They almost never wore one. But since they saw one of their friends being hit by a car while riding a bike, Romane Le Scour and Maxence Guiet have changed their habits. When they go out by bike in the streets of Rennes, the two friends now take their helmets. “I never wore one for short trips. But this accident was a trigger,” recognizes Maxence Guiet. Like many young people of his generation, the 23-year-old did not like to be burdened with such an accessory. “We have to carry it around throughout the entire school day, it’s really not practical,” he explains. For his partner Romane Le Scour, it was above all the aesthetic side that was a hindrance. “And then it’s impossible to comb your hair,” notes the young woman with long brown hair.
The reasons given by the two Rennes students are far from being isolated arguments. “We surveyed more than 2,000 cyclists to find out why they weren’t wearing them. And each time, it was the same arguments that came up: bulk and aesthetics,” assures Maxence Guiet. It is for this reason that the vast majority of associations promoting cycling are opposed to the legal obligation for everyone to wear a helmet. There Federation of Bicycle Users evokes, for example, “a negligible impact on road safety” while criticizing “the confusion” surrounding the wearing of helmets. In France, it is compulsory up to 12 years old and only since 2017.
Is it effective? Several studies carried out at the international level tend to show that yes. In 2016, a major investigation carried out by Australian doctors Jake Olivier and Prudence Creighton suggested a reduction in the risk of serious head injury. 70% when wearing a helmet.
A strange revolutionary fluid
Driven by this desire to encourage its use, the two Insa engineering students thought about a more aesthetic and less bulky helmet project and founded their brand Neoca. With an ultimate dream: to design a foldable helmet capable of storing in a small bag. “We want to use a non-Newtonian fluid. It is more flexible and five times more effective than expanded polystyrene in terms of shock absorption,” assures Maxence Guiet. Something malleable like plasticine but capable of cushioning the blow and protecting the head. A revolutionary concept which has just won the national James Dyson Award.
Very technical, this product is not yet ready and will require significant research. To finance their work, the two young graduates decided to release a first version of their helmet with an interchangeable textile cap imitating sometimes the cap, sometimes the beanie. Offered at 90 euros previewed on the Ulule platform, the accessory has obviously been approved and will be produced in small series. The two students are giving themselves two to three years to release their folding version.