Fizik Kyros helmet review: Italian brand makes intelligent choices in its first mid-priced helmet

In 2025, Fizik moved into a new category by launching a range of four premium cycle helmets. Of these, the Kudo and Kudo Aero were designed for road, gravel and XC MTB use.

It has now added the mid-priced Kyros, aimed at the same cycling categories. While its Kudo and Kudo Aero carried a premium £270 / $320 price, the Kyros knocks a whole £100 / $120 off this, making it a much more accessible road bike helmet option for a broader range of cyclists.

We’ve been riding with the Kyros both on the road and on gravel to see how it shapes up.

Design and aesthetics

The Kyros shares the overall shape of the Kudo, although Fizik has made changes to the details. Although the vent positioning is the same across the two helmets, the vents are a little smaller in the Kyros and the ribs a little wider. The transverse member across the crown of the helmet is structurally part of the EPS shell rather than a separate component, as in the Kudo, and is a little deeper than that in the Kudo. The brow vents in the Kyros are a little narrower too.

The Kyros’ shell has exposed EPS foam at its bottom, unlike the Kudo where the outer shell extends over the foam. Over time, the polystyrene can become marked and gouged where exposed, something that’s avoided with the Kudo’s wrap-around shell.

While the Kudo has the MIPS Air system, which incorporates a sliding layer underneath the helmet’s padding, the Kyros has a MIPS Evolve Core liner. This is akin to the original MIPS system, with a separate plastic liner within the helmet shell to which the helmet’s padding is attached.

Fizik has yet to send the Kyros to the Virginia Tech helmet lab, but the Kudo’s four-star rating put it mid-pack among helmets that have been tested.

The Kyros’ retainer system is similar to that of the Kudo, with height adjustment of the rear cradle and a large adjuster dial. It shares Fizik’s crown adjustment system, where red studs in the front sides of the retainer can be moved between three anchor points in the front portion of the helmet shell to alter the helmet’s internal shape and where it sits on the brow and temples.

At the rear, the two large vents also mirror the Kudo, with a central reflector which can be replaced with a light unit. But whereas the Kudo and Kudo Air are sold with the red LED light, it’s an additional cost item for the Kyros.

The Kyros’s strap design is similar to the Kudo, although it omits the reflective thread present in the Kudo. The chin straps are separate pieces attached to the plastic Y-splitters, so the height of the splitters below the ears cannot be adjusted. There’s a standard click-in buckle to the chin strap.

The Kyros has a 335g claimed weight in size L, and my helmet was spot-on. That’s almost the same as the Kudo’s weight with the light fitted.

Performance

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The Kyros helmet felt comfortable on my head with minimal adjustment. While some helmets have a tendency to feel perched on my head, the Kyros sat deeper at the sides, and the rear retainer placed itself snugly under my occipital prominence.

Together, these gave a planted feel, even before I fastened the chin strap and, if I shook my head, the helmet moved with it, rather than rocking. The straps felt secure when fastened and sat close to my head, particularly the rear one. There was zero tendency to flap while riding.

I was initially sceptical that the crown adjustment system would make a significant change to the fit of the helmet. But moving the red studs between the default forward position and the furthest rearward position did change the pressure distribution, putting greater pressure on my brow. The furthest forward position was more comfortable for my head shape.

The strap splitters sat just below my ears without rubbing on them or being uncomfortable, although some riders may find that the lack of adjustability for the splitters leads to a less comfortable fit.

Airflow through the Kyros felt good, and the helmet was comfortable-to-cool in UK springtime temperatures, even on windless, low-speed gravel climbs.

I didn’t have the opportunity to wear the helmet in hotter weather. It’s possible that it would run hotter than some other helmets in the heat, although the wide double strip of transverse brow padding should help prevent sweat from dripping into the eyes.

The two side front vents are reasonably sunglasses-friendly, and the sidearms of my sunnies docked pretty easily, although I still prefer to hook the glasses in the back of my collar when not needed, Contador style.

In stronger crosswinds, there was quite a lot of noise from the helmet, which seemed to come from the wind passing over the edges of the plastic MIPS liner. This wasn’t too intrusive, though, and when riding into the wind rather than across it, it disappeared.

Value

While many cycling helmets, including Fizik’s own Kudo and Kudo Aero, pitch towards the £300 mark, the £100 lower price of the Kyros is significantly more affordable.

Although Fizik has downgraded some specs, the overall design of the Kyros retains the shape and many of the features of the Kudo. Unlike the Kudo, Fizik doesn’t make any aero claims for the Kyros, but given the similar overall shape and vent distribution, its aerodynamics could be broadly in line with the pricier helmet.

The Kyros’ £169.99 / $199.99 / €190 list price puts it in competition with helmets such as the Kask Valegro, Poc Omne Air and Specialized Propero 4, also mid-tier helmets from their respective brands that trickle down tech from their premium offerings.

Verdict

Fizik has made some smart modifications to the Kyros to lower the price relative to the Kudo, while keeping the key elements of that helmet’s design. The overall shape is similar and I reckon you’d be hard-pressed to notice any reduced airflow, while the key elements of adjustability are retained.

MIPS Core may not be as neatly integrated as MIPS Air but it doesn’t impinge on the helmet’s internals and there’s the same fit system as the Kudo, offering broad adjustability. This leads to a comfortable helmet that sat deep on my head, offering a reassuringly planted fit.

The Kyros feels like a good option for riders who are looking for Fizik’s style without the premium pricing of the Kudo.

Scorecard