Catlike Mixino Helmet review

The Catlike Mixino graces the heads of the Movistar team. It's a comfortable, aero helmet with a distinctive design.

(Image credit: mike prior)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

A comfortable, good quality helmet

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Comfortable

  • +

    Light

  • +

    Very airy

  • +

    Adjustable

  • +

    Distinctive design

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Not much padding

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The Mixino continues Catlike’s distinctive small vented design, with 39 vents and internal channels to direct airflow. Incorporating graphene into the inner skeleton of the shell has allowed Catlike to reduce the helmet’s weight while retaining its strength. It’s the helmet used by the Movistar team of Nairo Quintana, Alesandro Valverde, and Alex Dowsett, so you’ll have seen plenty of it over the racing season.

>>> Bike helmet buyer's guide

For an extra £39.99 the aeroshell smooths airflow over the helmet

For an extra £39.99 the aeroshell smooths airflow over the helmet
(Image credit: mike prior)

Inside, there are long, quite narrow ribs running from the front to the back and there’s minimal padding: just two strips running back to front along the ribs and a narrow pad across the forehead. Despite the lack of pads, it’s remarkably comfortable with a deep fit which suits my head shape really well and produces minimal pressure lines across the forehead.

Padding is minimal but comfortable

Padding is minimal but comfortable
(Image credit: mike prior)

The rear cradle is easily adjustable via its small dial and up/down sliders on the side of the helmet. The rear cradle consists of two padded rings, which fit around the base of the skull and are also minimal but effective. The whole ensures a firm and comfortable fit with minimum bulk and contact points.

>>> Which is faster, time trail versus road helmet?

Aeroshell fits firmly over the helmet and reduces venting

Aeroshell fits firmly over the helmet and reduces venting
(Image credit: mike prior)

All those vents keep the helmet cool even on hot days while the forehead padding has helped keep sweat and rain out of my eyes. It’s quite a noisy helmet though, as the large number of small vents tend to create wind howl.

>>> Top seven time-trial specific helmets at the Tour de France

Rear vents remain open with aeroshell fitted

Rear vents remain open with aeroshell fitted
(Image credit: mike prior)

For an extra £39.99 you can buy a thin aeroshell which fits over the top of the helmet and clicks into the front and rear to cover up most of the vents. I wasn’t clear how much faster this made the helmet, but it does make it a bit quieter and keeps the rain out. It doesn’t impede ventilation too much either, as there are still a couple of forward facing vents left open and the wide channels in the interior of the helmet still allow air to flow easily from front to back.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Paul Norman

Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.