Updated 8/18/2025:
When I wrote this review a few weeks ago, I had thankfully not tested this helmet’s protective qualities with any real-world crashes, nor did I intend to do so. Well, I’ve been riding in it most days since then, and I gave it an unexpected impact test over the weekend. Here’s what happened:
I was a couple minutes into a 2,400 vertical-foot descent on one of my favorite trails. I hugged inside a little too tight on a hemlock tree, and a small branch hooked my right arm near the bend in my elbow. I wasn’t going super fast, but fast enough that I was on the ground before I even knew what happened, slamming hard on my left shoulder, hip, ribs, and, you guessed it, my head. I’ve hit my head mountain biking a number of times and have cracked several helmets in the last 30 years, but this was by far the hardest I’ve ever hit my head while biking. I sprang up quickly, as I always do after crashes, and tried to assess the damage to my bike and body.
The most obvious thing was the gash in my right arm from the tree branch that knocked me off the bike — which ultimately needed a few stitches to close up. My left shoulder was a little sore, and I definitely bruised (I don’t think they are broken) a few ribs when I body slammed myself on top of my arm. The impact to the helmet and my head inside was directly on the left side, just above the ear. Thankfully, I didn’t lose consciousness, but when I stood up, I was surprised not to feel any disorientation or any other obvious symptoms of concussion (although the doctor who gave me stitches said it was likely I had a mild one, regardless). I’ve got some visible swelling and light bruising around my temple where I assume the lower edge of the helmet shell pressed into my head, but that’s it. I was shaken up, but I was able to ride away — after I found my glasses that had flown off my head.
I expected the helmet to look kinda smashed up, but it honestly looks almost like nothing happened. After a close visual inspection, I could see that the inner EPS foam that borders the Koroyd had shifted slightly in the central vent. Along with that, I noticed the Koroyd had been pushed up into and deformed slightly around part of the outer EPS shell. Strangely, I can’t spot any cracks in the foam, which seems odd given that I’ve cracked helmets with significantly lighter impacts. I’m going to retire the helmet, obviously, but it isn’t that visually apparent that this helmet took a solid hit.
Would any other modern helmet have worked the same? I certainly hope so. How about better? Maybe. It’s pretty hard to say, and I’m not interested in hitting my head like that again anytime soon. The Forefront 3 was the helmet I was wearing, and as far as I can tell, it did exactly what it was supposed to do. I won’t try to tell anyone it’s the safest or most protective, but I will tell you that it protected my head the other day, and I’m pretty happy about that.
Original Review: 7/22/2025
Smith launched the Forefront 3 back in March. The third version of the brand’s top-of-the-line half-shell mountain bike helmet came just twelve years after the eyewear brand debuted the original version of the unique-looking Forefront. That helmet really stood out from the crowd with its distinctive, futuristic styling and its use of the relatively uncommon Koroyd material.
The Forefront 2 came out way back in 2018, and while it was still getting the job done, it was due for a refresh. The second version was a significant improvement over the original, but its ventilation still wasn’t the best, and its coverage had fallen a little behind its direct competitors. With the Forefront 3, Smith extended the shell’s coverage slightly, switched to a noise-free MIPS system, enhanced ventilation by a claimed 25%, and updated the styling a bit, too.
- MSRP: $300
- Measured weight: 397 g (Medium)
- Rotational Impact Protection System: MIPS Air Node
- Adjustable Visor: Yes
- Vents: 20
- Sizes: S (51-55 cm), M (55-59 cm), L (59-62 cm)
- Virginia Tech Safety Rating: Not tested
Pros
- More head coverage
- Better ventilation
- Visor is actually effective at blocking sun
- Unique styling
- Eyewear integration
Cons
- Expensive
- Not Virginia Tech tested for comparison
- Ventilation is still impacted by Koroyd
Over the years, I’ve owned every version of the Forefront helmet. For the past four months, I’ve been riding in the Forefront 3 on and off while testing it alongside some of the latest and greatest helmets on the market. With more coverage, a silent MIPS system, and better ventilation, it’s most definitely an improvement over its predecessor, and I think it looks great, too.
More Coverage, Same Koroyd
One of the changes that Smith made to the new Forefront 3 was a slight increase in coverage. The shell drops down just a little lower in the back to provide more coverage for the occipital lobe. It’s a modest increase, but it puts the Forefront 3 more in line with the coverage of other modern half-shell models.
Like its predecessors, the Forefront 3 leans heavily on the use of Koroyd. This open, honeycomb-like material covers almost the entirety of the inside of the helmet and makes up roughly half of its thickness. The Koroyd panels are bordered by traditional EPS foam, then topped with a thin layer of EPS and shell material — except for the vents, of course. There’s also a “complete internal injected roll cage” to add structural integrity and impact protection.
Smith and Endura have been using Koroyd in their helmets for years, and it not only looks unique but has some claimed benefits. Those claims include better impact protection than EPS foam, controlled crumpling, lightweight, and enhanced breathability. Compared to helmets with open vents, the Koroyd covers more of the head, including most of the vents, which provides a higher percentage of head coverage and impact protection while still allowing air to pass through. I’ll discuss the ventilation in greater detail below.
Fortunately, I haven’t tested the impact protection of the Forefront 3 with my head…yet. I rang my bell pretty hard in the original Forefront and cracked the shell, and apparently so did Zach. Both of our accidental crash tests lead me to believe that the Forefront helmets work exactly like they’re supposed to. Unfortunately, we don’t have any independent testing data to back that up since the Forefront 3 hasn’t been tested by Virginia Tech. I recognize that Virginia Tech’s helmet testing isn’t the end-all, be-all of helmet safety, but it is a standardized testing protocol that provides a great baseline of comparison. Regardless, the Forefront 3 complies with all of the typical bike helmet safety standards, including CPSC, CE EN 1078, and AS/NZS2063.
New MIPS
One of the biggest complaints that many people had about the previous Forefront was that the plastic MIPS liner could be a little noisy. I rode in the Forefront 2 for several years and was well aware that the MIPS liner could squeak a bit from time to time. It didn’t really bother me that much, but it was noticeable, particularly when chewing things.
Smith wisely chose to switch to the MIPS Air Node system with MIPS integrated into the pads, eliminating the potentially squeaky plastic liner. I can confirm that the Forefront 3 doesn’t make any annoying MIPS-related noises, and I can eat my trail snacks in peace.
Improved Ventilation
Ventilation has always been the Achilles’ heel of Smith’s Forefront helmets. It’s not due to a lack of vents, but rather the use of the Koroyd material. Sure, Koroyd’s open cellular structure allows air to pass through it while still providing impact protection, but it’s the orientation of the Koroyd that inhibits airflow both in and out of the helmet. Thankfully, the Forefront’s ventilation has improved incrementally with each version, and Smith claims a 25% improvement over the previous.
The main thing working to improve ventilation is the wide-open central vent. Much to the dismay of one of my bald-headed friends, this vent is the only part of the helmet that isn’t backed by Koroyd, and it actually allows air to pass from front to back over the top of the head. Comparatively, the Forefront 2’s center vents were also open, but blocked in the middle by foam. Otherwise, the rest of the Forefront 3’s 20 vents are still backed with Koroyd.
Without a wind tunnel, ventilation performance is hard to quantify, but I have definitely noticed that the Forefront 3 feels a bit cooler on my head than the Forefront 2. Is it 25% better? Probably. Is it as airy as other top-of-the-line helmets like the Giro Manifest Spherical or the new Fox Speedframe Pro? Not quite.
The main thing at play is the Koroyd material. At the front of the helmet, the Koroyd tubes are facing forward, and they allow air to pass through straight to the forehead. As you move to the top or side of the helmet, the Koroyd tubes are perpendicular to the direction of air movement, and therefore tend to block the speed-generated breeze from flowing freely through the vents.
Still, the Forefront 3’s ventilation is a definite improvement, but it’s not top of the heap when it comes to airflow. Regardless, I’m comfortable riding in it 95% of the time, on all but the hottest days of the year.
Fit and Comfort
The Forefront 3 comes in three shell sizes and is claimed to fit heads between 51 and 62 cm. With my 59 cm head, I’m stuck exactly on the cusp between Smith’s medium and large helmets — and many other brands too. I can usually get away with either, but it results in me maxing out the medium or swimming in the large. In this case, I opted for size medium, and I don’t regret it. The large would have been just fine, too, and probably fit a tiny bit deeper on my head.
Regardless, it’s a really comfortable helmet. I’ve always gotten along with the shape of Smith helmets, and I think they should generally work for most people. My head leans slightly to the rounder side of the spectrum — POC helmets I’ve worn have felt a bit narrow to me, for example — and the Forefront 3 feels great, even at the upper end of its fit range.
One of the reasons is Smith’s new Flexible Fit System. Instead of a stiff, plastic cradle at the back of the head, Smith opted for a soft, flexible cradle that conforms very nicely to the occipital lobe and has three positions of vertical adjustment. A BOA dial pulls tension evenly around the head, and the textile lace is super low profile and doesn’t conflict with sunglass arms, even if they happen to overlap. I’ve read complaints about this BOA system, but I’ve had no issues getting the helmet snug enough to keep it from moving around over rough terrain or pulling on my hair.
The straps are also well executed. The strap splitter by the ears holds them flat and helps prevent unwanted ear contact. They are connected with a standard plastic buckle under the chin. At this price point, I think a Fidlock magnetic buckle would certainly be nice, but I also don’t mind the regular, low-profile buckle.
Functional Visor
One thing that thankfully hasn’t changed is the Forefront’s three-position visor. While some brands are confusingly placing visors higher on the helmet — where they are essentially useless for doing the things that visors are meant to do — this visor actually works well for blocking the sun at low angles. It also flips up and out of sight when the sun is high or completely out of the way when you need to stash glasses or goggles.
Speaking of glasses, the vent that circles the top of the helmet creates a channel for stashing sunglasses on either the front or the back. I almost always keep my sunglasses on my face while I’m riding, but I tested it out, and it was surprisingly secure.
No More Threaded Mount
The Forefront 2 had a small threaded light/camera mount on the top of the helmet, but Smith did away with it on the Forefront 3. This will certainly be disappointing for some folks, as the direct mount was stable, secure, and easy to use. Smith mentions that the helmet is compatible with camera and light mounts, however, and there is apparently a Forefront 3-specific mount in the works.
Since that mount doesn’t exist yet, it is a little tricky to mount things on the Forefront 3. Given that Koroyd covers the majority of the vents, it won’t really work with most of the strap mounts that span side to side between vents. The thin bridge in the middle of the central vent, however, does provide a spot to strap or clip things, assuming they are oriented front to back and narrow enough to fit in the vent.
Smith Forefront 3: My Takeaway
I’m a big fan of the Forefront 3, but it isn’t all gold stars. The ventilation is improved, but it still isn’t class-leading. I trust it to keep my head safe, but it would still be nice to see some comparative impact testing results. Some folks will surely lament the loss of the threaded light mount. And, at $300, it’s pretty dang expensive.
Still, in my opinion, it’s the best version yet with incremental improvements to coverage, the MIPS system, a comfortable fit, and better ventilation. It’s not a wild departure from its predecessor, but it is better in numerous subtle ways. I also like that Smith refreshed its look but didn’t veer from the distinctive style that has always set the Forefront apart. Opinions may vary, but I’ve always been a big fan of the Forefront’s unique aesthetics.
There’s no shortage of quality half-shell helmets to choose from, and the Forefront 3 is another solid option to consider. You can learn more about it and all of Smith’s other helmets and performance eyewear on the brand’s website.
