{"id":23942,"date":"2017-07-06T17:30:27","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T23:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/138.197.203.170\/smith-s-top-tier-skull-protection-gets-more-affordable\/"},"modified":"2020-09-06T17:01:45","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T23:01:45","slug":"smith-s-top-tier-skull-protection-gets-more-affordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gearinstitute.com\/smith-s-top-tier-skull-protection-gets-more-affordable\/","title":{"rendered":"Save Your Skull And A Few Bucks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There was nothing tentative about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smithoptics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smith\u2019s<\/a> debut helmet, which hit the market four years ago. Named the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smithoptics.com\/us\/Root\/Men%27s\/Helmets\/Cycle\/Forefront\/p\/HB16-FOMDMDMIPS\/sizeVariants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forefront<\/a>, this mountain bike model cost a whopping $220\u2014and the MIPS versions that are now available cost $250. They were (and remain) chart-topping price tags for brain buckets, because they feature a novel new technology called Koroyd that offers significant safety advantages over standard EPS foam.<\/p>\n<p>But Smith\u2019s newest helmets use Koroyd in a much more democratically priced product. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smithoptics.com\/us\/Root\/Men%27s\/Helmets\/Cycle\/Rover\/p\/HB17-RRPCLGMIPS\/sizeVariants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Rover<\/a> (a mountain bike helmet with a visor) and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smithoptics.com\/us\/Root\/Men%27s\/Helmets\/Cycle\/Route\/p\/HB17-RTMOMDMIPS\/sizeVariants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Route<\/a> (a visorless road model) each cost $150. That\u2019s mid-pack pricing, and it puts Koroyd\u2019s brain-protecting properties within reach of casual cyclists\u2014not just diehards with deep pockets.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/blogArticles\/2017\/07\/smith_bike_helmets\/rover-helmet.jpg\" alt=\"rover-helmet\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Koroyd looks like a honeycomb made of lots of thermoplastic straws that absorb impact by crumpling under impact. Independent tests have found that Koroyd absorbs nearly 30 percent more energy than standard EPS foam.<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s no rebound: Whereas EPS springs back a bit after impact, returning some of the crash energy to your head, Koroyd simply collapses. \u201cIt attenuates the energy so well that it actually produces a little heat, as those tubes buckle,\u201d explains Eric Thorsell, Smith\u2019s design engineer.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/blogArticles\/2017\/07\/smith_bike_helmets\/route-helmet.jpg\" alt=\"route-helmet\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That makes Koroyd exceptionally good at preventing skull fracture (but not necessarily concussion, which is associated with the low-speed, rotational forces that MIPS attempts to mitigate). \u201cFor helmets, it\u2019s a Holy Grail type of material,\u201d says Thorsell.<\/p>\n<p>To bring this technology to the masses, Smith devised a less expensive manufacturing process for the Rover and Route. Whereas the Forefront (and the Overtake, Smith\u2019s pinnacle road helmet) is made using sheets of Koroyd that are thermoformed into a head shape before being cut and installed into the helmet\u2019s shell, the Rover and Route use 2D panels of Koroyd that are applied to the shell, then forced into 3D shape. \u201cNow, we\u2019re considering using the 2D application to the Forefront,\u201d Thorsell tells us.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/blogArticles\/2017\/07\/smith_bike_helmets\/smith-rover-sage.jpg\" alt=\"smith-rover-sage\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Smith also lowered the cost by limiting the amount of Koroyd used. The Rover and Route feature strips of Koroyd that extend back from the temples. \u201cThere\u2019s no definitive study on where bikers hit their heads,\u201d says Thorsell. \u201cIt\u2019s not like the auto industry. There\u2019s no solid data on where bike injuries occur.\u201d So Smith relied on anecdotal evidence: \u201cTypically, bike crashes are forward, at an angle. You\u2019re diving into the ground that way,\u201d says Thorsell. So that\u2019s where the Koroyd reinforces the standard EPS construction (which the Forefront also uses, along with a more comprehensive layer of Koroyd).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s really cool,\u201d says Thorsell, \u201cIs that we\u2019re able to add a feature like Koroyd, which we feel has a superior level of protection, at a price point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With its new Rover (mountain bike) and Route (road\/commuter) helmets, Smith democratizes its flagship technology.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":28225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3335,3297,3339,3182,3183,3413,3271,3272],"class_list":["post-23942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bike-computers","category-bike-helmets","category-bike-lights","category-bike-shoes","category-bike-trailer","category-gps-watches","category-mountain-bikes","category-road-bikes","article_category-fresh-gear"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Save Your Skull And A Few Bucks | Gear Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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