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While doing my best to avoid work :rolleyes:, I stumbled upon a most excellent webpage that chronicles the developments and innovations in bicycling helmets over the years. It has pictures of the early helmets (hairnets), as well as the early Giro helmet from the eighties.
Worth a look -- especially if you're avoiding work!
http://www.helmets.org/history.htm
That "hairnet" style looks like a bunch of belts glued together:D
I started wearing a helmet when the first Bell came out. (and I remember the Skid Lid, but I couldn't afford it. It was pretty sexy at the time, though.) Looking at those pictures was a walk down memory lane!
It's amazing that the shape of the Lil Bell Shell hasn't really changed in all those years. We have one on the sales floor that is shaped just like the original.:)
My original Bell was like that too, knot. I HATED the fasteners.
thanks for sharing this link, Melissa!
Very interesting link. Fascinating to read how helmets have evolved. Most nowadays have interesting colours too, especially the kids ones.
I had that white ventilated Bell with the rigid shell around 1984. It was my first helmet (I felt I needed it riding in Boston traffic).
I bought the black Bell V1 Pro helmet when I bought my road bike back in '84. It was as hot and heavy and dorky as it looks in the pics on the site. But I wanted to protect my noggin, so I wore the helmet.
When the Giros first came out in '87 or '88, we all drooled over them. Wow, so light! Cool looking (as in non-dorky and not as hot.) Unfortunately, they were too rich for my blood, so I kept using the Bell V1 Pro.
When I trained for my first century in '94, I treated myself to a Giro that was on sale -- I forget which model, but it had the plastic shell. It was so much lighter than the V1 Pro -- much, much more comfortable and fit better too. Made it much easier to want to wear a helmet rather than grudgingly putting it on before each ride.
My first helmet was a lot like that Bailen. I felt like a crash test dummy in that thing.
I had one of those late '80s "Jammer" hard-shell helmets as a kid. Much heavier and less ventilated than helmets are now. I think it's still in the shed somewhere at my parents' house!