Closca Loop

The Closca Loop answers a very Dutch question: where the hell do you put your helmet when you arrive at Utrecht Centraal or your Zuidas office? Fixed-shell helmets don't fit NS lockers, dangle awkwardly off a backpack and hog an entire drawer on your office desk. The Loop folds flat via a clever hinge and slides into almost any bag or locker. For OV-fiets users who take the train to The Hague and hop onto a shared bike there, that's a genuine game-changer.

The design is deliberately less sporty than the MET Allroad or POC Omne Air SPIN — it reads more as a hat than a sports helmet, which works well above a suit or winter coat. It meets CE EN 1078 but lacks MIPS. Speed pedelecs are off-limits anyway: no NTA 8776 certification, so that's Casco Roadster territory. Ventilation is the familiar compromise of foldable helmets: four vents versus eighteen on the Allroad.

Above 28 degrees on Dutch summer days it gets warm, but on typical 20-minute commutes it's entirely bearable. Absence of an integrated LED rear light means you'll need a clip-on in winter darkness — easily solved, but an extra fuss compared with the ABUS Urban-I 3.0 or Lumos Ultra. The 350 g weight disappears on short rides; after an hour you notice it more than on a sporty shell. But for commuters combining public transport with bikes and hating helmet storage, the Loop has no serious rival.