Ah, the Great Helmet Debate, cause of enough beard-tangling Internet arguments to make even a fanatical political talking point debater blush. Should you wear a helmet? (Yes.) Should it be illegal not to? (No.) Why can’t there be a helmet that protects our heads without making our hair look like crap? (Shave your head.)
The ideal situation would be a helmet that protects your cantaloupe but is also easy to deal with when you aren’t on the bike. That’s the idea behind the Morpher, a helmet that folds flat so you can stick it into your sweet messenger bag easily.
Here’s Strategic Sports, makers of the Morpher, talking about their motivation:
More than a hundred cities now have cycle rental schemes which are proving to be hugely popular. But very few of us non bike owners are wearing helmets. According to research, the main reason is that they are simply too cumbersome to carry around all day, especially if you may only be taking a ten minute bike ride.
I put my helmet on if I even go near my bike, and I’ve certainly known the aggravation that is dealing with a clunky helmet all day after commuting to work. But another great application might be going on vacation. A foldable helmet would take up a lot less space.
The Morpher isn’t for sale yet, so we don’t have an MSRP or a weight, but given the folding properties I think we can count on weight not being its focus. Still, if you’ve ever been annoyed at having to pack socks and underwear inside your helmet inside a suitcase, or if you ride as a means of transportation, it’s a pretty neat idea.
Check out more about the Morpher at their site here.
