The Best Bike Helmets for Urban Commuters in 2025
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We spent weeks testing helmets on London streets, talking to bike shops, and diving into safety data.
After all that? One type consistently solved the problems traditional helmets can't.
The Problem with Every Traditional Helmet
London has the highest helmet usage rate among major European capitals at 60.9%. Yet storage and convenience issues are consistently cited as the top reasons why the other 39% don't wear helmets.
You know the drill. Strap on your helmet, cycle to work, then spend the next eight hours figuring out where to put the thing.
Hang it on your desk chair and it's clumsy and takes up space.
Stuff it in a bag and your bag becomes twice the size and awkwardly shaped.
Leave it on your bike and you might not find it when you come back.
We tested the "best" traditional commuter helmets:
Giro Eclipse Spherical (£220-280) - Excellent ventilation, Spherical MIPS protection, comfortable for long rides. Takes up half your backpack.
Van Rysel RCR MIPS (£90-120) - Outstanding value, lightweight, MIPS safety system. Still a bulky nightmare on the tube.
Thousand Chapter (£145-175) - Stylish vintage look, clever pop-lock system. You're still carrying a full-size helmet everywhere.
All excellent helmets that meet rigorous safety standards. All impossible to deal with once you're off the bike.
Why Foldable Changes Everything
Research shows wearing a helmet reduces head injury risk by 48-60% and death risk by 34%. The problem? The safest helmet is the one you actually wear consistently.
The Newlane does something no traditional helmet can: it disappears when you don't need it.
Folds flat in 3 seconds. From full-size protection to something that fits in a laptop bag.
Meets EN 1078 safety standards. The European standard that ensures protection against cranial injury, with rigorous impact and retention testing.
Clean, minimal design. Looks professional at work, protective on the road.
Urban cycling is growing rapidly, but helmet consistency remains a challenge. Among younger cyclists (18-24), 75.7% report not wearing helmets regularly, often due to practical barriers rather than safety concerns.
Most urban cycling accidents happen at lower speeds than highway crashes, but head injuries remain the leading cause of serious outcomes. The solution isn't better traditional helmets - it's removing the barriers that prevent consistent use.
Ready to never worry about helmet storage again? Try the Newlane and see why foldable is taking over urban cycling.
