Cool designs are at the heart of the success of Portland-based helmet company Nutcase. And what better way to exemplify that than to seek out the best helmet artists in the world and put their designs onto new products?
(Photo: Nutcase)
That’s the idea behind the company’s Unframed Artist Series. The project launched in 2014 and it has doubled in size each of the last three years. Last year 200 artists submitted designs and the three winners came from Melbourne (by way of Hong Kong), Uganda, and Philadelphia.
The winners get $500 a piece and get to see their designs on production Nutcase helmet models. They also get an all expenses paid trip to the Interbike and Eurobike trade shows where they create a mural live. The mural is then auctioned off and the proceeds go to World Bicycle Relief.
This is how Portland-based bike companies operate!
Advertisement
The fourth annual Unframed call for entries went out earlier this month and the deadline for submissions is October 1st… So get busy! You can find the helmet design template and entry form here.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
BikePortland is supported by the community (that means you!). Please become a subscriber or make a donation today.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
those are cool designs… although looking at the site it’s odd that the plain colors are the same price as the custom artistic ones… you’d think they could vary by $5 each way depending on the design…
‘Helmet artists’? Is that really a thing?
It is. You can pay thousands for a helmet paint job though most of this stuff is aimed at the motorsport market.
One thing I don’t understand is why urban riders favor helmets with practically no venting and that look better suited for snowsports. I’d probably quit using helmets except under limited circumstances if the only option was to wear a buckets like the ones that dominate in PDX.
I wear a fancy vented helmet and stretchy clothes designed specifically for riding a bicycle. Unfortunately (for those sensitive the judgment of the fashion conscious), looking like you take anything seriously is frowned upon.
For example….Google Glass? Lame!!! But make those glasses a stupid color and dumb shape that says “this is all just a big joke” = profit!
http://laughingsquid.com/spectacles-new-sunglasses-with-an-integrated-camera-that-wirelessly-upload-videos-to-snapchat/
I like the bucket helmets in the rain.
I’m surprised to see anything advocating helmet use on this site. It seems that Portland cyclists have recently (oddly) decided helmet safety is a myth. My ER nurse buddies disagree. Nutcase makes a great helmet for winter.
The cyclists you’re thinking of have especially thick skulls so they may fare better in a crash than the average person.
Then you don’t follow science.
I wish somebody made a bike helmet that was designed for rain. Something that would keep the rain off your eyes and shoulders. I’ve seen hardhats for rain so it’s possible. All I’ve seen have been nylon covers to go over your regular helmet.
Has anyone heard of something?
No helmet will keep rain off the eyes or shoulders of a cyclist in motion. However, regular eye protection and a breathable waterproof jacket will do those things.
I never wear a helmet. Haven’t for 60-odd years. In summer, too hot and no sun protection. In winter, too cold and no rain protection. I prefer a wide brim hat (Tilley) year around, plus always be aware of your surroundings. You take your chances.
Besides, some neurosurgeon (can’t remember who) did a study that concluded that helmets provide little protection.
Also, when raining, going without glasses and goggles, even it you normally wear them, gives you the best vision. No fogging and blurring. That wide brim hat helps too!
It’s all a matter of where, what, and how you ride. To be certain, the best way to avoid injury is to not crash in first place, but the idea that they’re not a good idea for at least a lot of riders is nonsense even if some people exaggerate their effectiveness.
In addition to an unnamed neurosurgeon with unknown methodology, it might not be a bad idea to check out some of the other studies. As for a helmet providing no sun protection, not sure how you come up with that. And BTW, a helmet can be cooler than a bare head, though that requires a vented helmet that is properly defined.
Lots of ways to avoid fogging on glasses, hydrophobic lenses help a lot with blurring, but if you stick with lower speeds on roads where the vehicles don’t go very fast, you won’t have to worry about debris getting tossed in your eyes.
My father insisted that there had to be good things about smoking. He even could find some scientists that agreed with him. Cigarettes killed him, but not all at once to be sure. First he lost his teeth. He pulled the last out by himself. Strokes left him partially paralyzed. His mind a shadow of its former brilliance. He lived a long time, but in the end lung cancer took him. Technically, he died of starvation, unable to swallow more than a few drops at a time.
People will justify any behavior in the face of mountains of facts. They’ll even vote for an ignorant megalomaniac because the other choice isn’t perfect.
A traumatic brain injury can be due to a wet leaf on a new sheet of tarmac. Wear a helmet.