Price: $300
Safety Rating: 5-star Virginia Tech safety rating
Sizes: Custom made to order using the KAV Fit App
Weight: 318 grams (weight varies slightly from helmet to helmet due to the custom fit)
Shell Colors: Polar White, Midnight Navy, Atomic Black, Purple Haze, Shadow Wine, Steel Blue, Olive Drift, Stone Grey, and Dusty Pink
Hex Structure: White or Black
Warranty: 5 years
Crash Replacement: During the 5-year warranty, 100% replacement with the same model
Availability: Company’s website
How Obtained: Company custom sample
RBR Advertiser: No
Custom Fit, Comfort, and Aero Performance
Since May 2021, I’ve covered KAV Helmets for RBR, starting with an interview with founder Whitman Kwok about the launch of their first 3D-printed custom bicycle helmet on Kickstarter. Fast forward to 2025, and the company has achieved a remarkable trifecta: the introduction of the new Rhoan helmet, the opening of a second factory in Buffalo, New York, and a 5-star Virginia Tech safety rating.
I recently caught up with Whitman a few months ago at the 2025 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, and was thoroughly impressed by the advancements. The new KAV Fit App is even more user-friendly and faster to use than when I tried it a year before. Now, the app only requires one front-view photo of your head instead of multiple angles. The new Rhoan helmet is sleeker, more aerodynamic, and fits better. The updated shell design features a slimmer profile with a reduction of 3mm from each side compared to KAV’s previous model.
Securing the Perfect Fit
The KAV team walked me through their new iPhone Fit app to expedite ordering. First, you measure your head’s circumference and enter it in the app. Next, you take a front-view picture of yourself. Using a proprietary system of algorithms, 108 measurements are calculated from a single picture of your head. Then, use these measurements to create a custom 3D-printed helmet that fits you perfectly.
The last step is to customize the color combination of the shell and hex structure. Of the ten colors available for the shell, I chose Purple Haze. For the hex structure, the selection is black or white—so I chose black.
Unboxing the Rhoan and First Ride
From placing my order to receiving the custom 3D-printed Rhoan helmet took approximately six weeks. The fit was spot on, and the Rhoan has a rear dial for greater adjustability.
After testing hundreds of helmets over the last decade, I’m attuned to how the air moves over and through them. From the first ride, I could feel the helmet’s aerodynamic qualities, but the ventilation was also far superior to that of the typical aero helmet.
Some of the technology behind the helmet includes:
- KAV PolyCarbon Composite™ proprietary 3D printing material wicks heat 8x better and cool 2x faster than EPS foam. This helps delay the onset of core temperature spikes that cost watts in long efforts or hot conditions.
- Hex Honeycomb Structure 2™ is KAV’s new open-cell internal design that earned a Virginia Tech 5-Star Safety Rating. Its dual-density hexagonal design enhances energy absorption and reduces rotational forces during impact, offering elite protection without added weight. Acting as a thermal scaffold, it passively regulates temperature by channeling heat away from the rider’s head.
- Air Fit Suspension System, aka head hammock, suspends the helmet off the rider’s head, eliminating pressure points and maximizing ventilation. This all-around airflow helps reduce hot spots and maintain a cooler, more stable core temperature throughout the ride. The 3D-printed perforated fabric doesn’t absorb sweat and thus doesn’t harbor bacteria.
The Air Fit Suspension System material across my forehead left an indentation during the first couple of rides. I didn’t feel any pressure while I was riding. I just sported post-ride markings. I asked Whitman about this, and he assured me there was a wear-in period as it conforms to my head. He jokingly suggested wearing it around the house or running errands to hasten the wear-in period. Yeah, that was a hard no!
- HexFlow rear exhaust was engineered to leverage the Venturi effect, pulling air through the helmet and out the back—actively removing built-up heat to prevent overheating and thermal fade.
- 2x larger front vents are strategically placed lower on the brow to funnel cooling air directly to the forehead, where thermoregulation is most effective.
The company can offer a 5-year warranty because the polymers they use are more durable than EPS foam, thus extending the helmet’s life. The polymers are more resistant to chemicals than foam, so environmental factors affect them less.
If you crash during the warranty period, KAV offers a 100% helmet replacement guarantee (same model). Most helmet brands only offer a percentage toward a new helmet.
One additional feature of the Rhoan helmet is the sunglass storage ports. Two small openings secure your sunglasses without worry of them coming loose or bouncing around.
Unbound: The True Test of the KAV Helmet
Monitoring the temperatures for my Unbound Gravel race, I was trying to decide which helmet to wear. It was between the KAV Rhoan and a traditional road helmet with numerous large vents. Not having a chance to test the Rhoan on a long, hot ride, I planned to stick to the rule of not trying anything new on race day. But Whitman reassured me that several pros at Unbound would be wearing the Rhoan, too. So, I took a leap of faith and wore it.
While pedaling the bike, I stayed relatively cool and did not feel like my head was baking even as temperatures climbed above 90 without a cloud in the sky. After I started cramping and was forced to walk at times, again, my head did not feel like there was excessive heat building up. I was warm but not baking.
After reviewing other pro and amateur riders’ race reports, I believe choosing the KAV helmet was the right decision. People complained of overheating, but I didn’t experience that head-baking heat.
Several people asked me how I liked the helmet during the Unbound shakeout ride and race. Since it’s an unusual helmet, they were curious about the hex pattern vents, and four people mentioned they were considering purchasing a KAV helmet.
Prioritizing Sustainability
With 3D printing, there’s less waste, and product inventory is eliminated. No more guessing what color or sizes to produce. Also, the California manufacturing facility is solar-powered, and the Buffalo, NY, facility uses hydroelectric power generated from Niagara Falls.
Bottom Line
While the $300 price tag might initially seem steep, the KAV helmet offers exceptional value. Without the use of EPS foam, it boasts a longer lifespan compared to traditional helmets. The 5-year warranty adds an extra layer of confidence. Most importantly, the perfect fit, customization options, superior ventilation, aerodynamic design, sleek look, and Virginia Tech’s 5-star safety rating make it a standout choice.
KAV is one of the few helmets manufactured in the US, and it is readily available in both the US and Canada. The company states that once they can scale and promptly meet customer demand, they’ll begin offering in Europe, too.
If you already have a KAV helmet, please drop a comment below. I’d like to hear how you like your custom 3D-printed helmet.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women’s cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri’s full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.
Great review! What’s the 1/2 star off for? For me it would be no visor – or does the front protrude enough to function that way? (Obviously non pro cyclist here!). And does the mesh function as a kind of MIPS design or is that philosophy outmoded?
Finally, I hope it isn’t a bee-magnet 😂
Hi Lynette,
I rarely give a 5 star rating to products I test. A couple of things with the KAV that kept it from a 5 star. First, I find that the large hex honeycomb openings allow bugs to fly in. I’ve had it happen several times while riding. Second, because the air suspension material isn’t absorbent, which is good and bad., when I stop on a hot day, sweat rolls down my forehead into my eyes. This happens with absorbent pads but not as much.
Regarding a visor, the KAV is an aero helmet and a visor would aero. I wouldn’t suggest adding a cap underneath the helmet as that affects the airflow.
Lastly, the internal mesh is not for safety (the hex honeycomb is) and keeps the helmet from sitting directly on your head. Thus, eliminating hot spots and increasing ventilation.
Hope I answered all your questions..
Hi Lynette – can’t speak for Sheri on the rating, but just wanted to chime in that we built a rotational management into the hex structure itself. It saves weight, avoids having the sliding liner that catches your hair, is one less thing to break and in our lab tests got us better results when tested by Virginia Tech. Best.
Good morning Sheri. Quick question, I use a Trek Flare RT Rear Bike light on my helmet. Can it be attached t the helmet?
Hi Bob,
I don’t attach a light to the back of my helmet. Normally to my saddle bag and a radar on the seat post. I’m not sure how you are attaching the Flare RT to your helmet as there are several different mounts out there. I’m going to ask the folks at KAV to chime in on this too.
Hi Bob – this is a very common question, so thank you for asking as there are probably others with similar thoughts. The Trek Flare RT Bike light will likely mount by putting the rubber straps through the rear hexes of our helmet. The rubber straps look pretty thick, but you can probably still finagle it through the hexes.
However, I have not used that specific light and have to express caution in general of putting a light on the back of any helmet. As we’ve done thousands of impact tests and we’re in the business of protection people, I have to express some downsides of mounting a light on a helmet. 1.) anything that sticks out has the opportunity to get caught while riding or during an impact. In the case of the latter it may add additional torque to your head increasing rotational accelerations. 2.) if the light casing is medal or even very hard plastic, in can concentrate impact forces on your helmet increasing the linear accelerations experienced by your head during an impact.
There’s an obvious safety benefit of being seen, so you could use a lighter, smaller led light powered by a coin sized battery. They tend to have smaller straps that also make them easier to mount. They are typically flatter, covered in a soft silicon casing and can supplement a primary light on your bike.
Hope that helps and happy riding.