Will it be as uncomfortable as it seems? HighBar proposes a helmet with rigid straps

The American company HighBar takes a new approach to the traditional design of bike helmets and aims to improve an element that has remained unchanged since helmets started being used on bikes: the fastening straps, an element that, despite receiving different types of improvements over the years, continues to be the same system that has been used since the old leather helmets.

The new way to secure the helmet proposed by HighBar

Transferring the functionality of the fastening systems that wrap around the helmet to the helmet straps is the concept proposed by HighBar, creator of a rigid system that replaces the traditional helmet strap seeking a closure that avoids, at times, cumbersome adjustments, discomfort in the ear area, and is as unobtrusive as possible for the cyclist.

The HighBar System would be a kind of single strap that starts from the helmet in front of the ears and joins a pivot point that allows adjusting the lower part forward or backward so that it is positioned in place under the chin. Just below this, we have a ratchet system, similar to the one normally used to adjust the circumference of the helmet at the back of the head, which allows the same under the chin.

The main advantage of this system is that it eliminates the discomfort that the straps cause in the ears and that require a very delicate adjustment, sometimes impossible depending on the helmet model and the cyclist.

The question that arises about this system is how comfortable it will be since it is a plastic piece, with less adaptability to the face than traditional textile straps, as well as how the adjustment through the ratchet will be. Of course, it will also be important to check how well it works with the temples of different glasses models and how it performs in case of a fall since, in the HighBar system, the temples must go on the inside of this single strap instead of on the outside as is usually recommended so that the glasses do not jump in case of a fall and cannot cause cuts on the face when they break if we have a fall.

According to HighBar, their system increases the chances of the helmet being properly adjusted, increasing safety in case of impact by preventing the helmet from flying off the head upon impact, something that often happens with traditional straps when they are too loose or incorrectly adjusted.

Canyon, which will have its own line of helmets, is the first manufacturer that seems to have shown interest in the HighBar system, which, somewhat like MIPS or BOA in shoes, HighBar is responsible for developing and offering to different manufacturers to incorporate it into their models. Now it will be a matter of waiting to see if helmet brands find this innovation interesting and start incorporating it into their different models.