Park & Diamond Foldable Bike Helmet

With a lot of new helmet innovations coming out as national ridership continues to climb – from helmets with integrated lights to ones that are essentially an airbag for your head – the choices for head protection are expanding and some real gems are coming out of this headgear safety boom. Case in point, the Park & Diamond Foldable Bike Helmet.

Let’s just nip the safety red flag in the bud. When I first saw a picture of this helmet I was like “No. Way!” But then I read on: “ It will comply with the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Canadian cycling helmet CAN-CSA-D113.2-M and EU EN-1078 safety certification standards for the protection you need and a style you’ll love.” Park & Diamond also has more info about that on their campaign page so hop on over there for more info. So I’d say safety for a helmet for daily commuting sounds like a check in this box.

I think a huge crux of this backer campaign is that this helmet looks better that a traditional helmet. As an avid straw hat and ball cap wearer, I totally get it. The low profile of this helmet really appeals to me. Would I rather wear a ball cap instead of a foam helmet? If I’m being completely honest and letting my vanity shine through, sure. But the look of this helmet isn’t what draws me in the most.

Where I think this helmet excels quite like no other one before it is it’s portability. So many times I have been caught in the position of not having a helmet or having to strap two bulky helmets onto my backpack to use them when I got to my destination with my kiddo. Having a helmet I can roll up and always have in my backpack makes me feel like I would never be caught in the position of having to decide to ride without one. And if you have a kiddo, being caught in a position without a helmet doesn’t even allow for the option to still take the risk and ride since in most states, children legally have to be wearing a helmet when on a bike. It would be so nice to have a helmet my kiddo could always have in her backpack in case we stumble upon a bike share, she is at a friend’s house and wants to borrow a bike to go out riding together, she goes to another family member’s house and they want to ride, she’s at a friend’s house and the parent there has a cargo bike and wants to go riding with the kids. I can think of so many situations where having one of these foldable helmets would be a huge bonus in my kiddo’s life.

The Park & Diamond site says they will be coming out with various designs so I’m interested to see what those other styles are. I’d also be interested in hearing about fit tests they’ve done for folks with different hair types, like dreds or afros, since the options for a safe and comfortable helmet seems to really be lacking for those riders, both adult and kiddo.

For me personally, a helmet like this would likely not be my first option for head protection, mostly because of the retail price tag. But to ensure my kiddo is never caught without a helmet, I can totally see where the Park & Diamond helmet would fit the bill!

Side bar: This is not a sponsored post, just an honest take from an Xtracycle team member.