Afterthought on Helmets

Cool is the go in Perth, as far as helmets go at least. Something i noticed in SF, is the number of riders who have brightly colored helmets. I've seen solid yellow, white, neon orange, red, and one bright green one.

I've not seen anyone in Perth with a solid, bright hat in Perth, save the police and one lone biker who has a red one.

They come across as dorky, especially if you, like me, come from where it's all about style and cool and all the rest of it - jagged razor helmet designs, sleek black, and nothing that really stands out extra in traffic.

Experts will say that having a solid, brightly colored hat makes you more visible to other traffic. And having seen it for myself, it's true. You could pick out a bright helmet miles away, which you probably couldn't otherwise, even if it was one with a design including a bright color.

I thought about getting a yellow helmet to match my bike when i first got it. In the beginning especially, i would definitely have gone the dorky way because i needed to be seen - i didn't honestly think i'd last the ride from the dealership to work (all of 1 km) upright.

But they didn't have yellow. White was the only screaming bright color they had, and no, i didn't really want that. So of course, i ended up with a solid black helmet. As you do.