I had been looking for a replacement helmet for a while since one of my older helmets was cracked in an incident last December. I’ve also had a helmet damaged by having it packed in a suitcase with a folding bike. The other motivation that I had was I was looking for a helmet that was lower profile so that I could fit more comfortably within the shell of a streamliner.
When I was in Calgary visiting Bikebike, I saw a Carrera folding helmet. I had known about these for a while, but I didn’t realize that they had been certified for sale in North America.
This particular one was dressed up with a bit of tartan. They had other ones with tweed, but I elected to get a plain black one.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that I got one of the Brooks editions, which accounts for the little patch of leather on the strap. I think this makes it a little heavier than the Carrera version, and it was also more expensive, although I got it on sale.
This sticker shows that it passed tech at Battle Mountain.
For road use, I’ve added a strip of Velcro to mount my helmet mirror. The mirror mounting angle isn’t ideal because of the design of the helmet, but it is workable.
Overall, I’ve been very pleased. First off, this has been the best fitting helmet that I’ve ever worn, although fit is of course very individual. For me, it provides a combination of snug fit and comfort that is difficult to describe. YMMV.
Secondly, although I initially dismissed the folding as a bit of a gimmick, in actual fact, it has made a difference as it is easy for me to stash the helmet in a backpack for road trips.
The number one question that I get about the helmet is how it can protect me if it has not sideways crush protection. The main function of a helmet is to protect against impact, and I would submit that if you needed the sideways crush protection of a helmet, any foam bike helmet is not going to make the difference in that situation.
I’ve leave it to you to decide if the helmet looks good. It has a bit of a retro feel to it, which was good for the Growling Beaver, but I would maintain that no bike helmet is going to make me look good (although that is probably just me.)
Downsides: one the aforementioned awkward mounting of a helmet mirror. The second downside is that you can’t put a visor on it.
One final note: since it provides very good ventilation, with the approach of colder and darker commutes, I’ve switched back this week to my trusty Torch T1. Here I am at the beginning of my ride home yesterday.
and this is how dark it is about half an hour later.
Late post, but I just came over from your review of the folding helmet.
I tried to follow your original link, but noticed it no longer works. There is now a T2 version:
http://torchapparel.com/collections/t2-bike-helmet
Can’t tell if they addressed your strap issue, but they sure increased the run-time. Thoughts?
Ty
I don’t know much about the new version other than the increase in runtime, as well as the fact that it comes in many more colour choices. Also, it only comes in one size, although that is not such a big issue.