We’ve seen the world’s best wearing the Kask Elemento this season. That includes everyone from mountain bike champions like Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, to the entire INEOS Grenadiers squad on the road. The helmet bears all the style and pedigree of a new do-it-all lid for the masses (that can afford it).
Kask Elemento helmet – What is it?
For those new to the Elemento, you can check out our tech piece here. But what sets the Elemento apart from the crowd (besides the slippery new shape) is a new Fluid Carbon 12 composite technopolymer and 3D-printed padding.
The padding is super lightweight, ventilated, and easily conforms to different head shapes. The material of the Fluid Carbon 12 shell is said to absorb the impact and then can distribute that force more evenly across the helmet. Kask also claims that the Fluid Carbon allows for less EPS foam inside the helmet which improves ventilation while making for a smaller helmet overall for increased aerodynamics. Further, it may increase crash safety by providing a low friction surface between the helmet and whatever it hits (like the road).
The outer shell wraps all they way around the helmet’s underside, which gives the internal foam protection against caustic sweat and dents.
How’s the fit of the Kask Elemento?
I wear a size medium in the Kask Protone (and most helmets) and the Elemento in a size medium (52-58cm) fit like a glove, er..helmet. The updated Kask Octofit+ works very well. With thick or thin gloves, the adjustment dial is easy to use on the fly. The retention system cradles the base of the skull and has a sliding (slightly indexed) height adjustment.
The height adjustment for the Octofit+ has a slight index but doesn’t lock in place like some helmets. This floating height adjustment requires a dial-in before every ride, which is good if you wear a helmet liner or thick cap for winter. For those who like the “set it and forget it” style fit, the Elemento requires some pre-ride fiddling.
The new 3D padding and generous foam padding give the Elemento a great fit out of the box. The 3D padding on the top of the head has a slightly different feel from traditional foam but is very open to airflow in comparison.
Tech Specs KASK Elemento
- Sizes: SM (50 – 56), MED (52 – 58)*, LRG (59 – 62) *tested
- Weight: 260 grams (size M)
- Colors: Classic Black or White, New metallic finishes: Beetle Green, Oxford Blue (pictured), Red, and Silver.
- Price: USD $400, EUR 375€, GBP £335.
Ride Impressions
I used the Elemento nearly exclusively since its launch. I’ve taken it through XC, gravel, road, and cyclocross races.
Nearly all of my ride impressions with the Kask Elemento have been positive. The way the Elemento can go from a crit to a cross-country mountain bike race is fantastic. It’s a do-it-all helmet; there is no questioning that.
In the heat, the Elemento is breezy; the air flows right through. The ports in the front of the helmet are set up right on the money for cooling and airflow. The helmet’s light weight adds to this sensation, giving the Elemento an excellent on-bike feel.
After I hit the four-month riding mark, I noticed the front padding (non-3D) lost most of its sweat retention and padding. Kask offers replacement padding for the Elemento for an extra $30. The 3D padding kept its shape perfectly but started to peel away slightly on the narrow sections of the top.
The ports could be better for all sunglasses, though, and I found that even my KOO glasses had difficulty staying in place when docked. The glasses fit okay, but the lack of a gripper or rubber grommet on the vent allows them to slide, and a look down could cost you your shades.
Padding and sunglass holding aside, my Elemento took a beating this season—lots of travel and baking heat. Then, muddy cyclocross races with a shouldered bike knocking into my head when I ran. With all this, the Elemento still looks nearly as good as the day I received it. The shell shows no signs of denting, and the shine returns quickly with some polish.
Final Thoughts – Kask Elemento
The Kask Elemento is an excellent performance helmet, but the $400 price tag is a tough pill to swallow. Yes, there are some padding issues, but those are a quick fix with glue and a new pad kit. But should you have to replace the pads on a helmet that quickly? It’s up to the end user and what they deem the most important. The helmet’s overall race performance and comfort are amongst my top favorites.
I recommend the Kask Elemento for riders looking for a top-of-the-line helmet for all their race efforts. If you have an aero road helmet, cross country helmet, gravel helmet (whatever that is), and trade those for one Elemento, the price should be worth it.
For more information and to purchase the Kask Elemento, check out Kask.com
