Do you look at the pictures of stylish women biking in the Netherlands and wish you looked just like them? You could always cruise around the city sans helmet also, but our roads in the U.S. aren’t exactly that safe.
That’s why I like the Thousand Heritage bike helmet. It protects your most valuable asset (your noggin’), but oozes sophisticated style at the same time.
Review In A Nutshell
Pros:
- Stylish design, comes in multiple colors
- Rear dial provides good fit
- Secret “Pop Lock” allows you to lock-up your helmet with your bike
- Magnetic buckle is easy to use
- Environmentally-conscious company
Cons:
- Helmet scuffs easily
- Limited ventilatation
Price: $89
Thousand Helmet Detailed Review
A Bike Helmet That’s Actually Stylish
We hear from women all the time that want to be safe, but don’t want to wear an ugly bike helmet either. That’s when we recommend the Thousand Heritage.
According to Thousand, the Heritage was designed to look like a vintage moto helmet. We think it looks an awful like an equestrian helmet. In either case, it has nice clean lines and a sleek feel.
The integrated visor helps protect your face and eyes from the sun, but doesn’t look like many of the dorky visors on the market. The side straps are made of vegan leather and make the helmet look more expensive than it actually is.
Rear Fit Dial Snugs The Helmet Down
Compared to ratcheting cages, or bulky pads, we much prefer helmets that offer a rear fit dial. The Thousand Heritage has one, and it’s easy to tighten (or loosen) to ensure a perfect fit.
Info On Sizing And Fit
When choosing which size to pick, I measured the circumference of my head and compared it to the Thousand size chart. Based on that, I chose the size Medium.
While the helmet cinches down plenty tight on my head, it does seem a little wide from side to side (not back to front). This larger profile was my only real complaint about the helmet. It should have fit perfectly based on the size chart…but it didn’t quite.
After reading other reviews of the helmet, it does seem that the Heritage runs a little large and is a top pick for folks with larger heads that might have trouble fitting in other helmets. If you have a smaller head, you might want to pick a different lid or just size down.
You Don’t Need To Worry About This Helmet Getting Stolen
Perhaps my favorite feature about the Thousand Heritage helmet is the stealthy lock hole. It looks just like a logo panel on the helmet, but actually opens to allow a lock to fit through.
Most cable locks or u-locks will fit thru the hole, but not larger chain locks like the Kryptonite New York Faghettaboutit Lock (my personal fave lock).
This is a really cool feature. A lot of people will lock their helmet thru the helmet straps, but that’s pretty easy to cut. Or, they don’t lock their helmet at all, which is pretty risky.
If you often lock your bike up in urban environments, the lock feature on the Thousand Heritage is a differentiater.
If Riding In Hot Weather, Prepare For A Sweaty Head
In my opinion, the only real “con” of this helmet is that it has pretty limited ventilation. There are a few small holes at both the top of the helmet and at the rear of the helmet, but the ventilation channels within the helmet are pretty shallow. This makes the helmet a lot hotter than many more traditional style helmets.
This may not be an issue if you are riding short distances or biking in cooler weather, but if you ride at a more athletic pace or live in hot or humid weather, prepare for some sweaty hair. Considering you’re probably wearing this helmet because you’re fashion-minded, having sweat hair when you get to your destination is less than ideal.
Magnetic Buckle Is Easy To Use
We test a lot of kids bike helmets over on our sister site, Rascal Rides, and we always love the ones that have magnetic buckles. Unfortunately, it’s pretty unusual to see a magnetic buckle on an adult helmet.
That’s why I was so excited to see the magnetic buckle on the Thousand Heritage. It makes buckling and unbuckling incredibly easy, and it keeps you from ever accidentally pinching your neck skin.
Matte Finish Scuffs Easily
I heard from several other ladies that complained that the Thousand Heritage helmet scuffed up easily. Unfortunately, I found this to be the case as well.
Even when being gentle with the helmet, it only took a couple weeks to get some good scuffs on the helmet. Even after wiping them with a wet cloth, the scuffs remained.
Thousand Is A Company You Can Feel Good About Supporting
Many of us ride our bikes because we care about the environment. That’s why it’s nice that Thousand is an environmentally responsible company.
They are a 1% For The Planet member, and they offset 110% of their annual carbon emissions. This is more than can be said of most helmet companies, so if you have to spend your money on a new helmet, you might as well give it to a business that’s trying to be enviromentally concious.
Bottom-Line: A Stylish Commuter Helmet That You’ll Enjoy Wearing Out On The Town
Biking is good for your body and good for the environment. And with the Thousand Heritage, it can even be good for your style.
With the exception that the helmet can be HOT in summer weather, I thought the Heritage was the perfect helmet for city riding. It looks good, comes from an environmentally conscious company, and it helps keep you safe.