Table Of Contents

Kask Valegro Review: The Best Road Bike Helmets of 2021 – Cycling Helmet Review

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 80% 80%
  • Weight 90% 90%
  • Ventilation 100% 100%
  • Aerodynamics 70% 70%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 50% 50%

Price: $187.46

Weight: 234g

Vents: 37

Fit System: Octo Fit

Safety Tech: In Molding, MIT

What We Like: Lightweight, Great Ventilation

What We Don’t: No MIPS, Issues With Octo Fit Retention System

Kask has an extremely crowded lineup when it comes to high-end helmets, and the Kask Valegro sits somewhere between the $300 MSRP Kask Protone and the $200 MSRP Kask Mojito X. However, frequent sale prices and last year’s color schemes mean that sometimes the Protone can be had cheaper than the Valegro. However, what really makes the Valegro stand out is that it is positioned as a lightweight, top of the line helmet, that does not skimp out on premium features to deliver its feathery weight.

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Compare to Similar Products

See Our The Best Road Bike Helmets of 2021: Cycling Helmet Review!

POC Ventral SPIN

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 100% 100%
  • Weight 70% 70%
  • Ventilation 90% 90%
  • Aerodynamics 100% 100%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 100% 100%

Pros

Unparalleled Combination of Weight

Safety

Ventilation

Cons

Price

Weight: 280g

Vents: 14

Fit System: Proprietary 360 Degree Retention System

Safety Tech: SPIN

Giro Synthe MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 100% 100%
  • Weight 70% 70%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Aerodynamics 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 90% 90%

Pros

Highly Adjustable

Well Ventilated

Aerodynamic

Great Sale Prices

Cons

MSRP is Nearly as Expensive as the POC Ventral Spin

Weight: 268g

Vents: 26

Fit System: Roc Loc 5 Air

Safety Tech: MIPS

Lazer Z-1 MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 90% 90%
  • Weight 60% 60%
  • Ventilation 100% 100%
  • Aerodynamics 60% 60%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 90% 90%

Pros

MIPS

T Pro

Highly Adjustable

Magneto Eyewear Doc

Cons

Heavy

High MSRP

Weight: 284g

Vents: 31

Fit System: ARS Advanced Rollsys System

Safety Tech: MIPS, T Pro

Giro Aether MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 100% 100%
  • Weight 70% 70%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Aerodynamics 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 100% 100%

Pros

MIPS Spherical

Roc Loc 5+ Air Fit Retention System

Cons

Staggering Price Tag

Weight: 267g

Vents: 11

Fit System: Roc Loc 5+ Air

Safety Tech: MIPS Spherical

Smith Trace MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 90% 90%
  • Weight 70% 70%
  • Ventilation 60% 60%
  • Aerodynamics 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 100% 100%

Pros

Top of the Line Safety Features

Improved Ventilation Over Smith Overtake

Cons

Still Not the Best Ventilation

Price

Weight: 280g

Vents: 18

Fit System: VaporFit

Safety Tech: MIPS, Koroyd

Giro Foray MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 80% 80%
  • Weight 60% 60%
  • Ventilation 70% 70%
  • Aerodynamics 80% 80%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 80% 80%

Pros

Premium Features at a Budget Price

Cons

Doesn’t Vent or Fit Quite Like the Giro Synthe

Weight: 298g

Vents: 21

Fit System: Roc Loc 5

Safety Tech: MIPS

Bell Stratus MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 80% 80%
  • Weight 60% 60%
  • Ventilation 70% 70%
  • Aerodynamics 70% 70%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 70% 70%

Pros

Premium Features in a Mid Priced Helmet

Cons

Lacks Some of the Safety Features of the Bell Z20 MIPS

Weight: 296g

Vents: 18

Fit System: Float Fit

Safety Tech: MIPS

Kask Valegro

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 80% 80%
  • Weight 90% 90%
  • Ventilation 100% 100%
  • Aerodynamics 70% 70%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 50% 50%

Pros

Lightweight

Great Ventilation

Cons

No MIPS

Issues With Octo Fit Retention System

Weight: 234g

Vents: 37

Fit System: Octo Fit

Safety Tech: In Molding, MIT

Kask Protone

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 80% 80%
  • Weight 80% 80%
  • Ventilation 70% 70%
  • Aerodynamics 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 50% 50%

Pros

Highly Adjustable

Aerodynamic

Cons

No MIPS

Falls Short of the Giro Synthe’s Adjustability and Ventilation

Weight: 248g

Vents: 20

Fit System: Octo Fit

Safety Tech: In Molding, MIT

Bell Z20 MIPS

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 90% 90%
  • Weight 50% 50%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Aerodynamics 70% 70%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 80% 80%

Pros

Float Fit Race Retention System

Ventilation

Cons

Weight

Nowhere to Stash Sunglasses

Weight: 305g

Vents: 18

Fit System: Float Fit Race 

Safety Tech: MIPS

Kask Mojito X

  • Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability 70% 70%
  • Weight 100% 100%
  • Ventilation 60% 60%
  • Aerodynamics 60% 60%
  • Safety Tech and Additional Features 50% 50%

Pros

Solid Performer in Every Category

Cons

Doesn’t Vent or Fit Quite Like the Giro Synthe

Weight: 220g

Vents: 26

Fit System: Up & Down Fit System

Safety Tech: MIT, In Molding

Comfort, Fit, and Adjustability

The Kask Valegro features the same Octo Fit retention system found in the Kask Protone. This means that the Valegro, like the Protone, is an extremely adjustable helmet that will fit a wide range of head shapes and sizes. In the back, the adjustment bar (where the adjustment dial is located) actually slides up and down a full 2” to provide a much higher degree of vertical adjustment than most helmets offer. Riders who have had helmets that wanted to tip one way or the other will greatly appreciate this feature. Meanwhile, wing-shaped cups and a traditional dial adjustment round off the Kask Valegro’s Octo Fit retention system.

Unfortunately, this means that the Kask Valegro also suffers from the downsides of the Octo Fit system, just like the Protone. The main issue is that the wide range of vertical adjustment doesn’t lock into place. This means that the helmet can shift forward or back, causing the exact problem that the vertical adjustment aims to remedy in the first place. Some head shapes might also have issues with the Valegro causing pressure points at the temples.

Like the other Kask road bike helmets that we reviewed, the Kask Valegro uses an eco-leather chin strap, which we found to be as comfortable as any chin strap that we have ever tested. At the ears, the Y shaped ear straps do not adjust, like the ones on the Giro Synthe. While we were quite fond of this minimalist setup on the Bell Super DH mountain bike helmet, the Y is not quite as large on the Kask Valegro, and depending on where in the vertical adjustment you like the helmet, the ear straps might rub your ears.

Finally,  the ample front padding found in the Kask Protone and Mojito X is missing from the Kask Valegro. While this sacrifice does help the helmet ventilate and shed a few grams, it also means that there is nothing to stop sweat from running right down your forehead and into your eyes. Heavy sweaters are almost guaranteed to need a sweatband with the Kask Valegro.

Weight

At 234g, the Kask Valegro is a light helmet. However, it sacrifices a bit of padding that added comfort and sweat absorption in other Kask helmets. It also doesn’t have to account for the added weight of MIPS, which most helmets in this price range, or most helmets period, do.

Ventilation

While many helmets are designed using a wind tunnel to test and improve their aerodynamics, Kask used a wind tunnel for a different purpose for the Valegro. Rather than focusing on its aero properties, Kask used extensive wind tunnel development on the Valegro to achieve maximum ventilation through its whopping 33 vents. Naturally, these vents are backed up by large internal channels, and they include large exhaust ports in the rear. 

All of this, combined with the lack of padding in the front of the helmet, makes the Kask Valegro an extremely drafty helmet at speed, and the sheer number of vents help keep you cool even while inching up steep climbs.

Of course, most of us will still break a sweat, at which point the lack of brow padding becomes more of a hindrance than a boon. Still, the Kask Valegro scores top notch for ventilation, and you can always use a sweatband to keep your eyes and glasses sweat free.

Safety Tech and Additional Features

Like other Kask helmets, this is an area where the Kask Valegro is rather sparse on features. 

Like the Mojito X and Protone, the Kask Valegro does feature Kask’s in molding technology, as well as MIT. MIT refers to the fact that a polycarbonate shell wraps around the entire external surface area of the Mojito X. This helps to protect the EPS foam from cracking wide open in a major hit, which would leave you extremely vulnerable for a subsequent tumble.

Aerodynamics

Kask does not make too much noise about the Valegro’s aerodynamic capabilities. However, as we have seen with other helmets, air moving through a helmet can be even better than optimizing for air to move around it. And we know that a ton of air moves through the Kask Valegro. While we don’t have a wind tunnel at our disposal, the Kask Valegro doesn’t seem to catch the wind in a strong breeze or at high speeds any more than other helmets that we reviewed.

The Bottom Line

If you are in the market for a lightweight and well-ventilated helmet, then the Kask Valegro certainly checks those two boxes. It struggles due to the fact that it competes in an already crowded Kask lineup, and at an extremely competitive price point. 

At the $250 price point, we would lean toward the POC Ventral Spin or Giro Synthe MIPS, but for gram counters not terribly concerned with rotational impact reducing technology, the Kask Valegro is still an extremely attractive road bike helmet.

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We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commission off of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!