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Smith Adds Overtake Road / XC Helmet and More, Updates Pivlock Full Coverage Sunglasses

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2015 Smith Overtake road-xc aero bicycle helmet

Smith’s Forefront helmet was introduced last year and brought about the Koroyd Aerocore construction in the trail mountain bike segment.

Now, they’re bringing that to the road and XC segment with the Overtake, as well as bringing two new urban/dirt jump helmets using more conventional construction. They’re also adding the MIPS rotational impact protection to all models as an option.

In addition to offering the impact protection of the Koroyd, the Overtake claims to be very aerodynamic and reasonably light at 250g. They say it also has excellent ventilation and is very comfortable.

To make it aero, they ran the shape through CFD, then took it to the wind tunnel. On the computer, they showed that they were close to the Specialized Evade. At FASTER’s wind tunnel, they proved just how close they were…

smith-overtake-road-xc-helmet-aerodynamics-comparison

Beyond the lines of the helmet, one of the ways they could get it more aero was because the Koroyd offers its protection with a very low volume. As in, it can be a thinner layer compared to EPS while still offering the same amount of protection. So, helmet volume is less, creating a smaller overall package to push through the wind.

2015 Smith Overtake road-xc aero bicycle helmet

And Adam Greene, Smith’s director of marketing, adds the much better ventilation will make you more comfortable, helping you make up for the minimal difference in drag.

2015 Smith Overtake road-xc aero bicycle helmet

In addition to the thousands of holes in the Koroyd, the front and brow vents help bring fresh air into the helmet, and a few channels inside help carry it across the top of your head. Basically the front half helps bring cool air in while the back half helps vent hot air out. Just like a regular helmet, only different.

smith-overtake-road-xc-helmet-cutaway

As for safety, a quick recap of Koroyd: It’s a bundle of round plastic tubes that compress better upon impact than EPS, which means fewer G-forces are reaching your skull. The safety design looks at four aspects of protection: low and high speed impacts, rotational impact and multi impact. Not every helmet may address all four based on the intended use, but those are the pillars upon which they start.

2015 Smith Overtake road-xc aero bicycle helmet

Another safety feature of the Overtake is the shape of the brow, which provides a wide field of vision, particularly when you’re head’s facing down on the road bike and you’re looking forward with your eyes.

It’ll come in 12 different colorways with a base price of $250. Four colors will be offered with MIPS, which’ll up it to $310 and add a few grams.

2015-Smith-axle-dirt-jump-urban-bicycle-helmet01

The new Axle dirt jump helmet uses a dense EPP (expanded polypropylene) foam rather than EPS (expanded polystyrene) that offers multi-impact protection:

2015-Smith-axle-dirt-jump-urban-bicycle-helmet02

Right now, there are no CPSC standards regarding multi-impact for bicycle helmets, but they’re helping to push them into creation. For skate/wintersports helmets, the number is two or three, but Smith wants to have the helmets last for more than that. They won’t claim a specific number, simply stating it’ll exceed current standards. The Axle will also have MIPS when it goes into production.

2015-Smith-maze-urban-commuter-bicycle-helmet01

The Maze is another new helmet, this one more for the urban/commuter crowd.

2015-Smith-maze-urban-commuter-bicycle-helmet02

The Maze (left) gets standard EPS foam, but both get interior channels and small rear vents.

UPDATED SMITH SUNGLASSES

2015-Smith-Asana-womens-cycling-sunglasses01

The new Asana replaces the V90 and eliminates the rubbery grips on the arms. Since the V90’s shape and style was popular among women, they found the grips on the arms were pulling hair, so now they’re smooth. They’re also a bit shorter, which should improve fit when worn with a wider variety of helmets.

2015-Smith-Asana-womens-cycling-sunglasses02

The Asana also gets the adjustable nose piece, which for all models goes from a three-position adjustment to a two-position adjustment. The widest setting is gone.

2015-Smith-arena-v2max-cycling-sunglasses01

The Arena is another full coverage pair of sunglasses that replaces the V2. It keeps the Pivlock lens removal design, but gets a straighter lens with only a curve around the face rather than the V2’s compound curve. That lets it sit closer to the face for better wind protection and, hopefully, to keep mud from splashing up under the lens and into the eye…an issue I’ve had real problems with. It’ll also be available with a bigger Arena Max lens, too, and plenty of lens and frame colors.

While the standard V2 is going away, the V2 Max will remain in the line for now.

All new eyewear is available in August and September and retail on both is $159 and includes three different lenses. At launch, there is no photochromic option.

SmithOptics.com

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Hobbanero
Hobbanero
10 years ago

Interested to see how well ventilated the Overtake is. The dirt version gets dinged for poor ventilation in tests. I like the idea of safer helmets…..too bad the standards agencies move at glacial speeds.

Hoshie99
Hoshie99
10 years ago

I like to see the innovation in helmets – safer, plus aero plus ventilation is a great combo. I do think prices are a bit high even if everyone says that.

I suspect someone could post up some darn good sales at a $150 level with some of the right attributes for the enthusiast crowd.

J

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

I am very interested in the Overtake. I like the way my Forefront looks and it’s really comfortable.

The Wiz
The Wiz
10 years ago

I’m going to buy an Overtake SOLELY on the basis of MIPS availability. I want my dollar vote to speak LOUD AND CLEAR to other helmet manufacturers who continue to ignore the data and neglect the importance of minimizing acquired brain injuries (Um, hello, isn’t that the entire purpose of a helmet in the first place?!?!?!). While Specialized, Giro and all the rest continue on the pursuit of shaving precious grams that don’t make nearly the difference most cyclists outside of the pro ranks would like to think they do, I’m impressed to see that SOMEBODY is listening to science and research to promote health and safety. GO SMITH!!!!

Carlos
Carlos
10 years ago

This year I purchased a Smith ski helmet with this technology, koroyd or pieces of drinking straws (;-)). Granted, staying cool is not the issue when skiing (looking cool is another matter), but the comfort and light weight was remarkable. I hope the bike helmet is as good as the skiing one.

julio
julio
10 years ago

SmithPOC ??

David
David
10 years ago

I would buy a Smith full face helmet with MIPS. Their snow helmets are fantastic. I’ll definitely check the Overtake as well, once my exceedingly comfy Kali Maraka needs to be replaced.

Kevin
Kevin
10 years ago

Looks similar to POC dome protectors. And big thumbs up for MIPS!

muf
muf
10 years ago

this looks nice. i wonder if you get sunburns thorugh these holes 🙂

Fattylocks
Fattylocks
10 years ago

Like the Overtake Star wars esque styling .
Not so sure camouflage is appropriate in an urban setting.

quickgeezer
quickgeezer
10 years ago

I was wondering about sunburn, as was muf — having lost a lot of my hair, I’ve had some weird sunburn patterns through helmets. This would be a new one. Worth it for better protection, though … if I could afford one.

Benzo
Benzo
10 years ago

Yay, an expensive MTB helmet I can’t mount lights on… I’ll stick with something I can actually use for all my riding.

Steve
Steve
10 years ago

Any time frame on the helmet releases?

Sean
Sean
10 years ago

+1 on the MIPS comments. I’ll prolly pony up the cash, too. I’ve been very happy with my Trabec MIPS, not that I’ve NEEDED it, but just knowing it’s there. It may be case of wishful thinking, but I often wish I had a safer helmet on the road, so…

John
John
10 years ago

Smacked my head hard on pavement today and need to replace my Giro Aeon. Are these out yet? If not, any other MIPS road helmets on the market right now?

Robo
Robo
10 years ago

I really love these helmets but, at that price point, they’ve just sat on the shelf collecting dust since they came out. I don’t think these companies are going to be able to push that price ceiling much higher than $250 and even then, I think the realistic ceiling should be closer to 200 or maybe even $175. Believe me, I understand full well it’s going to cost more to live at the bleeding edge of technology but helmets at that price point just aren’t moving.

Comp
Comp
10 years ago

I think I’ll wait until next spring for a new lid. Giro has announced MIPS helmets being released at about half (or less) the price.

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