Summit '25
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Chris Panasky
I picked up the Blivet Koll not too long after getting my fatbike. I was keen to test out this fatbike specific helmet and see if it was worth all the hype. After 3 seasons of constant winter riding use, here are my thoughts.
The Blivet Koll is a popular winter biking helmet that has a lot to offer as an upgrade from using an all-season helmet during winter. The lack of vents on the helmet help you keep your head warm during cold days on the trail. While the micro-adjustable dial at the back of the helmet allows for a fine-tuned fit for most riders, the helmet is extremely round in shape and might not fit well on everyone. The helmet comes standard with clear, yellow and blue lenses, allowing you to ride in most conditions. In the event you need or want a different colour, you can easily find them in stores where Blivet has gear for sale, or online through their website.
For the short while after getting a fatbike in 2022, I tried to make do with most of my summer kit and just pieced together the necessary items for winter riding. My snowboard mitts became my fatbiking mitts, winter boots were quickly repurposed for fatbiking, my summer helmet was opened as wide as it could go to fit over my toque and sunglasses were the eye protection of the day, even though they did nothing to help keep my face warm. After a few rides with a cold head, or wet when the snow melted through the vents, it wasn't long before I realized my summer helmet wasn't cutting it and I should probably look for something more appropriate for the season. After a bit of research, I settled on getting the Blivet Koll, as it looked good and came with 3 lenses.
Founded in 2018 in Quebec City, Canada, Blivet Sports originated not only from a desire to develop and offer the very best to athletes, but also out of the experience of our designers, who are in turn passionate about using these products. Blivet Sports collaborates with athletes at every level and benefits greatly from the support of all our testers and ambassadors.
The love of sports and of the winter season; knowledge of materials and different manufacturing techniques; attention to detail and elegance; a unique design adapted to the reality of sports and their environment; intensive use of product under real conditions. All these statements describe us. We are Blivet Sports and we offer a line of superior quality products that will exceed your expectations.
The Blivet Koll helmet comes in a striking glossy black colour with the name and logo on the back of the helmet in mat black. For those that might be wondering, Koll is the Old Norse word for skull, or a head without hair. It also comes out of the box with one lens attached and two more lenses inside a nice big felt bag, helping to keep them protected from scratches. I was surprised to see this them so well taken care of, as the lense bag is a definite bonus. All-in-all, the helmet comes with a clear, yellow and blue lense, allowing you to ride in comfort in just about any condition. The helmet also comes with an extra set of thumbscrews for attaching the lens, just in case you lose one...or two. Overall, I liked the way the helmet looked and the adjustment dial on the back of the helmet was easy to access, allowing the internal net to be adjusted for a snug fit.
The Koll helmet is now fully certified to meet the EN 1078 standard, making it suitable for cycling and gliding sports. Out of the box, the Koll helmet has a lens attached, however, the lenses are easily removed, allowing the user to use ski goggles. The removable goggle retainer at the back of the helmet, keeps the google strap secure, eliminating the chances of the goggle slipping off. The closed design of the helmet helps to keep your head warm on those really cold days, while also eliminating the chances of snow and rain getting your head wet. The front lens can also be retracted when not required, freeing up your field of vision for those times when you are in the woods or bombing down singletrack and wanting to make sure you can see all the shaded areas well.
The materials used to make the helmet are unknown but can be assumed to include plastic and high-density foam. The micro-adjustable rear dial allows you to 'dial-in' your fit. Lastly, the lenses have some strategically positioned perforations, helping to minimize fog and frost formation inside the lense, helping to maximize visibility while shielding your eyes from the cold and wind.
The Blivet Koll has definitely been a step-up for me as a winter riding helmet compared to what I previously used. I've extensively used all the lenses at different times, depending on the conditions outside, with it only taking a minute to switch a lens before heading out. I've never carried extra lenses with me, as I think they are far too likely to get damaged, but I could see myself bringing them in my car when heading out riding further away, allowing me the possibility to swap them, if necessary. Personally, it took me a while to get used to the helmet and find a comfortable position for it on my head. As the helmet is extremely round and only has a partial internal frame for adjustment, it's not as comfortable as a higher quality summer helmet with a full internal cage. It may also just be that my head isn't the right shape for the helmet and that I will never be perfectly comfortable in it. However, I have used it for some pretty massive rides, such as the Wendigo Fatbike Ultra, a 200km fatbike event that took me 18 hours to complete. While not always 100% comfortable on my head, it never caused such discomfort as to make me need to stop.
One of the most critical areas that needs to be addressed when using a helmet such as the Blivet Koll, is the reality that lenses are extramely easy to fog up. It will take some time and practice to figure out how to most effectively mitigate the chances of it happening. Typically, I ride with just a cycling toque (beanie) under the helmet on warmer days and a lightweight balaclava on colder days. This is where things can get tricky. If trying to keep my nose and cheaks warm by pulling up the balaclava, I'm not able to use the visor, as it fogs up far too quickly. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even use sunglasses and was forced to choose between keeping my nose and face warm, or protecting my eyes from the sun, cold, and wind. The same problem exists when using goggles, as the moisture from exhaling would slowly work its way up into the goggles, ultimately resulting in fogging. I should mention that it took a longer period of time for the goggles to fog-up. Luckily, there are some solutions that I have come to learn about, such as the Stratus Anti-Fog Balaclava and the OuterU FaceGlove Flex.
I have now used both of these to commute, trail ride, go on bikepacking overnighters and while racing the Wendigo Fatbike Ultra. Throughout my rides I have found both to be quite practical when compared to a standard balaclava or face mask. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to use the newly released SureFit Anti-fog Supercell Balaclava, which is designed as an open-face balaclava that has an extra strip of material material which covers your mouth and nose, allowing the warm air you exhale to flow downwards and out, rather than up into the goggles or mask. I found the Stratus balaclava to work very well with goggles and glasses, but less so with the Koll visor attached. This is likely due to the helmet and glasses sitting firmly on the nose area of the mask and helping warm air to flow downwards as opposed to upwards. While on my 140km overnight winter fatbiking trip and using goggles, I had zero issues, but while riding the Wendigo fatbike ultra and using the visor, I couldn't stop the moisture from buiding up into a thin layer of frost.
I have a little less experience with the OuterU FaceGlove Flex but have used it on enough bike commuting days and during the Wendigo Fatbike Ultra, allowing me to express my opinion on its useability in conjunction with the Blivet Koll helmet. I found the FaceGlove Flex to work extremely well with a helmet/visor combo, better than all other options I tested. Because the FaceGlove doesn't impede your mouth, it allows all exhaled air to freely flow, and over a period of about 8 hours of constant use while riding the Wendigo, I never had any issues with fogging, which was a pleasant surprise, particularly when I left home without goggles and 'hoped' the FaceGlove would be the right solution. This allowed me to leave the visor down more often and waste less time squinting into the sun or raising/lowering the visor.
Other than my head not being round enough, my only other gripe with the helmet was that the lenses and helmet don't have the exact same profile, meaning that the top of the lens rubs on the helmet brim when lowered all the way down. The end result is a bunch of fine scratches on the top of the lens, that, while not interfering with my vision, cause the helmet to look more beat up than it actually is.
While the helmet fit certainly isn't perfect for me, the functionality of the helmet when out cold weather riding is fantastic. I have spoken with quite a few people that use the Koll helmet on their daily fatbiking rides, and it appears that few people have fit issues. While not being the most comfortable for me, the helmet does an excellent job of keeping my head warm. When the weather isn't so cold that my face is freezing, the visor is a great addition for trail riding, especially when trail conditions and lighting can change quickly. This allows you to quickly flip up the visor, without the need to stop and faff about putting on and taking off goggles or glasses. Having now used the helmet for 3 full seasons of fatbiking and commuting, my overall impression is that the helmet is well-made, well-designed, and functions great, particularly when not wearing face protection or pairing it with products that are made to reduce the chances of fogging, such as the Stratus anti-fog balaclava and the OuterU FaceGlove.
