Editor's Note: This article first published in the October 2016 print edition of Bicycling. Subscribe today!
Smith’s premium Overtake road helmet is easy to spot for its unique aesthetics and the usage of Aerocore panels, made of a material called Koroyd—miniature tubes that are thermowelded together and look like the cross section of a bunch of stacked plastic straws. Smith claims the Aerocore helps commonly used EPS foam absorb more energy upon impact. The new Route road helmet makes that technology available at a lower price.
Compared with the Overtake, which uses Aerocore across roughly 75 percent of the helmet, the Route has just four panels placed strategically above the temples. Because there is less Koroyd, Smith uses more EPS foam, making the Route larger (and less aero) than the Overtake. However, there are significant benefits to this more conventional construction, the biggest being improved ventilation—the Route has fewer total vents, but more are open for airflow. Plus it has deep internal channeling that’s missing from the Overtake. Even on the hottest summer days, it felt airy and cool.
The other benefit: At $180 for the MIPS version and $150 without MIPS, the Route costs less than the Overtake, which starts at $250. But like the Overtake, it fits well, has a comfortable retention system, and integrates cleanly with Smith eyewear. I don’t often prefer a brand’s less-expensive model to its flagship product—but here, I do.
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