Tested by: Mikko Nieminen|£189.99|www.nevis.uk.com|01425 478936
The Shark D-Skwal helmet with the Saurus graphics is eye-catching to say the least. It’s certainly the most fun-looking helmet I’ve had in years. But if dinosaurs of the apocalypse don’t do it for you, the lid does come in various other colours with other graphics.
Under the graphics, the helmet is a mid-range Shark product, offering a good amount of features for less than £200.
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The Pinlock lens on the visor is nice and large, giving you a wide view, and guaranteeing that your visor won’t fog up. The visor is attached to the helmet with a push/pull quick-release mechanism, which helps with cleaning everything properly.
There’s also a drop-down sun visor, which is operated via a little switch in the left visor fastening point. It’s simple to use and very effective — no need to be messing about with dark visors or sunglasses,
The vents on the injected thermoplastic outer shell work well and are easy to operate, and noise levels are okay even with all the vents open. The chin curtain is made from light mesh and doesn’t get in the way, but if you prefer to ride without one, it’s removable.
Two areas that give away the fact that this is a mid-range helmet rather than a top-end one are its weight (1450g) and the inner lining. It’s neither heavy nor poorly lined, but if you spend more money you can get a lighter helmet with a more plush inner lining.
I was surprised how good the aerodynamics of this helmet were: even when riding a bike with a screen that causes a fair amount of buffeting, the lid didn’t feel vibey, like some do. However, it does seem a little noisier than the top of the range helmets.
The D-Skwal offers a lot of helmet for £189.99, and for me the Saurus graphics are the icing on the cake.
