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TECH NEWS

Brooks unveil two special edition Carrera folding helmets

Two special edition helmets named after company founder John Boultbeee Brooks now available

Leather saddle manufacturer Brooks have launched the J.B. Special and J.B. Classic Carrera Foldable Helmet. The Carrera folding helmet - which we’ve reviewed previously - is named after Brooks founder John Boultbeee Brooks with two designs inspired by the leather ‘hairnet’ helmets that were popular with professional racing cyclists during the 1970s. Only these provide a bit more actual safety. 

Leather “hairnet” helmets were simple strips of padding covered with leather forming a ring around the head with several strips over the top. They offered minimal protection, and quickly faded into the history books as modern helmet technology gathered pace.

The Carrera Foldable Helmet uses a plastic coated EPS foam construction joined by nylon bands, with a flexible frame and elastic fitting system. The safety credentials of the helmet come via the EN 1078 standard. Folded away the Carrera reduces volume by 25%, so it’ll take up less space in your luggage if you’re travelling by other means of transport, say on the train.

The Carrera helmet is available in two versions, the J.B. Classic and J.B. Special editions, with what Brooks describes as a “range of tasteful waterproof textiles in exclusive colours and fabrics.” When closed the helmet is fastened with a Brooks leather strap. Bicycle helmets don’t come much more stylish than this.

The helmet will cost from €150 - we’re waiting for a UK price at the moment. There will be two sizes, medium and large, and it weighs a claimed 330g.  It’s available now from www.brooksengland.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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10 comments

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PonteD | 9 years ago
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Or you could just get the carerra branded one for £40. Seriously! £110 just to have a brooks label.

I have an original carerra one BTW, the folding thing is a waste of time, but I prefer it to a normal helmet as it looks less like a mushroom than usual helmets. One complaint though is the lack of a bit across your forehead, so if you sweat or it rains it all just runs down your face, wheras most other helmets limit his as they have a piece that goes right across your brow, so at least most of the water gets diverted to the sides. Consequently most of the time I have to wear a cap with this helmet.

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Shades | 9 years ago
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Another one to add to that slightly puzzling group called 'The Urban Helmet'...  39

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HalfWheeler | 9 years ago
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Would go well with a nice flannel shirt and some tweed plus fours. You would be the envy of the chaingang...

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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There's something sci-fi about the design but I can't put my finger on it. I thought it was Anakin Skywalkers pod-racing helmet, but that's not it. Anyone?

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HalfWheeler replied to notfastenough | 9 years ago
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notfastenough wrote:

There's something sci-fi about the design but I can't put my finger on it. I thought it was Anakin Skywalkers pod-racing helmet, but that's not it. Anyone?

Return of the Jedi. Forest moon of Endor.

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antonio | 9 years ago
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So, if it didn't fold it would be cheaper?

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RobD | 9 years ago
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As much as I'm not a fan of criticising a product without having tried it, it does seem like a lot of money for something that doesn't actually fold up that much smaller. If it halved in sized then maybe it'd be useful, but a little bit slimmer (to fit in your trendy brooks backpack maybe) doesn't seem like much of a revelation.

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Wow.
In the folded state it's so small it almost disappears!

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Bez | 9 years ago
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I looks like it ends up about 2-3" narrower than a bog standard helmet. Is there much point?

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gthornton101 replied to Bez | 9 years ago
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Agree! Really what is the point in reducing the overall width by a couple of inches? That doesn't make it any easier to carry or store than normal "full width" helmet.

Calling it a "folding" helmet is quite a generous term...

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