It happened again. I was flying south down the Hudson River Greenway when I spotted another cyclist pedaling north and noticed something seemed… different. What an interesting-looking helmet, I thought, I wonder who makes that? Only after I passed her and was out of shouting reach did it hit me. It was a perfectly normal helmet, except for the fact that she was wearing it… freakin’… backwards.
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I wish this was an isolated incident. But this exact scenario has played out before, a recurring nightmare that drives me insane. While that particular helmet fail is less common than a couple others, I have seen them all so many times it hurts. I’m always tempted to say something, but in this city, I figure the last thing a person on a pleasant afternoon ride wants is some bearded, tattooed asshole yelling (well-intentioned) advice at them.
And yet, I’ve come to realize my silence isn’t doing these people any favors, because even worse than making you look like a fool, wearing your helmet incorrectly pretty much defeats the purpose of having one at all.
“Helmets are tested assuming that all the recommendations for wearing one have been followed,” explains Gloria Hwang, CEO and founder of Thousand. “A helmet that does not fit properly or is worn incorrectly will affect the helmet’s safety and may not offer its full safety capacity in a fall or crash.”
Hwang should know. After losing a friend to a bike accident, she launched Thousand on Kickstarter in 2015 with the goal of helping to save a thousand lives with helmets that are as stylish as they are safe, and based on the proliferation of Thousands on the streets, she’s making headway.
But no matter what brand you choose, you’ve gotta wear that thing right. So what follows are a look at the biggest helmet issues I’ve encountered over a decade wheeling around the streets of New York, followed by some pro tips that’ll make your noggin safer than it’s ever been.
