Built to work together, ready for whatever the weekend throws at you.
From shadowy singletrack at Mogo to wide-open sunlit gravel, Sea Otter Australia serves up every kind of light and every kind of trail, sometimes in the same run. Here’s how to get your Smith helmet and lens dialled for exactly what you’re riding.
Lenses first, because light changes everything
The single biggest upgrade most riders are missing isn’t the helmet, it’s running the right tint for the conditions. Get this wrong and you’re either squinting into the sun or riding blind through the trees, get it right and Mogo opens right up.
What people don’t realise is, the eye has trouble distinguishing colors where the blue & green and the green & red wavelengths cross over. This is why Smith’s ChromaPopâ„¢ lenses are a game changer for riders as they filter these specific crossovers. This means you get greater definition, more natural colors, and clarity.
What’s our pick for different conditions?
- For bright gravel and full sun, ChromaPopâ„¢ Black is the pick, VLT 12%, or go ChromaPopâ„¢ Red Mirror or Violet Mirror for a slightly lighter 14 to 15% VLT.
- For low light and deep tree cover, reach for Smith’s best-seller, the Low Light Rose Blue Mirror lens, VLT 60%, available in both sunglass and MTB goggle form. Can’t decide because the day’s going to throw both at you?
- ChromaPopâ„¢ Photochromic swings from VLT 12% to 58% automatically, clear to grey or brown, built for exactly the kind of day Mogo likes to serve up.
- Most Smith sunglasses come with two lenses so you can swap on the fly, and if your model takes a spare, carry one, Mogo goes from full sun to deep shade inside a single trail.
The prescription option nobody talks about
If you wear glasses to ride, you don’t have to choose between seeing clearly and seeing the trail.
Seven Smith performance shield sunglass styles take the lightweight, snap-in ODS5 prescription adaptor, or go full prescription sunglass in multiple styles with ChromaPop lens technology built in. Both are ordered through the Smith website and made by a lab in Melbourne, roughly a 10 to 14 business day turnaround. A lot of riders, some of them pros, don’t know this is even possible. If it’s you, order now so it lands before you drive down.
Your set up for Sea Otter racing
SMITH Optics Enduro, Saturday and Sunday
Two full days of the most demanding terrain at Mogo calls for the Mainline MIPS full-face, plenty of ventilation for a two-day effort, paired with a Rhythm MTB or Squad MTB goggle running a ChromaPop lens plus a spare clear or low-light lens for when the light shifts mid-stage. Riding it more as a trail day than a full enduro send? The Forefront 3, Engage or Pilot cover three different price points without compromising on protection.
On the eyewear side, Wildcat, Bobcat and Syncline are the top picks for a day at the SMITH Optics Enduro.
Fox Superflow®, Saturday and Sunday
Timed descents, mates-race energy, every ability level on course. Same helmet thinking as the enduro, but goggles really earn their keep here once the stages get fast and loose. The Squad MTB or Squad XL goggle has a massive curved shape and comes with one clear and one high-contrast ChromaPop lens, ChromaPop Contrast Rose Flash is the primary pick, so you can pick out every rut and root at speed.
Maximum ventilation and a design built to integrate with Smith helmets makes these a no-brainer once the speed’s on your agenda.
Shimano XC Crit, Saturday
Short closed-circuit laps at full gas, right in the middle of the festival hub. This is sunglasses, not goggles, and a lighter, better-ventilated cross-country helmet than you’d pick for the enduro. The Smith Network is the versatile, shred-ready helmet for it, KOROYD® and MIPS® safety tech built in for real protection and energy absorption if you need it, without weighing you down over fast, punchy laps.
THULE Marathon, Friday
Four hours in the saddle changes the brief, ventilation and weight matter more than anything else. Stick with a cross-country helmet and reach for the ChromaPop Photochromic lens, clear to grey or brown, so you’re covered whether you’re out in the open or grinding through tree cover, no lens swap required over a four-hour loop.
MAXXIS Effervelo Gravel Fondo, Sunday
Open South Coast roads and gravel, bright and long. You want a well-ventilated helmet and a lens built for sustained bright light. The Trace is the pick, Koroyd wraps the whole helmet for serious protection while internal air channels and open intake and exhaust ports keep you cool over the distance, plus easy sunglass storage for when you don’t need them. Run a ChromaPop lens built for sun, Opal Mirror, Red Mirror or Black.
eOtterX – Bosch ePowered, Friday
Head-to-head eMTB racing needs a helmet that keeps up. The Smith Payroll offers complete coverage for enduro, trail and e-MTB use, and it’s e-bike certified, tested at higher speeds than a standard bike helmet certification, which matters when the whole format is built around going fast, right now, against the rider next to you.
At the expo
Swing past the Smith stand to check out the full range in person, eyewear and goggles on one side, helmets on the other. There’ll be sweet treats on Saturday, a fun game of bike limbo between the Smith and PON tents, and Smith’s eyewear washing station running the entire event for every race, so you can see clearly for whatever’s next. Smith has also partnered with Apogee Academy for bike skills mini jams each day, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
Whatever you’re lining up for this weekend, get the lens right and the rest of the ride looks after itself. Come see the full range at the Smith stand before you commit.
