Smith Ignite aero helmet review: Plenty of safety features but lacking in aero performance

Released in February 2019, the Smith Ignite was the brand’s first fully aero-focused offering. It remains its top-of-the-range race day helmet today and can be seen on the heads of the Human Powered Health women’s team. 

Included with the initial launch were aero testing results that suggested this was one of the best aero helmets around, showing it outperforming the Specialized Evade II and Giro Vanquish. However, since then these competitors have been updated and replaced by faster, better ventilated models. Our recent wind tunnel aero helmet test positioned it almost exactly mid-table against 22 of the best available competitors this year.  

There is of course more to a helmet than aerodynamics though, and safety is an area where Smith has really focussed. Using both the now-commonplace MIPS liner, with additional impact protection in the form of Koroyd – a series of straw-like tubes, stuck together to form a honeycomb structure – the Smith Ignite aims to be a performance aero helmet that boasts improved safety. 

All this comes in at a price of £239.99 / $250.00 putting it nicely in line with the majority of current aero helmets, but can be found discounted online often.

While I’ve been using the Smith Ignite here in the UK, the weather has varied between low single figures to mid-teens. It has provided me with ample conditions to test ventilation and comfort, while our wind tunnel test put the helmet through it’s aero paces. 

Design and specifications

The Smith Ignite MIPS helmet is the brand’s aero offering designed for racing and maintaining safety. The polycarbonate shell extends down and around the EPS foam inner to give a premium finish and prevents any dents in the foam when putting the helmet down on surfaces. It also features plenty of smooth surfaces with two large frontal vents with deeper internal channelling guiding airflow to the large central rear exhaust and two small rear side exhausts. This is complimented by two NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) vents across the top, which are lower drag air inlets with an aim to reduce turbulence at the rear of the helmet. These NACA vents are becoming more common place to see on aero helmets and can also be spotted on high performance road cars as well as in Formula 1. There are…