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Comments
I always wondered why
By ShadyMilkMan
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 10:06am
I always wondered why someone didnt make more stylish looking helmets for the poor guy in a business suit who uses a scooter or bike. Same goes for gals, Ive even seen some girls riding in actual dresses (that must take talent not to get that caught in the spokes!) They all have the same big shiney fake metallic helmets. Im not sure what the new stylish helmets would look like, but surely there must be designers out there capable of making it work right?
Wonder no more
By Gareth
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 10:48am
Check out Yakkay. I think that's as non-helmety as a helmet gets.
Not to turn it into (another) bike-geek thread...
By BrightonBilly
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:53am
...but these helmets raise a big red flag, and not just because of what looks like a complete lack of ventilation: Back in the day (ca. 1990 or so) many bike helmets had fabric covers, but you don't see these any more because of evidence-- anecdotal, but I believe later confirmed by testing-- that the fabric could, in some cases, cause the helmet to momentarily stick to the pavement in crashes and wrench the wearer's neck, leading to spinal injuries. While I'm sure this helmet is better for you than not wearing a helmet at all, I've had enough concussions to _not_ do things halfway when it comes to keeping what brains I still have intact, even if it's just so that I can kill them with beer.
Hats
By liveinvt
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 12:38pm
Yeah that and... who wants to pay 80 pounds for something you have to replace in event of an accident? Shipped from europe?
And even if it were in the states, it'd be a fashionable expense 4-10 times as costly as other helmets. I can get a decent looking skater helmet on ccs.com for $30. This euro stuff doesn't add much value from that. If I want to wear a hat instead, I'll just wear a hat.
I like the helmets, but they
By ShadyMilkMan
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 1:19pm
I like the helmets, but they dont look very substantial...
Niche Market
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 1:27pm
I think they are cute, too, and if they get more people wearing helmets so much the better.
That said, I think they are good for people who use the scooters like the guy in the photo or do otherwise non-sweaty urban wheelsports things. If you are biking a mile at a time or less, they would work well. If you bike 5 miles, they lack the ventilation for comfort.
I think thats a good point.
By ShadyMilkMan
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 1:37pm
I think thats a good point. Id think alot of scooter people like that dont wear helmets because they dont look cool. I could see these helmets helping that segment. Although I dont think Id wear it at any speeds higher than a quick walk.
They're plenty "substantial"
By Brett
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 2:08pm
Look at the helmet manufacturer's website to see the helmet used under the *coverings* shown on the page linked to. It's the same shape as the ones that look like hockey helmets around here.
Given that mine is "just" a piece of high-density foam with a printed plastic decal, I don't understand the objections.
I'm interested, because in the wintertime, I don't WANT the "ventilation"...
Try a snowboarding helmet
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 2:11pm
My kids insist on using theirs for cold-weather cycling. They have no vents and are lined with fleece and have nice little ear flaps.
Put on a hat
By liveinvt
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 2:51pm
Or you can wear a hat under the helmet...
Sounds like pretty cool
By ShadyMilkMan
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:45pm
Sounds like pretty cool helmets. Do they look like the old school mens hats with the flaps that come down on the side? Ive always kinda liked that look.
Knowing the E Line...
By DVDWow
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 10:30am
Knowing the E Line... he'll probably be waiting for a while.
Why is this in B&W?
By DarkSun
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:28am
...and how come the sign still says "Arborway" as the destination for the E line? I thought those overhead signs were updated to read "Heath St." long ago...
Nope
By DVDWow
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:35am
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2867207680_6c7...
Yep, my bad...
By DarkSun
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:15pm
...was just in Park Street Station, and took a look for myself. Signs still read Arborway - although at least Heath Street is also printed (although in smaller font) on the same overhead sign.
Just like the maps on the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing
By adamg
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:19pm
The ones that still show the E line going all the way to Forest Hills ...
Or the maps at Davis Square, or Chinatown/Essex...
By DarkSun
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:56pm
...I could go on...
ShoesX
By liveinvt
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:24pm
I just saw a guy looking up at the GreenE signs after reading this, so I tied his shoes together. That was you right??
ROFL
By DarkSun
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 3:58pm
No, sorry, I was actually in Park Street Station like half an hour before I made that post. Poor schmuck though, why'd ya tie his shoelaces together? D'ya really hate me that much? :(
Why?
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 4:16pm
Well, you just have to accept certain things when you use public transportation!
I was there...
By Kaz
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 4:11pm
It was a warm October day. The kind of Monday that keeps you from hating the beginning of the work week. October 27, 2008...around 3:15 pm in the gorgeous afternoon.
I had just settled into a little coffee break and Universal Hub reading when I saw it happen. DarkSun saw a nick in the perfection of the MBTA. It was all it took. It all started to unravel for him: the insecure CharlieCards, dirty platforms and trains, schedules completely ignored, neighborhoods devoid of access to rapid transit, perpetual "switching" delays! The list kept growing for him!
All because the E branch signs still said "Arborway" instead of "Heath Street"...it was the end of innocence, the end of adoration, the end of an era of adulation towards the MBTA in his mind.
But this time, he was going to make sure no one else was ever betrayed of their happy innocence ever again. Emperor Dan Grabauskas had no clothes and it was time someone made it known! It would start with a simple route sign, but the implications would be larger than even Charlie on the MTA would be able to smile away with a wink and a quick step!
He knew one thing for certain now: the sun had set on such innocence and idolatry of the MBTA...a very DarkSun.
Wow, that's amazing Kaz...
By DarkSun
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 4:38pm
...that's really a first-rate piece of writing!
Unfortunately, it's irreversibly marred by one glaring untruth: I've always been aware that the MBTA is far from perfect. Did I not make a post a few days ago about a lengthy delay on the Red Line due to a switching problem? Did I not post a comment recently about having experienced firsthand many of the ills associated with the T?
It's just that for me, the good has always vastly outweighed the bad, and this is still true in my opinion today.
Who knew?
By Kaz
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 4:47pm
Ralph Waldo Emerson died about 10 years before the first subway sections were opened on the Green Line. However, it is claimed that he once said:
;)