No. 120: Chic Bicycle Helmets
Before I moved to Paris, I wore my bicycle helmet religiously. In fact we shipped all our helmets from the U.S. before we arrived. But Parisians are not big on wearing bicycle helmets when they commute to work or run errands, and since living here I have been totally swayed by the herd mentality, and rarely remember to wear mine, unless I’m going for a long weekend ride. There is something about the Vélib bike share program and being able to hop on and off a bike at will that makes me feel footloose and fancy free, and think, hey, I don’t need safety equipment.
I realize this is completely STUPID. And actually everyday when I hop on my vélo, I have the same passing thought, “I wonder if this is the day you will regret forever not wearing a helmet?”
Still I’ve become lazy and annoyed by the chore of lugging it around while je fais les courses, and as much as it shames me to admit it, wary of what Parisians will think about how I look.
Mais, the other day when I was out walking with Taz, I saw a family of three (mom, dad and teenage daughter) on their bikes with some very chic headgear. “Leave it to the French to make bicycle helmets pretty,” I thought, and went home to do some research.
When I opened my email, a monthly newsletter popped up, and one of the top features was this:
Exactly the chic chapeaux the French family had been sporting. I took it as a sign. After more research, I discovered that not only did these helmets (by Closca) look good, but also they are collapsible and safety certified. Apparently I have been totally out of the loop. In most big cities around the world, collapsible bicycle helmets are the latest trend.
And guess what? This particular one is not designed by the French, but created by two Spanish entrepreneurs and design engineers.
Bien hecho! Y muchas gracias!
And I then I found these by Yakkay:
Don’t tell Superman. Who knows, maybe he will find a bicycle helmet cover obsession easier to relate to than a shoe obsession?
Which one do you like?
Vocabulaire
Bien hecho! Y muchas gracias! Well done! And thanks a lot!
Je fais les courses: I run errands; I do the shopping
vélo: bicycle
365+ Things I Love About France 
Several of my friends have been in bicycle accidents in Nice, so any city biking can be hazardous. These helmets are great, especially the collapsible design!
I know, I need to start wearing my helmet more. I think if I had one of these, I would wear it all the time. Which color do you think I would get the most use of? Probably BLACK, huh. So boring though.
I like the black leather waterproof one since it would go with any coat or jacket color and of course, black is sooo Parisian 🙂
Love it. That is one of those million dollar “why the heck didn’t I think of that?!” ideas.
No kidding!
What a great idea! I love the little tweed one (in the bigger photo). I don’t bike very often, but if I had one of these cute little helmets I just might. 🙂
I know, right? I’m gonna order one in the morning…probably black though….even though I love the pink one.
I vote for the black waterproof helmet/hat! I think it has attitude!
Yes. I think I will go for that one, bit boring, but most practical. x
LOVE the girl helmets!
Just ordered the black one…best for Paris fashion, although might ask for another cover for Mother’s Day, for when I’m being a fake tourist.
Thank you for reading!