I regard bike helmets simultaneously with contempt and reverence. Reverence because I have flipped over my handlebars - unhelmeted - and gone skull-to-pavement in such a way that the temple arm of my eyeglasses ended up embedded in my forehead. I still have that scar. I could have majorly fucked myself up for life that day, and absolutely should have been wearing a helmet, there is no question about that at all - those things have saved some of my friends lives, and I have never been so reckless as to go without since. Contempt because, well, every complaint about the goddamn things has a point. They’re heavy, bulky and uncomfortable. They mat your hair down, which can legitimately be a problem if you’re commuting to a job where appearances count. And there will always be a tremendous temptation in how great the breeze feels when you ride bare-headed. Helmets rob you of a lot of the sense of freedom in the open-air experience that’s such an important part of cycling’s appeal.
But now, two Swedish design students have invented a helmetless helmet. It has its basis in a familiar automotive technology, but I will not describe it to you in any further detail. The video below has an amazing reveal that I don’t wish to spoil. I believe you will find yourself wondering - as I did - why nobody has thought of this before.
