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You'd Look Hotter in a Helmet

By Carl Alviani - June 5, 2008

in Object Culture

Shuttling back and forth between NYC and Portland, one striking difference is in the strong bike cultures that exist in both cities -- Portland's gotten plenty of fame over the years for its friendliness to the two-wheelers, but New York has put an immense amount of effort into bike-specific infrastructure recently, to the point where normal, non-suicidal commuters are starting to embrace it as a travel option.

Perhaps most glaring, though, is the disparity in helmet use: at least by casual observation, Portlanders are far more likely to wear one. This makes a sort of sense after watching traffic dynamics in the two cities; for all its chaos, New York drivers move pretty slowly, and are keenly aware of their surroundings, while Portlanders enjoy lower density, and therefore higher speeds and a bit less attention, making helmets a more obvious accessory for the well-equipped cyclist.

What's more, the highly bike-oriented hipster culture here in the City of Roses has incorporated many elements of cycling regalia into its style vocabulary, from the messenger cap and bag, to the cycling shoe (as noted on NY Times' On the Runway blog last year), and more recently, the helmet.

It has to have a cunning twist, of course, and so it's not uncommon to see fully kitted-out kids on their fixies here sporting skateboarding or 70's-era motorcycle helmets, often customized with stickers, spikes, and other assorted bling. Into this market opening a few intrepid companies and designers are stepping, including a nifty little concept from recent Emily Carr grad Kyle Ferguson, imagining a helmet for Lacoste (they of the alligator shirts), and some urban-oriented lids by local favorite Nutcase (below left) and venerable Belgain company Lazer (clever new ad campaign, below right).

via Safety is Sexy

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epainter

15 years ago

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Is this available to buy anywhere?
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KyleF

15 years ago

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Thanks for checking it out. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any further questions.
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JWatts

15 years ago

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Absolutely brilliant work Kyle. I think it looks fantastic, and I'm glad to see the impact research behind it too.
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vhatterm

16 years ago

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Where can I find the herringbone helmet at the top of the article? What brand is it?

Thanks!
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Kyle F

16 years ago

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Proof of concept already exists for fabric helmet covers that don't tear people limb from limb when they crash. In-fact Bell, the worlds largest helmet manufacturer just released a fabric covered version of their popular Metropolis/Citi helmet. To the best of my knowledge no decapitations have resulted from its use. The sticking problem that "david g" is referring to applies to areo-shaped helmets that often come to a point at the back. Their has been some literature that suggests the points at the rear of these helmets may catch as the exposed foam deforms when it contacts the road. The rounded profile of my hardshell stops the liner from directly contacting the road and deforming into snag forming shape. Additionally the round profile was selected to prevent the catching phenomenon related to aero-shaped helmets. As with smoking cigarettes there is no clear evidence either way indicating that helmet use reduces cycling fatalities.For an exhaustive discussion of this topic read here http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm.
Thanks for the feedback.
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Rbooth

16 years ago

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I believe he is using the tear away helmet cover concept that was so popular in the 80's. Helmets are only rated for one crash anyway so once it's saved your life, you should be more than happy to go back to your designer bike boutique and pick up the latest spring color.
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david g

16 years ago

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The tweed/herringbone helmets are extremely attractive, BUT, there's a major problem with this design! When you crash on a bicycle, you're moving at considerable speed. When your melon hits the pavement, it will want to continue at that speed. Modern helmets take this into account and your helmet will slide gently to a stop along with your confused body. Prior to modern helmets, cyclists used these leather padded helmets, which theoretically cushion a fall, but when they hit the ground, there was a tendency to catch and stick, so your head would be stationary while your body kept bobbling down the road while your spinal cord was the one splitting the difference...
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Rying

16 years ago

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I love the helmet/hat design. The design duo Claydies has come up with a clever girl version. You can see it here:
http://spottedbynormanncopenhagen.com/2008/04/21/summer-hat-bicycle-helmet/
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