Uvex Race 1 helmet review

At the risk of being accused of “lazy journalism” I’m going to say that the Uvex Race 1 helmet is exactly what I’d expect from a helmet that has been designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s comfortable and well-ventilated, with not even a hint of flair in its appearance.

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Comfort is undoubtedly the Uvex Race 1 helmet’s strong suit. There isn’t a massive amount of padding on the inside of the shell, but that doesn’t seem to be needed, as this was one of the most comfortable helmets that I’ve had the pleasure of wearing in a while.

Much of the credit for this must go to the excellent fit. The rear adjustment system offers plenty of flexibility the two sizes that the Uvex Race 1 helmet comes in to fit a wide range of head sizes. The adjustment system can also be moved up and down really easily, so it should perfectly cradle the back of your head.

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Ventilation is also rather good. The 20 vents that cover the Uvex Race 1 helmet seem smaller than on other helmets, but that doesn’t seem to compromise on cooling, and I never found myself overheating while wearing this lid.

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However, one thing I am not so keen on was the buckle. This is what Uvex calls its “Monomatic Buckle”, which effectively mean that instead of having a simple clip, you have to push a grooved piece of plastic through a hole, which is then released by pressing a button on the buckle. According to Uvex, this makes the strap easier to adjust on the move.

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And certainly this is the case, but how often do you actually need to do this. Yes, it is useful if you’re wearing a cotton cap underneath your helmet and need to loosen the straps, but then you could just do this by changing the length of the straps as you would on any normal helmet. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently bad about the Uvex Race 1 helmet’s buckle design, it just seems a little unnecessary to me.

The only other slight issue I have with the Uvex Race 1 helmet is that the design is not the most eye-catching, and looks rather dated. If I’d have been wearing this helmet 5-10 years ago, then I’m sure it would look great, but now it just seems a little understated and dull.