AC's resident Floridian and Sales Director Julius Berith does the double this week, reviewing his Mosaic GT-1 45 and Kask Elemento helmet in one wild swoop of tubeless rubber. So, without further ado, please give the man a humid high five and a big welcome to the AC journal. Over to you, Julius.
Where do I even start? Last year (2023), I was riding atop a Specialized Crux that I had spec'd with Specialized's Alpinist Cockpit and Seatpost, Roval Terra CLX wheelset, and Force AXS XPLR groupset. The bike weighed a little over 17 pounds (58cm) and was a lot of fun to ride. It was the bike I ended up racing at Unbound, gravel's premier event in Emporia, KS where I met Mark Currie of Mosaic Cycles. Little did I know this encounter would turn my world upside down in the best way possible. But more on that later. Following the race, I contacted Mark to learn more about the brand and discuss a potential custom bike. My coach, David Dunkel of Chase Factor, and I discussed building custom titanium gravel bikes for our 40th birthday in a few years, but why wait? Life is short, and bikes are awesome.
I worked closely with Mosaic to select the tube sizing, custom geo, and paint. Mosaic spec'd an oversized downtube, chainstays, and seat stays to achieve the perfect ride. I wanted a bike that wouldn't flex like the Crux did, where all the power would transfer but without compromising on (ride) quality. For the design, I took inspiration from the AC journal but with my own spin. The first ride felt very similar to putting on a tailored suit - like a glove. The bike rode like a dream, and I couldn't have been happier; it was stiff and snappy while being absolutely comfortable.
Several thousand miles later, I still find myself utterly in love with the bike. From the paint to the ride, it's become what I promised my wife: my “forever bike". I'm not ashamed to admit that on more than one occasion, I pour myself a touch of bourbon and stare at the bike.
Kask Elemento Review
The new Kask Elemento reminds me of modern sports cars that incorporate exposed composite materials in their construction. The helmet itself is very sleek and provides plenty of ventilation, even during hard efforts. With the aid of innovative Fluid Carbon 12, Kask made the helmet lighter and the vent holes bigger. Kask explained to me that although they sponsor Team Ineos, they still wanted to work with their riders to understand their real needs, so the goal of the Elemento was to keep the body temperatures lower with more ventilation but with improved aerodynamics.
I really like the design and short "tail" of the helmet. I do wish it had either the leather chin strap to that of my Kask Utopia or a magnetic clip of my old Evade. I pair it with my KOO Demos (Kask Optimized Optics) for the perfect look.
The Elemento also uses 3D foam printing, translating to a very comfortable fit. I often forget I'm still wearing the helmet when I get home and have made dinner on more than one occasion with it still on. I suppose you can never be too safe in the kitchen.
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