Lazer’s do-it-all Sphere helmet gets updated with KinetiCore safety tech

It’s been five years since Lazer launched the original Sphere helmet, and during this time, it’s made a case for itself as one of the best road bike helmets on the market. For the new model, the Belgium-based company has sought to retain the hallmarks that made the previous version so successful, while also adding a refined look and new elements to bolster the overall user experience.

While the previous model was no slouch in the safety stakes, receiving a full five out of five stars rating from Virginia Tech’s Independent helmet testing, for version two, Lazer elected to eschew a MIPS rotational slip-plane liner in favour of the company’s proprietary KinetiCore safety technology. Using sculpted EPS foam zones for rotational impact protection, these zones strategically crumple under pressure to redirect and dissipate energy away from the head, improving ventilation, enhancing safety, and reducing plastic use.

According to Lazer, the Spehre KinetiCore is “designed with everyday practicality in mind with features that make each ride more comfortable and secure.” As a result, it gets a useful eyewear docking port and a built‑in LED port to improve visibility in low‑light conditions. Like before, Lazer claims the ventilation channels have been optimised to maximise cooling without adversely affecting aerodynamics. Unlike the previous model, which used Lazer’s Advanced Rollsys system mounted on top of the helmet, the company has adopted a more traditional TurnSys arrangement on the new model, which may affect comfort for riders with long hair or ponytails.

Despite its positioning as an everyday, every situation helmet proposition, the Sphere KinetiCore still has a premium look and feel about it. Lazer has done well to shoehorn much of the company’s design language into the package, and the helmet looks like a premium offering. According to Lazer, a size medium weighs 270g, which is neither heavy nor light – instead it represents the middleground in the segment