Bicycle Helmet?!

[J. M. Stovall]

Indy Magnoli, what about a combination of fashion and safety? Find a plain black/gray helmet of the Yakkay variety, then buy vintage motorcycle goggles from the early 20th century and wear them over the helmet?

I really want one of these Yakkay helmets. They don't seem to have any US dealers. I emailed them but have only gotten an automatic response so far. I looked at all the authorized dealers in Denmark but none of them offer their sites in English or seem to have online sales (that I can figure out anyway). Has anyone else had any success?

 

[David Conwill]

I like the idea of the bare Yakkay helmet with goggles - though I'd probably try to find a pair of repop WWII goggles. As for retailers - maybe try Danish eBay?

-Dave

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Right, I like the bare one also. and thanks for the ebay idea!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Actually I just found this out:
"the auction site eBay is to open an office in Denmark, although a Danish version of eBay is not currently planned."

 

[Mary]

I kind of like the yakkay-model too. I'll defintely try it on next time in copenhagen and I can ask if they ship worldwide if you are intersted! But I will probobly not go there this month so you'd have to be patient.

I actually read an article some years ago about some swedish designers doing fashion helmets. I'd love to see it-helmets!

M

 

[nobodyspecial]

I'm in the 'I wear a helmet all the time camp.' 25 years ago a car pulled out from a parked space and drove right into my back wheel. The only thought that went through my head at the time was "at least I have my helmet on" and then I hit the pavement. Only a few scrapes and a new rear wheel. I've had a couple of minor wipe outs since, but have never been hit again.

I wear my seat belt when I drive, I wear my life jacket when I canoe and I wear my helmet when I bike, looks be damned.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I kind of like the yakkay-model too. I'll defintely try it on next time in copenhagen and I can ask if they ship worldwide if you are intersted! But I will probobly not go there this month so you'd have to be patient.

I actually read an article some years ago about some swedish designers doing fashion helmets. I'd love to see it-helmets!

M

Thanks Mary, that would be great! I'm in no great hurry.

 

[Sefton]

When I look at the Yakkay helmet in black with the holes on top I can only think of a bowling ball...

Riding a heavy vintage balloon tire bike with no gears will help keep you safer when not wearing a modern helmet. Why? Because your not going to be going too fast and you'll be off of it pushing it up hills a lot!

Go vintage...take your time and enjoy the scenery (and maybe ride on the sidewalk,it's a cheaper ticket than for not having a helmet...unless you get two tickets,that is!)

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Sorry to be slightly off-topic, but . . .

It's odd that in this day and age much of the TDF is ridden sans helmet.

Actually, no. Even at the time of this accident, helmets were required throughout the race, but could be ditched for the sprint to the finish line of any stage that ended with a climb. See here.

The photo above is of an accident that happened on a climb within a couple kilometers of the finish line. If my memory serves me, this was the first of two falls Lance took - within moments of each other - and he still beat Jan Ullrich to the finish line to win the stage. That's Jan still upright behind the falling riders. Jan passed the two riders but, to his credit, held back in a great show of sportsmanship, to give Lance time to recover and catch up after his fall. That's Class!

Me? I wear a modern helmet when I ride. I've decided that I like my head just the way it is: I'm rather attached to it.


Lee

 

[J. M. Stovall]

When I look at the Yakkay helmet in black with the holes on top I can only think of a bowling ball...

Riding a heavy vintage balloon tire bike with no gears will help keep you safer when not wearing a modern helmet. Why? Because your not going to be going too fast and you'll be off of it pushing it up hills a lot!

Go vintage...take your time and enjoy the scenery (and maybe ride on the sidewalk,it's a cheaper ticket than for not having a helmet...unless you get two tickets,that is!)

That's fine by me, I like to keep my "bowling ball" in one piece thank you very much.

 

[Alon]

Sefton, as many of the experienced bike riders on this forum have emphasized, the problem is not what precautions you take to ensure your own safety, but how careful other drivers on the road are. And to add to that, even the most careful driver can get into an accident.

 

[Speedster]

I actually read an article some years ago about some swedish designers doing fashion helmets. I'd love to see it-helmets!

M

Mary, it could be this one: the Receptor made by POC Sweden, which won a Swedish Design Award 2008:

This is POC's own description of the helmet:

"Our new Receptor has been developed for multidisciplinary activities for people who are tired of storing different helmets about their home. The Receptor is designed for use on snow, on a bike, skateboard or in water and has been certified by the appropriate authorities for all three environments. The helmet uses padding inserts to keep you warm for winter sports, but these can be removed in summer to allow full ventilation. The trickiest challenge in developing the helmet was to meet the diverse certification requirements of the different sports, but by utilizing POC's patent-pending ballistic aramid penetration barrier and by merging the two technologies of in-mold helmets and traditional hard-shell helmets, using a unique double-shell system, we have succeeded. Another requirement is to ensure that when used in water the liner does not soak up liquid and become heavy and less effective. To overcome this, we use an expanded polypropylene able to withstand multiple impacts to guarantee that the helmet retains the same weight no matter where it is worn."

You can see more abou the helmet here: http://www.pocski.com/?m=6&c=1&p=W71022

And this is the reason behind the Design Award:

"Jury justification:
All technically perfect multipurpose helmet for all kind of extreme sports from snowboarding and mountain biking to rafting and kiteboarding. The form is well matched to the brand an indicates style, speed and function in harmonious self-assurance."

 

[Speedster]

YiiipeeeYAKKAY

I really want one of these Yakkay helmets. They don't seem to have any US dealers. I emailed them but have only gotten an automatic response so far. I looked at all the authorized dealers in Denmark but none of them offer their sites in English or seem to have online sales (that I can figure out anyway). Has anyone else had any success?

Just remember that it will be a rather expensive helmet. The price in Denmark is DKK 599.- (USD 130.-), and should you wish a cover then that is DKK 299.- (USD 65.-) on top. For comparison the Bell Faction helmet, which you should be able to get at your local cycleshop for around USD 35.-, is DKK 350.- (USD 75.-) here.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

The Bell Faction is what I have now, the Yakkay looks like a tighter fit and does has more of a retro style to it. I did use my little widget app the other day to covert the currency and know that it will cost me, and I'm ok with that price.

 

[Canadave]

...(and maybe ride on the sidewalk,it's a cheaper ticket than for not having a helmet...unless you get two tickets,that is!)

Bad idea! May be good for you, but not so good for pedestrians.

David

 

[Speedster]

The Bell Faction is what I have now, the Yakkay looks like a tighter fit and does has more of a retro style to it. I did use my little widget app the other day to covert the currency and know that it will cost me, and I'm ok with that price.

Ok. It was just so you wouldn't get a shock.

I just called Yakkay, and they informed me that they have no distributors outside Denmark yet. In fact they only opened up 3 weeks ago...! But the had made an arrangement with Heino Cykler www.heino-cykler.dk that they would sell outside Denmark and that they (Heino Cykler) would have an english translation for the Yakkay helmets. So you should be able to get them there.

If my memory serves me correct when a company sells outside the European Union then the VAT (25 pct) should be deducted. The helmet price of DKK 599.- is including Danish VAT, so the price should end on DKK 479.- + shipping.

Hope this helps.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Thanks Speedster, I'll go check it out!

 

[Sefton]

Bad idea! May be good for you, but not so good for pedestrians.

David

Interestingly it's either legal or tolerated in Japan. You do have to keep your eyes open though for some of the riders-not just the young ones too! I don't own a bicycle now. It's been about 15 years,although I'd love to have a vintage balloon tire bike someday. I don't know what I'll do about the helmet though. Vintage in 7 3/4 L.O.?

 

[DominusTecum]

As for the rest, I see the point everyone is making but I simply have a different philosophy. If we are meant to die, or become a vegetable, etc, it can happen even with a bicycle helmet on. The thing that bugs me is not those who want to wear helmets, but laws forcing us to do so.

I wholeheartedly concur, Indy. :eusa_clap
When I was a kid, we often rode bikes, and I never had any kind of serious accident. Nobody that I know did either. We rode on streets and sidewalks, and it was a small town. It's pretty safe to say that you'll eventually have some kind of spill, because a bicycle is inherently something of a balancing act. Nevertheless, if you're riding a vintage-type bike at vintage speed, it's probably not going to be too bad (scraped hands and knees or the like.) This probably goes a long way to demonstrate why safety helmets weren't invented or used much before the 60s. Back then, a bicycle was a leisurely conveyance without much in the way of gears, usually. Nowadays, it's thought of as a "healthy, green, speed machine." Obviously, if somebody is riding a mountain bike, or one of these titanium racing bikes, or whatever, then wearing a helmet only makes sense. (Though even then, I don't think it's the government's place to mandate it.) If you're smart, aware of where all the cars are around you (preferably not riding among them!) and not doing anything stupid, like taking your great dane for a run with his leash attached to your handlebars, then by all means, vintage helmets are a great solution. If I ever rode a bike again (I very well may, I'm not that old, but my current location is very bad for it, a hilly Missouri road with only 2 lanes, no shoulder, and drivers who go 75mph on it when it's limited to 55) I would probably go for something "vintage-equestrian," if I wore a helmet. They're designed for falls from greater than the height of a bicycle, and they're a heck of a lot classier than "aerodynamic" plastic and styrofoam!

 

[Fitzgerald]

Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please wear a helmet!!!!

Still recovering from a bike accident a month ago. Car clipped me from behind. Didn't even see a thing, hear a thing, don't remember it. Fell head first over handlebars, wasn't wearing a helmet. THANKS TO SOMETHING DIVINE, am ok apart from knee injury, just a little memory loss.

This is a rare case, most would result in Cerebral Haemorrhage. I may in fact have had a minor bleed.

Wear a cycle helmet, nothing else is a consideration. Not only that I scared my sister half to death when the Police called from the scene.

Don't play around on this subject.