LIVALL BH51M NEO cycle helmet
livall.co.uK
£149.99

It seems like technology is adding to just about every object in our lives – even those you wouldn’t think needed any! I was skeptical of the idea of a digital bike helmet, until I saw the Livall BH51M NEO’s features. Now, I’m convinced that this is an essential upgrade in safety. The mark of any great innovation, it took me from asking “Why do we need this?” to “Why weren’t we doing that already?”

Available in graphite black or sandstone grey, the Livall BH51M NEO is a helmet +. The most noticable feature it sports, like all of Livall’s ‘NEO’ range, is the warning lights built into the helmet. As well as giving you a great sci-fi dystopia vibe, these lights make sure that you’re safely visible at night, whether or not you’re wearing the right gear. However, these lights are just the start of it. For one thing, this helmet can sense deceleration, and will brighten its lights accordingly to serve as brake lights – how clever is that?? However, the best feature by far in my opinion in the SOS system.

This system has several features, all designed to keep you safe. Firstly, this helmet can actually tell when you fall off your bike. Sensing its position and orientation, if the helmet ever thinks you’ve taken a tumble, it will activate emergency mode. What this means is, using its link to your GPS, it will send a text out to a pre-set list of emergency contacts with an SMS message letting them know that you might have taken a fall. You can also activate this system manually by pressing down the red button on your remote for five seconds. This makes it pretty hard to set off by mistake, but means you have a fail-safe, or a way to get help even if you managed not to fall.

Other features in the helmet include indicator signals, audio GPS instructions, an alarm that goes off if your phone and your helmet become too far separated whilst connected (to avoid loss or theft), a walkie-talkie system so you can chat to other cyclists with similar helmets, and a one-touch system for answering phone calls whilst riding. The speaker system can even play you your music!

I didn’t realise helmets needed updating until I saw the Neo range. These helmets aren’t cheap, but if you’re more than just a casual rider, or you habitually make long commutes, this investment will not only make your ride more convenient and enjoyable, but much, much safer.

5/5
 

Pros:
Front and back lights
Brake lights and indicators
Alarm system
GPS
Bluetooth
SOS system
Fall detection