Kask Sintesi
£90
The Sintesi’s sleek, understated design will see you covered for anything from fast road rides to more relaxed gravel explorations. The seams between the inner EPS polystyrene inner construction and the outer polycarbonate shell are all very clean, making for a quality feel as well as a polished aesthetic. The ‘straight-down-themiddle’ shape is neither particularly narrow and oval nor overly spherical.
Kask’s new ‘ergo fit’ retention system is nice and secure. Although there are only two sizes available – medium and large – the rear mechanism offers a lot of adjustability both in the circumference and vertical placement of the strap. It allowed me to cradle my head from a nice and low position, making for a fit that felt very secure. Additional padding here wouldn’t go amiss though.
Another nice touch is Kask’s somewhat signature synthetic leather chin strap – such a simple nicety that elevates the feel of the helmet.
Regarding the Sintesi’s safety ratings, Kask has developed its own testing protocol called the Kask Rotational Impact WG11 Test. This takes into account its performance against rotational impacts and is the standard that Kask measures itself against.
Thirteen generously sized air inlets and exhausts did a pretty good job of keeping my head cool. There is one bone to pick here however – there is no obvious spot for placing sunglasses in the vents. Not a deal-breaker for everyone, but I love to have the option of securing them in the helmet rather than stashing them in a rear pocket.
All in all, though, the comfort and padding are pretty good, especially at this price point. And even on rougher terrain, I didn’t have any problems with the anchoring of the Sintesi. The feel is definitely helped out by its low weight of 230g (M) – that’s not a lot of weight to be bobbing around on rougher roads and surfaces.
www.kask.com