Lazer

Z1 Mips Red Limited Edition Helmet

When you're looking for a balance of ventilation, light weight, and aerodynamics, we recommend taking a gander at the Belgium-based Lazer's Z1 MIPS Red Limited Edition Helmet. With a sleek limited-edition red colorway, this helmet stands out in the peloton, and packs in MIPS protection for extra protection. The Z1 utilizes a whopping 31 lofty-sized vents to keep you cool while you ride, and scales in just at 190-grams to keep your setup light and airy from your bike up. And that's not where it stops — Lazer packs in plenty of brand-specific top-tier details for soaring through training sessions and race days alike.

As many of its counterparts do, the Z1 relies on a four-piece In-Mold polycarbonate outer shell and EPS foam lining to protect against initial impacts. Lazer extends the helmet's shell to enhance protection at the temples, a sensitive area that's especially vulnerable in crashes, and then adds a final inner layer of protection with MIPS technology. MIPS, or Multi-Directional Impact Protection System, refers to the Swedish technology added to the helmet in the form of an inner basket that rotates slightly upon impact to absorb the brain-damaging rotational energy created in certain crashes.

Lazer's focus on creating a helmet that doesn't feel like a damp, confining lid on your head at speeds below 15mph led the brand to add a total of 31 vents to the Z1. It backed them up with efficient inner channeling, ensuring that air not only enters the helmet but is actually able to circulate and cool your head on long, hot climbs once it does.

As you'd expect from a helmet of this pedigree, pre-ride fit adjustments and fine-tuning of both the helmet and its straps are easy with the use of Lazer's Advanced Rollsys retention system. You can also choose to add Lazer's compatible aeroshell around the outside of the Z1 when the seasons change — it will effectively block out icy gusts of air, turning the helmet into a capable four-season addition to your kit.