The Ekoi Perf Crystal White helmet is a good all-rounder – a decent weight with good air flow and a comfortable fit. It doesn’t do anything to stand out against the competition, but it is a looker – especially with the clear polycarbonate cage bringing a futuristic and clean style to it.
Check out our best cycling helmets buyer’s guide for other options.
> Buy now: Ekoi Perf Crystal for £186.18 from Ekoi
The Crystal is available in three colourways – matt black, the white with a silver logo model we tested and the ‘elegance white silver’ – and three sizes: small covers 52-54cm, medium 55-58cm, and large 59-61cm.
While fit comes down to individual head shape I found the Ekoi a very good fit for me. It has an oval shape with padding around the front that is soft without being too bulky. It also wicks sweat effectively, keeping it out of your eyes.
The rear adjustment dial is made by Atop and it works much the way as its dials found on some shoes. You tighten the dial, which tensions a thin wire to make the internal cage tighter in small increments. However, there are no increments when it comes to reducing the tension, it just undoes, so you need to retighten to get the fit perfectly right. And this isn’t something you can do on the fly.
All the straps are easily adjustable for fit and they’re soft against the skin, and the chis strap is well padded. The Fidlock buckle works well too, and is easy to clip or unclip with one hand.
> All you need to know about Mips
I found the Perf Crystal’s comfort and fit very good, and I pretty much forgot it was on when I was wearing it.
At 297g it’s a decent weight for the money, it wasn’t noticeable when I was riding and the air flow’s good even at around 25°C. The Crystal has four very large vents and two smaller central ones.
Warm air exits at the rear where the large exhaust vent is split into four.
The structure of the helmet is created from a polycarbonate cage, some of which is visible through the large vents, and the material’s transparency gives the helmet an open, airy look. As with most modern helmets the structure is made from high-density EPS (expanded polystyrene).
To protect that from accidental damage and to keep it looking good the helmet is finished off with a tough polycarbonate shell. As I’d expect at this price the shell runs underneath the bottom of the helmet, which not only looks neater, but also protects the base from knocks and scuffs.
The Perf Crystal is certified for European use with EN 1078, and also the US CPSC standard.
Value
Priced at £186.18 (which changes with the exchange rate) the Perf Crystal is pretty pricey – but not necessarily overly so compared to its competition. That said, many of the helmets around this sort of price also incorporate Mips or similar safety systems. (The Elegance White Silver model is presently reduced to a much more appealing £118.28, though this can change of course.)
The Giro Cielo costs £189.99, comes with an integrated Mips liner, and it’s 20 grams lighter than the Ekoi.
The Lazer Z1 features Kineticore, which uses EPS foam blocks that are designed to buckle on impact to redirect energy away from your brain. The helmet is around 50g lighter than the Ekoi but does cost £229.99.
Mavic’s Comete Ultimate has large open vents like the Ekoi, and Matt was impressed with its fit thanks to its use of memory foam padding. It too has Mips and costs £225.
Conclusion
The Perf Crystal is a good helmet overall, and it does most things well – if not amazingly well. And at this sort of price it also has a lot of very serious competitors, many of which feature Mips or similar safety systems.
Verdict
Does everything well, and its clear, polycarbonate cage looks the business – but it lacks Mips and faces lots of opposition
> Buy now: Ekoi Perf Crystal for £186.18 from Ekoi
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Ekoi Perf CRYSTAL White Helmet
Size tested: Medium
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Ekoi says: “The latest addition to the Ekoï helmet range, the Crystal, has been developed by our Research and Development department with the aim of offering equipment that is uncompromising in terms of safety and very lightweight. All this with a modern design featuring sleek lines.”
It’s a smart-looking helmet with a comfortable fit.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Polycarbonate shell to reinforce the structure.
Fidlock® magnetic buckle: automatically closes and can be easily detached with one hand, even when wearing gloves.
ATOP retention system: allows for precise and adjustable tightening to fit the shape of your skull.
3 sizes available: S (52-54 cm) / M (55-58 cm) / L (59-61 cm).
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It’s a comfortable helmet, with good all-round performance.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The full polycarbonate shell that protects the EPS from damage.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
No Mips or similar, which might be expected at this sort of price these days.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It’s a similar price to a lot of its competitors helmets – though it doesn’t have Mips or similar.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Possibly
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Ekoi doesn’t offer anything particularly special for its price, although what it does do is cover everything a helmet needs to do – and it does it well. I like the design, it is well made so it deserves a solid 7.
About the tester
Age: 46 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
1 thought on “Ekoi Perf CRYSTAL White Helmet”
Any helmet without MIPS or
Any recent helmet without MIPS or equivalent today should _not_ get anything above 3, even less when it’s at that price point