The Rattlebone Sidehack

There are arguments for and against wearing a cycling helmet, but personally if my head hits the floor I’d rather be wearing one than not. However the issue for an urban cyclist is finding something that looks OK. Even if you’re not particularly fashion conscious, a streamlined, brightly coloured, hat perched on your cranium, only really suits if you’re wearing Lycra and cleats; when you cycle at a sedate pace with your briefcase on a rack and your trouser in your sock, it just looks odd.

Thankfully there is now a broad range of urban designs aimed at people who use their bike for transport instead of fitness. My latest purchase is the “Giro Feature”. It comes in a range of sizes which gets away from the idea of having one helmet which you have to pad out to fit your head. The result is a more close fitting design that looks the right size for your head and less like an ill-fitting saucepan. Internally there are no foam pads to delaminate, instead properly shaped quilted parts cushion your head and an easily adjustable grip band helps it stay in place.

Externally it is rounded at the back to more closely fit the contour of your head helping it look more like a cap than a helmet. The front has an adjustable peak and the whole thing weighs in at only 300g. All it all it’s a nice hat for the price – I like it. Available in a range of colours, try one on for yourself and check in the mirror.

Giro Feature