Originally reluctant to enter the bike helmet market because of nothing truly innovative to offer, Smith Optics is finally ready. After discovering a new type of impact absorption material through working on their winter sports helmets, Smith believes they are now poised to disrupt the bike helmet industry.
The majority of bike helmets today use EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam as the foundation of impact absorption. By contrast, the Smith bike helmets use Koroyd, a patented tubular core material that is better at absorbing impact than EPS (up to 30% improvement) and also provides plenty of ventilation while dropping weight and helmet volume.
Koroyd is the same impact absorption material you will find in the upcoming Vantage ($220) line of snow sports helmets from Smith this winter season. The material is made from a polymer that can be completely recycled for use in other products once your bike helmet or snow sports helmet is ready to be retired.
The Smith FOREFRONT ($220) bike helmet provides all-mountain protection at a road-race weight (285 grams). The Aerocore construction of the Koroyd material gives you more ventilation than you have come to expect from your bike helmet, great for those long summer rides.
The bike helmet also features Smith’s new VaporFit adjustable fit system with an integrated camera and light mounting area at the front. Just like the Smith winter sports helmets, you can expect the same ease of integration with both your sunglasses and even goggles. An additional helmet goggle retention strap sits at the back of the helmet.
The new Smith bike helmet line will be available starting Spring 2014 and consists of three different models: FOREFRONT ($220), MAZE ($80), and HOLT ($50). Three different sizes along with 10 different color options will be available in each bike helmet.