NOTE: I’ve received no compensation or freebies for this review; I’m a paying customer.
TLDR;
If you cycle at night- which many are forced to do when the nights draw in crazy early during winter– this cycle helmet will really enhance your visibility, and consequently your safety. It’s about middling in price compared to cycling helmets WITHOUT integrated lights, but well worth the additional cost. Overade states that the “Life” is rated for speeds of up to 15 MPH, which generally won’t be an issue for Penny-Farthing cyclists. It must be noted though that the “Life” lacks MIPS, but that’s only an interesting feature if you wreck. The enhanced visibility that this helmet provides the best safety: accident avoidance! I don’t want to test any helmet’s impact resistance if I can avoid it 😉
Intro:
Being an all-seasons, all-weather cyclist, half the year I find myself grinding out the miles in the dark. Riding a Penny-Farthing already has a certain amount of attendant risks, but cycling in the dark really amplifies them.
If we view these risks in a binary way- dangers created by you versus dangers created by other road users– I believe most cyclists would agree that they’re more at-risk of serious injury or death from the actions of other motorists then themselves when they’re on the roads after dark. Although cyclists should always strive to enhance their visibility to motorists, this is particularly important at night.
I became aware of Overade as a brand when I bought their “Blinxi” in 2022. It was an illuminated turn signal that can be attached to any helmet and operated with Bluetooth buttons mounted on the handlebars. It was a clever, well executed product and not very expensive. I still have it years later and it works just fine.
So when Overade started a Kickstart campaign to develop a new helmet with integrated lights, they sent me an email. Unlike existing helmets with integrated lights which advertise direction changes only to trailing motorists, Overade’s new helmet would additionally have lights that also alerted approaching motorists of the cyclists direction changes. This was new and a material safety improvement; I subscribed to Overade’s Kickstarter and received the product before it was available for general sale.
So I’ve had nearly (2) years cycling with their “product”Life” model helmet and can say that it does the business and a motorist would have to be blind in both eyes to not see the wearer!
Assessment of Safety as a Helmet:
As a general rule, I work backwards from a Virginia Tech score when deciding on a helmet. Unfortunately, there isn’t one. Overade’s “Life” helmet only has an EU EN1078 certification and the American CPSC certification, both of which are pass/fail. It only evidences that a cycle helmet met a certain minimum, unlike Virginia Tech’s scores which evidence a degree of impact protection which makes comparisons between different helmet models possible, unlike EN1078 and CPSC standards.
Overade notes the following on their website:
“Our helmets are compatible with electric bikes whose speed is limited to 25km/h [15mph].” – Overade
Although racing or going downhill on Penny-Farthings we can exceed 15 mph, even doing 25-30 mile cycles I average slightly under 13 MPH. So under normal, average use conditions, an average speed riding a Penny-Farthing will be below the manufacturer’s recommend maximum speed guidance.
Given the minimal ventilation and the sturdy shell, It *APPEARS* to offer a level of protection that my Specialized “Mode” would- and that helmet has an 5 star, 8.8 VT score. Again, this is highly subjective and a best-guesstimation of impact protection only. But if I dumped, I feel that I’d place as much faith in Overade’s “Life” as my Specialized “Mode” to protect my head. Remember I bought this as a Kickstarter project to help Overade develop their “Life” helmet, so the thing hadn’t even been produced when I paid €89 for it pre-production. There were no other helmets offering such a great safety innovation as both front & rear signal lights, so I felt it was worth supporting.
Note that there is no MIPS protection. I’m not really sure how great MIPS is as a solution, so it’s absence wouldn’t have affected my decision to buy the “Life”. However, if you ARE wedded to MIPS and it is a must-have feature, you’ll have to pass this helmet by. Which would be a shame as I think accident avoidance features should be given greater weight in such a purchasing decision than features which are only useful when you had an accident which might have been otherwise avoidable…
Accident Avoidance:
But let’s assume Overade’s “Life” offers some degree of less impact protection than my Specialized “Mode” or some other cycle helmet with a 5 star VT rating. I bought the helmet based on the enhanced visibility it would provide cycling at night, which is a good portion of the year. The main feature I bought the “Life” primarily for its’ accident avoidance features, NOT its’ impact protection. Sure I want sturdy helmet with great impact protection if I fall- and I feel the “Life” has this- but I’m safer avoiding accidents than I am merely trying to survive them 😉
The lights on this helmet are incredible. There is a rubberized button under the front “brim” of the helmet to turn them on & off, or toggle their mode. There is NO app to bother with, which is great. I don’t need App to control the lights on the helmet. Indeed, how many products have you bought which were controlled by an app, and then the manufacturer lost interest in it after a new generation was released and then totally orphaned their app? As much as possible, I want the functionality hard-wired directly into products such as those related to bicycles. It’s impractical- and dangerous- to fool around with your phone while cycling to modify a setting. So no app is a GOOD thing!
Features:
Powerful LED lights: On the rear of the helmet, the LED lights blink RED, while on the front “rim”beak” of the helmet the LED lights are WHITE. When you signal, the far left or lights will flash orange accordingly on BOTH the front AND back lights. The white lights on the front of the helmet are so bright they offer additional illumination on dimly lit streets & paths. Both sets of light are EXTREMELY bright and really enhance your visibility to other motorists when cycling at night. And the fact that there are lights to advertise your direction changes to both approaching AND trailing motorists means that you can keep both hands on the handlebars when cycling on treacherous roads, which is particularly important to those of use riding highwheels.
Portability: If you’re like most cyclists, you probably own more than one bike. I have (3) Penny-Farthings. The Bluetooth handlebar remote which activates & cancels signals to the helmet is fastened with a round rubber band-like thingy making it easy to move to other bicycles.
Audible Feedback: Overade have engineered audible turn signal feedback in their “Life” helmet. I’ve had previous cycling helmets with integrated rear-only turn lights and cycled blissfully unaware that my helmet ran out of juice and I was under the misapprehension trailing motorists could see my signals. The “Life” makes a similar noise as a turn signal in a car does to remind you to cancel it so you know immediately if your signals are doing anything.
The turn signals’ audible feedback is toggled using the helmet’s on/off switch: Press & hold for 5 seconds ONCE to INCREASE the turn signal feedback. Press & hold a SECOND time to MUTE the audible feedback. The THIRD time that you press & hold the on/off switch the audible feedback is returned to the default volume level.
And speaking of cancelling turn signals, my earlier cycle helmets with integrated lights had no facility to cancel a turn signal; they ran for a specified period of time. This could cause more confusion than it solved if you needed to make an opposite turn before the other signal ceased. But with the “Life”, turn signals can be cancelled, as one would expect driving a car. Just press the same- or the opposite– turn signal to cancel the current one.
Battery life: I’ve not had the battery die on me during a cycling, and those who know me also know that I cycle for HOURS most days during dark winter nights as I would do during sunny summer days. The helmet is charged via a USB-C port which has a protective waterproof dust cover. Overade’s website notes that their “Life” helmet is IP64 waterproof. Charge time varies depending on how far you drained the helmet’s battery down. I guesstimate ~1.5-2 hours charging time after a 2-hour night cycle.
The handlebar Bluetooth remote is powered by a coin battery which is easily replaced. Although I’ve not had to replace the coin batteryfor my “Life’s” remote, I HAVE had to replace the battery in my Overade Blinxi’s remote- which is the same as the “Life’s”. It’s easily replaced using a jeweller’s Philips head screwdriver. As for how waterproof the Bluetooth remote is, I’ve cycled with it strapped to my handlebars in driving rains many times with it and it’s been fine.
Note though that the helmet doesn’t ship with a USB-C charging cable, so you’ll have to dig one out of your kitchen or desk draw.
Cooling/Ventilation:
The “Life” has (2) long slits that allow heat to escape. Notwithstanding though, this is still insufficient to heat on a really hot day.
Compared to my Specialized “Mode”, I’ve found Overade’s “Life” to be even HOTTER than the “mode”Mode” when the mercury rises. This is NOT the helmet you want to be wearing on long rides during hot summer DAYS. Indeed, I bought a Sweet Protection “Falconer 2Vi” as my go-to summer cycling lid. If you are only covering short distances under a blazing Sun, I guess it’s OK to use this. But if cycling for HOURS, this helmet would be too hot and you’d be sweating profusely.
Again, I really bought this helmet to enhance my visibility cycling during those long winter nights more than anything, so the ventilation issue really isn’t a problem for me. During blazing hot summer days I’ll be wearing my Sweet Protection “Falconer 2Vi” when I’m doing fast road cycling in the country. If I’m cycling in busy urban areas though, I’ll probably wear my Overade “Life” helmet. When I cycle to London & Cambridge, I tend to return in the evening and there are many sections of these routes that are poorly lit.
Fit:
The Overade “Life” is only sold in 1 size: 55-61cm. It has a an inner band that can be tightened to any size in that range. I generally do NOT like these “one-size-fits-all” type helmets, because your head just swims in them and they don’t feel very stable. But the inner pads are really good, so my 57CM hat-sized head doesn’t really feel like it’s swimming in the helmet: it does feel quite secure. But if your head is either smaller or larger than 55-61CM, then you’ll probably have to look elsewhere for a helmet with integrated lights.
Weight:
At 520g, this isn’t the lightest helmet. But given the light features, it has to contain a battery. For social cycles, or leisurely cycles in the evening, I guess weight isn’t much of an issue. I don’t really feel the weight is that much of an issue.
Price:
I paid €89 *EUROS* for Overade’s “Life” helmet when it was a Kickstarter project. I see now that it’s retailing for £130 *POUNDS*. It’s a great cycle helmet that materially improves safety in respect to accident AVOIDANCE. I like the idea of wearing a helmet that serves to ensure it’s not needed for impact protection 😉. But if I DID dump wearing it, I’d feel confident that it would provide excellent protection. Given the both the clever engineering and overall quality, I feel the Overade’s price for their “Life” still makes it a great value.
Final Verdict:
I’ve used the Overade “Life” now for nearly 2 years and love it. It’s a well engineered, well made product that it must be said also looks very stylish on the cyclist. For any product to make me look stylish- I’m the town tramp who can frequently be spotted walking around in his Lidls’ T-shirt – is no small feat. I believe the light system materiality reduces serious risk of myself becoming seriously injured or killed cycling at night, which I do quite frequently in the winter months where the nights draw in very early. I’d love it to have a VT impact rating score, but no cycle helmet with the “Life’s” innovative features has one. If visibility while cycling at night matters to you as it does to me, the Overade “Life” is best-of-breed with the addition of front lights to alert approaching traffic to both your presence and direction changes. It’s a big thumbs-up from me for the Overade “Life”. Overade’s products are not sold through third-party retailers, so if you’re interested in buying the life the only place you can buy it is their website