The Importance of a Bicycle Helmet

There are many ongoing debates surrounding bicycles and one that continually gets brought up is the effectiveness or necessity of wearing a helmet.

Here's one in favor of the headgear: in the event of a collision, it will take the crack so your head doesn't have to.

Our sales associate Jakub was riding into work this morning down 1st St. when he rode over a small scrap of wood. It seemed unassuming enough, but the scrap kicked up between his front spokes, locked up against the fork, and stopped his bike in its place, sending Jakub over the bars.

The front of his Giro helmet took the brunt of the collision with the pavement, and Jakub credits the helmet as possibly saving his life. Even with road rash on the nose, chin, arms and legs, and a bent fork and spoke, Jakub continued his commute into work (all teeth intact too!). He'll need a new helmet and fork, but feels lucky knowing it could have been much worse.

Nevermind a few drips of blood from the continued ride on

Nevermind a few drips of blood from the continued ride on

It's an unfortunate reality of cycling, but accidents and crashes happen, and when riding anywhere, it's always best to equip yourself with the proper safety equipment, none more important than a helmet.

You may do the same route hundreds of times on your bike without an accident, but wearing a helmet keeps you safe for that one unfortunate moment.

We Need Help With Our Helmet Hair. Please.

We at Ben's Cycle/ Milwaukee Bicycle Company are all about looking good.

I mean, look at us...

And we are all about riding our bikes. And sometimes when we ride to a destination - like a date or meeting - we still want to look good. That includes our hair.

Yes, our hair.

We fully admit to vanity, and we - at least those of us who still have hair - treasure its luster, shape, and style. 

At the same time, we always wear our bike helmets for safety. We want to ride safely, but we each have our particular hair challenges.

Maybe one of us has hair like Bon Jovi in the 80s...














Maybe one of us has hair like Troy's....

It's possible one of us is still living with a mullet...

One of us tries to be hip...

And one of us has just given up trying to do anything with his hair...

In all seriousness, we have a problem to solve: How can we wear a helmet, ride to a destination, and still have awesome hair when we arrive? 

Do we add product after the ride?

Do we bring a portable hair dryer? 

We at Ben's are all about solving the impediments people face in riding their bikes more. While most businesses will never have the kinds of awesome hair we have at the shop, most non-bald people are deeply concerned about this. Some people we know DON'T RIDE just because of their hair. 

That's not okay. 

So we are brave enough to admit it. We're opening up a discussion on hair and bike helmets. How can we maintain our awesome hair and still be safe by wearing a helmet? 

Help us, Internet Answers? Solutions?

Bike Safety Awareness Week in Milwaukee

Bike Safety Awareness Week in Milwaukee is the first week of June. Ben's wants all cyclists to be safe, so we're offering 20 percent off lights and helmets between June 1 and June 7 at the store. Mention "bike safety" at the counter for your discount!