There is a lot of talk and philosophy about the safety of and philosophized about, but when it comes to concrete concrete measures or products, there is often a long wait. In 2022, the helmet brand Lazer is now ushering in a new era of safety for cyclists with its new "KinetiCore" protection concept.
Lazer sounds modern, even futuristic. Soge-sehen a helmet brand that calls itself Lazer must be new, young and trendy, so one would assume at least. But behind the brand is a company that is over 100 years old, founded by Henri Van Lerberghe, who won the Tour of Flanders in 1919. Lazer Sport NV, based in Royal Belgium, has always been passionate about creating products that are always unique and innovative, with a strong emphasis on safety and comfort for the cyclist. From the beginning, the company has been concerned with the question of how to make cycling even safer.
The head protection of the future
Everybody who rides a bicycle has the experience of falling down at some point in his or her life as a cyclist, particularly often when learning to ride. But even racing cyclists who compete at the top of the world for victories and honors are victims of violent falls time and again. Those who remember cycling races in the 50s, 60s or 70s may also remember the head protection worn by racers at the time: yes, there was none. The cyclists wore caps against the sun or the rain and that was it. The wearing of helmets came up only in the last decades. The development of helmets is still in full swing. And in the process, the Belgian helmet brand, with its latest technical achievement, is making a valuable contribution to improving head protection, safety and the prevention of serious head injuries in the event of a fall.
Not every fall is the same
Not every fall has the same impact on the body, head and brain, especially falls to the head. In particular, increased awareness of rotational force injuries and brain trauma prompted Lazer to develop better rotational protection. Lazer has long studied the effects of different types of impacts to cyclists. A fall in which the cyclist falls vertically on his head and forces act directly is rather the exception. In many falls, so-called rotational forces or rotational forces occur because the cyclist jumps off the bike or is thrown off, for example, and then unhappily hits his head at an angle in a rotational movement. How best to protect the head and brain in such falls was the question Lazer asked himself.
KinetiCore - Effective impact protection thanks to crumple zones
The Lazer company has already been tinkering for 10 years with efficient protection of the head in the event of storms in which rotational forces act. When analyzing accidents and impact scenarios, also in the automotive industry, the crumple zones in cars suddenly led to the idea of incorporating cone-shaped crumple zones into the inside of a helmet. Such crumple zones would absorb the impact, cushion it and redirect the impact energy away from the head. And that's exactly the principle behind KinetiCore. The unique structure of an EPS foam surface, which is integrated into the helmet, acts as a crumple zone between the helmet or head and the ground, which absorbs the impact energy, dampens it and directs it away from the head, thereby reducing the risk of injury in the event of a fall. In the process, the foam gives slightly where it hits the hardest or where the most impact energy is applied. Lazer calls the structure of these EPS foam blocks "controlled crumple zones".
Further advantages of KinetiCore
Well, the concept is completely new and unique, and the protective effect is immediately obvious. But KinetiCore not only offers a new type of impact protection, the fact that KinetiCore is integrated into the helmet also makes it lighter and more comfortable. Another advantage of KinetiCore is that a separate, specific KinetiCore concept can be designed for each helmet model, tailored entirely to the needs of the helmet model. A helmet for downhill riders must have different protection properties than a helmet for city dwellers. The third advantage is obvious: if a customized KinetiCore protection concept can be developed for each model, the airflow and thus the ventilation of the helmet can also be optimized at the same time. And last but not least, Lazer is not unproud of the fact that less plastic is used in the construction compared to previous models, which benefits our environment.
From mid-April, the six KinetiCore helmet models will be available at Lazer dealers. In terms of price, the helmets range from CHF 60.00 - 330.00. Further and more detailed information about the KinetiCore helmets from Lazer can be found on the website www.lazersport.com /en/kineticore/.
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