Thursday, May 24, 2012

Hövding: Stylish bicycle helmets from Sweden


No, it's not something from the new Courrèges collection. But as a big fan of the 60's and space age fashion, I have to say that I was quite intrigued by this cool helmet from Hövding. And when I found out that it was actually a bicycle helmet, I got really excited for once about the idea of wearing a helmet (I normally find them quite unattractive. And yes, I know safety is more important than prettiness when you have to ride your bike in the morning traffic, but I just can't...).

What you see above is the inflated airbag. It doesn't look like that unless you have an accident. What you wear is a collar, covered by a removable shell, that contain a folded up airbag controlled by sensors. I love that it doesn't look sporty, it's chic, sober, perfect for the urban cyclist. The airbag is made in a ultra strong nylon fabric and will be fully inflated in about 0.1 seconds (before head impact).

It looks great, it could save your life, but it's also quite expensive. And once the airbag has been triggered, the Hövding helmet can't be worn again. But if you're involved in an accident, you can send it back to the company who will recycle it and examine the black box (it records 10 seconds of data on the cyclist's movement patterns during and just before an accident). Hövding will give you a discount on a new helmet for that.

More details on my favorite bicycle helmet here!



Photos: Hövding


Photo via Glamour Splash



No comments:

Post a Comment