DEER VALLEY, UT (BRAIN)—Lazer, best known for its helmets, is adding a line of eyewear next season to complement its helmets, said Lazer’s Brian Kee. Like the helmets, QBP will distribute the eyewear making them an add-on sale, said Kee, a former employee at Tifosi, a competing eyewear brand.
The line includes five different models; three of them offer interchangeable lenses. The line also includes lenses that transition from light to dark—Lazer calls its technology Photochromic. Dealers can expect retail prices points to range from $40 for entry level sunglasses through $95—a range most consider a sweet spot at specialty retail.
Lazer unveiled its eyewear lineup at PressCamp as well as a prototype sunglass that features short, wide temples that connect to magnets embedded into Lazer helmet straps. When a rider puts them on magnets on each side of the strap snaps the temples into place, alleviating some of the discomfort riders feel when tightening helmet straps over their sunglasses.
Lazer also is stepping up its helmet line for kids in 2012, said Michael Pederson, Lazer’s brand manager. Lazer is offering a more complete line for next season that includes better ventilated urban- and commuter-style helmets as well as kids helmets. But Lazer’s children helmets will also offer a unique version that incorporates MIPS, short for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System.
Think of the system as a sizing system independent of the helmet’s shell. The system is attached at one point to the top of the helmet. That point allows the MIPS headband—and the head—to rotate within the helmet in a fall. It is a low-friction layer between the outer shell and the liner, Pederson explained.
In a fall, the head can rotate and in a micro-second send the brain smashing into the skull. With a MIPS helmet, the inner liner rotates in a fall easing the potential of a more serious brain injury. It’s not available in adult helmets yet, Pederson said. “Our goal is to bring it into adult helmets, but we need to design it from the ground up,” he said. A complicating factor is that MIPS technology isn’t part of CPSC testing standards.
The P’Nut helmet for kids, non-MIPS, will retail for $60; a MIPS helmet, the Nut’2, will retail for $80.
Camelbak always has something new for dealers to look at and new entries for 2012 are no different. Look for the Charge LR, a lumbar pack that can suck up 70 ounces of water (almost 5 pounds), said Seth Beiden, Camelbak’s associate marketing and pr manager. “You can lighten your gear, but you can’t make water lighter,” he quipped, showing off the uniquely designed water pouch. A series of indents allows it to easily wrap around a rider’s waist.
—Marc Sani
msani@bicycleretailer.com
