Review: More Air, More Aero With The Kask Utopia Helmet
Kask’s latest aero-road offering delivers more ventilation with less aero penalty—hot heads rejoice.
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If you’re looking for an aerodynamic helmet that won’t make you look like a Tour de France time-trialist—but will keep most of the aerodynamic benefits—the Kask Utopia is one of your best options.
The Italian manufacturer already produces a series of high-performing helmets for both triathlons and time trials, like the Mistral and the Bambino Pro Evo—both of which feature an aerodynamic tail. They also offer the Bambino, which has the same characteristics of the Pro Evo, but without the tail. (For more aero road and full-aero helmets, check out our comprehensive 2019 helmet buyer’s guide.) Though the aerodynamics of these models may be superior, it’s important to remember that, as triathletes, we still have to run off the bike, and the aero advantage might not be worth the lack of ventilation, particularly in hot conditions—like, say Kona.
So for athletes looking to buy an aero helmet which is also breathable (and does not make you look like an astronaut), the Kask Utopia is a good solution. Though the Utopia has fewer ventilation vents in the front than say the Kask Protone, the Kask Utopia makes up for it with decreased drag. Meanwhile, six different vents make it much more breathable than the aerodynamic options listed above. The fact that professional cycling teams use it for both their one-day races and their stage races is a good indicator of the Utopia’s quality and performance.
We tested the Kask Utopia on the indoor trainer (to get used to the fit and to test it in a hot environment), outdoors at different cycling speeds, and at Ironman 70.3 Greece—where the temperature was around 77-86F. The Utopia felt super comfortable from the moment we tried it on. The internal pads, faux-leather chin strap, and rear dial make it easy and quick to find the optimal fit, and those with oval-shaped heads will find the Utopia a quick match with little adjustment.
In all the scenarios in which we used the Kask Utopia, we never ended up overheated. And while there’s no concrete evidence to back up wind tunnel results versus other helmets, we never felt drag from the front vents. More importantly? The fact that we achieved the result of a time-trial helmet with the look of a road one was a win-win.
$300, 259g, Kask.com