Are there any helmets that won't make me look like a total c

BobGeldart
BobGeldart Posts: 41
edited June 2011 in Commuting general
Are there any helmets that won't look like someone being attacked by one of those 'face huggers' from the film Alien or someone going to a Trecker's convention as a Klingon? I've tried a Bell BMX stylee helmet but that just makes me look like a tall mushroom. Any ideas?

Comments

  • phy2sll2
    phy2sll2 Posts: 680
    Yeah, go for the Giro Prolite:

    http://www.giro.com/eu_en/products/cycling-helmets/road.html

    Doesn't even feel like you're wearing anything (on your head, at least!)
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 719
    no
  • wgwarburton
    wgwarburton Posts: 1,863
    Hi,
    Bicycle helmets are designed to work by absorbing impact through compression of foam padding. They need thickness to enable that, so they tend to be bulky. The foam is also a good insulator, tending to trap heat inside, so they need lots of ventilation in order to be reasonably comfortable.
    Those constraints drive the design... and that's why they all look pretty similar.

    Why are you getting one? If you believe it'll protect you in an impact, then I suggest you do some research to find out how (if?) they work and use that to inform your choice. If it's just for style, or to keep your wife/mother/kids quiet, then don't worry too much about the performance and just choose one that works for you. Plenty of people ride without them and many seem to survive quite well...

    Why worry about what you look like, anyway?

    Cheers,
    W.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,438
    WGWarburton wrote:
    then I suggest you do some research to find out how (if?) they work and use that to inform your choice.
    .


    Do people really do that? By people I of course mean normal folks, not the internet forum type.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear. Still worth wearing one, though.
  • phy2sll2
    phy2sll2 Posts: 680
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear.

    I would also add: frames OUTSIDE of the straps!!!
  • sc999cs
    sc999cs Posts: 596
    phy2sll2 wrote:
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear.

    I would also add: frames OUTSIDE of the straps!!!

    Is that a fashion observation (which is ok) or is there some sensible reason behind it?
    Steve C
  • wgwarburton
    wgwarburton Posts: 1,863
    sc999cs wrote:
    phy2sll2 wrote:
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear.

    I would also add: frames OUTSIDE of the straps!!!

    Is that a fashion observation (which is ok) or is there some sensible reason behind it?

    I think the correct word is "affectation"

    Cheers,
    W.
  • phy2sll2
    phy2sll2 Posts: 680
    WGWarburton wrote:
    sc999cs wrote:
    phy2sll2 wrote:
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear.

    I would also add: frames OUTSIDE of the straps!!!

    Is that a fashion observation (which is ok) or is there some sensible reason behind it?

    I think the correct word is "affectation"

    Cheers,
    W.

    Indeed it is.
  • nigglenoo
    nigglenoo Posts: 177
    phy2sll2 wrote:
    WGWarburton wrote:
    sc999cs wrote:
    phy2sll2 wrote:
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    Only way to look good wearing a cycle helmet is when you pair it with cool eyewear.

    I would also add: frames OUTSIDE of the straps!!!

    Is that a fashion observation (which is ok) or is there some sensible reason behind it?

    I think the correct word is "affectation"

    Cheers,
    W.

    Indeed it is.
    I tuck mine nice and snug inside the straps, but then I tuck my vest in my underpants as well so don't rely on me for fashion advice :oops:
  • nigglenoo
    nigglenoo Posts: 177
    I recently bought a cheap helmet from Tesco (£8.50) to replace the 6 month old ~£15 Sainsbury job I left on a train :roll: The old one was red with silver flashes and the new one is plain silver, they both have peaks because I like peaks, so if I have to wear a helmet it might as well have a useful feature. I believe they are also useful for strapping a camera to if you are that way inclined plus if, like me, you don't have a lot of natural top growth left they are good in hot sunny weather as they provide shade with ventilation. However I don't expect an awful lot of protection from them* other than against 'contributory negligence' claim reduction in the case of an accident and also from the incessant questioning from the less enlightened that you get if you don't wear one.

    *One interesting report from an American cycling magazine showed under quite rigorous testing that the cheapest $10 helmets were just as good (or bad) for protection as the most expensive ones, all you are paying the big money for is image and a better liner. I know that helmet standards in the US are different (i.e. actually better then EU) but I would expect that the principle applies over here as well.
  • hoolio
    hoolio Posts: 139
    When I first bought a cycling helmet I tried on several types thinking some wouldn't look so bad. They pretty much all look the same, and after a while of wearing it you won't even think about it anymore.
    Similarly when I first went out in full lycra I felt self concious for the first 30 seconds at which point I realised that no one's paying any attention because you're just another "bloke on a bike", and that's all they see.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Try one of these babies

    http://www.thegreenbikecompany.co.uk/De ... roductName

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