Lazer’s Chiru helmet brings MIPS on a budget
Sub-$100 MIPS helmet wants to make safety look really, really, really ridiculously good looking
What do the fictional world of high fashion espionage, Tibetan antelope and affordable mountain bike helmets have in common?
Until now, very little. Lazer, though, is doing its best to unite this unlikely trio together. The brand launched the new Chiru and sub-$100 Lazer Chiru MIPS helmet at Eurobike this week.
Ok, Lazer is primarily concerned with extending its solid line of mountain bike helmets with a new, lower-price point option. Based on our first look at the Chiru, it would seem they’ve succeeded quite admirably at that goal. Like the higher end Impala and the mid-point Coyote, the Chiru brings clean, well thought out design to a competitively priced trail helmet. As with the pricier Lazer options, you can choose between standard and MIPS versions.
Where, you might be wondering, does high fashion intrigue enter into the equation? Well, the Impala and Coyote both came in a range of attractive range of colours. For the Chiru, Lazer’s been slightly more bold with it colour choices, launching its newest helmet it Matte Blue Steel. With a simple design coated in blue gradients, though, you can be sure the Chiru is anything but Derelicte.
Lazer Chiru MIPS: Roam freely, and fashionably
Continuing Lazer’s wild animal mountain bike helmet naming convention, a Chiru is, according to Wikipedia, a medium-sized bovid native to the Tibetan plateau. Also known as the Tibetan antelope, Chiru are nomadic and migratory, sometimes covering huge distances between summer and winter ranges.
Chasing open trails all year round sounds good, right? To help you tap into that Chiru energy, the helmet has 15 vents, Lazer’s TS+ retention system, with an adjustable head basket, and an integrated visor. The extends slightly lower at the rear, giving more coverage for the back of the head than a purely XC style helmet. So, even if you’re not an ambiturner, you can roam the remote wilderness comfortably, safely and without breaking the bank. Kind of like the helmet’s namesake.
Lazer believes quality protective equipment, including the MIPS liner should be available to those outside the elite circles of international male modelling. The Chiru carries a very reasonable suggested retail price of USD $70.00 without the MIPS lining, and $90.00 with MIPS.
Lazer Chiru: the details
Fit System: TS+ system
Ventilation: 15 vents
Weight: 305 g (S-CE)
Certification: CE-CPSC-AS
Sizes: S / M / L
SRP: USD $70.00 (non-MIPS) / USD $90.00 (MIPS)
Availability: November 2019
