Tested: Shark Spartan Carbon Skin DKA
It's comfortable, stylish and quiet - what's not to like?
BRAINS before beauty – that’s what my mum always said.
And she was right! Admittedly she wasn’t exactly talking about protecting my noggin, but the same principles apply.
No matter how good a helmet looks, it doesn’t count for anything unless it’s protective enough to save your brains in the event of an accident.
And while I haven’t yet put that to the test, Shark’s Spartan Carbon certainly has the credentials to keep my brain nice and sane should I have a spill.
It’s constructed from fibreglass and lacquered carbon fibre and in the DKA (yeah, we don’t get it either) colour scheme, it isn’t even half bad looking.
Maybe you can have both brains and beauty, after all…
We like:
This lid was comfortable from the off. There was no bedding in period needed, and so straight it went from the box to a 300-mile ride.
I was quite surprised by how well it fit, in fact, given that another Shark helmet in the same size (S) had previously proven tremendously uncomfortable, scoring a line across my forehead each time I wore it.
Despite its aggressive and sporty styling, this Spartan Carbon boasts all the creature comforts you’d expect on a longer ride – a flip down sun visor, decent noise reduction and a plush lining (35mm on the small). It also features Shark’s ‘Skin’ covers on the visor fastenings, a textured material which promises to reduce wind and road noise, making for a relatively quiet ride.
And at an impressively light 1290g this lid fares well, and looks great, on track.
Finally, while some of Shark’s cheaper helmets feature a plastic clip closure, the Sparton Carbon boasts a simple D-ring system. Simple, maybe, but also safe, effective and uncomplicated.
We don’t like:
There’s really not much to dislike about this helmet.
The only irks I found were that the sun visor fogged up frequently, while the visor itself seemed quite stiff to operate with one hand.
Verdict:
At £369.99, the Spartan Carbon is affordable (not exactly cheap, but offers good value for money), comfortable, stylish – in the Skin DKA colour scheme at least –and suits my peanut perfectly.
Previously, I had all but sworn allegiance to Shoei, but this lid has opened my eyes to the other options out there.
For more information on the Sparton Carbon Skin DKA, click here.
