Ekoi Stradale helmet

The Ekoi Stradale helmet combines retro styling with modern safety elements, premium finishing touches, and exceedingly high levels of comfort. It's let down slightly by its ventilation on really hot days, and it doesn't play well with sunglasses, but it's still a feature-packed option if you're looking for a top-end lid with a dash of Euro cool.

Check out our guide to the best cycling helmets, which not only lists our top lids but also offers advice on how to choose your helmet.

> Buy now: Ekoi Black Stradale helmet for £276.80 from Ekoi

Though the Stradale harks back to the leather 'hairnet' helmets of old, it features a Koroyd internal honeycomb structure which is purported to offer 30 per cent more protection than a traditional lid. It's designed to look cool, offer great performance, and work well in the event of a crash.

Fortunately for me, when the helmet arrived for reviewing, so did the warm weather. After six weeks of seemingly non-stop rain, the clouds parted and we were gifted a week or two of temperatures over 20°C, clear blue skies, and longer evenings – the perfect conditions to test a helmet which claims to offer 'a constant flow of thermoregulating air to the top of your skull'.

Before riding in the helmet, my first impressions were that the vents were too small to be able to offer much cooling. The two large side vents are filled with the Koroyd honeycomb, which faces outwards rather than forward into the wind, so when viewed from the front these vents have the illusion of being totally filled in. When compared with other ventilated helmets, such as the Specialized Prevail 3 or Poc Ventral Air, the vents at both the front and the back are significantly smaller. However, looks can be deceiving, and the internal structure of the helmet is equally as important as vent size and number in terms of cooling.

The first few rides with it were great; I didn't notice the helmet at all – which is a good thing. After a few minor adjustments as I rolled out the door, the next time I interacted with the helmet was when I got home to take it off again – which is a great sign. I found the ventilation adequate on rides in the high teens, and on faster descents nothing flapped around my ears thanks to the highly adjustable Y-straps.

I wanted to push the helmet a little harder than a few hour-long cruises around the lanes, so took it out on a longer ride in the heat with some climbs that last over a few minutes. The first niggle I encountered was when trying to stow my glasses while climbing. Sadly, my Oakley Sutro Lites just couldn't find a home in the front vents of the helmet. The two widest front ports are just too far apart for the arms to stretch, and are blocked by the Koroyd structure anyway. The other front-facing vents are too close together to offer enough tension on the arms to hold the glasses securely. The same is true of the rear, so my glasses had to be tucked in the collar of my jersey, which is never my preference.

When the heat really ramped up and the speeds dropped on longer climbs I definitely felt it a little more than in other vented helmets I've used. Temperatures got up to around 25 degrees and I really noticed myself sweating more than normal. The helmet still felt cooler than a filled-in aero option, and I only noticed this at slower speeds at the hottest point of the day – but if you're lucky enough to live in warmer climates you might find this helmet lacking maximum ventilation. Whether or not this is down to the inclusion of Koroyd or to the smaller looking vents isn't clear.

Aesthetics

Aesthetically, the helmet is styled after the old 'hairnet' or 'sausage' helmets that riders in the 60s and 70s would sometimes wear. The five struts are quite rounded and pronounced, and it certainly stands out among other top-end lids.

As well as the black on test, it's available in blue, red and white, all with a subtle honeycomb print across the helmet – alluding to the Koroyd internals. I confess I'm not a huge fan of the logos and name printed prominently on the helmet, but each to their own.

The vents at the back of the helmet and the horizontal struts across the top are matt black, but can be customised at point of ordering directly from Ekoi in a variety of colours or to match your nation's flag – which is a nice touch if you're looking for something a bit different to help you stand out.

Fit

I wear a size medium in virtually every other helmet brand, and the medium here fitted true to size and felt really comfortable when I first put it on. The Atop dial retention system at the back offers plenty of micro adjustment, and the whole occipital support moves up and down so, when fitted correctly, the helmet feels really locked in on your head, without any pinching or overly tight spots.

You get two sets of pads in differing thicknesses so you can further customise fit, but I found the medium thickness pads that came fitted spot on.

The magnetic Fidlock buckle is a feature I really like, and means the helmet can be easily clasped and unbuckled with one hand and minimal fuss. This is a feature I first came across on the Specialized S Works Evade 2, but the newer Evade 3 has reverted back to a traditional standard buckle, which is a shame as this small feature, while on the surface a bit superfluous, gives the helmet a much more premium feel and, once you've used it, going back to a normal buckle feels like a bit of a downgrade.

I did find that when trying to fit a cycling cap underneath the Stradale the fit was compromised slightly, so in the winter or when riding in the rain I'd be inclined to reach for a helmet that plays a bit better with a cap underneath – but as this is a ventilated lid designed to perform best in the heat, I can't really mark it down for that. I'd also say cycling helmets aren't typically designed with caps in mind – they're designed to fit well as they are and remain on your head in the event of a crash, something caps can compromise.

Value

With an RRP of around £277, the Stradale sits at the higher end of the market. It's comparable with the likes of the Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips at £290 and S-Works       Prevail 3 – a touch less at £250 – and it's a fair bit cheaper than the new Kask Elemento retailing at £335, which doesn't include any additional safety features like Koroyd or Mips.

However, the Smith Trace Mips we reviewed recently has both Mips AND Koroyd and is about £60 less than the Stradale at £219.99 – so, while the Ekoi offers decent value for money, if it's safety features you're after these can be found for less elsewhere.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the Stradale very comfortable to wear, and the aesthetics certainly grew on me. The silhouette is sleek and the colour pretty inoffensive, and looking at Ekoi-sponsored pro teams like Lotto Dstny or Israel Premier Tech, I think it's improved greatly when paired with matching Ekoi glasses that finish off the overall aesthetic nicely.

I can't vouch for the safety credentials of the Koroyd structure, but it was comforting to know that, should an accident happen, there's a chance this helmet would offer more protection than an alternative without it. VirginiaTech, which rates helmets for protection, hasn't yet tested any Ekoi helmets, but others it's crash tested from the likes of Smith that contain Koroyd have performed well.

I'd also caveat my criticisms of the glasses storage and performance on really hot days by saying I constantly take my glasses off and put them back on when I'm climbing, and I definitely know from experience that I run pretty hot compared to other riders – so the issues I had with the helmet may not apply to you.

> Buy now: Ekoi Black Stradale helmet for £276.80 from Ekoi

Verdict

Comfortable and adjustable lid that offers increased safety, premium features and unique styling