According to the 2011 census over 741,000 people cycle to work everyday; CLOSCA have collaborated with ARPRO to create new flat-pack helmet ideal for city commuters. The new lightweight and compact helmet makes sure that users do not have to compromise on safety for style.
The helmet neatly flattens half its size so can be easily stored. The helmet also has replaceable covers that come in a range of colours and patterns including denim, chequered, red and black that has a special wax treatment that makes it waterproof. Through the collaboration CLOSCA and ARPRO have created a helmet that is designed to reduce deceleration produced by standard impacts 5.42 m/s over flat anvil and 4.5 m/s over curb shaped anvil to less than 250G.
ARPRO plastics are used in a wide variety of sectors including the automotive, packing and consumer industries. The plastic has been specially designed to be energy absorbent, shock absorbent, lightweight and remains ridged in the event of a crash. CLOSCA teamed up with ARPRO under the recommendation of suppliers to change from their traditional acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) to ARPRO.
Paul Compton, JSP President and Chief Executive Officer – Europe, Middle-East and Africa, said: “It’s great to see ARPRO being put to use in areas that support wider causes. For example the urban cyclist plays a crucial role in making our cities greener by reducing pollution and noise. Its versatility means that it is always being put to use in projects that are transforming the way we live.”
Schemes like ‘bike to work’ and Bike Week, 14th to 22nd June 2014, promote the use of bikes as an alternative to driving and public transport. However cycling is very dangerous around cities, especially London, without a helmet. It is this market of commuters that CLOSCA intends to tap in to.
CLOSCA has made incredible sales growth and will be exhibiting the helmets at Eurobike from 27th to 30th August in Germany. Josele Artal from CLOSCA said: “We are now looking to work with clothing brands, designers and companies promoting ‘bike to work’ initiatives to launch some customised options.”
The project was self-funded until July 2013 when the project was put on Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a website that lets entrepreneurs receive funding from the public to start their ideas. The pledged amount for CLOSCA was $45,000 (£26,641) however they managed to surpass their target and raise $60,337 (£35,721). Rewards for pledging certain amounts were an incentive for the investors such as shirts, helmets, specially designed covers and a bike.