KASK Protone Helmet

Kask's new Protone helmet, developed in collaboration with Team Sky, is a highly adjustable, cool and comfortable lid, although it comes at a premium price. If Kask's claims are to be believed, it boasts impressive aerodynamics for a well-vented helmet too.

You know how some helmets feel like they perch on top of your head a bit like a flat cap? The Protone is the exact opposite. It feels like it fully encompasses your head, more like a beanie, say, reaching low at both the front and, especially, the back.

Kask's Octo Fit adjustment system is great and very simple to tweak. The arms of the cradle fasten to the inside of the helmet's expanded polystyrene body at your temples and again at the rear where you get a generous amount of height adjustment. There was still plenty of height adjustment available once I had it set right for me and I don't have a particularly large head so I imagine pretty much everyone will be able to get what they need in this respect.

The tightness of the fit is adjusted via a clicky dial at the back and you can alter the sideways position of those occipital pads independently so they sit in the most comfortable place. The overall result is that you can get a secure fit in no time at all.

Find the Kask Protone online

One other feature that I really like is that the chinstrap isn't simply a continuation of the upper straps – a feature of other Kask helmets. Check out the pictures and you'll see what I mean. The result is that the straps always sit flat and there are no dividers to set underneath your ears.

Speaking of the chinstrap, it's made from eco leather and it's easy to wipe clean when you get it sweaty. I wouldn't say there's a massive advantage over the usual webbing but it looks pretty cool.

The antibacterial and antimicrobial inner padding – removable for washing and replaceable if it wears out – is made from Coolmax and most of it has a honeycomb inner surface. Along with large ventilation holes at the front of the helmet, it helps keep your head feeling cool and well aired.

I took the Protone on a recent trip to the South of France (very nice, thanks for asking) where I did a lot of climbing in high temperatures and I found the venting to be very effective. I didn't get a noticeably hot, sweaty head, or anything close to that, despite relatively little venting towards the rear of the helmet. There's good airflow right across the top of your head that keeps the humidity down.

One of Kask's biggest boasts about the Protone is that it has been designed using computational fluid dynamics software to have one of the lowest drag coefficients of any ventilated helmet – particularly important to the likes of Team Sky, obviously. Kask don't put a figure on their aero claims and we're not in a position to provide one, so you'll have to take their word for it or not, as you see fit.

They also reckon that you can take off your glasses and stow them on the helmet using the vents as anchor points without increasing the drag. I used the helmet with several different types of eyewear and they all sat up there securely.

Our size medium (52-58cm) Protone hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at 250g so it's lightweight although you can certainly find lighter if that's important to you. It's available in a whole bunch of different colours.

Verdict

Highly adjustable, cool and comfortable helmet that claims impressive aerodynamics