The thing about Rotational forces
How N1neo Manages Both Linear and Rotational Forces
Newton-Rider’s patented semi-soft helmet architecture goes beyond traditional EPS design.
Over the past decade, helmet safety discussions have focused on two main types of impact: linear and rotational.
Linear impacts occur when the head stops suddenly (e.g., a direct hit to the ground).
Rotational impacts happen when the head twists on contact with an angled or rough surface, creating shearing motion inside the brain — a key pathway to concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Our goal with the N1neo was simple: build a helmet that protects across real-world crash conditions, not just idealized lab scenarios.
The limits of traditional EPS helmets
Most bicycle helmets use rigid EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam. EPS protects primarily by cracking and collapsingunder higher forces — which means there’s a threshold before the material meaningfully "absorbs" energy.
In everyday cycling crashes — including many lower-energy or oblique hits — that “all-or-nothing” response is far from ideal. The EPS material’s stiffness can also increase surface friction, which may contribute to higher rotational acceleration when the helmet “grabs” the ground.
This is why retrofit solutions like slip liners or sliding shells appeared: to compensate for EPS’s inability to manage rotation. They can help indeed, but they’re add-ons to a design that wasn’t built for the problem from the start.
Linear Protection™ by Newton-Rider — a continuous response from lower to higher forces
Linear Protection™ is Newton-Rider’s patented safety architecture. Instead of a single rigid block of foam, the N1neo uses nine semi-soft, flexible pads bonded to a deformable liner. Each pad is a layered construction that includes:
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Polycarbonate hard shell exterior,
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MI foam (firm and flexible),
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non-Newtonian energy-absorbing cores.
This system is engineered to respond more linearly across a broader spectrum of impacts:
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It begins absorbing energy at lower forces — the range often associated with concussions.
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It then scales up smoothly to manage higher-force events, without relying on a brittle “crack” to switch the helmet on.
The result is protection that works in a continuous way, not binary.
Intrinsic rotational management (built into the architecture)
Rotational impacts are seldom straight-on; they’re angled. Here the N1neo’s architecture provides an inherent advantage:
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The nine independent pads can move slightly and independently on impact.
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The flexible liner allows controlled micro-movement between the head and the contact point.
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Together, these effects help reduce rotational acceleration at the moment of an oblique impact.
Crucially, this is not a bolt-on slip layer. Rotation management is born into the helmet’s structure.
How it differs from EPS + add-ons
|
Aspect |
Traditional EPS + add-on |
N1neo with Linear Protection™ |
|---|---|---|
|
Energy absorption onset |
Typically engages at higher thresholds as EPS cracks |
Continuous response from lower to higher forces |
|
Rotational forces |
Managed by slip liners/sliding shells added to EPS |
Intrinsic via independent pads + flexible liner |
|
Core architecture |
Single rigid foam block |
Semi-soft multi-pad system with non-Newtonian inserts |
|
User benefit |
Focused on high-force events |
Broader-range absorption + built-in rotation management |
Standards and testing
The N1neo has been tested to the EN 1078 protocol. In recent test sessions, results indicate ~24–52% better impact absorption than required thresholds, while maintaining a slimmer profile than typical EPS designs (approximately 18–20 mm vs. ~35 mm for many EPS helmets).
Industry standards are also evolving. The CEN/TC 158 workstream is expected to include rotational impact testing in forthcoming updates (targeted around 2027). The N1neo’s architecture is aligned with this direction — rotation management is not an afterthought, it’s integrated.
Important: “Linear Protection™” does not mean “only linear.” It names a system that starts protecting earlier, responds more continuously across the force spectrum, and intrinsically helps manage rotation.
The takeaway
Commuters need protection that works in the crashes that actually happen — not only in high-force, straight-down lab impacts.
By replacing a single rigid EPS block with a firm-and-flexible, multi-pad system, the N1neo is designed to:
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absorb energy from lower through higher forces, and
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reduce rotational acceleration on oblique impacts — without bolt-on slip liners.
That’s the essence of Linear Protection™ — a modern approach to helmet safety for real-world riding.
Further reading
