Today Kask has launched the Utopia Y, which is a substantive redesign of the highly acclaimed Utopia model, combining aerodynamics with aesthetically pleasing looks.
There are no claims that it's faster than the outgoing model, though. What we do know is that it's claimed to pack in some useful user-friendly features, with revamped ventilation ranking highly amongst those.
Looking every bit the part in the new Utopia Y, I put the helmet through its paces on my daily training to see what all the fuss is really about with this new performance orientated lid.
Kask Utopia Y: construction
At the back of the helmet you will find a bigger dial with grippers to make tightening up the helmet much easier: at first I wasn’t convinced but it actually turned out to be a really great feature, especially for clumsy hands like mine.
Internally you will find generous padded inserts which are incredibly soft, helping to achieve very high levels of comfort. Not to mention, with my very sensitive skin, the helmet strap (which is made from synthetic leather around the chin) or padding neither irritated my skin nor caused a break-out - which is something I find often occurs from helmets.
The Utopia Y has also passed the Kask Rotational Impact Test, which is its own testing protocol to ensure that the helmet effectively protects the brain during rotational impacts. This is something I admittedly didn’t actually try out as luckily I stayed upright during testing.
Kask Utopia Y: the ride
I found that the Utopia Y fitted pretty well, especially regarding the straps which were really easy to adjust: not fiddly at all. However, I did feel that in size M the helmet felt somewhat roomy after fully tightening the ratchet at the back.
This was something which surprised me, given that my M size Kask Protone fits like a glove. Therefore I would definitely suggest trying on the helmet before splashing out, but other than that I didn’t have any issues and found it very comfortable and lightweight.
If you didn’t already check yourself out in windows while riding past, you certainly will once you pop this lid on your head, wow. Undoubtedly this looks the part, it’s really a great design and feels both fast and lightweight.
I also enjoyed having fewer vents in torrential downpours as I found my hair stayed much drier and thus kept me a lot more comfortable than when I wear more vented helmets. Still, on warmer days when doing efforts, I didn’t overheat which I was pleasantly surprised about.
Kask Utopia Y: value and conclusion
Overall, I really like this helmet. I felt that it performed well in a range of weather conditions and rides, making it a great all-round option for performance-focused road cyclists who are willing to fork out more for a high-end helmet.
I also think it looks really great. Something I feel other aero road helmets seem to struggle with: often looking a bit mushroom-like and bulky. But the Kask Utopia Y is genuinely a really good looking helmet, which is of course important for style conscious riders.
But, as mentioned, it certainly isn’t the cheapest helmet on the market with an RRP of $300.00 / £245.00. But when compared to its competitors, namely the Lazer Vento KinetiCore which is $299.99 / £259.99 and the Specialized S-Works Prevail 3 at $300.00 / £275.00, I’d say it’s pretty fairly priced given the quality and performance. With the Lazer coming in at 291g for a size M and the Specialized being 280g in size M, the Utopia Y is also lighter than both at 260g, which is rather impressive for an aerodynamic road helmet.
