SMITH Trace MIPS

I find myself being a collector of helmets as I look for the best fit/performance for road, gravel and mountain biking. I was looking for a better fitting and functioning helmet for gravel and XC racing. I’ve been using a traditional road bike helmet, but felt under protected while riding on chunky gravel. A MTB helmet with the visor and added protection and weight just isn’t ideal. Enter the Smith Trace. A couple of friends have been using the Forefront and really found it really comfortable. I ordered the Trace and am pleasantly surprised at how well if feels right out of the box. I adjusted the back Vaporfit mech to the lowest setting and the fit is perfect. The straps are easy to adjust and have a nice soft feel to them. It was easy to adjust the front straps to fit flat. I bought it just in time for a gravel race in Alabama. Temp was in the mid 70s for the majority of the race, and the helmet was perfect in ventilation. It started off cool and damp, and I was worried about my glasses fogging up. The vents right above the glasses are fantastic for keeping glasses clear. I appreciated the two spaces, both front and rear where you can store the glasses. It holds them securely and out of the way, almost to the point that you forget they are up there. I am happy with this helmet for gravel riding and the two races I’ve used it for. It feels comfortable, and more importantly safe while racing.

Great fit. Comfortable, adjustable, light, cool. You forget you are wearing it. I had a recent fall on fresh asphalt; hit my head hard but the helmet absorved the impact beatifully. After a few minutes was able to continue on with the ride. No pain, scratches, or damage watsoever to head or face. The Koroyd material is amazing. Great helmet. I highly recommend it.

Smith does a great job on this helmet. Comfortable, well fitting, awesome airflow and fairly stylish. A little off radar from some of the "big" brands. Well worth it and I had quite a few people ask me about it on my group rides.

Smith makes a well engineered cycling helmet. It’s very comfortable and easy to adjust. It’s the first helmet I’ve ever had (6 over 20 yrs) that stays in place and doesn’t slip, slide around, without having to adjust super tightly. There’s plenty of air ventilation. And the strap is designed to not pinch your ear lobes. And it seems very strong without being heavy.

The Hemet fits is comfortable and deals with perspiration well.

I live in Hawaii and was a bit hesitant to purchase these, due to the various reviews that mentioned this helmet can get warm. And sure enough, if you stand still at a stoplight, it does get warm, but as long as you're riding, the holes allow for the air to flow plenty, and I don't really feel it warms me up too much. Actually, the Koroyd, aside from providing protection in case of an accident, also blocks out the sun from the otherwise open spaces. I recently went on a ride and got a small sunburned area (I have very short hair and should really put sunscreen on my head, so that's on me) on the only open spot on top of my head. The Koroyd actually prevents sunburns too, which is a great additional benefit imho, especially with short hair. All in all, I am very happy about having purchased this helmet. It is light, looks great, there's enough ventilation while riding. I love it :)

Quality was great. Comfort and fit was great

Just heads up... I've edited this review and dropped the rating to 3/5 from 5/5 after having this helmet for only a short while. Be aware, if you buy the matte helmet, the part that makes it matte is actually just a latex-ish sticker over the entire surface that dulls an otherwise shiny surface. On mine it began to peel after only a month and I never dropped the helmet, rubbed it against anything, crashed it, exposed to extreme temparature... Nothing. It's just peeling away. I really doubt it will cause any problems in regards to the amount of protection it provides and my original review from below still stands in regards to comfort. This helmet feels like it was made to sit on my fat noggin which is really saying something. It's just disappointing that it looks like a 10 year old peeling helmet when it's only a few months old. I've contacted Smith about warranty coverage. I hope they respond. ---Now on to the original review--- I've burned through a number of Giro road cycling helmets over many years and don't get me wrong, every single one has been well made, MIPs, adjustable... but they never really fit the shape of head very well. I'm not really an overly big dude at 6' but I guess I have a big stupid head because those Giro helmets just never fit me well. On very long rides I'd get pressure points on all sides where it would cause pain and leave indents too. No amount of strap adjustments or padding changes would seem to help this. I'd measure and measure again and try them on in the bike shop and it was always the same. Felt fine in the first 30ish minutes of a ride but by the end of a 3 hour ride I'd want to chuck the helmet into the river. But I'd heard other cyclists complain similarly in the past and figured I was just one of the unlucky ones like them with a giant melon head and no recourse. Someone gave me a Smith mountain bike helmet for a gift last year and it was the most comfortable helmet I've ever had. It was really like a night and day difference so I immediately went out and bought this one for road use. It's just as comfortable as the mountain bike one. I love that the vents are covered in the honeycomb looking plastic element. I had the impression in photos for some reason that the honeycomb mesh part would be rubbery but it's not. It's stiff plastic and the whole helmet is very light and adjustable. That honeycomb mesh should also help (I hope) keep biting / stinging insects from flying into my helmet at speed. Even if just a little bit. Great looking too, with the matte black and green vents.

Exenlente casco.

This is just atop notch product. Great design both for aesthetics and function. Highly recommended.

the pros Great design, great fitting, fantastic build, the cons very expensive , the Boa gear to lock the helmet on your head is not so smooth .

Love the helmet but showed up covered in dust. There’s a small dent in the hard shell and some damage to the foam. See pic. It’s minor but I would appreciate a discount or I can return the item.

Leider gibt es den Helm in Deutschland in der Größe L nur in schwarz und das Händlernetz ist auch ziemlich dünn.