Brooklyn by Bike

How many folks listen to headphones while riding in the city? I’ve got mixed feelings about the whole thing but feel like my morning commute isn’t the same without music. I’m just carefully with the volume and have always wondered why bicyclists don’t have helmets like motorcyclists – ones that project sound from inside. This little gadget is trying to change all that. Wonder what the sounds quality is like…

The Shake offers the ability to hear your ambient surroundings at the same time as your music and given that you’re presumably wearing a helmet for good reason, situational awareness in dangerous situations is an extraordinarily good idea, particularly at just US$120. [h/t @newamsterdamize via Gizmodo]

A few years back you couldn’t get me to wear a helmet. I thought they looked stupid and didn’t really believe they’d do much good in the event of an accident. Then I had this friend who kept nagging me, like really nagged me every time we saw each other. I respected this friend and thought fine, I’ll wear one and I’ve been wearing one ever since. I guess you could say I’m easily swayed by my peers.

Now days I’ve been rethinking my stance on helmets. Now this isn’t to say I’m about to stop wearing one. I ride on heavily trafficked NYC streets and figure if I hit something I’d rather it be helmet before  my head but I don’t think helmets should be mandated. Rather I think they should be a matter of personal choice and this is coming from someone who has a sticker that reads “You’d look hotter in a helmet” or her helmet. If folks are educated on the issue and choose not to wear a helmet, who cares. Sometimes I ride my bike really slow in the park without a helmet. It might be time to take my sticker off.

Oh yeah and then there is this graph that’s been making the internet rounds about how as more people ride bikes, the less dead cyclists we have on the road.

Ah, the old helmet debate. If you read Copenhagenize you know they are all anti-helmet law and I’m going to agree with them here – though we still don’t agree on that wear your work clothes to commute thing

Your two cents?

We posted awhile back about Yakkay Helmets which were cute, but potentially unsafe due to the fabric nature of their covers. Fabric prevents the helmet from skidding on the ground which can potentially lead to your head stuck on the pavement…not pretty.

Now worries fashionistas thanks to Cyclefashion!

Helmets are designed by an eco-conscious Japanese-born designer who got fed up with looking terrible on her bike so she created her own collection of helmets that are funky and still meet all the safety requirements. The designs are cleverly positioned on the back and on the left-hand side so drivers and pedestrians can admire you as you go.

Helmets are priced from $80 to $120. Check out more styles on their site.

[via Treehugger]

Oh and if you are looking for not safe, sexy helmets check out these crazy helmet covers from Riding Pretty.

YAKKAY

Alright let’s face it. Many of the kids on bikes today do not wear helmets. I’m not just taking about school kids, but it’s also the athletes training in Prospect Park and the kids on fixed gears commuting into the city. These folks are going fast, swerving in and out of traffic and feel like shouting at them, “What the hell are you thinking!?” But I can’t because I was just one of them a little over a year ago.

It wasn’t until a friend of mine harassed me a few hundred times that I finally had some sense knocked into me …or maybe it it was my getting older. Whatever the case, I finally wear my helmet but its still damn UGLY. I’ll be the first to tell you. That’s why when I saw this post on PSFK I got all excited.

YAKKAY helmets are specifically designed to fit covers that turn your helmet more into a fashion statement than an ugly piece of plastic atop your head. They’ve got four different styles..all lovely. Click the picture to see more. Don’t get too excited just yet though. These helmets are not yet safety approved but hey, it’s a start.