New WW Helmet Review. Yakkay Light One.

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

Post Reply
spinwax
Shop Owner
Posts: 962
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:14 pm
Location: USA

by spinwax

My wife owns a commuter bicycle company and is a US distributor for a line of commuter helmets from a small company out of the Netherlands that makes fashionable style helmets that have covers etc to make them look like hats. I know it sounds funny but they are super popular with many commuters especially those that don't want to be in that "lycra crowd". My wife looks really cute in them. :D Well anyways, they recently released a road style helmet that piqued my interest so I thought I would get one and check it out. It's always nice to see another light option out there for the weight weenie crowd.

EDIT: xpert mentioned this is the same helmet as the Ranking. So this review works for that as well. Enjoy! :beerchug:

Quick review and unboxing of 2018 Yakkay Light One road helmet. Size Med.

First, it's very nice looking; which of course is subjective but all in all it doesn't have any crazy logos, weird wild colors or strange shape design. It only comes in black so it goes with everything but a navy blue suit and brown belt ;). The matte black finish is smooth with no flaws and the shell to foam liner seam is very good. The logos are plain and clean.

Image

Once I got it out of the box I immediately realized this helmet is light. You usually don't think you can feel 20 to 40grams between items, but once you actually hold this thing the sub 200 gram weight is very noticable. Weight is 193 grams for a size Med.

The quality is good. Not as good as Kask, but not any worse than a Giro.

I love the clasp; it is a magnet style that is super easy to snap together as the magnets are strong enought that it finds is male/female partner once put close together. Once the clasp are together they locked until the release button is pushed. So what I am getting at is it isn't a magnet holding the clasp together but just part of the locking equation. The straps are super nice and are on par with a Kask or high end brand helmet. Nice quality in terms of material and thick which surprised me as this is a super lightweight helmet as many companies skimp there to keep weight to a minimum.

Image

Fit is very round. Not the best for me, but not uncomfortable. Seems closer to my Kask Protone than my Giros, Bell or Spesh. The size adjuster is simple as it is just a small dial on the back like most helmets. Nothing revoltionary there but it works to fine tune the fit to your head.

The helmet does come with a bug net which is a nice option for those of you who live in areas with lots of critters that may get in your helmet and sting you. I did however weigh the helmet without it since it is not built in to the helmet and not mandatory to use.

Ventilation is great. You can see by the photos that it is a very open design. I assume there is no aero testing and this helmet is probably not even in the top 20 of new helmets in terms of aerodynamics, but who knows until testing is done.

US certs. From what I can see this helmet may not meet US Requirements in terms of CPSC however I was told all their helmets meet this requirement. I did not see the sticker, but I believe I have the first one in the United States so we will see what comes of it.

Overall, I think it is a great helmet for someone that just wants a highly ventilated shell that is super light.

For comparison, my small 2017 Giro Aeon is around 209Grams, my Med 2018 Specialized Prevail II is 234grams and the Yakkay is only 193grams in a MED!!!!!



Image

Image



Yakkay weight!
Image

2018 Specialzied Prevail II wieght.
Image
Last edited by spinwax on Fri May 25, 2018 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Johnny Rad
Posts: 2025
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:22 am
Location: Zion

by Johnny Rad

Thanks for sharing. Nice comparative review. Crazy low weight.

It indeed looks sharp, but how about a pic on somebody's head?

No MIPS?

User avatar
xpert
Posts: 959
Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 5:20 pm
Location: Cyprus
Contact:

by xpert

Spinwax i think the helmet is made from Ranking, it is identical with R91 FEATHER.

spinwax
Shop Owner
Posts: 962
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:14 pm
Location: USA

by spinwax

xpert wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 8:06 pm
Spinwax i think the helmet is made from Ranking, it is identical with R91 FEATHER.
Awesome, thanks for the input. The Yakkay does say Ranking on it and I wasn't sure why. I was not familiar with that helmet until you posted. Do you know what certs that helmet has?

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12444
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

Aren't the Prevail II and Kask Valegro in the same ballpark for weight with CPSC certification?

I'm assuming the Yakkay/Ranking weight is for a CE certified helmet.
Last edited by TobinHatesYou on Sat May 26, 2018 1:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

My helmet is 180gr. Some chinese cheap styrofoam business. Looks and feels fine.

Lets just hope that this is a greater quality helmet than just a rebranded 3usd chinese helmet.

spinwax
Shop Owner
Posts: 962
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:14 pm
Location: USA

by spinwax

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sat May 26, 2018 1:25 am
Aren't the Prevail II and Kask Valegro in the same ballpark for weight with CPSC certification?

I'm assuming the Yakkay/Ranking weight is for a CE certified helmet.
No, they are both well over the 200 gram mark. My post notes the weight of my new Specialized Prevail II at 234 grams. Not a heavy helmet by any means but this is WW and this site is about finding the lightest equipment out there. All of Yakkay's other helmets are CPSC certified so once these are available in the US they may meet that cert but who knows? I dont have the Valegro but I can get one in my hands this week if need be.

Quality is very nice and on par with any Giro and actually nicer than many other major brands. Like I stated it's not as nice as a Kask or a few others. For someone looking for a light weight clean looking helmet that doesn't break the bank this may become an option down the road once certified if a buyer is looking for a CPSC certified helmet.

Thanks for for your input on the thread.

BikeKingV1r
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2017 7:55 pm

by BikeKingV1r

How big does this look on? Looks nice from the pics

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
micky
Posts: 5765
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:57 pm
Location: Vicenza
Contact:

by micky

xpert wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 8:06 pm
Spinwax i think the helmet is made from Ranking, it is identical with R91 FEATHER.
You can see the Ranking stickers on the helmet; they forgot to remove it.
I had one of those, crazy light but sadly didn't fit my head shape and had to resell it.

Post Reply