The Smith Forefront is currently my favorite mountain bike helmet so I am excited to see that the company plans to now launch a road bike helmet. Dubbed the Overtake, the helmet features the same Aerocore construction that uses Koroyd in place of traditional EPS foam.
Koroyd is said to absorb 30 percent more energy than EPS foam. The material is porous, allowing air to flow through for ventilation, while reducing the helmet’s profile at the same time. The strength of the Aerocore construction enables more vents—the Overtake features 21 vents across the helmet. I have found with the Forefront that although the material is porous, you don’t get quite as much airflow as you would with a completely open vent, but definitely more than you would covered in EPS foam.