Taking cues from Smith’s well-received enduro full-face helmet, the Mainline, the Hardline dials the protection up a notch. Packing both Koroyd and Mips, the Hardline gets a slew of protective tech in a bid to make it most at home on the heads of downhill and bikepark riders. Although it’s quite the looker, and it’s seriously comfortable, it falls foul of the usual downsides that Koroyd can bring – it requires a good dose of speed for good airflow, and the Mips can get a little creaky.
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Smith Mainline full-face helmet – Technical details
Designed to boost safety for downhill use, the Hardline benefits from a bunch of extra safety features while borrowing a similar aesthetic to that of the Hardline. It borrows some of the technology too, as the Hardline gets both a Mips cradle that aims to reduce rotational forces under impact, and Koroyd, a straw-like structure that reduces weight while adding ventilated energy absorbing properties.
Protection is set to be increased further thanks to a collarbone impact protection zone, similar to what we’ve seen on the Abus AirDrop helmet. It’s been added to ‘mitigate the risk of helmet-to-collarbone contact,’ which can commonly occur during a crash when wearing a full-face helmet. If things were to go seriously awry, the Hardline gets a pair of quick-release cheek pads that can be pulled out with the helmet still on, in the event of an emergency.
Elsewhere, there’s an adjustable breakaway visor that can be locked into its highest position to make space for the mounting of an action camera. There’s a D-ring closure, and the helmet’s designed to work best with Smith’s own range of goggles. Inside is an ionic+ antibacterial lining.
Included in the box is a selection of pads to help fine-tune the fit, as well as a bag to carry the helmet around in. The Mainline is then available in sizes S to L to fit heads from 51 to 62cm in circumference.
There are then three colours to choose from, the Matte Pine/Rust/Sagebrush you see here, Black, and Matte Chalk. The medium helmet on test weighs 999g, rather than the 910g claimed. Despite that, the weight isn’t too bad for a composite lid of this type, although there are certainly lighter options around. If you would like to shed some weight, the Hardline is available with a carbon shell for £480.
Finally, the helmet complies with EN 1078, CPSC, AS/NZS2063, and ASTM F1952 downhill certification.
Smith Hardline full-face helmet – Performance
During my time with the Smith Hardline, I primarily rode bike parks both with help from an uplift and with an e-MTB. With that in mind, it certainly suited some scenarios over others, but I’ll get into that in a bit.
First, the fit, and it’s very good. This is helped by the selection of pads of varying thicknesses included in the box, but the Hardline’s fit was excellent from the get-go. It’s a comfortable hat too, that’s snug in all of the right places but without any clear pressure points. Its padding is rather luxurious too.
Where the fit and comfort are nothing short of top-notch, the Hardline leaves something to be desired in the breathability department. Despite the fact that it’s a downhill-specific full-face helmet, its ventilation can be improved. Airflow through the chin guard remains unhindered, resulting in a feel that’s certainly not claustrophobic while channelling air to the face. It just falls short elsewhere around the helmet, and that’s owing to both rather small vents and the use of Koroyd.
While Koroyd is an excellent method of boosting protection and minimising weight, as it’s a straw-like structure, it can block air from finding its way into the helmet. That’s because it fills the vents with a material that limits the direct flow of air to the head. As such, airflow is only noticeable when at speed, but it’s not as ample as it could be. Additionally, the helmet’s not quite as capable of exhausting warm air.
Although the combination of Mips and Koroyd does add confidence in the protection that the Hardline can provide, the Mips cradle has gotten a little creaky over time.
Moving on, the Hardline provides a super wide field of view when not worn with goggles. The sides of the helmet are well out of the way, so the helmet itself simply doesn’t break the field of view. There’s plenty of adjustment in the visor, too, and its self-locking feature is mega handy not only for mounting action cameras under the visor, but it keeps the visor from moving around accidentally. Of course, the small bolt helps lock it down further.
Although the Hardline is built especially to work with Smith’s own goggles, I’ve found goggle integration with other options to be excellent. On top of that, the neat AirEvac system that pushes airflow from the front of the lid down into the goggles does a top job of keeping goggles from fogging, regardless of the brand.
Smith Hardline full-face helmet – Verdict
With an asking price of £360, value certainly isn’t bad. The Hardline brings excellent quality and a host of protective features into the mix, although its breathability pigeon holes it as a downhill/bike park helmet.
Fox Racing’s new Rampage helmet does bring the heat. At £210 it gets Mips and considerably more ventilation. However, it doesn’t get an additional Koroyd layer or nearly as many features.
Up the money a bit and we’re stepping into Leatt territory with the MTB Gravity 8.0. At £400, this helmet uses Leatt’s 360-degree turbine tech, rather than Mips and Koroyd, but it gets four densities of impact foam. It is a little heavier at a claimed 1,120g.
£369 gets you 100%’s carbon-shelled Aircraft 2 helmet. It then gets 20 vents, which indicates that it should be more breathable.
The Smith Hardline is a helmet for those who don’t intend to do much pedalling at all, and don’t mind a bit of warmth. Breathability qualms aside, it’s a super comfortable lid that meets a decent weight for a composite-shelled helmet. It is reaching the pricier end of the scale, however, with some cheaper helmets outperforming it.
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Product purpose:
Build extra:
Mips® Safety System reduces rotational forces caused by angled impacts to the head
Collarbone impact protection zone disperses force on impact during a crash to aid in reducing collarbone injuries from the edge of a helmet
Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets for Persons Age 5 and Older as well as EN 1078, CPSC, AS/NZS2063, and ASTM F1952 downhill certified
Fit / Integration
Two washable cheek pad kits, two crown liners and two neck rolls let you fine tune the fit
D-ring chin strap fastener for a snug fit
Designed for ultimate integration with Smith performance goggles for maximum comfort, venting and storage convenience
AirEvac ventilation system integrates with Smith goggles for fog-free lenses
Features
Adjustable break-away visor
Under-visor POV camera mount compatible
Iconic+® anti-bacterial performance lining for odor resistance
Weight (Size M): 35 oz / 990 g
Product construction
Product construction extra:
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Product weight
Product weight extra:
Product comfort
Product comfort extra:
product value
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