digger

https://www.momentumplanet.com/news/lets-get-visible

genec

First question I have is why is it that helmets (a safety item) don't come with lots of built in reflection?

digger

Dunno. But a very good question. Jeez, I never thought of it until your brought it up.

I don't think you can buy a pair of sneakers these days without some sort of reflection on them.

Alot of (not all) bike shorts, bike shoes, jackets, jerseys, pants, gloves, and bags have reflection. So why not helmets?

Do ANY helmets have some sort of reflection? Surely there must...?

Little Darwin

Lance's helmet didn't have reflective surfaces, so it isn't cool.

I strongly suspect that if you could get a popular American pro rider to wear a helmet with reflective surfaces you would see them on all major brands in the US within a year.

I-Like-To-Bike

Ya mean there is a Pro cyclist from anywhere, other than Lance, popular in America? Who?

neilfein

My Bell Citi has reflective patches on it, but I'm not sure how effective they are. I'll take a look tonight.

zeytoun

I think you're imagining that the athletes set the trends, and then the manufacturers rush to keep up with the new demand....

The manufacturers plan the trends.

The athletes just go along with them for money.

Helmet manufacturers are not motivated by safety, so why would they put reflective material on helmets? (they are motivated by shareholder profit, and unless some guru convinces them in these terms, it's pointless)

dougmc

It's painful to even watch ...

https://www.bcclettes.ca/ <- the people who made it.

genec

Interesting... it was one of the few helmets marketed as a commuter helmet too... most of the rest of the foam hats are marketed as something for Lance wannabees. (style being far more important than safety apparently)...

DogsBody

My Bell "Metro" has reflective accents molded into the clip-on rain cover (which seems somewhat intuitive; as Vancouver's winter is dark and WET).
I actually smile when I watch it: The person behind the actual production is Amy Walker at MOMENTUM.
Though not a close friend: I do know her; and she is good people.
She is close with the BC:Clettes; but they are just actors in this. Not the Producers...
It's not like they were shooting for an Academy Award (or a Gemini for that matter); They wanted to do something fun that spreads the word...

harleyfrog

GAK!!! Where's the eye bleach?

kgriffioen

As a manufacturer of "stuff", you are right, shareholder profit is the motivation. Its called capitalism and is what makes this a great country. You make it sound like that is a bad thing.

genec

It is when profit takes precedence over function for safety gear... especially when that gear may be mandated by state laws.

How about mr manufacture if you engineer in a bit more safety and then advertise the heck out of your improvements to capture more of the market.

For instance add the ability to mount blinkies to the helmet, put on reflective material... more than the simple "piping" your competitors might use. Be bold, add wide stripes of contrasting material so that your users stand out and are visible.

No, what tends to happen is style takes the front seat and "safety gear" is designed to meet the bare minimum ratings. Of course in the end that means you sell more "safety gear," but for all the wrong reasons.

Safety then takes a back seat to profit.

neilfein

genec's right about blinky mounts on helmets; they're hard to find. The reason I got the Bell Citi is that it has a mount. Other than that, there are other and probably cheaper helmets out there that look about the same.

A blinky mount is such a simple thing to add that I'm surprised more helmets don't have them.

I'm still looking for a helmet with mounts for a headlight and a battery, and maybe some new ideas for cable routing.

BarracksSi

The mounting strap on my Metro (like your Citi) ends up pointing the light too high unless I wear it wrong. It would be great to use the Planet Bike blinky that's weighted and pivots to stay horizontal, but that light is pretty dim and uses its own w-i-i-de base.

Which brings me to my next point: If you're designing a helmet, and you want to put on headlight and taillight mounts, and maybe one for a battery pack, which version are you going to use?

The neat thing about helmet vents is that they create options for rigging lights and whatnot. I got a tiny little PB Spok that velcroed in between two longitudinal ribs on a Giro helmet. My Dinotte has its own mount that straps on, and its battery pack can also be mounted using its included strap. I can also put many different taillights on the adjustment strap of that same Giro, and they'll be more horizontal than the light strap of the Metro/Citi.

Lights that would be useful on a helmet usually come with mounting parts. It's not something I would worry about adding to a helmet.

genec

It's not just blinkies on helmets... it's a whole host of things that are "missing... " such as panniers with bright color patches and reflectors; outer wear gear that doesn't have reflective strips... little things that almost every regular commuting cyclist sees right away and says... OK, I gotta fix that.

It's commuter bikes without fenders...

It's the little things that could be designed just a touch better, but aren't... all in the name of profit margin.

edmdusty

I prefer a smooth surface. I don't want my helmet catching on anything if I ever go down. (necks are week and very important)

BarracksSi

Guy #1: "Oww... man.. I've got a weak back..."
Guy #2: "When did that happen?"
Guy #1: "Oh, about a week back.."

I-Like-To-Bike

Sometimes it is true. Think Michael Jordan and baggy shorts, shaved heads, and acceptability of males wearing earrings.

The Paper Boy

My memories of the classic Olivia Newton have now been destroyed. What's next, somebody gonna advocate Helmet usage with a Sugar Walls riff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiJElPRnz54)

zeytoun

Sigh. Capitalists are so sensitive. There were no value judgment statements in my message. If it felt like criticism, then you're sensitive and/or guilty.

About capitalism. It beats feudalism hands down, but it will be obsolete in another 50 years or so. If you really like capitalism so much, move to China. Fewer pesky regulations stand in the way of greatness over there.

genec

I thought pirates brought that...

I-Like-To-Bike

No,they made it acceptable for parrots to be seen in public with a lowly human under foot.

mike

Thanks for the link to the vid.

It reminds me that it is time to string the Christmas lights on my bicycle.

neilfein

I'm tempted by those Down Low lights. I just ordered a trailer, and I need to start thinking about visibility there as well.