Bike Helmet | Evolving Consumer

Rudy Gets Cool With Airstorm

Spring can be a time with wild weather and the Rudy Project is forecasting quite the Airstorm – its new road and mountain bike helmet. It features 16 front vents along with six rear “extractor” vents, which along with the internal crown architecture is meant to help hot air flow outwards to dissipate heat.

The helmet weighs just 260 grams, and features an adjustable “chassis and ring” structure to allow one-handed adjustment on the bike. It also features two sets of interchangeable and washable pads, plus a bug stop mesh protection system.

“Rudy Project has come a long way since we began developing helmets, and the Airstorm is a testament to that evolution and our engineers’ commitment,” said Paul Craig, president of Rudy Project North America. “By listening to our athletes and using that data to improve our design, we’ve come up with an incredible combination of features that’s sure to impress anyone who gives it a spin, plus the Airstorm is competitively priced for the benefits it packs.”

Rudy Project Official Website

Red Dot on the Forefront

Smith Opitcs’ had received the prestigious Red Dot Award in the Outdoor/Leisure/Sports/Fun category for its new mountain bike helmet, the Forefront. Germany’s Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen last month said the helmet, “set itself apart from all comparable projects thanks to excellent design.”

The Forefront also won the 2014 iF Design Award for innovative design; the GOLD Award in the category of Design & Innovation 2014 by Enduro Mountainbike Magazine; and the Best of Interbike Show Awards last year from Outside magazine and Gear Junkie.

This helmet is designed to provide all-mountain protection with road-race weigh. Instead of EPS, it features an Aerocore liner that provides better ventilation and impact properties and lower weight.

Smith Optics Forefront Official Website

Rockwell Bean Bucket

There have been numerous attempts to make a better bike helmet, but German designer Rockwell Headgear has looked to a concept we first covered back in 2012 when it was introduced for ski and snowboarding helmets. Instead of a foam liner the Rockwell utilizes Vaco12 technology, which consists of pods of beans that are spread out to absorb energy on impact.

The Rockwell helmets feature a Vaco12 layer along with a hard outer shell and a textile softshell in between. The result is a helmet that has layers to take the blunt of an impact – which is better than the head taking it!

Rockwell Headgear Official Website

Giant Has You Covered

Giant is on a streak, or rather Giant has a Streak and a Rev, the two new helmets from the bicycle manufacturer for the 2014 season. Both models feature Giant’s ratchet dual Cinch+ system that makes for a snug fit, and each is available in three colors. The Rev will weigh in at 254grams while the Streak tips the scales at 300grams, and both will be ready to roll this summer.

Giant Official Website

Do Helmet Laws Discourage Cycling

Last month the Spanish cabinet approved amendments to the existing Law on Traffic, Circulation, Motor Vehicles and Road Safety, and then passed the proposed bill to the Spanish Parliament for approval. Under the heading “Improving Road Safety’ is an amendment that could make bicycle helmets mandatory for all cyclists under the age of 18 on all roads (urban and rural).

This may sound like a good idea, but the European Cyclists’ Federation noted that mandatory helmet laws could actually discourage people from cycling. The above poster – in Spanish – noted “20 children are run over per year. Would you feel safer if your child wore a helmet? The danger for children are cars, not riding bicycles.”

The ECF also added:
“Research in the field of cycling in Australia (a country with a MHL) has led to the conclusion that “the greatest effect of the helmet law was not to encourage cyclists to wear helmets but to discourage cycling” (Robinson 1996). By portraying cycling as a dangerous activity, MHLs dissuade people from cycling.”

This is something to consider. While recommended use of helmets could warn people why a helmet is necessary, making these mandatory could have the effect of keeping people off bikes.

[Via ECF: Mandatory Helmets: An Attack on Spanish Cycling]

Mighty Morphing Helmet

A helmet is a good thing to have when riding the mean streets, but as we’ve found many opt not to don one on their heads because it can be a pain to have to carry it around the whole day. We’ve seen some folding helmets already, but the Morpher truly knows when to fold it.

This helmet is now being designed via an Indiegogo project, and unlike other designs this one folds completely flat. The prototypes have already passed European testing standards and British designer Jeff Woolf is looking to get authorities in Australia and the U.S. on board as well. This could be the beginning of one mighty, morphing bike helmet. Video after the jump

Louis Garneau Sets Course With Aero Helmet

When hitting the road sometimes you want to feel like you could take flight and this is where “aero” helmets come into play. The LG Course Aero resembles a regular road-ready helmet, with large massive vents, but Louis Garneau maintains it has aerodynamic performance that can’t be beat.

The helmet was created through extensive research at the Canadian National Research Council’s low speed wind tunnel facility, while Computational Fluid Dynamics Software was called into play to create a superior aerodynamic performance.

It features in-mold construction, with integrated strap system that provides support and protection while still retaining its lightweight status. It offers evacuation channels to increase airflow and wick moisture away, while the Spiderlock PRO II provides a snug yet comfortable fit.

Video after the jump

Weekend Reading List (06.29.2013): Lance Comes Clean (Again), Popular Cycling, Summer Food, Helmet History

Lance Comes Clean (Again)

From USA Today/AP: Lance Armstrong: ‘Impossible’ to win Tour de France without doping
The dirty past of the Tour de France came back Friday to haunt the 100th edition of cycling’s showcase race, with Lance Armstrong telling a newspaper he couldn’t have won without doping. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (06.29.2013): Lance Comes Clean (Again), Popular Cycling, Summer Food, Helmet History

Shareable Brain Buckets

Using a bikesharing program is a great way to get around a city without needing to actually purchase and own a bicycle. The problem is that riding in city traffic or even on city bike lanes can be dangerous, especially without a helmet.

Students at MIT have looked to address this issue and back in 2011 debuted the first HelmetHub, which provides rentable helmets, which are offered where bikeshare bicycles are provided.

Now the idea of wearing a “shared” helmet might seem a little “icky” to us – but the system actually provides 36 helmets in three sizes and more importantly returned helmets are inspected and sanitized prior to being rented out again.

Not a bad solution to ensuring that your head is protected when you ride a bike.

Helmet Hub Official Website

Modular Brain Bucket

Bicycle helmet maker Limar knows that while one helmet may be used for various riding – commuting during the week, casual rides on the weekend – one size doesn’t fit all, nor does one helmet style. A helmet that is comfortable in the summer isn’t so good in the cool spring with wind and mist.

Of course not everyone wants multiple helmets. The new Velov helmet clearly is aimed to solve some of those issues, as it offers panels that can add some warmth and even protection from the elements. Not a bad solution for those who don’t need a collection of helmets.

Limar Official Website

Cardboard Brain Bucket

We’ve been pleased to see the near constant innovation and the accompanying evolution that comes with it in the realm of athletic head protection. Much has been made with sensors that can determine if an injury has occurred or even call for helmet when the wear suffers a head injury.

Of course preventing any injury at all is what the real purpose for wearing a helmet is and thus there has been a lot of innovation in the materials. There have been a number of new materials but Kranium is a helmet that takes a step back, namely looking at cardboard rather than something more complex like carbon fiber. The helmet is the invention of Royal College of Arts student Anirudha Surabhi, who devised the concept and created prototype that is 15 percent lighter than standard helmets but at the same time could absorb up to three times the impact energy during a collision. Video after the jump

No Glasses Required with the Dux Helm

While a helmet can protect the head while cycling it has the unfortunate side effect of keeping the wind out of the hair, but now the Dux Helm (they seem to be going for the medieval wording for helmet) can keep the breeze out of the eyes as well. Riding with sun glasses is a good idea as it can keep particles from getting in the eyes, and even cut on the breeze that can result in tearing.

But glasses aren’t always needed, and many riders simple don’t know where to put the glasses when they’re not needed. Some riders wear them on the back of the head or stick them in the vent holes – the latter not really recommended as they can fall off. Continue reading No Glasses Required with the Dux Helm

A New Bike Mirror

Most of us don’t have eyes in the back of our head, as a result while riding a bike we often turn to see what is coming at us from behind. This can be a problem because just as with a car, it isn’t advisable to take the eyes off the road.

There have been efforts to make helmet mirrors, but many actually get in the way and look a little silly. Now a pair Canadian inventors, Greg Maxwell and Richard Seck, have come up with a potentially game-changing design with the Isoteko mirror.

While it still leaves a bit to be desired with as far as how it looks, it does provide a better way for wearers to see what’s behind them. And when not in use can flip up. As the video shows it can be used on just about any helmet and is even designed to be repaired should that become necessary. Video after the jump