Smith Forefront Helmet Review

I am trying to get a little more active with my reviews so please comment if you have any questions, I really want to help spread the word about mountain biking products, good and bad.

 I bought the Smith Forefront right around Christmas last year. My wife was more excited about it than me because my old helmet was a smelly mess...

So when researching helmets I came across TONS of review and TONS of information, I decided that MIPS was defiantly something that I wanted. Just to fill in the blanks a little here I coach youth tackle football, as you can imagine I have had a lot of training in regards to concussions and head/neck injuries.

Like everything I did a quick google search and found this on bhsi.org

"A Swedish company called Multi-directional Impact Protection System - MIPS - has revived and patented the slip plane concept, using two layers in the helmet to help the head rotate slightly on impact. The hope is to reduce the rotational component of an impact, thought to be a prime brain injury mechanism and related to concussion."

I highly recommend everyone do a little research when buying. 

Anyways, I am a little old school when it comes to all of this as well, whether it is football, mountain biking, snowboarding, baseball or soccer there is an inherent risk of injury when you participate. Technology can only do so much, someone knowing their limits and proper technique is just as important as their protection. For example you wouldn't see me put a full face helmet on and run a pro downhill track blind just because I am on a downhill bike with downhill protection, the likelihood of me getting hurt is much higher and the equipment can only do so much.

So onto the Smith Forefront. A helmet that is $200+ (with MIPS) will scare a lot people away, even the non-MIPS is around $130-$150, but considering that a helmet could be the difference between life and death I would consider not worrying about price as much as function and protective qualities.

I personally have not wrecked hard with my Smith Forefront so I can not give you first hand experience on its protection but there are a lot of reviews out there that can answer that exact questions.

Here is what I do know about it, as in my other reviews I will try to give you pro's and con's. First pro, it looks badass, lets be honest who wants to look like a top heaving egg head when out riding their bike? Not me...Smith has done it right when it comes to looks and different color options. Next thing I noticed is its weight, this is a light helmet! I honestly forget its even on my head after a while, I have had helmets that after about 3-4 hours in the saddle are very noticeable, not the Forefront. I think another pro is its easy adjustability, a quick turn of the knob will tighten or loosen the helmet to its perfect fit. I also like that the helmet came with extra interior replacement pads, a goggle strap retention device and has a built in light or Go Pro adapter, I think the actual adapter is sold separately.

Okay so the light talk brings me to my first con...Part of this helmets great protection technology is a honeycomb interior, what this means, even though it looks cool and is pretty breathable is that you can not use a standard "strap" mount for a light. I actually just use my old helmet when riding at night, but if I wanted to I could purchase the light mount from Smith, I personally think this should come with the helmet, I did just spend upwards of $200....Second con,  and this one is probably going to be different for everyone, I sweat A LOT when riding, this helmet is better than some, the interior pads are comfortable and well placed but they are very small and it doesn't take long for them to start dripping, and there is nothing I hate more than my glasses getting sweat and dirt mixing causing me to lose vision when I am on the trail. Again that is most likely a problem some people won't have.

So all in all I am happy with my helmet.  If you are looking for a high quality light wight helmet with great technology this is the helmet for you. Please ask questions in the comment section if you have any.

Pro's:
Weight
Technology
Looks
Goggle Retention

Con's:
Price
Small pads
Light mounting difficulty
Have to pay for light and camera mounts separately

Here is a link to the Smith Website. Lots of great information!

http://www.smithoptics.com/us/Root/Men%27s/Helmets/Cycle/Forefront/p/HB16-FOMDMDMIPS/sizeVariants