Tag: Helmets

If you happen to have long hair then you’ll know that in everyday life, your hair can get in your way and annoy you no matter what you are doing. The same can be said for when wearing a helmet while riding a bike. All that wonderful long hair, but what to do with it? What Do You Do with Long Hair When Cycling? If you are wondering what to do with your long hair while you are cycling and wearing a helmet, then you’ve come to the right place. You no longer have to be partly blinded nor unintentionally eat your hair while it blows in the wind mid ride. As you may have seen, many people with long…

There’s no two ways about it: wearing a bike helmet is absolutely essential, no matter where you ride, how far you ride, or where you’re riding to. However, helmets are infamous for ruining any hair styling efforts, even leaving an unsightly red sweaty mark across your forehead, and no-one wants to arrive at work or social event rocking that look. It can, therefore, feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either you put your safety first and wear a helmet but arrive at your destination looking a bit of a state, or you forgo the helmet to protect your hair and put yourself at risk of serious head injury, or worse, if you come off your…

The wearing of bicycle helmets is one of the most divisive hot takes of cycling in the 21st century. Academic studies, motoring safety surveys and urban cycling gurus offer a spectrum of analyses as to the reasons why we do or do not wear them. Everyone agrees that they reduce the chances of head-injury. Once you reach adulthood, your head stops growing, and you get round to making a long-term choice of your lid. Some are aerodynamic, some are packed with additional technology like the MIPS system (which we discuss here), some can have a novelty twist, or be foldable to suit your needs. They all generally have a core feature of a moulded block of polystyrene foam (EPS), with…

We’re living in an age where our relationship with the environment is under scrutiny. More than ever before, we’re aware of how our behaviour (in terms of what we produce and what we consume) has a direct impact on the planet. A growing number of people will happily do their bit in response to pollution and climate change. There are few who still feel comfortable adding to the mound of toxic waste ending up in landfill, and in the oceans. But although we may want to recycle everything, some things are far easier than others to dispose of. Popping a milk carton into the bin on the driveway may be a cinch, but recycling bike parts and accessories is a…

As more of us opt for the bike as our mode of transport to get to work, many of us have had to consider upgrading our previous once loved helmets for more modern and safer ones. Luckily, the market is now full of innovative helmet designs and safety features in order to keep our heads protected during an impact to the head. Are Some Bike Helmets Safer Than Others? In general, yes some helmets are safer than others due to the added technology that many of them now feature, for example many helmets have special rotational impact protection to better protect the brain from injury during a side on bump. Moreover, other safety features that are not structural can also…

A few years ago I visited Amsterdam to see a close friend of mine, who is Dutch. She’s not sport-obsessed, but she cycles everywhere, as do most Amsterdam residents. She also arranged for me and my friends to have bikes while we were there – the trusty and wholly wonderful ‘omafiets’ that are so comfortable. Of course, I’d known for a long time that Amsterdam was a cycling city, regarded globally as the pinnacle of “bike-friendly”. But nothing really prepared me for experiencing it first hand. I’d been cycling in London for years without any issues, but it was an absolute joy to be cycling in a metropolis, almost entirely separate from traffic. And I’ll be honest, none of us…