One of our ongoing challenges at the Renaissance Youth Bike Shop is getting kids to wear helmets. All participants in our programs are required to wear helmets, but influencing the youth culture is difficult, where helmets are considered even by most adults in our community, non-essential and un-cool. Our idea is to work with a local graffiti artist to create our own line of designer helmets. We would sell these helmets as a fundraiser, both in our shop and at our local bike shop. Has anyone any experience with customizing helmets or bikes? I am thinking the BMX style helmets would work best as a surface area to paint. Pictures to come.
Also, see a pic of our recent mural installed at the shop, painted by students and their art teacher at nearby middle school.
If helmets were "cooler" I have to believe more people would where them. That in mind, at Interbike this year I was really impressed by Lazer Helmets' Urbanize: http://www.lazer.be/detail_2.asp?casque_id=230&langue=EN
Not only is there the option of embedded lights, but it would be a great canvas and texture for paint.
On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 9:08 AM, adam schwartz adamgschwartz@gmail.comwrote:
One of our ongoing challenges at the Renaissance Youth Bike Shop is getting kids to wear helmets. All participants in our programs are required to wear helmets, but influencing the youth culture is difficult, where helmets are considered even by most adults in our community, non-essential and un-cool. Our idea is to work with a local graffiti artist to create our own line of designer helmets. We would sell these helmets as a fundraiser, both in our shop and at our local bike shop. Has anyone any experience with customizing helmets or bikes? I am thinking the BMX style helmets would work best as a surface area to paint. Pictures to come.
Also, see a pic of our recent mural installed at the shop, painted by students and their art teacher at nearby middle school.
-- Adam Schwartz Program Coordinator, The Renaissance Youth Bike Shop Center For Educational Partnership 6200 Sheridan Street, Riverdale, MD adamgs@umd.edu (301) 405-3213
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Adam,
Great idea (and great mural too!) and one that has already been acted on by a couple companies that you might look at for inspiration:
http://www.nutcasehelmets.com/Pages/index.aspx
Nutcase is available in the USA; Yakkay isn't from what they told me a month or 2 ago. Anyway, their design concepts are very interesting and might just be the ticket to get the younger gen wearing helmets.
Tim
Tim Potter Coordinator MSU Bikes Service Center B10 Bessey Hall/ Michigan St. University Along the N. River Trail, 300 ft. west of Farm Ln. Bridge E. Lansing, MI 48824-1033
Ph: 517/432-3400 Fax: 517/432-2743 Email: mailto:bikes@msu.edu bikes@msu.edu Web: file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\tbpotter\Application%20Data\Microsoft \Signatures\www.bikes.msu.edu www.bikes.msu.edu Home Dept: file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\tbpotter\Application%20Data\Microsoft \Signatures\www.transportation.pp.msu.edu www.transportation.pp.msu.edu
"Most of American life is driving somewhere and then driving back wondering why the hell you went."
From Rabbit at Rest by John Updike
From: thethinktank-bounces@bikecollectives.org [mailto:thethinktank-bounces@bikecollectives.org] On Behalf Of adam schwartz Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 11:09 AM To: The Think Tank Subject: [TheThinkTank] designer bike helmets
One of our ongoing challenges at the Renaissance Youth Bike Shop is getting kids to wear helmets. All participants in our programs are required to wear helmets, but influencing the youth culture is difficult, where helmets are considered even by most adults in our community, non-essential and un-cool. Our idea is to work with a local graffiti artist to create our own line of designer helmets. We would sell these helmets as a fundraiser, both in our shop and at our local bike shop. Has anyone any experience with customizing helmets or bikes? I am thinking the BMX style helmets would work best as a surface area to paint. Pictures to come.
Also, see a pic of our recent mural installed at the shop, painted by students and their art teacher at nearby middle school.
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