What Makes A Great Bike Helmet?
A bike helmet review is a funny thing cause we can’t actually evaluate its impact protection. It’s more about comfort and looking at what types of safety tech and features it offers. The bottom line is that a great bike helmet should be the kind of thing you don’t really notice until you need it. It should basically disappear on your head while you’re wearing it. Nevertheless, whether you misjudge a corner, hit a pothole or lose a wheel in loose gravel, crashing on your bike is a reality, and it’s why we all wear a bike helmet.
Despite the fact that every bike helmet sold in North America must pass the same safety standards, not all helmets are necessarily equal. While still largely built around the protection of EPS foam, bike helmet design has added a few new safety techs in recent years. These techs are not necessarily required to pass the primary North American Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards, but they do offer safety advantages over straight EPS foam helmets.
A good example is the Smith Trace road bike helmet. In addition to the traditional EPS foam and lightweight hardshell design found in virtually every modern bike helmet, the Smith Trace adds Mips® and Koroyd® to its list of safety features. What is Mips, and what is Koroyd? Read on.
What is Mips Impact Protection?
Anyone who’s ever crashed and hit their head knows the resulting impact is rarely a direct blow against the bike helmet. Crashes almost always result in an angled impact, and that’s where Mips comes into play. Mips is a low friction layer that allows the head to move 10-15 mm relative to the helmet in all directions to help reduce rotational forces on the brain. Mips is widely available on helmets for bike, ski, moto and climbing. You can read the science behind Mips on their website.
Koroyd is a honeycomb-shaped material designed to crumple on impact and absorb crash forces in a controlled manner to minimize the energy transferred to your head. It’s kind of like how a car bumper absorbs impact forces before the main body of the car is damaged.
Koroyd is used in conjunction with a traditional EPS foam layer. It’s simply an extra layer in a bike helmet’s construction. There is no significant weight penalty, and helmets with Koroyd still allow plenty of airflow. While not exclusive to Smith helmets, Smith has featured Koroyd in their snow and bike helmets since 2017. You can read the science behind Koroyd on their website
A side benefit of Koroyd is it helps block insects from flying into your helmet, too. The Smith Trace still has a couple of vents without Koroyd, so it’s not bug-proof. But it helps.
Smith Trace Road and Gravel Bike Helmet
Sitting at the top of their line for road bike helmets, the Smith Trace is a solid choice for adventure riding and gravel biking, too.
In addition to the extra safety tech of Mips and Koroyd, the Trace has all the features you’d expect in a high-end bike helmet: dial-adjustable fit, plentiful airflow and easily adjustable straps. It’s also really light and comfortable. And like a great helmet should, the Smith Trace seemingly disappears while you’re wearing it. It’s my helmet of choice.
Sunglasses Integration
When it comes down to the little details that make a difference on the bike, I’m a big fan of Smith’s sunglasses integration feature. Most Smith bike helmets include slots for stowing your sunglasses. They are super convenient, and it’s a feature I use on literally every ride. Sunglasses can be stowed in the front or the back. The design creates secure storage that you can count on to keep your glasses in place even while riding.
Smith Trace Road Bike Helmet $175-$250
Check prices and availability of the Smith Trace bike helmet
Read more about how to choose a bike helmet
Smith Attack MAG MTB Sunglasses
The Smith Attack Mag MTB Sunglasses are a shield-style design with moderate coverage that’s not too big. I’ve been using them for road, gravel and mountain rides
They’re lightweight, fit great and still feel great after a long day on the bike. They offer an unobstructed view of the path ahead with excellent peripheral vision while blocking wind and dust.
Smith ChromaPop lenses are an all-time favorite lens technology that I know well from using Smith ski goggles for years. ChromaPop sharpens contrast and colors while keeping everything true to life. They define terrain in a wide range of light conditions, and they make for crisp visuals as you’re ripping down a gravel road or a winding trail. The Attack Mag MTB features Smith’s magnet-based quick-change lens system that lets you swap lenses to match light conditions. The ChromaPop Contrast Rose lens is a must-have for low light.
Smith Attack MAG MTB Sunglasses $259
Check prices and availability of the Smith Attack MAG MTB
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