Mark Heij is one of our most active explorers. He went all out to qualify for the World Granfondo Championship. This makes him a perfect judge for a Review of the Ekoi Stradale helmet and Ottimo Glasses. Over the past few weeks, he has been testing the Ekoi Stradale helmet and Ekoi Ottimo goggles. In his words, 'a helmet and goggles that are functional and look great'. In this article, you will read his findings and conclusion on these helmet and goggles. He picks up on everything regarding safety, ventilation and, not unimportantly, the looks. With the final question: is the Ekoï Stradale your next cycling helmet and/or is the Ekoï Ottimo your next cycling glasses?
Text: Mark Heij, photos: Mark Heij/Sander Kolsloot
Safety and weight
The helmet is really top notch. It feels sturdy, fits on my head just fine thanks to its plastic construction, and fastens well with the BOA strap. It is one of the few helmets where I really feel it protects me if I fall. It feels strong and sturdy, which of course is the most important thing. There is also a Koroyd system inserted, for extra fall protection. Safety first, right?
The helmet has a magnetic click system to attach it, super convenient and you have it on or off in no time. But that magnetic system does make the helmet a bit heavier.
I don't fasten and unfasten the helmet very often, so for me it wasn't really necessary. But it works well and feels nice, it all fits together perfectly.
Spectacles
The glasses feel sturdy. The lenses are high-quality and integrated in the plastic frame. With other goggles, I have occasionally had the lens not be integrated and come loose. You don't want that on your ride.
Ventilation
The helmet has plenty of ventilation holes, very nice on hot days or when cycling up a mountain. Ventilation is super important, it helps wick away your sweat. And where do you want the most ventilation? Exactly, at your head.
The Stradale also has a honeycomb structure that provides both ventilation and good protection. For performance, this is a must.
Spectacles
Of course, the glasses are always ventilated. Because of the lens, I notice that you can see a lot in both dim and bright light. This ensures that you can keep them on when it starts to get dark or the sun shines less, which can happen quite often in the Netherlands.
Looks
Stradale Helmet
Of course, a helmet also has to look good, and the Stradale definitely scores points there. What I notice is that it fits my head very well, which also looks nice. I tried several helmets that just seemed too big or too small. I have a pretty big head, so that's handy. I have the L version of the helmet.
The helmet has a few stickers that are a nice addition. I like that, it gives the helmet a professional touch. The red and black colours match most outfits. You can add country decals to the Stradale helmet, which is a nice addition. You can also expand and change the back of the helmet with colours.
The helmet itself is available in 4 different colours. Red, white black and blue. Which is a great choice for any cyclist.
Spectacles
The goggles are fast, and have a very nice chromatic orange lens. This makes it aero and also nice to use during your ride. The pictures here really speak for themselves.
Conclusion review Ekoï Stradale helmet and Ottimo Glasses
Stradale Helmet
The Stradale really is a top helmet, it sits well on my head and provides plenty of ventilation during the hottest rides. Also, the construction of the helmet is good and you really feel that this helmet protects you.
The helmet looks professional with the Stradale decals. It is a nice helmet that looks very neat and part of a very nice look.
The only downside of the helmet is that it does weigh compared to other helmets, which makes it less ideal for pure performance in terms of weight. Especially if you often cycle in the mountains. Luckily, we don't have those in the Netherlands 😉.
Overall, this is a great helmet that, in my opinion, offers a lot in terms of safety. The helmet is a bit heavy if you purely consider performance and weight. The retro character with the stickers also makes it an eye-catcher. So a good buy at the current price of €126. The list price of €252 is tougher though
Spectacles
The glasses are an eye-catcher, the lens is fine to use in bright and dim light so top for the Dutch rider. It looks fast and feels good on my nose for me. So I definitely recommend this one! The current price is €95.80. That's really competitively priced for glasses of this quality.
