In The Know Cycling

Aero road helmets seem to have a wider range of personalities than regular ones. And, among aero road helmets, the Kask Utopia Y has enough unique characteristics that you’ll likely find it ideal for the physical and mental headspace you want on your fastest rides or be drawn to one less different than the rest.

That’s the reaction that my fellow tester Adam and I had after speed dating the Utopia Y. I immediately fell for the original Utopia and was in a long-term relationship with it. With the Utopia Y that replaces it, its place in my imagined speed paradise of very fast rides was renewed.

Adam, whose cycling choices I greatly respect, judged the Utopia Y a fine all-around option. But after just a few rides, he found he couldn’t live with some of this Kask’s unique traits.

WHOOSH OR NOT?

For me, Whoosh was the first and is the lasting impression I have of wearing the Kask Utopia aero helmet.

Whoosh, because it feels like I’m riding faster wearing this helmet, whether or not I actually am. My times and average speeds suggest that I am, but I don’t know if that’s because of the aerodynamics of this helmet vs. another aero helmet or if the feeling this helmet gives me motivates me to go faster.

The faster I go, the more I feel it. The more I feel it, the faster I want to go.

That’s probably because, for me, the air seems to whoosh around and through the Utopia. It’s not just an audible whoosh but a tactile one, too. I feel the air flowing through as if there’s a Venturi effect happening atop my head. It keeps me cool on even the hottest days.

For Adam, not so much. Doing VO2 max intervals on a cool spring day, the Utopia Y felt less breathable than he’d experienced with the Trek Ballista and Giro Eclipse aero road helmets.

And no whoosh, or at least no difference in the aero sensation of air flowing around his head from the Kask than the Trek or Giro aero lids.

UNIQUE ADJUSTMENTS

Two of the Utopia Y’s fit adjustments are indeed unique to Kask helmets and can make or break your willingness to ride in them.

First, its chinstrap is made of a faux leather material that’s thicker and more comfortable than the standard nylon straps used on other helmets. And rather than clip directly underneath your chin, it runs uninterrupted to the left side, just below your jaw.

Adjusting the strap length initially takes a bit more effort. Once set, however, it doesn’t get pushed around by the wind and doesn’t lose its position.

Kask also seems to have made its length just right – not too short for guys with big necks like Adam or smaller ones like me – so there’s no need to cut it to size.

Some may not favor this strap’s material, offset clip, and initial adjustment. Adam saw pluses and minus. I really like the leather-like feel and clip location, and not having to re-adjust it every few rides.

The Utopia Y’s height strap is also uniquely Kask. Ironically, its design gives you on-the-fly adjustability, the opposite of what you get in the chin strap.

While most helmets allow you to pick from 3 to 5 height positions that you set and forget after initially fitting the helmet, the Kask has 60mm/2.5” worth of height adjustment that you can slide up or down in roughly 2mm or 1/16” or so increments.

Adjusting the height up or down to open or close the gap between the front edge of the helmet and whatever sunglasses you choose for a given ride doesn’t take much force. But it does take a little getting used to when you regularly need to slide it into position whenever you put the helmet on.

I find this adjustment a plus for Kask helmets, including the Utopia Y. Adam found it off-putting.

The straps coming down from the front and back of the helmet are sewn together below your ears. Kask was one of the first helmet brands to employ this non-adjustable approach, and many others have followed.

Neither Adam nor I find the lack of adjustability an issue. I prefer the comfort of this clean-fitting, hassle-free design and wonder if the absence of clips might contribute to better aero performance. Probably not much, if at all, for most enthusiasts, and more likely that Kask and others do it to save costs.

Kask uses a proprietary circumference dial on the Utopia Y that’s larger and easier to grab and turn than on the original Utopia. It’s not a BOA that some helmets use but works well.

The adjustable rear brackets on the Utopia that allowed those with rounder heads to guide the circumference strap more outbound are replaced with fixed ones on the Utopia Y. The new lid is best for those with more oval head shapes.

COMFORT AND SAFETY

Both Adam and I liked the Kask Utopia Y’s comfort. The helmet has 1cm/3/8th” to 2.5cm/1” wide pads on the two internal ribs and a 2.5cm tall, 1cm thick, soft, and sweat-absorbing pad running from your temples across the width of the forehead.

The forehead pad is a big improvement in comfort from the original Utopia, which didn’t have one. Compared to other aero helmets we’ve tested, that addition puts the Utopia Y’s overall comfort on par with the rest of the field.

Kask and several other brands, including Lazer and some Trek helmets, don’t use MIPS-licensed liners. Kask and Rudy Project test and approve their helmets using the Kask-developed WG11 protocol, which uses a different headform than the industry-supported Virginia Tech helmet ratings.

The industry-funded Virginia Tech helmet ratings organization hasn’t evaluated the Kask Utopia Y but has tested two other Kask helmets also approved using Kask’s WG11 protocol. The Kask Elemento gets a 5* ranking, while the Kask Valegro gets a 3*.

It’s interesting to note, but hard to draw any conclusions from also knowing that all of Trek’s non-MIPS, Wavecell-equipped helmets get 5* ratings, Lazer’s non-MIPS, Kineticore helmets get 5* and 4* ratings, and MIPS helmets from other brands rate 5*, 4*, and 3*.

Of course, all helmets must pass country or region-specific consumer protection safety organization tests before they can be sold in stores.

So, even though there’s no Virginia Tech rating for the Utopia Y, I feel safe wearing the WG11-approved Kask Utopia Y.

FACTS AND OPINIONS

Remarkably, all of the modern aero bike helmets we’ve tested weigh within a 30-gram range for the size Large models sold in the US. The Kask Utopia Y weighs right in the middle of that range, essentially the same as the Specialized S-Works Evade 3, Giro Eclipse Spherical, and Lazer Vento Kineticore.

With the easily adjustable helmet height, we found no interference, gaps, or other issues wearing different sunglasses with the Utopia Y. Docking the glasses securely in the front of the helmet, however, was hit or miss – this helmet is clearly designed for speed rather than sunglass storage – though docking all of the sunglass models we tried in the rear vents was easy.

Of course, aesthetics is a personal thing. I love the look of the Kask Utopia Y’s smooth, round lines and the shape and placement of its vent cutouts. Adam isn’t moved by them.

Its glossy fire engine red and Oxford blue color options make a bold statement. You can also choose from white or black in glossy or matte finishes or a glossy grey. All display the Kask logo in small print between the front and rear vents and large logos on the sides.

This helmet is hard to miss between the colors, finish, and logos.

Similar to other aero road helmets we’ve tested, the Kask Utopia Y costs US$300/£245/€275. You can order it using this link to one of our top-rated stores, BTD (BikeTiresDirect).

In The Know Cycling is ad-free, subscription-free, and reader-supported. If you want to help keep it rolling without any added cost to you, buy your gear and kit after clicking the store links on the site. When you do, we may earn an affiliate commission that will help me cover the expenses to create and publish our independent, comprehensive and comparative reviews. Thank you, Steve. Learn more.

You can compare the Kask Utopia Y to competitively performing models in my review of the Best Aero Helmet for Road Cyclists.

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Thanks, and enjoy your rides safely! Cheers, Steve