The new Shark Heritage helmet not only looks hipster-cool, but is also cool to wear.
The interior of the open-face Heritage is made using a sustainable bamboo-based material, which is claimed to improve ventilation, prevent sweating and keep your head cool.
We tried it and it really does work on a hot day. It also prevents the helmet becoming mouldy and smelling like a gorilla’s armpit, thanks to bamboo’s antibacterial properties.
However, if you sweat a lot, you can also remove the lining to give it a gentle hand wash. We don’t recommend putting the lining through the washing machine, though.
The lining also has cutaways for your bluetooth speakers and the helmet is Sharktooth compatible, so you can fit Shark’s Bluetooth system. We also had no problems fitting a couple of different aftermarket Bluetooth units.
Our review helmet is large size, yet it fits me quite well, even though I usually take a medium or even small in some brands.
The reason is that the open-face design is more of a “jet” style with “sideburns” that also protect your cheeks.
This makes it feel tighter and it’s a bit of a squeeze to get it on. You have to pull the sides apart with the chin straps as you put it on your head.
Once on, it feels light and comfortable. The shell is made of carbon aramid fibre and multiaxial glass fibre. Shark promises a high level of protection, but we didn’t crash test it for you
There are recesses at the temple area so you can easily fit glasses, a drop-down anti-scratch half-visor and it has secure D-ring fasteners.
The Shark Heritage is available in plain colours (white, black, grey and matte black) for $329.95 or with one of several cool heritage graphics like ours for $349.95.
Click here to find your nearest Shark dealer.
