Lazer Z1 Mips Helmet Review

The Lazer Z1 helmet is one of the more common helmets you’ll see on the pro scene which leads you to believe this helmet is made for racing, and that it is. The Lazer helmet has some great features that benefit it for racing.

The great ventilation and lightweight design leave you with a very comfortable helmet that you will barely realise is there but with the MIPS protection system, this helmet is more than up to the job of saving your head if need be.

The Z1 helmet is also good looking, the low profile design with the 31 ventilation vent leaves with quite a modern stylish climbing helmet.

It comes equipped with T-Pro temple protection, offering better protection in a crucial area often overlooked in helmet design.

The Lazer Z1 comes in 3 sizes, small, medium, large so nothing out of the ordinary. The Z1 retails for $209.99 so on the expensive side but not over the top. It comes in a variety of colors,
Matte Black, White, Matte Blue Grey, and if you want to stand out they make Flash Yellow.

Performance

The Lazer Z1 is a performance-based helmet. Coming in at 275 grams (size L) it is a lightweight helmet; I have never experienced a sore neck or head from holding this helmet up as you can sometimes get from a heavy helmet.

The Z1 has a whopping 31 ventilation vents so as you can imagine the ventilation on this helmet is great and I never experienced my head getting too hot. On the other hand in winter you aren’t so grateful for this many vents and you can find yourself with a cold head on some of your coldest rides.

The Z1 has an innovative closure system called ARS fit system (Advanced Rollsys System). With the dial on the top of the helmet, this tightens the whole system which evens out all the pressure, unlike other helmets that just tighten at the back.

The back part of the system is also adjustable up and down so that you can get the helmet in your ideal position, this took me a little while to get in the right spot but now it’s there the helmet is super comfortable.

The MIPS system is also integrated nicely into the helmet, not interfering with any of the ventilation or fir of the helmet, it also adds a nice bit of added protection in case of a crash.

On the Z1 there is a cut out on the front of the helmet, this gives more room for the larger riding glasses you are starting to see now and also it is good when you have your head down and just want to peer up to see the road.

On other helmets, you can sometimes see the front of the helmet but with the cut out on the Z1, there is an unobstructed view at all times. The straps on the helmet are a nice fabric and didn’t cause any discomfort while riding. The clip is pretty standard and is easy enough to use when you have cold hands.

The Z1 has many add on features such as the optional aeroshell, as the name suggests it is a shell that clips over the top of your helmet to make it more aero. Another use that I have found for this is when it is cold this blocks off the vents so that your head stays a bit warmer.

Lazer also makes a rear light that slots nicely into one of the vents at the back of the helmet, this is a nice safety feature if your riding at night or in low visibility conditions.

For those sunny days on the bike, the helmet even integrates seamlessly with Magneto sunglasses, making it a versatile choice for riders focused on both performance and protection.

Issues

The Lazer doesn’t have many issues, but if I was going to be picky I would say that in winter if it gets really cold where you are riding you may need a cycling hat of something to keep your head a bit warmer. Like I said before though this issue is solvable by purchasing the aeroshell for enhanced aerodynamics.

This brings me to my next issue which is that the helmet isn’t overly aero which isn’t what this helmet is made for, but again this can be solved by buying the add on the aeroshell. Those things aren’t really issues but are good to keep in mind if you are interested in buying one of these helmets.

Who Is This For?

The Lazer Z1 is for someone that wants a nice helmet that is made for racing. This helmet would be well suited for a climbing helmet on the Road Bike or would also work well as a CX or XCO helmet.

Overall this is a great all-round helmet and will work well in most disciplines of cycling.

Ethan Rose

I’m a Cross Country Mountain Bike Racer from New Zealand. I have been racing bikes since I was 9 years old and have progressed my way up to the level I am up now. I have had 3 XC National Titles and am current u19 National Champ, my future goal is to get to the UCI scene and make a living from riding my bike.