squirtdad

Ok, this is for entertainment, social commentary and not intended for the Helmet debate......the mods will of course close it down or move should we stray.

it seems that with the growth in "urban riders", (which is a good thing...any growth in riders (except for ninja, salmon, types) is good) there is an increaing market (real or perceived) for more stylish (aka less dorky) helmets.

so it may be helmets are going the rapha clothing direction......more style and expense.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new...6?siteid=nwham

FenderTL5

https://www.helmetdawg.com/Products.php

squirtdad

ok time for a new bike....black with yellow accents...this is cooler than the mohawk on a helmet the "wheelie at 70 mph" guys wear

I-Like-To-Bike

The cited article is mostly a hype for promoting "fashionable" helmets. Though it points out the increasing number of available retailers for this product, it provides no details about actual number of sales.

The article pointed out that "many of the fashionable helmets on the market aren’t yet certified with the Consumer Product Safety Commission."
I assume that these non-certified helmets are not being sold anywhere in the U.S.; and it is questionable if they are being sold in any significant numbers anywhere else.

daihard 

I wish we had more varieties when it comes to bicycle helmets. The ones I find at LBS look very similar and bland. Can they at least be made with thinner material so they aren't as bulky?

turbo1889

I've seen one that looked like a cowboy hat complete with leather strap with metal buckle under the chin with the "working part" of the helmet that is actually supposed to protect you (hard shell and styro-foam crush zone) concealed inside the outer look. Wouldn't be something I would use since I think the extra wind drag could be noticeable due to the brim but might be just the thing for someone on a slow gentle neighborhood ride on a fat tire cruiser bike.

License2Ill

I can't find one that doesn't clash with my spandex.

lostarchitect 

Consumer reports did a study a while back, and rated some of the more "stylish" helmets (Nutcase, Bern) very poorly. (See: https://bikeportland.org/2012/05/31/n...-reports-72616 ) This was over a year ago, so maybe they have improved.

License2Ill

One of the good reasons to only buy a Snell B90 approved helmet, with random sample testing for continuing approval after initial certification. On top of that, the B90 standard is more strict in terms of coverage area and impact energy level for the drops. You see in that report that the Specialized lid which is Snell B90 certififed was at the top, and two of the honor system CPSC approved lids failed the lower requirements of the CPSC label despite popping the label on them anyway.

We can thank Bell for the big push to dumb down the requirements with the mandatory CPSC label regs. They made the hard push when times were bad and they wanted to cut costs. Companies like Giro have done nothing but market pro-signature lids for exorbitant prices since while continuing to not focus on greater safety too. In terms of the mass marketed stuff available, Specialized is the only major company that offers the additional level of Snell certification.