Catlike Vento helmet

The Catlike Vento is an aero helmet that offers a good amount of ventilation, combined with a comfortable fit (dependent on head shape) and a respectable weight for the price.

• Pros: Aero qualities, strong ventilation
• Cons: Long chin straps

As the name might suggest, the Vento has been designed to combine aerodynamics with ventilation – something that many helmet makers have tried in the past, with mixed success. The key to the design of this helmet is that, rather than concentrating on the number of vents, Catlike has made larger ones.

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The main challenge with this is that you also need to maintain the structural integrity of the helmet, while keeping the weight as low as possible. Catlike has used 'Aramid injected inner mesh' for this.

As the road.cc wind tunnel was unavailable (as it doesn't exist), I was not able to review the aero qualities of the helmet, but given its low profile and large areas of slippery coating it is likely to give you a couple of extra watts when needed.

In terms of ventilation it was very effective, and the use of larger but fewer vents, rather than multiple smaller vents, in combination with internal channels, seemed to push air over the top of the head very effectively.

As with all helmets, fit is dependent on your individual head shape, but one thing that sets Catlike apart from most other manufacturers is the temple pads. These can either make the helmet very comfortable or a little frustrating. Whenever I use Catlike helmets it normally takes two or three rides before I can adjust them correctly, but once I have there is no argument that they increase the comfort of the helmet.

Adjustment comes from the harness at the back, which allows for micro movements with the dial. It sits comfortably at the back of the head and the harness itself wraps around to the temples, meaning pressure is shared across the head rather than only forcing the head forward from the back.

The straps are relatively comfortable, with a large splitter keeping them away from your ears nicely, and the straps themselves are fairly soft and comfortable on the skin. The only slight downside to the Vento is the amount of excess strap beyond the clip, as there is too much to comfortably tuck which means you need to cut it to size.

The Vento comes in on the road.cc Scales of Truth at 247g, which is about where I would expect an aero helmet in this price range to sit. The HJC Furion that Stu looked at last year comes in 30g lighter but doesn't offer the same level of ventilation and also costs £40 more, while the Endura FS260 comes in at 24g lighter despite being £20 cheaper, but doesn't have the same aero qualities.

> Buyer's Guide: Cycling helmets – all you need to know

An RRP of £109.99 is about right for the qualities that the helmet possesses and its weight. You can certainly get lighter aero helmets at a higher price, and cheaper aero helmets but without the same level of ventilation.

> Should you buy an aero helmet?

Overall I was impressed with the Vento, which offers good ventilation and seems to have decent aerodynamic qualities. As with all Catlike helmets, it requires a little more adjustment than others, but once you get it right it can be very comfortable.

Verdict

An aero helmet that also manages to incorporate good ventilation