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We don’t all wear helmets, and – aside from Jersey – in the UK, wearing one is a personal choice, rather than a legal requirement.
If you do decide to don headgear while on your bike, though, and don’t like the look of your traditional polystyrene head protector, a la Tour de France, fear not. There are a number of urban helmets that look a little more flattering with normal clothes, and may have a little more to offer by way of sartorial appeal, than your usual skid lid. Something you can wear and feel like a human atop a bike, rather than a cyclist (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Generally these are skate inspired models, with rounder shapes, that, playing to the bike’s current fashionable status, come in a blistering array of colours and designs. They also tend to offer less ventilation than your traditional bike helmet, something worth considering if you like to pedal quickly. I’ve reviewed the following helmets on how they look and feel, and haven’t crash tested them, though they all meet UK helmet safety standards, of course.
Bern Watts London Satin White £49.99
Bern offer an array of coloured helmets, among them the black and white London special edition, and the Brighton (with removable visor), both celebrating bike-booming UK cities. The Bern looks good, with lots of comfy removable padding inside, so you can wash it or swap with winter liners to cover your ears. Straps are easily adjustable, and with fewer air vents than other models it’s cosy (and potentially drier) in cooler, wetter, weather, but sweatier in warm weather. Although a medium it left behind a red line on my forehead, possible because of the thicker padding. The Watts model is technically the men’s, at £49.99, with a slightly thicker outer shell, and a tenner more in price than the women’s. Though the lighter women’s model felt a little lumpen, it was also reassuringly solid.
Best feature: The range of colours
Worst feature: Feels a bit heavy
Size: Women S 52-55.5cm, M 55.5-59cm Men S-M 54-57 L/XL 57-60.5
Weight 450g
Available from Cyclechic, who deliver nationwide www.cyclechic.co.uk
Complies with EN 1077, EN 1078, CPSC, ASTM F 2040
Bell Faction £20.00
An affordable, functional, and comfortable helmet, the Faction has wide vents at the front (among the helmet’s 12 air holes) so on a warm day or when pedalling faster, you can feel the breeze, something I value in a helmet. Its light weight, and the light foam padding mean you forget you’re wearing it sometimes, though I wondered if this flimsier padding would flatten over time. The satin black finish is easily marked by fingers and against other scratchy things. No peak at the front means there’s no extra sun or rain protection, but then other models offered limited protection in this respect, anyway. There’s always the old cap-inside-helmet option. No adjustable ratchet or strap around the head’s circumference made no difference to me as, perhaps thanks to the spongy foam padding, it fit perfectly.
Best feature: The price
Worst feature: Surface easily marked
Size Medium 54-59cm; large 58-63cm
Available from Halfords
Weight 425g
Complies with EN1078, ASTM F1492-08
Sawako Furuno ladies bike helmet £84
I tried the crocodile brown helmet, one of three of Japanese designer Sawako Furuno’s eponymous brand’s leatherette range (they also do some funky bright colours, all with the black sun/rain visor). I loved how light the helmet was, and how unusual. The Sawako Furuno won’t suit everyone, and tended to divide people: where some loved it others thought it looked like a tortoise. The flared shape means the straps splay out like the guy ropes of a tent. For ventilation there are two holes at the front, a little like a bowling ball, and two at the back, with a seven hole daisy formation on top. I found it looked great on a friend but looked odd on me. If you want your helmet to really make a fashion statement (and don’t mind spending £84 for the privilege) this may be the head protection for you.
Best feature: Funky, atypical helmet coverings
Worst feature: The price
Size: One size, adjustable from 52-58cm
Available from Cyclechic
Complies with EN1078, CPSC
Abus Pedelec £69.99
Designed for e-bikers, hence the name, the Pedelec has the round (and arguably more flattering) shape of skate inspired models, covering the back of the head and temples, with the light airiness of sportier models. It actually felt like a hug on my head. Strategically-placed, removable, washable padding, and mesh air vents (aka fly nets), a removable visor and a magnetic strap lock (unlike the usual buckle) - thoughtful touches only trumped by the fact it has a in-built red LED light on the rear, with three modes, and an in-built rain hat concealed in a rear compartment on the outside. I confess I couldn’t work out how to open said compartment, though. Abus also does the Scraper, a nice option comparable to the other models I tried, though the Pedelec is a good hybrid.
Best feature: Comfortable fit
Worst feature: Perhaps not the coolest helmet
Size: 52-57cm (m)
Weight: 340g
Available from: See Zyro for stockists
Complies with EN1078
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