Lazer Time Trial Bike Helmet

By STEPHEN REGENOLD

Belgium-based Lazer Helmets was established in 1919, making the company among the oldest helmet manufacturers in the world. But that doesn’t keep the company from looking forward and innovating in the realm of head-protection products.

Lazer’s latest, the $175 Tardiz helmet, was made for maximum aerodynamics in bike time-trial events. Available for the first time in the United States this summer, the Tardiz — which is an acronym for “time and relative dimensions in space” — includes a two-part shell design to minimize air resistance.

As the company (www.lazerhelmets.com) puts it, the front of the helmet has a smooth finish to promote aerodynamics. The back lower half has a matte finish with dimples like what you see on a golf ball. There is a space between the layers for air flow.

The result is a Storm Trooper lid that allows hot air to escape from the slot between the two layers, keeping a rider cooler according to the company. The wind-tunnel-based theory is that the dimples on the back then allow the escaped air to “stick” to the back of the helmet and “create small turbulences which help to optimize the external air flow and reduce drag.”

To let a rider further manage comfort and heat while racing, Lazer added a water vent to the Tardiz. A rider can squeeze water from a bike bottle through a port on the front of the helmet. The water then seeps in the helmet’s perforated padding, cooling a racer as he or she cranks toward a finish line far beyond.

—Stephen Regenold writes about outdoors gear at www.gearjunkie.com.