Rudy Project Skudo helmet review

Rudy Project pitches its Skudo helmet as a cost-effective all-rounder suitable for road, gravel and mountain bike use.

It has a compact, modern design with plenty of ventilation holes and is lightweight for its price of £82.99 / $169.99 / €119.90.

However, its AirFrame Band insert caused a noticeable pressure point even at finger tightness and Rudy Project’s signature Bug Stop padding means the perceptible ventilation lags behind competitors.

Rudy Project Skudo helmet specification and details

The Skudo is a mid-range model in Rudy Project’s range.

Its overall design is simple yet modern, with a compact, rounded shape that belies its relatively low price.

As with many helmets at this price point, the main focus of the Skudo is on protecting your head in the event of a crash – as well as providing comfort and ventilation.

Unlike with Van Rysel’s FCR helmet (£89.99 / €100), Rudy Project doesn't make any specific claims about the aerodynamic performance of the Skudo.

The Skudo has a compact, rounded shape without any sharp edges. However, its ventilated design indicates aerodynamic efficiency wasn’t a key priority here.

Rudy Project says aerodynamics are considered and optimised across all of its helmets, but it stops short of making specific performance claims in this area.

On our scales, a size small/medium, which Rudy Project says is suitable for head circumferences from 55 to 58cm), weighs 260g.

That’s 10g more than the claimed weight of 250g, but is nevertheless competitively lightweight.

Van Rysel’s FCR helmet weighs 293g, for example, while Lazer’s Strada KinetiCore (£89.99 / $109.99 / €119.95) weighs 287g in a size medium.

There’s no MIPS liner or other advanced safety features, but Rudy Project says its helmets are “precision-engineered for maximum protection”, including against rotational impacts.

The Black Matte colourway isn’t the most exciting, but black goes with everything and there are five other options available – including two bright colours (Shiny Mango and Pink Fluo/Black Matte) – so there’s plenty of choice.

Fit and retention are taken care of by Rudy Project’s RSR11 rotary dial system and its 3D AirFrame band at the front of the helmet, underneath the padding.

The straps use the brand’s Divider Pro ear splitters, which aren’t adjustable. This didn’t impact performance, however, with the straps sitting comfortably close to my head with the strap length properly adjusted.

As with many other Rudy Project helmets, the Skudo also gets the brand’s Bug Stop mesh padding, which – as the name suggests – is designed to stop insects getting caught in your helmet while riding, without impacting on comfort or ventilation (more on this later, though).

Rudy Project Skudo helmet performance

Out of the box, the Rudy Project Skudo feels high-quality and well made.

While riding, the Skudo generally performed well, other than a couple of exceptions.

Setting it up and adjusting the retention system was simple and I was able to get it fitting correctly within a couple of minutes.

The RSR11 rotary dial system also feels high-quality, with a satisfying click in use. It’s easy to use with and without full-finger or winter cycling gloves too.

At the front of the helmet, though, I found Rudy Project’s AirFrame Band insert (a perforated plastic insert that sits behind the forehead padding) created a pressure point on my forehead.

According to the brand, the AirFrame Band is designed to improve ventilation by creating a larger gap between the helmet shell and your head.

In use, though, I found the central section pressed uncomfortably into my forehead, even when the retention system was only lightly tightened.

As a result, it consistently left a mark, even after short rides of 30 minutes or so.

It’s possible the shape of my head isn’t ideal for the AirFrame Band, but this kind of concentrated pressure isn’t something I've experienced with other road helmets.

I also found the ventilation to be less effective than expected. Although there are plenty of vents for heat to escape from, I found the ventilation at speed to be less effective than expected.

Although it’s hard to be certain, I suspect the Bug Stop padding may be partly to blame here.

While it is heavily perforated, there is nevertheless more material blocking the airflow to your forehead as a result of the additional mesh.

As a result, the onrush of airflow across your forehead that typically occurs when riding at high speed simply wasn’t as tangible.

This might be an acceptable compromise if it provided an obvious benefit, but it’s fair to say I haven't missed the lack of such mesh in other helmets – perhaps due to a declining insect population.

Unfortunately, the Bug Stop mesh is integrated with the helmet padding and the only way to remove it is to take out the padding altogether.

There’s also no dedicated storage for cycling sunglasses at the front of the helmet, so if you like to stow your sunnies away while climbing you’ll need to do so at the rear of the Skudo or in your jersey pockets.

Rudy Project Skudo helmet bottom line

Rudy Project’s Skudo helmet is a well-made and good-looking helmet at a reasonable price.

Unfortunately, the AirFrame Band insert caused an uncomfortable pressure point on my forehead and the ventilation felt less effective at speed compared to its competitors.

Likewise, while it offers a compact and modern design, it is outclassed by many similarly priced competitors in terms of features.