Smith has launched the new Smith Pilot, a fresh trail lid aimed at riders who want dependable protection, clean styling and straightforward comfort without stepping into premium money. Priced at £95 in the UK, the Smith Pilot arrives as an MTB helmet under £100, which immediately makes it relevant to newer riders, budget-conscious trail riders and plenty of eMTB owners looking for a sensible upgrade from an entry-level lid.

That price point is where a lot of real buying decisions happen. Riders shopping for an MTB helmet under £100 usually are not chasing the lightest shell, the most exotic materials or a long list of adjustment tricks. They want a helmet that fits properly, feels comfortable on long rides and covers the essentials without compromise. On paper, that is exactly where the Smith Pilot is pitched. Smith is describing it as a trail-ready option built for novice and emerging riders, which makes it less about aggressive enduro posturing and more about everyday off-road use.

For Electric MTB UK readers, that gives the helmet a clear angle. Not every rider on an electric mountain bike is heading for uplift days or steep race-stage terrain. A lot of people buying their first eMTB are doing exactly the kind of riding this helmet seems built for: trail centres, local loops, bridleway links and longer mixed-terrain rides where comfort matters just as much as outright protection claims. If you are still working out what kit you actually need, the Smith Pilot looks like a more approachable option than some of the burlier lids featured in our guides to the best full-face MTB helmets or the best convertible MTB helmets 2026.

A straightforward trail helmet with the right key features

The core feature set is sensible rather than showy. The Smith Pilot uses lightweight in-mould construction, extended rear coverage and wrapped shell edges for added durability. It also includes the Mips safety system, with Smith specifying Mips Evolve Core on the launch materials and Mips Brain Protection System on the live product listing. Either way, the important point for buyers is clear enough: this is not a stripped-back budget shell pretending to be a modern trail helmet. It is a current design with recognised rotational impact tech included at a sub-£100 price.

Comfort also looks to be central to the package. Smith says the Pilot uses an adjustable dial fit system, a performance liner for comfort and sweat absorption, and 13 fixed vents for steady airflow on the trail. That may not sound especially glamorous, but this is the stuff that decides whether a helmet actually works over a two-hour ride or starts annoying you halfway through the first climb. Riders shopping for an MTB helmet under £100 often care more about stable fit, decent airflow and no pressure points than they do about brand storytelling.

That is especially true for newer riders. If you are still getting used to riding technical trails, the last thing you need is a helmet that shifts around, squeezes your temples or traps heat the moment the pace picks up. The Smith Pilot seems designed to avoid that, which is part of why it could suit the same audience currently looking through our best beginner eMTBs for 2026 and broader e-MTB buyer’s guide.

Smith leans into eyewear integration

One area where Smith has long had a strong brand identity is eyewear compatibility, and that is a major part of the Smith Pilot story too. The helmet includes front and rear channels for glasses storage, a fixed visor to help reduce glare, and Smith’s AirEvac technology to improve airflow and help limit fogging when used with eyewear or goggles. If you already ride in glasses, photochromic lenses or goggles during colder months, that could be one of the Pilot’s biggest real-world selling points.

That matters because eyewear integration is one of those features that sounds minor until you spend weeks riding without it. A helmet can look great on a shop wall, but if it does not work cleanly with your glasses or it makes fogging worse on wet British rides, it quickly becomes frustrating. Smith’s broader mountain bike helmet range already leans heavily on that integration message, so it makes sense that the Smith Pilot brings the same thinking to a cheaper trail helmet.

The Smith Pilot looks well judged at £95

The Smith Pilot is available in sizes XS to XL, with a claimed weight of 370g in a medium Mips version and a UK price of £95. That puts it right into the heart of the value trail-helmet market, where there is no shortage of competition, but it also gives it a clear identity. This is not a gravity lid pretending to be versatile, and it is not a premium trail helmet awkwardly stripped down to hit a price. It looks more like a proper first serious trail helmet for riders who want something modern, practical and recognisably mountain-bike-specific.

For eMTB riders, that could be enough to make the Smith Pilot genuinely appealing. A good electric mountain bike often encourages longer rides, more trail exploration and more time spent climbing as well as descending, so comfort becomes a bigger deal than many riders first expect. If the Smith Pilot delivers on fit, ventilation and eyewear compatibility in the real world, it has every chance of being one of the more convincing MTB helmets under £100 this season.