The Lazer Vento KinetiCore helmet is Lazer’s range-topping aero race helmet that has been seen on the heads of Team Jumbo-Visma since the 2022 Tour de France. It replaces the brand’s Bullet 2.0 helmet, and Lazer claims it to be faster and safer than before, while shedding 90g of plastic from the construction.
It also includes Lazer’s own brand of anti-concussion and rotational impact protection, KinetiCore, which received a 5-star rating from the Virginia Tech helmet test.
The ventilation is decent at speed, however on climbs in particular, the heat can build up. The fit is nicely adaptable thanks to the semi-floating cradle which should work with a variety of head shapes.
Lazer Vento fit and sizing
The Lazer Vento KinetiCore comes in three sizes (small: 52-56cm, medium: 55-59cm and large: 58-61cm) with the weight of the medium being claimed at 290g and coming in on our scales at 285g. This is heavier than several aero helmets currently available (such as the Limar Air Atlas, Kask Elemento and Giro Eclipse), but not by a noticeable amount in practice. Truly lightweight contenders do feel lighter on the head, but they lack the aero benefits so a trade-off is not unreasonable.
It comes in five colours, including the Wout Van Aert special edition. Retention is provided by the new ScrollSys system, replacing the previous RollSys. This removes a dial on the top of the helmet and instead uses rollers on the rear of the shell, which are actuated by a treadmill-like rubber belt.
The previous RollSys system was adjusted with a small plastic barrel dial that was far harder to adjust. While I personally still prefer a conventionally placed dial below the rear of the helmet shell, ScrollSys means one isn’t required on the Vento, creating a lot of space in the cradle for those with ponytails. The belt is easy to adjust, and when tightened it fits securely.
The cradle itself ‘floats’ in part, as it is attached at the sides of the front of the helmet (not the very front) and to the ScrollSys adjuster, meaning the helmet can adapt to different head shapes when tightened. Polygiene, biostatic technology that stops the growth of odour-causing bacteria, is used in the padding to keep it fresh, which is arranged with a brow pad, two temple pads and one on the top.
Adjusters for fitting around the ears are easy to use yet remain secure, while the chinstrap buckle is standard and does the job well. A little elastic band is effectively used to keep any excess strap from flapping.
Lazer Vento ventilation and aerodynamics
Being Lazer’s aero helmet, this is the key area that the brand looked to improve over the previous Bullet 2.0. Although I was unable to find actual wattage savings at certain speeds against other helmets, Lazer does state that the Vento is 2.3% faster than its previous aero helmet.
Interestingly, the helmet was designed around a 15-degree downwards angle of the head. The reason for this is that, in real world assessments with professional riders and teams that Lazer works with, it was found that this was the head angle most often maintained during hard efforts such as in the breakaway or during a sprint, the points where watt savings are most valuable.
The helmet also features up to date and modern aero tech, with the inclusion of what Lazer calls the Venturi Effect Ventilation System. What this aims to do, using the vent at the top of the helmet, the small inlets on the temples and the opening at the brow of the helmet, is to draw air in and accelerate it out of the rear vents of the helmet.
The supposed benefit here is that turbulence is reduced behind the helmet, thus improving aerodynamic performance and improving ventilation especially at speed. This means that even with a limited number of vents, head cooling is quite impressive. There are 13 vents in total – two large vents, two (actually four) small side vents, the top tunnel and eight small exhausts, but excluding the front two they are all very small.
From experience, the Vento’s ventilation is best when going at speed and the airflow is most noticeable. When climbing and going at lower speed, this helmet does not feel as well vented as some other aero helmet competitors. I would not want to wear this helmet for races or events with longer, steeper climbs especially in warmer weather, whereas there are some aero helmets around today that have enough ventilation to be usable in those conditions.
Lazer Vento safety tech
KinetiCore is the new standout feature of Lazer’s recent line of premium helmets. Whereas Mips uses a liner within the helmet in most cases, KinetiCore is the result of lots of small crumple zones within the helmet shell itself which deform in the direction that your head impacts or rotates in the event of a crash.
Performance-wise, this means the amount of EPS foam used in the helmet is reduced, so Lazer says the weight can decrease without impacting safety. In fact Lazer says this meant it could remove 90g of plastic from the Vento compared to the Bullet 2.0.
Secondly, this opens up the internal space of the helmet, resulting in more air channelling to better control airflow and improve cooling. Compared to Mips liner-equipped helmets I’ve used such as the MET Manta, I would say that ventilation is definitely better with KinetiCore, although the MET helmet is actually slightly lighter.
The biggest benefit of KinetiCore obviously is the safety aspect. For a long time, helmets have been designed to primarily deal with blunt impacts, but in recent years there has been a shift in focus to account for rotational impact. It rarely happens that a crash occurs directly into an object, and often the angle of impact results in a rotational impact where the head can roll within the helmet. This is where Mips and KinetiCore help with dissipating the load and aim to reduce the occurrence of concussion. For an in-depth look at this topic, read our guide to helmet safety tech.
In fact the Lazer Vento does score 5/5 in the Virginia Tech helmet safety test, carried out by an independent, university-based testing lab. But when you look into the results, the KinetiCore helmets from Lazer actually score lower than the previous Mips equipped ones. They are still ranked very safe, and have additional performance benefits over the Mips-equipped ones (weight and ventilation), but it is still odd to see the new safety tech actually being ranked slightly lower for safety than the old one.
Wearing the Lazer Vento
Getting the fit right on the helmet was a fairly easy process. The ScrollSys system is a huge improvement on the RollSys and far easier to use, although I do still prefer a regular dial at the back, and it offers a great wrap-around fit of the head. The straps are also comfortable and easy to adjust both on the ears and the chin, with the rubber band stopping excess strap from flapping. However, because they are not anchored in place on the helmet, when putting the helmet on it’s easy for one side of the strap to be longer than the other, resulting in the need to remove the helmet and readjust the straps. I found this happened often.
The padding has remained fresh-feeling even after a lot of summer riding, and I’ve not had any pressure points on my head. The one issue I do find with the almost free-floating retention cage is that it can be a bit awkward to get onto your head, with the rear section not being as attached at the sides. But the cradle, which is highly adjustable, can sit nice and low, which I like as it feels very secure on the head without being at all constrictive.
In terms of how the helmet feels performance-wise, it remains fairly quiet when riding with your head up so there isn’t much wind noise. Lazer designed the helmet specifically for maximum watt savings at 15 degrees downwards facing, as they found that this was the common position riders placed their heads during sprints or breakaway efforts.
It’s nice to see some testing done specifically on the optimal head position that a rider maintains during an effort and designing the helmet around that. It’s all well and good having the ‘fastest’ helmet in wind-tunnel testing with a bolt upright head, but not many riders looking to save maximum watts will be riding like that. This feels like a helmet designed for those wanting to go fast.
Additionally, at speed, the ventilation is very good. However as soon as you slow down and the effort level stays high, heat does build up quite quickly. For events with long climbs I would definitely prefer to go for a helmet with more venting.
It also isn’t the lightest helmet, and having recently spent a lot of time wearing lighter helmets, the Lazer Vento’s heft can be noticed on the head to an extent. Another issue with the vents are the glasses storage ports. Practically, I found them to be unusable. They’re widely spaced, so they stretch the arms of the glasses, and can only be used with straight arm glasses that ideally have rubberised arms. They do use silicone pads to help keep glasses in place, but I found they didn’t work with the glasses I use.
From a subjective point of view, I do have to say that this helmet looks good. It has a narrow profile on the head, which is likely good for aero performance when your head is upright, but also prevents it from ever looking mushroom-like (think the original POC Octal).
The helmet also isn’t bad value for a top end road helmet. The new Kask Elemento is an outlier at £335/$400, but even the Specialized Evade 3 is £275/$330 so the Lazer Vento compares favourably to them price-wise. However, the Giro Eclipse (£239) and Limar Air Atlas (£219.99/€259.95/$319.95) offer even better value and still great performance.
I’ve only tested the Limar Air Atlas out of the competitor helmets, and I did find it performed better in a few areas. However I prefer the look of the Lazer Vento and it also potentially offers better rotational impact protection. For a race day helmet, especially in the UK where there aren’t very long climbs and more often than not it’s not very hot, then the Lazer Vento will likely perform at its best.
Lazer Vento review summary
The Lazer Vento KinetiCore is a good aero road helmet. The KinetiCore protection is environmentally conscious and scores 5/5 in independent safety testing, it’s comfortable, has science backed development for aero claims, and ventilation performance at higher speeds is very good.
At lower speeds the ventilation is lacking and it isn’t the most lightweight, yet it compares to its main competitors well in terms of price, making the Lazer Vento KinetiCore helmet a compelling and innovative option as a top-end aero road helmet.
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