The Ventete aH-1 Cycle Helmet, awarded the prestigious Luminary Winner title at this year’s Red Dot Award: Design Concept, is an innovative take on personal safety for urban cyclists. At a time when cities are embracing cycling as a sustainable and efficient mode of transport, the aH-1 helmet emerge...
The Ventete aH-1 Cycle Helmet, awarded the prestigious Luminary Winner title at this year’s Red Dot Award: Design Concept, is an innovative take on personal safety for urban cyclists. At a time when cities are embracing cycling as a sustainable and efficient mode of transport, the aH-1 helmet emerges as a design-forward solution, combining portability,
I have a closca loop helmet, which is also collapsible (not inflatable) and fits nicely in a backpack.
I presume it's not as light as an inflatable helmet, but it feels like a normal helmet, costs like a normal helmet, and I don't need a pump to use it.
I don't know if there are any other brands that make this but I'm super pleased with the concept. It lets me have a helmet in my backpack in situations where I wouldn't be carrying a helmet otherwise, for using with scooters and the like.
It probably works better than dashing your brains out across three metres of pavement, which is the apparent game plan of most of the people I see on scooters and bikes around town
This compact form allows the helmet to fit easily into a bag or even a large pocket, addressing a key pain point for cyclists who often struggle with where to store their helmets off the bike.
Is this really a key pain point?
Recent research looking into why cyclists don't wear helmets said that, "...with the most common being that they did not own a helmet, that it was inconvenient, or that it was uncomfortable." (Source)
But with this inflatable helmet, "When it’s time to ride, a small USB-C pump inflates the helmet in under 30 seconds, providing a quick and convenient transition from portability to protection."
Pulling out an electric pump (which are NOT quite) and inflating your helmet for 30 seconds is not convenient and would pretty much be the cause for not wearing it. Oh, and don't forget to charge that pump, or your helmet won't work!
That, along with how expensive this will be, it's basically complicating something that isn't complicated.
This might solve a problem for a wealthy, regular cyclist who is a tech nerd and already wears a helmet. But even that would require that they are ok with new inconveniences.