
  • Protective rubberized coating that covers the exposed foam for increased durability

CONS:

  • No dial-adjust means you have to keep track of various pads to adjust the internal sizing as kids grow

Full Review

“Wow, this helmet feels great and so much cooler than my other one!” From the first day, we had the Giro Dime, it was quite clear it was a winner.  After his first ride, our 11-year-old testers was in love, “I can really feel the air flow through this when I ride”, and as a result, so were we. A skater-style helmet for bikes, the Dime is not dual-certified for skateboarding, but rather a high-quality, comfortable and stylish bike helmet for kids.

As our tester clearly pointed out, one of the main draws to the Dime its air flow. Skater-style helmets are notorious for being hot and sweaty.  With fewer vents than standard helmets and generally thicker and heavier, kids often get sweaty and as a result, are more adept to take off their helmets.  To create more airflow without increasing the number of vents, the Giro connected the upper air vents with deep channels, allowing air to easily enter the front vents and escape out the back.  The Nutcase also has vents, but they much more shallow while the Triple 8 helmet does not have any.

Giro Dime vents2

Available in two models, the Dime is also available with MIPS technology. Designed to decrease the rotational forces upon the head and neck, MIPS can add an additional layer of safety to kids helmets in certain impacts. Wanting to ensure the technology was truly beneficial, Giro spent several years testing MIPS technologies prior to adding it to their helmets (view their video about MIPS here). Their results clearly demonstrated MIPS effectiveness and Giro went on to only add it to their helmets, they also purchased 20% of the company that created MIPS.  

Giro Scamp MIPS

The MIPS system consists of thin plastic shell connected to the helmet’s protective foam with flexible anchors. These anchors stretch to allow the helmet to rotate upon impact.  The Dime we tested did not have the MIPS system, but we did test another Giro helmet with MIPS and were easily able to replicate how the plastic shell and flexible anchors work upon impact.

Other features of the Dime include sealed pads, which prevent sweat from running the face, as well as a protective rubberized coating that covers the exposed foam on the front of the helmet.  For added comfort, the rear pad on the helmet is thick, while the front pad (which comes in two thicknesses), is only thick in the middle which allows for additional airflow around the sides.  These features are the same for both MIPS and non-MIPS helmets.  Both Dime models do not offer a dial-adjust, so it is especially important to measure your child’s head before buying a helmet.  Both models come in two sizes, extra-small (47-51cm) and small (51-55cm).  The helmet used for this review was a small.

Dime Giro Features

Like all helmets, however, a child’s head circumference doesn’t necessarily mean it will fit a helmet with the same measurements.  Our eleven-year-old tester, with a 52cm head circumference, fit the small Dime helmet perfectly, while our six-year-old testers, with a 53cm head circumference (who does have a wider/rounded shaped head), found it to be too narrow. Having had trouble fitting into other helmets as well, our six-year-old testers is an exception, as most kids would the proper head circumference would fit the Dime just fine.

Giro Dime Width

Age can also be confusing when shopping for helmets as age doesn’t correlate with head circumference as clearly as it does its height.  For example, our eight-year-old tester found the size small Dime to be too large as his head circumference was only 48cm.

Giro Dime vs. Nutcase Little Nutty

The Dime is comparable in fit and coverage compared to other skater-style helmets but is slightly slimmer than the others.

Youth Skate helmet, Giro, Melon Comparison

Bottom Line

For kids looking for a skater-style helmet for use with their bikes, the Dime with MIPS and without MIPS is an excellent choice.  With increased air flow and protected exposed foam, the Dime is our favorite skater-style helmet for bike riders (it is not dual-certified).

For other helmet recommendations, please visit our Best Bike Helmets for Kids page.

FTC Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this review.  No monetary compensation was provided for this review.  The product reviewed was purchased by Two Wheeling Tots and not supplied by the manufacturer. All opinions and images are that of Two Wheeling Tots LLC.  All content and images are copyrighted and should not be used or replicated in any way. View our Terms of Use.

 

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