Catlike Kilauea Helmet

The new Catlike Kilauea is a brilliant helmet for those who spend a lot of time riding in the heat as the ventilation is amazing, and thanks to top notch comfort levels – plus the fact that it weighs next to nothing – means you'll barely know you are wearing it. Remove the irritating pads above the ear first, though.

• Pros: Comfortable fit, brilliant air-flow
• Cons: Annoying side pads, pricey

Our medium model here weighs just 252g, and to be honest it feels even lighter than that in your hands, or even on your head. That certainly helps the comfort levels.

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Adding to that is the shape of the Kilauea, which is quite elongated rather than a purely round style like many other helmets on the market. With a larger radius for the back of the head than for the front, it was a very good fit for me. It felt like the actual helmet was right for me rather than relying on the cradle to deal with any adjustment.

If the fit does need tweaking then that is dealt with by the usual incremented dial wheel at the back of the cradle, which tightens or loosens it.

I quite like the fact that the padding is so minimal too: a slightly thicker pad across the forehead and two thin strips over the top. They are anti-bacterial to stop whiffy helmet syndrome, but the good thing is they don't really get overwhelmed with sweat in the first place.

You do get an extra pad that sits either side over the top of your ears that can be slid slightly forwards and backwards to cover your temples. Personally I found them an absolute pain in the backside, especially if you wear glasses with thick arms as they are vying for the same space. Thankfully, they are easy to remove just by unclipping the cradle and sliding them off.

Catlike helmets have always had a pretty distinct look thanks to loads of round vents, but the Kilauea does things slightly different.

There are still a fair few, 24 to be precise, but they are much bigger than normal. The large front centre vent and the u-shaped one beneath scoop in a huge amount of air, which means the Kilauea is great when the temperature is above 20°C.

The vents are helped by deep channels that run through the EPS main shell above your head. They link the front vents to those at the rear, letting the cool air in and blowing the warm air out the back.

Removing all of this material for the vents does mean that the structure needed to be strengthened to pass the relevant safety standards. Catlike says it has achieved this by creating an internal mesh of graphene and aramid that the EPS liner is moulded around. Both materials have incredible strength in relation to their weight, so Catlike can increase the performance of the structure without sacrificing the Kilauea's numbers on the scales.

It all comes at a cost, though: a cool £219.99, to be precise.

I will say this, though, the Kilauea is very well made and excellently finished, thanks in part to the way the outer shell is wrapped around underneath the EPS. This not only works from a visual aspect, it also stops the helmet getting damaged when dropped or things pressing into it when in storage.

> Buyer's Guide: 18 of the best high-performance helmets

Giro's Aether MIPS is more expensive at £259.99 and it is a touch heavier, so the Catlike is at least fighting its corner.

The Sweet Protection Falconer is around 40g heavier than the Catlike but it does cost 20 quid less.

One thing that both these helmets have, though, is MIPS technology: a slip-plane that is designed to deal with the rotational forces during an impact. That could be a deal breaker for you.

> All you need to know about MIPS

Another helmet deserving a mention is the Catlike Vento, the Kilauea's little brother. It doesn't look quite as cool in my opinion, but it does share most of the technology plus it is the same weight, all for £109.99.

Overall, the Kilauea is pretty much my favourite helmet at the moment thanks to that excellent fit and airflow, but £220 is a lot of money for an EPS lid.

Verdict

Brilliant ventilation and one of the lightest, most comfortable helmets on the market, but it's going to cost you