Kask’s adjustable Wasabi helmet: First Look

Kask’s adjustable Wasabi helmet: First Look

Gear Photos: Sean Hardy Words: Nick Busca

Some cycling gear is more subject to personal preference than others, like saddles and shoes. You can add helmets to the list.

A good-fitting helmet is a no-brainer, no pun intended. Wearing the perfect one is like walking around in your best Savile Row suit. It fits like a glove, looks good and turns heads. If a saddle is ugly but comfortable, you can easily conceal it when you’re on the bike. There’s no hiding hideous headwear, unless you’re racing the mud-splattered 2021 Paris-Roubaix.

I’ve resisted the temptation to wear a comfy lid that makes me look like the Mega Mushroom from Super Mario (there’s many of those out there). Luckily, Kask has made the search for the perfect helmet easier. I’ve always loved their clean and classy design: in the last ten years, I have bought and used a Bambino Pro (for time-trialling and triathlons), a Protone (which I mostly use in the summer), a Utopia (my winter go-to), and a Mistral – just to be a bit flashy.

When I read about the new Kask Wasabi, a helmet the company describes as perfect “for every ride, no matter the conditions”, I thought this could be the Holy Grail: a Kask helmet to rule them all.

Cracked it? 

How did they crack the code? For a helmet to be perfect for every ride and condition, it needs to be warm, light, breathable, aero but with good ventilation, comfortable, good-looking and protective. No big ask, then.

Let’s run through the checklist. The new Wasabi is even more aesthetically-pleasing than previous Kask models, while keeping the smart looks you’d expect from an Italian brand. Rather than usurping the Utopia, its high-performance offering, the Wasabi, is their all-road, all-weather flagship. It’s no coincidence that Kask’s cover model is all-terrain prodigy, Tom Pidcock.

The fit is provided seamlessly by the rear dial adjuster, the internal gel pads and the synthetic leather chinstrap. And it feathers the scales at 290 grams for a medium (276 on my kitchen set, actually).

Let’s move to warmth. The helmet is aero, mostly closed hermetically on the top – a feature that already guarantees heat retention. But an intelligent addition is the breathable Merino wool cap that goes with the lid for the colder months.

Climate control 

Then there’s ventilation and breathability. Typically, this is where aero helmets fall a little short. But with the Wasabi, Kask has gone the extra mile. They have included a top vent that controls the amount of airflow channelled through the helmet: fully closed for maximum aerodynamic gains, fully open for superior breathability, and a medium level for in-between days. The closed vent means minimal airflow when you’re riding in the cold or want to stay aero. Wind tunnel tests have confirmed that only one watt is lost when shut or opened (if you’re riding at the speeds of Tom Pidcock, at least).

Last, but not certainly not least, safety. The Wasabi has gone through — and passed — Kask’s WG11 protocol, which measures the performances against rotational forces. Furthermore, its high-vis stickers provide extra visibility.

I had no doubt Kask were on to something with the Wasabi when I set eyes upon it. But once I rode with it, I realised they’d nailed it once again. Hot like wasabi, cool like sushi.

Gear Photos: Sean Hardy Words: Nick Busca

READ MORE

Giulio Ciccone

The crash that caused chaos: The Giro d'Italia has had an unexpected GC shake-up

On what was supposed to be a simple sprint finish, neither the fastmen nor many of the GC riders will be pleased with how the...

Leer más
Giro d'Italia

Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 15 preview: Up and over Monte Grappa

A stage stacked full of climbing may not be enough to draw out the GC contenders, thanks to the long plateau to the finish

Leer más
Isaac del Toro

Victory by a thousand paper cuts: Can Isaac del Toro's bonus seconds strategy lead to a Giro d'Italia win?

The Mexican has been the most impressive GC rider so far in this Giro, but will face his toughest test in the high mountains next...

Leer más
Mads Pedersen

A sprint like no other: Mads Pedersen’s power rewrites uphill cycling rules

Lidl-Trek have five wins at the 2025 Giro d’Italia after Pedersen’s win on stage 13 in Vicenza

Leer más
Olav Kooij at the Giro d'Italia 2025

Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 14 preview: Last sprint chance before Rome

The Giro's penultimate chance for the sprinters awaits on a flat finish in the Slovenian city of Nova Gorica

Leer más
Explore without borders: Behind the Giro’s stage finish in the border city of Gorizia

Explore without borders: Behind the Giro’s stage finish in the border city of Gorizia

The twin cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica straddle the border between Italy and Slovenia. Rouleur takes a couple of rides in a region with...

Leer más

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE