We stopped by to visit Brad Waldron of Kali Protectives at Eurobike. More than just new helmets, he was excited to tell us about the new technology they’ve been integrating into some of their upcoming lids. foremost among them, Armourgel, a substance invented here in the UK. Small inserts inside the helmet can deform and twist, taking rotational movement and protecting your head from it. In testing, it’s been shown to reduce rotational forces from impacts by 20-25%.
As well as Armourgel, the Interceptor has a neat, completely removable accessory clip for lights or cameras, that goes on without blocking any vents. A part of Brad’s approach to helmet design, as well as protecting against rotatonal movement, is to minimise the size of the shell without compromising protection. You might think a thicker shell offers more protection, but that’s not necessarily the case: the further away from your head the outermost part of a shell is, the more leverage it can exert on your head and neck. As long as it’s engineered to take the impact, a thinner shell can be better.
Brad is an engineer, emphatic and zealous about improving safety for riders, and it shows when he talks. So far, experience seems to be bearing his approach out. Nicholi Rogatkin was wearing one of Brad’s helmets during his massive crash at the Red Bull Rampage last year. Brad had glued Armourgel pads into it beforehand, and incredibly, after bouncing several times then falling off a 30 foot cliff, Nicholi got up and finished his run:
(No video? Here’s a link).
We’re currently testing the Interceptor, and will let you know how it is. Read more on Kali’s website.
