Shark: Where Style meets Safety
So for the newbies getting their feet (heads?) wet with helmet decisions. Or the old horses who know their schtick but need a bit of a geriatric reminder. Shark is an amazingly cool producer of helmets. They have style, features and safety. That means you look cool, you have cool stuff and if (hope not) you go skidding down the asphalt you’re cool; everything’s cool. It keeps your head intact, has lots of nice tech in it, and coming in at just under $400, this helmet is affordable.
Let’s Tour
So these guys with their obsession with sharks (I mean, it’s obvious right?) have the Shark Discovery Division. That is the series that is focused on touring. Basically go outside, ride, enjoy the sights and have a good time. Take your girl along, or she takes you along. Ride with your buddies. All of you probably want a bowling ball for your head from this series; a really sweet bowling ball with more bells and whistles than a one-man-band.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Let’s really tour
The helmet for today is the Shark Vision-R Series 2 awesome-sauce (that last bit is probably not part of the official name). Anyhow, this is the helmet that is designed for you to take in the sights and see what is around to see. Heck, it is like Lord of the Rings when you ride. Depending on your route you may be telling your buddies stories of the amazing landscapes you traversed and the beauty of Mama Nature. Or you might be telling them, “so I saw trees, more trees and trees. Another tree… some leaves”. In the latter case I am pretty sure you need a better route. But helmet-wise it’d be hard to do better at least for the price-point.
The IMAX of Helmet-visionThe visor is one of the sweet features of this noggin protector. It is panoramic both horizontally and vertically so you can see all the trees (bad route) and the beautiful valleys and vistas (good route). It also have a few neat features to make the touring enjoyable. The visor when opened can be set in several positions due to the tension built-in; basically it goes click-click-clickety-click. You can choose how much of that you wanna do for getting a look at the area around you without any man-made material (person-made for the politically-correct) being in the way.
There is a tiny flip-switch thing on the side that opens the otherwise solidly sealed visor just a crack to let the air in. Nice for a bit of a breeze and for clearing up fogging. It has the usual UV, anti-fog, anti-scratch and anti-glare stuff. There is also a tab on the side (left-side) that brings down the “license and registration” smokey-shades (also anti-scratch) when it runs a tad too bright.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Too Cool for Sweaty Pools
On the front it has a nice chin vent that you can fiddle with and the airflow arcs over your head and out the back like a little teeny-tiny jet. This combined with the moisture-wicking lining and Shark’s helmet protection grooves keeps your head cool and dry and probably smelling way way way better than it’d be otherwise. Overall, with the seals and padding (I’ll get to that) the helmet also locks out the cold so you say warm inside while still removing sweat.
Does all this safety make my face look fat?No, Princess; it doesn’t. It’s made of fiberglass with plenty of padding which is great for keeping you safe in asphalt buffets and the padding also keeps the helmet firmly in place rather than a dangly head-trauma device. The guts of the helmet are tons of nice soft cushioning, starting with the neck seal, the cheek guards and the top-lining with the moisture-sucking tech like I mentioned before. There is also a built-in cloth thing attached to the front of the helmet (not removable) to keep the bottom of your manly chin feeling the soft, sweet, seduction of pampering. The attachments of the innards also offer more pampering by snapping to areas where they won’t cause your delicate skull any uncomfortable pressure. Seriously though, these are good elements to have for long rides and comfort when wearing a bucket over your head. For the bespectacled, you have tiny removable pads for extra room.
Groovy Sharks?
So one of Shark’s safety design features is that the top of the helmet has these ridges and grooves. So the air flows through the grooves (great) but these ridges act like a crumple zones (also great). Nice stuff for both comfort and safety. These guys don’t mess around with that. Hence they are kinda top dogs in this. Check out the safety link at the bottom if you are a nerdy badass and want to get into more of the details. The other bit of groovy is that you have a spot in the helmet (like all their helmets) for their bluetooth device called ‘Sharktooth’. Man that obsession… I am telling you, Atlantis didn’t sink; it just opened up a helmet company instead. Anyhow, the device allows you things like listening to music or chatting with the family or the insurance company or whatever.
Washing?
The lining can be washed in cold water and gently. Use a net or something or rinse it and let it air dry. Even the best of moisture removal leaves behind a funky odor and you don’t want to be “that guy” at the bar.
Just the Facts
Here is a chunk of facts from the manufacturer website made readable (sort of):
- Light weight: 1.450 kg
- Panoramic Vision: 125% overall vertical and 110% horizontal vision compared to a standard field of vision (IMAX vision)
- Autoseal System: making the visor adhering to the helmet’s gasket providing a much better insulation (water and cold)… (good sealing)
- Rapid Antifog System: opening and locking the visor on an anti-mist position (the tiny crack thing above)
- Constructed from Multiaxial fiberglass (Go Protection!!!)
- Microlock buckle system (convenient strap lock)
- Optimal morphological adjustment: 2-Shell Sizes (way too fancy a way of saying two sizes; a lot of cheek-pad options too)
- Outside Anti-Scratch, Inside Anti-Fog Visor (IMAX vision)
- Anti-Scratch Sun Visor (IMAX Vision)
- Shark Easy Fit (good with spectacle wearers)
- Planned Location for Sharktooth (for the Sharktooth device they’d like you to buy)
- Quick Release Visor System (visor pops off easily when needed)
- Removable Lining (for non-smelling purposes)
- Sizes available XS (53/54 cm), S (55/56 cm), M (57/58 cm), L (59/60 cm), XL (61/62 cm)
Did Someone Say Safety?
The guys over at the Shark Discovery Division are serious about safety.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.