Ditch your bulky commuter bike helmet and ride smarter with the foldable Lid

Cycling without a helmet isn’t advisable for obvious reasons. Then again, having to carry around a bulky bike helmet with you all day can make it a tempting option for commuters. That’s where a smart new helmet, currently raising funds on Indiegogo, comes into play. Called Lid, the helmet is able to fold up when you’re not using it — courtesy of a neat design boasting separate movable parts, a bit like sliding tectonic plates, and some well-placed magnets. The result is a helmet that will comfortably fit into a bag when it is not being used to safeguard our noggins.

“Our research told us that ‘helmet hassle’ is the No. 1 reason why cyclists opt not to wear a helmet, and also that safety concerns prevent many commuters from cycling altogether,” creator Sam Terry told Digital Trends. “We went about changing this and developed an eco-friendly helmet which would bring ‘safety with convenience’, by folding to a size and shape which would slip easily into a backpack, satchel, or handbag. We’ve designed Lid with clean lines and an urban profile, so we think it also looks great too.”

In terms of protection, Terry said the helmet has been extensively impact-tested and has passed the necessary standards. Each of the helmet’s five segments boasts its own impact absorption capability, so there’s no compromise in terms of safety versus a traditional, single-piece helmet.

“In 2011, I began commuting to work in London by bike,” Terry continued, explaining the project’s origins. “At first, cycling in London was pretty intimidating to me. London’s bike-share scheme had recently been launched, and I could see the potential for cycling, but it shocked me at how few of the users were wearing helmets. I saw a guy take a hard fall from one of the bikes and crack his head, which got me thinking. I knew that the short journey times on the bikes of 20 minutes meant that users weren’t willing to carry around a helmet with them all day. That’s where the idea for a helmet that could compact to fit into a bag, but also look great too, came from.”

Clearly, there is a demand for the project, since it raised 50 percent of its funding target in just two hours on Indiegogo. If you want to get your hands (and, eventually, your head) on a unit, you can pre-order one now. Prices start at $70, with shipping set for May.