Skip to main content

Smith Forefront helmet


NOT CONTENT WITH supplying eyewear to some of our favourite riders – Steve Peat, Aaron Gwin and Brandon Semenuk, to name just three – Smith Optics have been edging their way into the helmet business. After focusing initially on skiing and snowboarding lids, they’ve taken the lessons learned on snow and used them to develop their first bike helmet.

Visually and technically a step away from other all-mountain/enduro lids, the new Forefront is packed with design and construction innovations. The most obvious is its use of Koroyd – a new material that looks like a load of drinking straws packed tightly together but is claimed to absorb impacts better than EPS foam as well as delivering improved airflow. Use of this material also means the vents in the outer shell can be made larger without compromising strength.

The helmet is available in three sizes and has a height-adjustable cradle and rotary dial to help you tailor the fit. With a two-position adjustable peak, a shell designed to work with glasses or goggles, an integrated helmet cam/light attachment point (mounts available separately) and a choice of nine colour combinations, the Forefront is packed with plenty of features to back up its price tag. Our medium sample weighs 330g.

PRICE 280$












Labels

Popular posts from this blog

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

READ MORE >>

Nukeproof Vector AM Comp Cro-Mo saddle

The Vector AM is pretty race focused, with minimal padding. There’s a deep (if narrow) pressurerelief channel to keep the blood flowing where it’s meant to. Used with bib shorts, we found it pretty comfortable for shorter rides and suffered no pain or discomfort in the central region. On steep climbs the slightly downturned nose provides a reasonable forward perch, while the svelte profile and smooth edges make it particularly unobtrusive when moving about on the descents. It’s quite stiff though, and can feel harsh on long rides or bumpy ground. We definitely wouldn’t want to spend much time on it without a chamois. It’s heavier than we’d expect for such a lightly padded perch too. There’s a lighter Pro version with titanium rails for $105, but at 241g it’s only 10g lighter. Weight 251g Price $67

READ MORE >>

GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

READ MORE >>

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

READ MORE >>

Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.

READ MORE >>