Uvex Race 1 helmet

Cruising in at just under a ton, the Uvex Race 1 helmet is an understated yet phenomenally competent road lid that oozes stereotypically Teutonic attention to detail and refinement.

Arguably you could buy two very competent mid-range designs for the same money, one as the daily driver, its counterpart for competition. After all, accidents aside; even the best helmets have a finite lifespan of around three, maybe, four years.

However, the Race 1's compliance with the TüV/GS standard along with CE1078 inspires greater confidence and while some of us will be irked by marketing acronyms there's some very sound engineering underpinning it.

Double in-mould construction is a case in point. It refers to the deployment of a secondary polycarbonate shell, which protects the otherwise vulnerable expanded polystyrene liner against accidental damage. Ours was a timeless satin black with a curious, yet not unappealing green paint spatter. Other options include red/white, white, blue/white and dark silver.

Uvex employ a rollover bar technology that works with the 2 K IAS 3d systems for optimal fit and theoretically displaces impact uniformly during a crash. FAS (Fast Adapting System) continues this theme and is just another way of saying straps can be micro adjusted to suit individual head shapes whereas 'Monomatic' refers to the single release chinstrap button and rear thumbwheel, which work intuitively, albeit with more refinement than most.

Ventilation is another preoccupation and the Race 1 features 20 vents employing the now familiar inlet/exhaust system for continuous cooling whether cruising along the flat or winching up the climbs. These seem similarly accommodating of silicone blinkies or helmet cam hardware. In many respects, the mark of a good helmet lies in how unobtrusive it is and aside from sitting slightly higher than my regulars, performance and comfort have been superb.

Despite its incredibly airy persona, Gore-tex covers and caps have only proved necessary during two particularly fierce hailstorms where we were pelted with sugar cube sized particles. The machine washable anti bacterial pads guzzle sweat. Wind noise is non-existent, even descending at 35mph plus, and there's been no hint of whistling (aside from my riding companion) facilitating uninterrupted conversation and awareness of approaching traffic.

If you need to carry a backpack, the rear cradle doesn't catch on the straps as you look left and right.

Verdict

Excellent road helmet with distinctly Germanic attention to detail