CANNONDALE INTAKE

£59.99

Fit and forget

Cannondale’s Intake joins its updated road helmet range that also includes the MIPSequipped CAAD lid, and both are price-conscious helmets that certainly don’t skimp on features. The Intake uses a simple temple-mounted rear cradle system, which works when you pull the rear cradle below your occipital lobe as you put the helmet on, and a microadjust ratchet to get the fit just right. Despite no vertical adjustment, we found the Intake’s fit to be spot on and easy to adjust.

Heads up

The Intake’s aero design features five forwardfacing vents and a smooth surface with eight rear-facing vents that take care of exhausting the heat from your head as you ride. Internally, the Intake isn’t as deeply channelled as the Lazer and at the rear there’s quite a lot of contact between the helmet’s EPS core and your head. The plush pads do a decent job of wicking away sweat but we did find that the brow pad got overwhelmed somewhat faster than the Century’s X-Static pads.

Any other business

The Intake’s super-low profile makes it a great-looking helmet and its minimal size should make for an aero advantage. Despite its less channelled internals the Intake is substantially lighter than the Century with our large model tipping the scales at a scant 280.4g. Ideally, we’d have liked lighter, softer straps than the chunky ones provided – even if they adjust easily and the chin clip is positive and secure. Overall, the Cannondale Intake is a smart, aerodynamic lid that performs well and doesn’t cost a lot.