Lazer helmets
Lazer helmets
If you watch the recent UCI World Track Cycling Championships then you may have noticed British riders wearing Lazer helmets.
That’s because British Cycling and Lazer have signed a partnership which extends to the end of 2016, and so including next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. As a result of that deal, there’s a range of four Lazer helmets in British colours available to Joe Public: the Wasp Air time trial lid (£249.99), Z1 (which comes with an Aeroshell cover, £199.99), Blade (which also has an Aeroshell cover, £64.99) and Cyclone S (£29.99).
The Blade, pictured above, is a new addition to the Lazer helmet line-up and shares a handful of the key features from the upscale Z1, including the excellent Advanced Rollsys System fit system, which uses a thumb wheel on the top of the helmet to evenly adjust tension and avoid pressure points.
Lazer have also been working on two interesting innovations: the i-Sensor and LifeBEAM. The i-Sensor is a small box which sits in the rear of the helmets and alerts the rider, via a sound or vibration, if their head moves from a pre-set aerodynamic position. It will be available as an added extra on the Belgian firm’s Wasp and Wasp Air time trial helmet, with the price to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, the LifeBEAM integrates a heart rate monitor into the helmet. Integration is one of the key recent tech trends in cycling and this looks like a neat feature, replacing the traditional chest strap with a Bluetooth or ANT+ compatible sensor which can transmit heart rate data to a compatible cycling computer, or smartphone. The LifeBEAM tech technology is currently only available on one helmet, the Genesis LifeBEAM, and costs £199.99, which is a £80 mark-up on the standard Genesis lid.