Overade LIFE Is Perfect for Any City Rider Because Life's Too Short for Boring Helmets

That's the argument Overade, a French company Overade specializing in helmets and biking accessories, makes in favor of its latest product called LIFE. LIFE is more than a helmet, and a stylish one at it; it's a complete safety system that protects urban riders on their everyday commute, whether they favor traditional bicycles, e-bikes, skateboards, scooters, or rollerblades.

Even if you believe wearing a helmet when bike riding is pointless, you must agree that daily city riding has grown riskier, especially in environments where there's no separate bike infrastructure. Cities are busier, traffic is heavier, and people's patience is running shorter than ever, and the combination is like a perfect storm for accidents.

In true better-safe-than-sorry fashion, putting a helmet on before mounting a bicycle feels like the least sacrifice you could make. And if you do put one on, it might as well be the best, both in terms of safety and looks. Laugh as we will on Overade's emphasis on style, but no one likes looking like a dork when pedaling to work.

That's what LIFE wants to be: the best helmet out there by integrating patented technology that ensures your visibility and safety on the road and by offering the lewks. Overade calls it "the pinnacle of urban mobility helmets with a distinct French touch," promising unmatched safety features, good ventilation, high-quality materials, and a stylish look no other helmet could provide.

The company is hoping its previous achievements in the field of bike safety and a detailed presentation of LIFE will get riders to chip in and bring it to mass production via an ongoing crowdfunding campaign.

LIFE actually integrates tech Overade patented a while back, like the Oxi-wireless tech and Oxi-compatible accessories. The basic LIFE package includes the LIFE helmet and the OxiMote, an add-on for the bike that syncs it with the helmet, activating turn signals and warning lights. In other words, you get a helmet with integrated lights, including turn signals, so you get visibility and extra safety on the road.

For an even higher degree of safety, you can splurge for the OxiBrake add-on, which you attach to the brake lever, and it syncs the rear light on the helmet to the brake.

Unlike many other helmets with integrated braking lights on the market, LIFE doesn't use deceleration detection for the braking light, as Overade considers this method unreliable and too time-consuming. Instead, it uses sensors, the OxiBrake, to trigger the brake light on the back of the helmet, making response instantaneous – and potentially life-saving in certain scenarios.

Whichever package you opt for, Overade promises that the high-visibility COB Technology LED Lights embedded flush into the helmet at the front and back offer visibility up to 400 meters (1,312 feet) during nighttime riding or in overcast weather.

The helmet comes with five lighting modes (Steady, Steady Max, Pulse, Flash High, and Flash Low) and varying autonomy, depending on which one you prefer, from seven hours to 48. Power comes from a 1600mAh battery that is compatible with any USB type C charging point.

Weighing just 450g (15.8 oz), the LIFE helmet can be further specced with an equally stylish visor for riding in windy or dusty conditions, and ordered in one of six "stylish" colors. Standard features include vegan leather straps with a patented magnetic clasp, hidden front intakes and top rear vents for optimal ventilation, and a one-size-fits-all design.

Perhaps more important than the stylish design is the fact that LIFE is designed in accordance with European Certification EN1078 standards and the US equivalent CPSC standards. In EU space, that means it's perfect for any type of riding as long as it's no faster than 25 kph (15.5 mph).

"We believe in the value of every step, every turn of the wheel, and every daily choice. And choosing to commute by bike or scooter is a powerful act that reflects our values and our way of life," Clement Cailleau, founder of Overade, says. "Our deepest desire is to help people become ambassadors of change, by equipping their creative minds with the best possible products. Smart products that truly answer their needs."

One such smart product would be LIFE, if you're willing to take the risk inherent to any and all crowdfunding campaigns. In return, you could get the helmet at an early bird price: €109 ($119) for the basic kit or €169 ($185) for the premium one. Deliveries are scheduled to kick off in May 2024, so just in time for whatever summertime riding you have planned.