Smith Optics Forefront All Mountain Bike Helmet

Smith Optics has become an icon for its killer shades, not to mention its lineup snow helmets and goggles. But the boys in Sun Valley spend most of the year riding mountain bikes on the region's countless miles of velvety-smooth singletrack, and they wanted to keep their domes comfortable and protected during the warmer months as well. That's why Smith pooled its extensive knowledge of all things helmet related to create the Forefront helmet. At 285g, it's feather light, but don't think for a minute that it sacrifices anything in the way of protection. It's plainly obvious that this ain't Smith's first rodeo, even if it is the Idaho brand's first bike helmet.Smith has been able to accomplish this blend of minimal weight and maximum protection through the use of its patented Aerocore technology. This construction employs Koroyd material, which looks a lot like the bundles of straws you may have used in science class to protect eggs when you dropped them off a roof. It's not much of a coincidence, as this honeycomb construction yields a claimed 30% reduction in forces transmitted to your noggin, as compared to the industry standard EPS foam. It's particularly useful for building helmets, because it requires a minimal amount of material, so there's no unnecessary weight. It also has the desirable effect of maximizing air-flow, keeping you cool when you're working hard. The padding is minimal, to keep air flowing freely. Speaking of which, the visor has two height settings, neither of which interfere with the ventilation. Three shell sizes accommodate the vast majority of head shapes, with fine tuning handled by Smith's VaporFit retention system. It utilizes a click-wheel adjuster that's borrowed from the snow helmet division, so you know it's solid. Also coming from the snow program is AirEvac ventilation system, which channels hot air out of the tops of your glasses, reducing fogging. It's particularly useful if you choose to run goggles, although we claim no res...