The upcoming Canyon Deflectr Trail helmet has achieved top marks in Virginia Tech’s bicycle helmet safety ratings, earning a 5-star rating with a score of 6.82—where a lower score indicates greater safety. This makes it even safer than the previous top-rated POC Cularis, which scored 7.1. Priced at $160, it is also significantly more affordable than the Cularis, which retails for $240. The Deflectr Trail is scheduled to go on sale later this year.
The Deflectr introduces a new safety technology called the Release Layer System (RLS). In this design, the helmet’s EPS liner consists of discrete panels suspended on a series of spherical structures. These are engineered to release the panels from the main helmet body upon impact.
The goal of RLS technology is to reduce rotational energy transferred to the wearer’s head during a crash—a primary cause of traumatic brain injuries. While systems like MIPS and others also address this issue, Canyon claims its RLS technology is significantly more effective.
The spherical structures are polycarbonate spindles embedded into the helmet body and bonded to the outer panels. When a panel suffers an impact, the energy breaks the adhesive connections between the spindle, the helmet body, and the panel itself. This sacrificial panel design allows rotational forces to detach almost completely from the helmet, whereas a MIPS layer is limited to 10–15mm of movement between the inner liner and the helmet shell.
According to Canyon, testing shows that the RLS-equipped helmet reduces peak rotational velocity across different impact locations by an average of 56% to 66% compared to an identical helmet without the system. This reduction corresponds to a 68% to 84% lower probability of brain injury.
The introduction of new technology that can reduce concussion risk in a crash is a positive development for rider safety. However, a potential downside exists: polycarbonate is not a biodegradable polymer. With RLS technology, every crash that causes the helmet to break apart will release these small polycarbonate components.
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