Smith’s Forefront 3 Mips helmet is about as premium as it gets, and while £250 for an open face is top dollar you do get more features and tech than you can shake a stick at.

It’s also bleedin’ obvious the finish and build quality here are about as high-end as possible in the cycling helmet game. It’s been seven years since the Forefront was last updated and it remains very popular.

The new Forefront 3 is a sensational looking helmet, with high tech to match

So the Forefront 3 is of course a third-generation product, and it’s been continually refined. I’ve owned and reviewed every Forefront to date and always found fit and function superb. So, what’s changed, is there anything significantly new this time out and is Smith still making one of the best mountain bike helmets out there?

First thing I notice here is the Forefront 3 colours offered are as classy as the finish. Matte Forest, Matte Chalk and Matte Black look more luxury goods than lairy sportswear, and there are also some very cool retro, blocky designs in subtle 80s and 90s tones like purple, yellow and teal.

The Forefront 3 is made from multiple sections, that wrap deeper round my head for increased protection

Smith’s design language is very subtle and modern while still offering a unique look, and the chamfered lines in the outer shell, smooth cutaways and sculpting of the protection all tie in perfectly with the deluxe feel.

The Forefront is more rounded and organic than most and made from three main segments, or panels – the top, forehead, and sides including neck loop and rear of the skull piece. These are linked together by an internal reinforced and injected roll cage that sits over a Koroyd honeycomb-like matrix. This honeycomb layer is designed to compress and distort in an impact to absorb as much energy as possible before it gets to the head. Even with all this tech, the helmet sits very close to my head and wraps the full skull without sticking out too much or looking bulky.

This new Forefront version sees the Mips slip-plane safety tech integrated directly into the helmet padding, rather than using any kind of separate slippy plastic liner. Smith calls this lower-profile technology ‘Air Node’ and it makes the Forefront even comfier, while still reducing any rotational forces on the brain caused by angled impacts to the head.

The Forefront 3 visor can be moved right out the way, and there’s space to park goggles, glasses or POV cameras and lights

A stubby visor out front moves through three positions and there is also lightweight, low-bulk strap and webbing system that sits close to the skin with a very minimal strap clasp. This is a bonus to me as I prefer those to heavier, bulkier Fidlock fasteners. Eyewear stowage is offered as you’d expect to stash your (likely equally posh) glasses either at the front or the back, and the shell is also shaped on top to mount a night light or action cam.

At 410g, the new Forefront is mid-pack rather than flyweight in terms of weight and a tiny bit heavier than Smith’s Payroll helmet that I wear all the time.

The most obvious difference here over Smith’s last model – aside from the styling – is extra protection and coverage on the sides, and a much-refined retention system. Very flexible and floppy, the cradle part gripping into the back and sides of my head has a very conforming gentle hold. This is because it isn’t solid plastic like most and isn’t rigid. Instead, Smith’s lid tightens down on all sides of my head with a rear Boa fastener with very precise increments and a broad range. I can also cycle the depth of the fit and where the retention dial sits at the back of the skull to tune perfect comfort and hold.

Smith has made one of the comfiest helmets going, in the Forefront 3

Performance

Smith’s fit is, as ever, superb. That’s not just me talking either; two of my models I use to shoot bike tests commented on it straight away and a pal who tried one on at Ard Rock has ordered the Forefront 3.

It’s super stable when riding and I think the key to the extra comfort is not only the superb internal shape, but the way the new rear retention dial feels so soft and invisible against the back of my skull and around the nape of the neck. I’m not claiming other helmets dig in too much or anything, but having stiffer plastic materials just feels slightly less cushioned and comfy somehow once I’ve ridden in the new Forefont.

Smith Forefront 3 helmet

Compared to Smith’s Payroll that I use a lot, the internal volume of the medium here is very slightly bigger, so the lid doesn’t sit quite as close to my temples. Both sit rock solidly while you’re riding though, and the anti-bacterial pads here are comfortable and absorbent so they don’t start dripping into my eyes, instead retaining sweat until you deliberately squeeze it out. This is an aspect that really appeals to me as someone who runs hotter.

In common with previous generation Forefornts, having the Koroyd matrix wrapping the full head gives maximum impact protection and I find the design radiates heat really well. So when you’re sitting at the top of a climb waiting to drop in, the heat and stuffiness seems to just get sucked out of the lid rather than hanging about inside like some.

The Specialized Tactic 4 is better ventilated, with overheating the achillies heel of the Forefront 3

Smith says airflow is 25% greater over the previous model, and there is plenty cooling, but I’d still say that when you’re rolling along, the small honeycomb holes prevent quite as much cooling air flushing through compared to some other brands’ designs. Specialized’s Tactic 4 Mips helmet I use is exceptionally breezy and pumps more cooling air inside and over temples as you ride and I reckon it looks great too. There are some ridiculous offers around online for that top-quality lid too at the moment so have a look – I’ve even seen it for under £40!

If you want the Smith look and superior retention system to the Specialized, the cheaper Payroll lid pumps more cooling inside, especially on the brow and around the ears. There’s no Koroyd matrix behind the two forehead vents, and for that reason alone, remains my go-to open face and a Smith favourite.

Few helmets look quite as swanky, futuristic and rounded as the Forefront 3 though and the rear fastening system being so silky and invisible on the back of the head on this new model is a noticeable incremental improvement. This is a superb helmet then, but does come with a not quite so superb for your wallet price tag to match.