- Hey there, hipster. No bike helmet, huh? Well, we all have our excuses. There are the vanity-driven ones that — let's be honest — explain why the majority of our brain cages sit collecting dust in the dark corners of the garage. Squashed hair, unflattering chin straps, general discomfort, etc.
Then there are the more nuanced arguments tied to piles of conflicting data about how effective helmets actually are (including one small, if oft cited study suggesting that drivers tend to pass helmeted riders at closer distances than their nonhelmeted counterparts).
But what if there were a helmet that answered both categories of complaint? One that respected your brain and your coiffure?
cliffelam, As a cyclist, any chance you'd wear one of these?
I would have liked to see the actual impact on the video. Anyway; it's often literally too cool for helmet, unless you're Sheldon Brown and insulate the helmet with tape for winter use. I'll stick with normal helmet during summers and a thick cap during winters for now.. Should get a warmer helmet for winter use I suppose. Airbags? Well, if they're proven to work reliably who knows. I can imagine coming home after cycling and lying down on the couch forgetting to take the airbag off. BANG
I can imagine coming home after cycling and lying down on the couch forgetting to take the airbag off. BANG
-Yeah, the first thing that came to mind for me was also "accidental deployment" of the airbag. That wouldn't be a good thing. What if it malfunctioned while you were riding on a busy street? That could easily lead to you falling or swerving in to traffic. -I'd stick with a helmet if I were you.
I also wanted to see the full impact. Why did they cut it out? Do you think it is because it doesn't quite work as advertised yet? Also, we should keep in mind that airbags hurt quite a bit. Yes, they are better than flying through your windshield but that doesn't mean they don't take the skin off your chin or leave nasty bruises. In this case, I can I see hair getting ripped out as it deploys or nasty skin scrape-age for people with a little amount of hair.
Found a video where they actually test it; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Oud3iGXWY I suppose it works for the casual city cyclist pretty well. It seems to be already quite widely available in some parts of Europe so I guess it SHOULD work.. I'm still worried about accidental deploying though. If not for the safety reasons then economical reasons because that thing is single use and pretty expensive.