Smith Optics Bringing Overtake Helmet To Australia

As mountain bikers, many of you out there would probably have heard of Smith Optics before. But if you’re into snowboarding and skiing, you will definitely have heard of Smith Optics before. Founded way back in 1965 by Dr Bob Smith, the company is regarded as being the original inventor of the goggle as we know it today. Smith have been evolving and refining the goggle ever since, though the goal of protecting and enhancing their athletes vision still remains at the core of what they do. Since the late 60’s, the company has been steadily broadening their product range, which now includes helmets and casual eyewear as well as an enormous range of goggles. Their line of snowsport helmets and goggles are packed with innovative technologies, and they’re home to some of the most popular models on the market. In recent years however, Smith Optics has turned its attention to the two-wheeled market with a range of purpose-built products designed for mountain biking and road cycling.

Smith Optics have used their expertise in the snowsports world to produce a killer line of goggles, helmets, and glasses for the rigours of mountain biking.

While that might seem like a strange move to make, when you factor in the diversity of the employees that make up Smith Optics and the fact that the majority of them enjoy snowsports during the winter, and then cycling during the summer, it begins to make a lot more sense. That aside, there are actually a lot of similarities in terms of the demands placed on the equipment between cycling and snowsports, so there’s an ability to share technologies between the two product lines. This enabled Smith Optics to jump straight in with their cycling product line, as the company has been able to draw from their extensive experience working with helmets and optics for the snow. Further signalling the companies commitment to the pushy, Smith Optics has just announced it’ll be moving to the pedal-friendly city of Portland in Oregon. With that in mind, expect to see a lot more cycling-related product coming from the Smith camp in the future. In the meantime however, lets have a look at some of the Smith Optics gear that’ll be making its way Down Under even sooner…

Released late last year, the highly anticipated Overtake helmet is due to arrive on Australian shores in December 2015. The Overtake recently passed Australian Standards Certification, which is regarded in the industry as being one of the most challenging (and frustrating) helmet standards to achieve. This is very good news for Aussie cyclists who have lusted after this unique looking helmet, but up until now have not been able to buy one. What makes the Overtake unique? Let’s have a closer look at the technology that Smith Optics have packed into this sharp looking lid that has XC riders and roadies frothing at the mouth.

Without doubt the most interesting aspect of the Overtake and Forefront helmets would be the Koroyd construction. Shown in the above photo as the green coloured material, Koroyd is made up of thousands of co-polymer tubes that are thermally welded together to make a honeycomb structure. It kind of looks like a whole bunch of plastic straws that are stuck together, but it’s a little more complicated than that. The patented material features specific tube layups, durometers and thicknesses depending on where in the helmet its going to be used. The reason Smith Optics have licensed the use of Koroyd in the Overtake and Forefront helmet is two fold. Firstly, the material offers an impressive ability to absorb impact energy, with the polymer tubes crushing in a controlled manner to assist in the deceleration of the riders head in the event of a crash. Secondly, the hollow tubes allow for better heat exhaustion and airflow than a solid piece of EPS (Expanded Poly-Styrene). By using strategically placed panels of Koroyd around the helmet, Smith’s engineers have been able to use massive vent openings without fear of losing the helmet’s structural integrity.

Nope, a bee hasn’t gotten into our helmet! That’s the Koroyd layer that’s made up of thousands of co-polymer tubes that are thermally welded together to make a lattice of little vents that also happen to offer impressive absorption abilities too.

Compared to standard EPS foam, Smith claim that Koroyd offers up to a 30% increase in energy absorption. Smith Optics began using Koroyd in their snowsports helmets about 4 years ago, where it offered them greater flexibility with helmet design along with better ventilation, while actually allowing for an improvement in impact absorption. This meant Koroyd was a natural choice for their new cycling helmets, and you’ll find it at the heart of both the Forefront and Overtake lids.

Here’s a closer look at how Smith have layered the Koroyd material into the Forefront mountain helmet. The first layer against the riders skull is the yellow MIPS liner, followed by the Koroyd panels, then the EPS core, and lastly the polycarbonate shell.

“Overtake your competition with this revolutionary NEW helmet. Providing maximum ventilation, superior aerodynamics and improved protection, the Overtake is the ultimate racing helmet and a must have for any cyclist, in any event. Integrating proprietary technologies with best-in-class protection options, the AEROCORETM construction featuring Koroyd® and MIPS® optional linings make the Overtake your ticket to ride.” – Smith Optics

• Lightweight AEROCORE In-Mold Construction
• Ventilated Protection Featuring Patented Koroyd® Material
• Integrated Skeletal Structure and Aramid Filament Reinforcement VaporFitTM Adjustable Fit System
• 21 Optimized Vents Balance Aerodynamic Performance Without Compromising Ventilation NEW X-Static with Reactive Cooling Performance Lining
• Ultra-Light Single Layer Webbing
• AirEvac Ventilation
• Ultimate Sunglass Integration
• Expected RRP: $399 (AUD)
• Sizes: Small (51-55cm), Medium (55-59cm), Large (59-63cm)
• Colours: TBC

Aside from its ventilation and impact absorption abilities, the Koroyd material also offers some very cool colour customisation for Smith’s designers too. Combined with the aerodynamic lines of the Overtake helmet shape, this is one slick looking lid!

As it stands, the new Overtake helmet will be making its way to Australia in December this year. Standards certification is still on the way for the Forefront mountain bike helmet (pictured above), so we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for more info as we get it. That said, we know a lot of XC and road riders who will be very excited by the arrival of the Overtake later this year. It may not have a visor, but although the Overtake is the lighter and sleeker of the two helmets, both lids share many of the same fit features and safety technologies such as the VaporFIT adjustable harness and the AirEvac ventilation profile. In the short amount of trail time I’ve had thus far, these features make it a very comfortable helmet to wear, and it also manages heat incredibly well too.

In other news, Smith Optics have also released some additional models in their cycling eyewear lineup. The Arena Max (pictured above) joins the Pivlock range with its clever quick-change lens system. What’s neat about the Arena Max however, is its cycling-specific profile that matches shorter arms to a lens that sits a little lower at the top to minimise interference with the fit of your helmet. Initial impressions are very good, but you’ll be able to read our full review in the upcoming issue of AMB Magazine when it hits the newstands in early August. There’ll also be some additional news regarding Smith Optics in there, which many of you are going to be very excited about…

In the meantime, you can get in touch with Smith Optics Australia for further information on availability, price and a list of your nearest stockists.