Nearly two years ago Lazer introduced a new kind of angular impact protection to the market. It meant a jettison of brand leader MIPS and a move to a new technology named Kineticore. The first helmet to feature it was the aero focused Lazer Vento Kineticore, but since then Lazer has been slowly integrating it across the full model line. One of the last holdouts was the Lazer Z1 but today the brand changes that. There is now a Lazer Z1 Kineticore and a new contender for the lightweight king in our list of the best road bike helmets.
What is Kineticore?
Although MIPS tends to dominate the independent helmet impact protection tests carried out by the Virginia Tech helmet lab, it’s not the only option. Instead, MIPS dominates because the brand offers an easy third party option that any helmet brand has available. In an effort to differentiate, Lazer has gone in a different direction.
Kineticore takes a different approach and instead of a movable liner, it builds the slip plane directly into the EPS foam. In practice that means a series of blocks on the inner face. In the event of a crash the blocks deform and break to dissipate the energy and allow the helmet to rotate. This works similar to crumple zones in a car but it also brings unique advantages to a helmet.
While MIPS options have long since left behind the challenges of heat management and catching hair, Kineticore thrives because of the inherent integration. The Lazer Z1 is a lightweight helmet designed for maximum ventilation on your hottest rides. Not only does Kineticore address crash protection needs but the channels alco claim to help move air across your scalp.
What’s new with the Lazer Z1 Kineticore?
Although the biggest change at play with the new version of the Lazer Z1 is the addition of Kineticore, it’s not the only change. Lazer highlights the lightweight nature of the helmet with a claimed weight of 220 grams in size small (weighed at 226 grams in our size small sample). Lazer also points out that that those numbers make the Z1 Kineticore “the lightest helmet including rotational impact protection on the market.” Kineticore is certainly part of that lightness story but there are a number of other small changes that add up as well.
Given how highly optimised modern EPS helmet exteriors are, it’s hard to…
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