August 4th, 2009 by 
thien
Lazer Oxygen (O2) Cycling Helmet Pro Review - By Paul Thai
Specs:
- Model: Oxygen (O2)
- Color Available: (8 total) Black/Grey, White/Silver, White/Red, White/Blue, White/Black, White mat, Black mat, Solid Silver.
- Material: In molded absorbing foam, Plastic sheet cover and Coolmax pads.
- Weight: Approximately 310 grams
- MSRP: $110
Introduction
The Lazer Oxygen (O2) helmet is the latest helmet from Lazer featuring their patented Rollysys system, it also is their latest helmet to win the coveted Golden Award from the Eurobike show. Winning that honor just last year, the O2 packs a lot of trickle down technology into a cost effective helmet that should appeal to many consumers given the wide range of sizes the one size fits all helmet can accommodate. The awards are not surprising for a Belgium company that’s been around for some 90 years. Founded in 1919 by Roger Lacroix, the sole aim of Lazer has been to protect and save people’s lives, starting with motorcyle helmets, and venturing into cycling and paragliding in the 80’s.
Lazer’s headquarters are located in Mont Saint Guibert. A town located about 20 miles south east of Bruxelles, Belgium. A land full of cycling history known to produce some of the fiercest warriors of cycling such as Eddy Merckx, Tom Boonen, and Erwin Vervecken. These guys know a thing or two about cycling, and Lazer is not afraid to tap into that knowledge in the development of future products. To help the company on a quest of technological advancement, the entire Quick Step road and Fidea cyclocross team are put on the pay roll. The 2 teams give Lazer all the feedback it needs to stay ahead of the game. The styling is unmistakably European and with a guy like Boonen using the helmet, it would be hard to make a product that is unattractive and unworthy.
August 5th, 2009 at 11:06 am
You’ve misspelled the last name of one of the greatest cyclist in history, Eddy Merckx.
“fiercest warriors of cycling such as Eddy Merck, Tom Boonen…”
I would like to suggest again, that these Pro Reviews be renamed Staff Reviews.
August 5th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
holy cromoly said “…one of the greatest cyclist in history…”
Look at that - you’ve managed to sneak a grammatical error into a three line comment. Perhaps you are not yet qualified to comment on Pro Reviews and are best suited to reserve your comments for the Staff Reviews whenever they show up.
Pro humans make human mistakes. Not sure why you’re griping about a typo and suggesting that it demands a rework of the entire review system at rbr.
August 5th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Thanks for the solid review, Paul. I received one of the Lazer Genesis helmets at the recent Bike Press Camp ( http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/category/bike-press-camp/ ). After a few rides with it, I really like it and the RollSys system works well. I find myself using it more often than the SuperFit adjustment on my Giro.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I just picked this helmet up about 30 minutes ago and although not a very long time to fall in love. I absolutely love this helmet. On my ride home from the shop it felt great. It doesn’t wiggle, doesn’t jiggle and doesn’t move as opposed to my Giro Monza. At a $110 it is a steal and looks awesome. It is also an exclusive enough helmet that I probably won’t see that many other people with the same helmet. I consider myself a one off so my helmet should be one too.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
As an almost exclusive Giro user (Eclipse, Atmos, and Inonos), I’ve been very impressed with the O2. The Rollsys system alone is a gotta have feature for it’s custom exact fit. And low profile styling is also a plus in my book.
August 6th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
It may be a simple mistake, but I have to agree with holy cromoly that a “professional” cyclist of any kind would know how to spell Eddy Merckx’s name.
I also question the intrinsic value of a “pro” review. It implies the regular reviews on RBR are somewhat second rate, which is certainly not the case. I am much more suspect of the “pro” reviews because they are the product of one individual who may have been unduly influenced by the product’s manufacturer, be it monetarily or simply by receiving the product for free. Such influence is often subliminal and rarely due to outright spurious perfidy, and therefore may not even be consciously recognized by the reviewer. Having multiple people review a product based on their actual purchase avoids such bias.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
In addition to the spelling error Holy pointed out there are several grammatical errors with regard to apostrophe, quotation, and comma usage. The mistake in her comment, which really drove the anonymous holy hater crazy, demonstrates how incredibly difficult it is to proofread your own work. Mistakes are part of writing. Correcting them is why there are editors. As holy didn’t label her comment a ‘pro comment’ there’s less impetus on her to have an editor and deliver a near perfect product. (This, too, is not a ‘pro comment’ and is unedited). Since it’s unlikely that RBR can afford a professional editor, maybe the pro reviewers can read one an other’s work and suggest modifications. I would also humbly submit, though neither a spelling nor a grammatical error, that the writer probably meant ‘gaping holes’ not ‘gasping holes’ on page 2. It did make my smile, though. Maybe they keep you cool, but you still gasp after a hard effort.
As for the review itself, I am a little surprised that the helmet got 4.75 bottles after breaking and coming in a ‘one size fits all’ size that doesn’t fit all.
August 7th, 2009 at 6:28 am
team Quick Step has specialized helmets since a year or 2, or so …
& it’s Erwin Vervecken, not Edwin
But Lazer are good helmets!