A long time ago, I saw this fascinating product online, but it was too odd to order speculatively, and I mentally filed it away as just another interesting idea. It’s a sun (or rain) brim for a bike helmet.
We saw the tan one, above, and the blue one, below, along with several others, at the BNC events in Washington, DC, this summer. In person reviews from the owners were overwhelmingly positive, so I ordered one. Dr. Diarist’s helmet doesn’t have a visor, and we thought this might work for him.
He hasn’t been riding much lately, so I gave it a whirl. He’ll never get his hands on it again! I love this thing: I worried that it would act like a sail, but it stays in place perfectly, and, apart from allowing me to minimize my use of suncreen — sunscreen that, ironically, was destroying the skin on my face — it shades so well that I actually feel a bit cooler when riding.
Ours is high vis, of course, so it’s not nearly as unobtrusive as the more stylish models we saw in DC. (The tan one looked, in person, a lot like a pith helmet!) The brim/helmet combination is pretty big — between the screaming color and the size of it all, I expected to get a lot of flack for what I assumed would look like nerdiness taken to an absurd degree.
That’s not what’s happened: People are stopping me to tell me how fantastic my brimmed helmet is. The brimmed helmet that’s almost bigger than my bicycle.
Anybody who rides a Brompton will tell you that it’s important to figure that, on any given trip, you’ll spend at least a few minutes discussing your brilliant small bicycle with interested passersby. It happens all the time. Basil’s used to this; we even have a demo routine for the very curious.
Nobody — I repeat, not a soul — has asked Question One about Basil since I started wearing this brim. He’s surprised, I think, but fortunately he’s quite secure enough that the interest of others is not a sustaining pillar of his existence.
(But really, a hat?!?)
It’s a Da Brim Sporty Cycling Helmet Visor. (If you want more coverage, the Classic is even larger!) Pricey, but very well-thought-out, engineered so that it really works, and the company (in California, products made in USA) shipped very quickly, too. This one’s for use with cycling helmets; equestrian versions are available, as well as several other styles, some of which offer just a visor in front.
11 replies on “Basil, Upstaged”
Those look great! I would feel right at home with the brims. I do wear a black western hat more than I should here in Texas where I live.
Now my wife would not like these brimmed helmets. She rolls her eyes when I mow the lawn in a Kilt.
It gets hot here from time to time and I do think the brimmed helmets would fit in.
I’m very happy I found your blog : ) I ordered a Bromton almost 2 weeks ago.
I wish I would not think about it so much : ) It’s wearing me out.
Scott
Congratulations on your impending Brompton, Scott! The waiting is awful, but will be well-worth it, and quickly forgotten, once your B is in hand. If you have the panache to carry off mowing the lawn in a kilt, you definately can carry off a Da Brim. Let the spouses roll their eyes; that’s what I say!
PS — Dr. Diarist has wanted a Utilikilt forever . . .
Great find, Brommie! The color match with your helmet is perfect.
Scott, I’m excited for you. What model/color? When will you get it? And do you plan to ride in a kilt? (It sounds like a practical garment for late summer in Texas.)
sort of a Seattle sombrero on the go
Oh, I like that, Saul!
Yes indeed My friend! Tell Dr Diarist the Utilikilts are cool to wear,” as not to perspire”.
I do have one of those too. My other Kilt is a little bit warm. But kilts are a happy thing.
When one can feel cool and make his wife roll her eyes at the same time. A man cannot put a price on that :P I have to type fast in case she walk in.
Cathy I ordered the cobalt blue. It was a difficult decision. I like racing green the orange and the yellow and the raw lacquer. It just went on and on with colors, sighs. lol I ordered Aug the 1st.
So I’m thinking 6 to 7 weeks, sighs lol another mess I have gotten myself into. What’s a man to do?
It’s Friday afternoon here. Do be careful, all of you.
Cool (“not to perspire”) and cool (oh yeah!), Scott! (Gotta love the phrase “my other kilt”!)
That cobalt blue is gorgeous — but, then, how can you go wrong with the Brompton colors? It’s the choosing that’s the problem — we spent hours and hours deciding, too. I think it’s a Brompton rite of passage.
Brommie,
I like the new hat.
Good thing to keep the harsh rays of sun away from one’s face.
Nice addition!
Peace :)
It’s a great brim for a hat aficionado, isn’t it, Chandra?
Haha, that’s my DaBrim (the blue one). Certainly leaves me feeling cool (although maybe not looking cool, but that’s another subject) in the harsh Tucson summers.
Definitely cool, Fernando! I must not have seen it actually on your head in DC. Talk about a product made for Tuscon — I don’t even know how you Arizona denizens manage to stay outdoors in summer!