Lazer is one of those brands that conjures up great moments in bike racing past and present. Most of those moments are situated in Belgium in one way or another. Spring classics in Belgium like the Tour of Flanders. Belgian-based pro cycling teams like Quick Step. Belgian superstars like Tom Boonen and Wout Van Aert. Lazer once featured the Lion of Flanders on their Aeroshells, and even airbrushed an actual lion on Johan Meseeuw’s helmet.
Today, Lazer helmets are still designed in Belgium. And, they’ve maintained their heritage as they continue to innovate on their line of road helmets. Signature features like the Aeroshell and adjustment dial remain, even as they evolve the design and safety elements across their lines.
Though I had always paid attention to Lazer helmets for all the previously stated nostalgia and wondered about how the Aeroshell worked, I never had owned one. Here, I offer my first impressions wearing four of the helmets in the road line.
Before I jump into a review of each helmet, I want to provide an overview of the design type of each. Two of the helmets (Vento and Strada) featured Kineticore, and the other two (G1 and Sphere) featured MIPS, which can be found in many helmet brands.
Kineticore
Kineticore essentially refers to the design of the material of the helmet. It features direction-specific crumple zones to minimize direct and rotational forces upon impact. A side benefit of removing EPS foam material to create these crumple zones led to using less material overall (lighter weight) and adding vents to increase airflow.
Mips
MIPS is a third-party helmet safety company that produces an inner shell that helmet manufacturers can install. The inner-shell is free floating within the helmet and protects you against impacts from multiple directions. You can always see if a helmet has MIPS installed by the tell-tale yellow MIPS sticker on the side.
Which is better? Hard to say. Both technologies promise to guard us against direct and rotational force to protect our brains. Personally, I’m not qualified to know the difference, and they both provide some peace of mind. However, I will say from a comfort perspective, the MIPS inner shell takes some getting used to. If you have longer, voluminous hair like I often do, then adjusting your helmet is strange because the MIPS shell is shifting around as you are adjusting your helmet on you head. I recommend trying one on before deciding.
Strada Kineticore
This helmet is Lazer’s all-rounder at an entry-level price point of $109.99 USD. It’s a no-frills helmet that looks and feels good for commuting and for bike riding and racing. The Strada does have a larger width than the other helmets that I reviewed, and it has thicker straps that do not lay as flat as the other helmets. I do appreciate the Scrollsys belt for helmet adjustment. The belt, which is featured on the Kineticore helmets is much easier to use when your hands are sweaty from riding compared to the smaller Rollsys dial on the other helmets.
The Strada lends itself to general use and serving as your everyday helmet. But, it also comes with an Aeroshell, so don’t write this helmet off as not for performance. If I was looking for a helmet to outfit a club or team of new and/or young riders, this would be my choice. That said, I did find that this helmet fit smaller than the others. So, if you are on the cusp between sizes, buy the larger one when choosing the Strada.
Vento Kineticore
This helmet is arguably at the opposite end of the road line for Lazer. This helmet was built for racing generally and aerodynamics specifically at a price point of $299.99 USD. This helmet just looks fast and feels great when riding. I appreciate helmets that aren’t too wide and don’t make your head look too big, and this is certainly one of them. The Vento also features the Scrollsys belt for adjustment which is a big plus in my book. Because the helmet is designed as an aero helmet with fewer vent holes, this helmet does not have the option of an Aeroshell.
The other feature that the Vento shares with the Strada which I really appreciate, is the capability to snap on a rechargeable light on the back of the helmet. This is perfect if you want a race-specific helmet that can also be used in training. In particular, I’m thinking this is great for that weeknight criterium or group ride. You can snap on the light on the back of your helmet for the ride back home.
The Vento also features a silicone docking slot for your eyewear. However, it is really wide on the medium that I wore. I think the width is set for these newer, ridiculously large (in my opinion) sunglasses that are now popular. If you are a Gen-Xer like me still wearing sunglasses from 10-15 years ago, then you may find that the docking slot is way too wide for your sunglasses. But, I may be in the minority, here.
Sphere Mips
The Sphere is a good-looking helmet. It has clean lines that remind me of Lazer helmets over the years. I appreciate that it also has a narrow outer width that doesn’t make your head look too big. At a $159.99 USD price point, this is a straight-forward helmet without a lot of bells and whistles. It does come with an Aeroshell that snaps on tightly and still allows you access to the Rollsys adjustment dial.
If you do like to dock your sunglasses in your helmet, the Sphere doesn’t have convenient slots for doing so. You can make it work, but it may only work for you in the outer most slots which are quite wide. Overall, I think this is the best-looking helmet of the four I reviewed. If you think helmets make you look dorky (well, they make us all look dorky), then give this one a shot.
G1 MIPS
Of the four helmets I tested, the G1 was my favorite. I’m not sure exactly why, but this was the one I grabbed to put on more so than the others. The G1 is designed to be their lightest weight helmet. It comes in at 225 grams in size medium, compared to the others that are 280-290 grams. But, I can’t honestly say that I felt the difference in weight. Maybe though, because this was the most comfortable of the three and maybe the best ventilated. And, I had a preference for the G1, even though I didn’t prefer the Rollsys dial and the MIPS protection, both of which it features.
One thing I can definitively say I liked about the helmet was the way the straps were finished. I’m not a fan of straps that are too long or strap ends that aren’t even when the helmet is adjusted. The solution on the end of the straps of the G1 is elegant and proved to not annoy me as many strap ends do. Maybe that made the difference. Again, hard to say. I wore the G1 multiple times at an indoor velodrome, and it felt great every time.
A Note on the Aeroshells
I can see the aerodynamic advantage of the shells that are available for all of the helmets except for the Vento. This would be ideal for stage races that don’t allow aero helmets in the time trials. However, I appreciate the shells more for cold weather. For years, we used 3M tape to close off the vents of our helmets in the winter to keep our heads warm. The option of popping on one of these shells makes a ton of sense for reducing cold wind on your head and protecting from the rain, snow, and “wintry mix.” Though, if that’s your goal, I recommend trying on a Lazer helmet with your winter hat on. You may find that you want the larger size if you are in between sizes. The inner cage that tightens on the back of your head has adjustability, so you can move it accordingly to accommodate a hat or head cover.
Crash Replacement Program
I appreciate a helmet company with a crash replacement. For most of us, it’s not if we are going to crash but when. So, knowing that you can get a 50% discount off of a replacement helmet takes the sting out of the initial price when buying a helmet. This is a U.S. only policy. And one that should be standard across all helmet companies and countries.