This is one ambitiously innovative helmet. Advertised as a modular, it'd also be easy to label as a convertible because it can be altered from a full-face helmet to a half helmet. The French company Shark is relatively new to the U.S. market, but they'll definitely draw attention to themselves with the Evoline.
The most obvious feature-and where the 'evolutionary' part of the name originates--is its rollover chin-guard. Raise the visor, push the red button at the inside front, and the jaw of the helmet disengages up and over to the back of the helmet. In place, the now reversed lower piece fits in like an intended three-dimensional design on a half-helmet.
And then you get the "jet" feature: a second visor inside the first. You activate the sun visor by reaching up and sliding a lever on the top of the helmet. And of course this works whether or not you have the chin-guard in place. This by itself is an awesome addition, in my opinion.
You might expect that with this sort of versatility would come a looseness of fit between all those moving parts. Not so. The Evoline doesn't whistle or leak at the visor or the seams of the moveable parts. The moving parts lock solidly into place and don't rattle or vibrate. This is a top-quality helmet and beautifully finished. The liner is comfortable and removable, and the helmet cinches to your head with a standard D-ring fastener.
In the upper mid-range as helmets go, this is a fairly good deal for an interesting and highly adaptable helmet.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 am
[...] take a look at the Shark Evoline modular [...]
June 1st, 2011 at 8:07 am
Have used the Shark Evoline since it came out (maybe 2 years). I love the fact that it is convertible and provides excellent cooling on the warm days with plenty of ventilation. In the “open” position it like wearing a 3/4 helmet and closed it is much like my Shark RSR2 race helmet.
However, in the rain, the helmet is a no go. Water gets in everywhere. Yes, the helmet is in its “closed” position. The water sprays in from under the chin, leaks in from the top of the visor, comes in from the side of the visor, and through the vents. I’ve got caught a couple of times in some heavy rain and both sides of the face shield get soaked, outside hitting directly with the rain while the inside gets sprayed with everything else. It’s easy enough to wipe the outside of the shield, but once water gets inside it obstructs your vision then starts to fog up.
My Foggy Legend RSR2 works flawlessly in the rain, though not as much flowing air when the temps are hot.
THe Evoline is a great helmet and designed nicely, just don’t expect to stay dry if you get caught in the rain.