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Austin Helmet Hair: Sexy AND Safe
Looks like there's another local bike blog/website about to join the ranks, though this one's a little different than the rest:
I know the people behind this and I expect great things from them in the very near future. For now though, all they've posted is the following raison d'être:
The idea behind our organization began after being witness to too many car-bicycle collisions, experiencing too many "close calls", and hearing an inordinate amount of absurd reasons for not wearing a helmet.
Around Austin, everyone's cute. So why do some of us think we can't look cute in a helmet? Is it because our boots will no longer match? Or will we get a headache from the helmet pressing against our pigtails? While both of those scenarios could potentially be the reason you give yourself to not wear a helmet, our guess is that some of our fears come from the word's well-known predecessor, "safety." Back when we were growing up, they weren't just called helmets but safety helmets, and safety helmets are associated with dorkiness. No one wants to be a dork.
Since then, we've all grown up, and rarely do we laugh and point fingers anymore.
With this campaign, we're trying to disassociate safety and dorkiness. We like to think of it as safety and sexiness. We want you to have fun riding (or skating) across town, and be safe doing it. We're not here to be intrusive or the parental figure that shakes a finger in your direction to tell you you're wrong, nor are we here to support helmet laws in Texas. It's completely a choice unique to each rider, and we just hope you choose to be safe. There is a reason your parents made you wear a helmet when you were younger, and I'm sure it was not to ruin your self-esteem!
From our first battles with the bike to now, some of us have acquired scrapes and scars to impress upon others as battle wounds with the cement. Frightfully so, even more of us have been involved in life-threatening situations or know someone who has been seriously injured in an accident while not wearing a helmet. In Austin, and cities all over the nation, more and more people are turning to bicycles for various purposes. Whether it be commuting to work, riding to get a cup of coffee, taking your dog on a run, or just to get out of the house, we hope that you choose to be safe.
Pull out that sexy helmet and go for a ride!!
With all the arguments for or against helmets that always swarm around crashes, ticketings and other bike incidents, we've been needing a pro-helmet organization that can explain all the good reasons for wearing a helmet without sounding like a bunch of uptight bicycle safety nazis wanting to dictate what we wear on our heads every time we apply feet to pedals. So far this sounds good to me y'all!
"There is a reason your parents made you wear a helmet when you were younger, and I'm sure it was not to ruin your self-esteem!"
I guess my parents didn't love me :(
There was just never any concern about helmets when I was a kid, but then again that was in the 80s when playgrounds were still fun and didn't have to be completely wrapped in nerf-foam.
There is nothing wrong with helmets, just don't lobby for laws that mandate me to wear one every single time I hop on my bicycle.
You're missing the point of what they are trying to do...
"We're not here to be intrusive or the parental figure that shakes a finger in your direction to tell you you're wrong, nor are we here to support helmet laws in Texas. It's completely a choice unique to each rider, and we just hope you choose to be safe. "
~oneLescar
~people always talk about my drinking, but never my thirst
But I went to the site and saw the link for 'merch' and assumed they'll soon be selling helmets.
When I'm out on the road, there's just no end to the stupid and unsafe cycling behavior that I witness. I'd love to see equal attention being paid to the use of such equipment as front/rear lights, bells, brakes as well as the proper way to navigate intersections, when to yeild to traffic or how to choose the safest routes to ride.
To me advocating helmets as the be-all end-all piece of equipment seems short-sighted when it comes to the issue of rider safety.
Kelso-
I agree that not every accident nor can every injury be avoided by wearing a helmet. That's not the point the organization is trying to make. All we're saying is that the injuries could potentially be less harmful or less threatening when wearing a helmet. What scares us is this negative image created around wearing a helmet. Girls (and guys alike) think they might look dorky in a helmet and excuse the benefits of wearing one by creating a scenario that their friends will make fun of them for it. The truth is, no one is going to laugh at you or bully you for wearing a helmet. Like the website says, "With this campaign, we're trying to disassociate safety and dorkiness." Yes, there are more issues with cyclists and their sometimes unthoughtful behavior that need to be dealt with, but this is just one organization trying to tackle one problem. It was not created (nor portrayed on the website) to be the be all, end all to cycling problems.
everyone-
Merch section... so far we have been very lucky to have a special person to handle all of the finances. But, being the independent women we are, yes we are going to start producing merchandise to support our efforts so we can keep this going. This is not money that will go in our pockets. As for selling Helmets, maybe in the future. I'm not going to throw anything off of the table before considering every aspect of it. I can assure you that if we do ever choose to sell helmets, they will be insanely discounted - I think we have something a little more intriguing up our sleeves.
It sounds like some of you skipped over this part, so let me refresh. "We're not here to be intrusive or the parental figure that shakes a finger in your direction to tell you you're wrong, nor are we here to support helmet laws in Texas. It's completely a choice unique to each rider, and we just hope you choose to be safe."
Ride Safe,
Jenn
but I don't think they will be selling helmets. Like Doug said, it will probably be t-shirts,stickers, etc...
I again agree with Doug on the light thing. I have several that I keep in my bag (cheap knock of frog lights, front and back) just in case I see someone riding without lights and I happen to pass them by or if a friend needs one. Lights to me, are just as important when riding a bike, but you only need them at night, where as a helmet (if you choose to wear) is a constant thing.
I dunno, I am not behind this idea and concept. I think they may have something in the works though of when a cyclist is injured and goes to the hospital, regardless of their injuries, they leave with a helmet, even if they didn't come in with one. That to me is an awesome plan, but I could be talking out of my ass. I might have been drunk and imagined someone saying that.
~oneLescar
~ people always talk about my drinking, but never my thirst
I'll bet they sell T-shirts and bumper stickers. Possibly jerseys, though that doesn't sound like a good match for the sort of people who would buy their stuff.
Selling actual helmets seems less likely -- not really any money in that, since they aren't going to design their own, and whatever helmet they would sell you could get somewhere else for less.
I'm with you on the lights and brakes, however, and for your disdain for the idea that `helmets = safety'.
Right now we're talking about stickers, maybe some t-shirts, buttons and maybe some iconic posters. There has been some talk of cross stitch patterns and etsy type stuff as well. We definitely wouldn't be selling helmets - don't want to take business away from any of the LBS's in town. There is an idea in the works for having free or low cost helmets available for those who get into bicycle accidents in the ER area of hospitals, but the details haven't been worked out yet. I'm all for this one, since helmets don't survive more than one crash, and if you crashed and hurt your face or head, you might be interested in at least having a helmet around. I'm definitely not for any mandatory laws though - anything that discourages cycling like that is bad and inflexible. We're just trying to joke around about something regarded as dorky. I think the hope is, if you look at the facts and decide a helmet is or isn't for you, then cool. We just don't want it to be an entirely image based choice, which it is for some people.
That just about sums it up.
Hells yeah!
Jenn