Saddle specialist Fizik first turned its hand to shoes and has now branched out into helmets, launching the Kassis MTB lid, boasting a five-star safety rating.
The first mountain bike helmet in Fizik's line-up, the Kassis costs £189.99 and sits at the premium end of the market.
All that cash buys you a helmet that’s been rated a full five stars by Virginia Tech’s helmet lab and comes with an array of features, including more adjustment than most of its direct competitors.
Fits like a…
Fizik offers the Kassis in three sizes: small, medium and large, fitting head circumferences of 52 to 61cm.
There's nothing out of the ordinary in that, but this is one of the first lids I’ve seen that features ‘custom crown adjustment’.
Towards the front of the helmet, just above your temples, there are different anchor points for the retention cradle.
Each end of the cradle is held in place with two push-fit fixtures. By moving the two rearmost fixtures and anchoring them further back in the helmet, the shape of the cradle changes.
That means you can leave them in position one if your head is more of an oval shape, or pop them into position two if you have a rounder bonce.
The retention cradle also offers a massive amount of vertical adjustment, along with an indexed dial to ensure you can get the fit just right.
This’ll alter how the cradle hugs your head at the rear, and is an important thing to perfect if you’re looking for all-day comfort.
Safety first, second and third
Helping to keep the Kassis as safe as possible is the MIPS Air Node protection system, which is designed to reduce rotational crash forces.
Because this is integrated into the padding, it should ensure airflow is maximised and your head remains as cool as possible.
On top of that, Fizik says the crossbridge element used within the EPS foam liner will distribute crash forces efficiently throughout the structure of the helmet. The deep-dish fit, with plenty of drop over the temples and at the rear of your head, ensures there’s no shortage of coverage.
There’s a removable reflector at the rear for improved visibility and the option to fit Fizik’s USB-rechargeable LED light if you want to further enhance safety.
Keep it breezy
Fizik says the compact, rounded design with big vents was guided by CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to improve airflow and minimise wind resistance.
The shape of the air intakes and internal channels is intended to induce the Venturi effect, where airflow velocity increases on entry, helping to keep a constant flow of cool air over your head.
Extra, extra
There are a few other features worth noting.
The visor is easily adjustable, snapping securely into four different positions. At its highest point, there should be sufficient room beneath it to fit a pair of MTB goggles.
If you prefer wearing glasses, the large vents either side at the rear double as storage for your specs, so you can remove them when climbing or when grabbing a coffee or beer post-ride.
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