The Utopia is Kask's 'fastest ever' bike helmet

You will need to put it on your head and pedal quickly to get the full effect, though

Kask Utopia: said to be the fastest bike helmet in the world
Duncan Bell
By Duncan Bell
last updated

Purveyor of head protection to Team Sky, amongst others, Kask today unveiled its most aerodynamic road helmet, the Kask Utopia.

The new lid could help you shave milliseconds off your commute from Cheam to Reading, thanks to next-gen aerodynamics, whilst advanced ventilation should keep you cool. The Utopia will also prevent your head from being obliterated in the event of a bad shunt. It's also very light at 235g (size medium).

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A series of photos of the Kask Utopia, cropped in a most 'artistic' manner

Quite how you decide a helmet is 'the fastest' is difficult to say. We visited our friends at POC in Sweden late last year, and they were adamant their time trial helmet was the world's fastest, for instance. 

In its bid to better the best, Kask wind-tunnel tested 10 of the finest road aero helmet rivals, creating a 3D scan for a 'computational fluid dynamics' simulation. 

The helmets were tested at various speeds and angles (simulating cross winds). The result: the Utopia offered a saving of up to 6 watts when riding at 50kph, versus the best competitor helmet. Seems conclusive.

Ventilation is another key factor, as Utopia is designed to be used year-round in all climates. To this end, its "refined design keeps the rider cool, especially when riding at high speed."

Utopia boasts breathable,  quick-dry padding and 5mm of Resistex Carbon – a "yarn with unique technical characteristics involving a continuous filament of conductive material based on active carbon." 

In short, this "takes moisture away from the rider’s head and moves it to the helmet’s outer shell." That's great news for the wearer, not so good for anyone in their slipstream, getting a faceful of head sweat.

Resistex also has antistatic qualities to "disperse electrical charges accumulated from the environment during physical exercise," and also protects your skin from bacteria and allergens

Vents and internal channelling are designed to improve aerodynamics and cooling, while reduced windrush close to your ears means a quieter ride.

Developed in association with Team Sky, Utopia was tested in deeply unpleasant conditions. Team Sky will wear it in anger for the first time at the Santos Tour Down Under. They'll be white, as part of the team’s new look for 2018.

Carsten Jeppesen, Team Sky Head of Technical Operations and Commercial, says, “When it comes to aerodynamics there is little that is more important than the helmet, but it’s not just about aerodynamics – the safety of our riders is our first priority, and Kask shares this philosophy. Working with Kask on the development of the Utopia has enabled us to produce a fully tested, well-rounded helmet.”

• Utopia will be available later in the year, in three sizes.

CATEGORIES
Bikes Fitness Tech
Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell

Duncan is the former lifestyle editor of T3 and has been writing about tech for almost 15 years. He has covered everything from smartphones to headphones, TV to AC and air fryers to the movies of James Bond and obscure anime. His current brief is everything to do with the home and kitchen, which is good because he is an excellent cook, if he says so himself. He also covers cycling and ebikes – like over-using italics, this is another passion of his. In his long and varied lifestyle-tech career he is one of the few people to have been a fitness editor despite being unfit and a cars editor for not one but two websites, despite being unable to drive. He also has about 400 vacuum cleaners, and is possibly the UK's leading expert on cordless vacuum cleaners, despite being decidedly messy. A cricket fan for over 30 years, he also recently become T3's cricket editor, writing about how to stream obscure T20 tournaments, and turning out some typically no-nonsense opinions on the world's top teams and players.

Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years. 

A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know."


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