KASK Elemento: Fluid Carbon 12, Multipod and the Ventilation Trade

Fluid Carbon 12 and the Ventilation Trade

A helmet shell has to resolve a conflict. Ventilation wants large openings for air to enter and exit; aerodynamics wants a smooth surface with as few interruptions as possible; structural integrity wants continuous material where the shell carries load. Most designs resolve it by compromising on all three. The Elemento resolves it by changing the material.

Fluid Carbon 12 is a composite technopolymer, and its property is that it absorbs more energy from an impact than conventional shell materials while distributing the force more evenly across the shell. That distribution is what buys the ventilation. If the shell spreads load across a wider area, the material around each vent opening carries less of it, and the openings can be made larger in the internal channels without weakening the structure. KASK used that margin to enlarge the internal airflow channels while shrinking the external vent holes.

The combination is unusual and worth stating plainly. Smaller external holes reduce the interruptions to the surface airflow, which helps aerodynamics. Larger internal channels move more air through the helmet, which helps cooling. The two changes normally trade against each other, and the shell material is what allows both at once.

Multipod: Elastomer Behaviour Under Rotational Load

Multipod is a 3D-printed elastomer padding, and its design target is rotational impact. A linear impact drives the head in a straight line; a rotational impact applies torque, which is the mechanism most associated with concussion in oblique falls. Padding that responds differently depending on the direction of the load is difficult to achieve with a homogeneous foam, because foam compresses the same way in every direction.

An elastomer printed into a lattice can be tuned. The strut geometry sets how the structure buckles under load, and a lattice can be designed to deform similarly whether the force arrives in shear or in compression. KASK's claim is that Multipod withstands impact energy regardless of the direction in which the force is applied, which is a statement about the structure rather than about the material alone.

Two things follow. The first is that a material description is not a certification, and the Elemento's protection claim rests on EN 1078 and on KASK's own WG11 rotational test, not on the padding alone. The second is that the padding is part of a system: shell, liner, padding and retention together determine how the helmet behaves, and replacing one element changes the behaviour of the whole.

Fit, Retention and the Certified System

The retention system is OCTOFIT+, a dial and cradle that adjusts the fit at the back of the head. Retention matters more than its name suggests, because a helmet that moves on the head cannot protect the head in the way its certification assumes. The cradle should sit below the occipital bone and hold the shell without pressure points, and the straps should form a V just under the ear.

The size ranges overlap deliberately: S covers 50 to 56 cm, M covers 52 to 58, L covers 59 to 62. A rider at 55 cm can wear either S or M, and the choice depends on head shape rather than on circumference. A rounder head takes the smaller shell with the cradle opened; a longer head takes the larger shell with the cradle closed. Both are correct, and neither can be decided from a number.

The inner padding is merino wool, which is a deliberate choice for a garment worn against the scalp. Wool manages moisture without feeling clammy and does not build odour the way synthetic foam does. It is also the part of the helmet that wears out first, and replacement pads restore fit more effectively than tightening the retention dial.

Acquisition and Replacement

The Elemento is certified to EN 1078 under both CE and UKCA marking, which covers the European and British markets. The certification defines a minimum, not a ranking, and two helmets that both pass are not thereby equivalent. KASK's WG11 protocol is a separate rotational impact test the company developed and publishes, and it is the more informative figure for a rider choosing between helmets that all meet the standard.

The 260 g reference mass is the manufacturer's figure for the model and varies with size. It is light enough that the helmet does not load the neck over a long ride, which matters more on a descent than on a climb, and it is not so light that the shell has been hollowed out to reach the number.

At $400 or €375 the acquisition question is fit before specification. Measure the head, try the shell, and check that the cradle sits below the occipital bone and the straps clear the ears. Then consider ventilation against the riding the helmet will actually do: a rider who climbs slowly in heat needs the internal channels, and a rider who spends the day at speed benefits from the smaller external openings. Replace the helmet after any significant impact, and replace the pads when they stop holding the shell steady.