After crashing (again) a couple weeks ago and slamming the back of my head on the pavement, I decided that my accident prone self is getting too old to keep abusing my melon like that.

I'm still feeling pretty lucky that no serious head injuries were sustained- at least not that I'm aware of. Probably should've went to see the doc, but luckily i just got a small scrape and a headache that (for the most part) went away after a few days.

Previous to this, I really wasn't interested in helmets period. I wasn't as interested in my own safety period...like i was born with a super-human *invincible* gene. But the older I get, the less invincible i feel. It was time to start thinking about safety, and in particular, helmets.

Before Bern came along, I never really liked the style of the majority of bicycle helmets. Even though I've tried to live a function before fashion lifestyle, I just couldn't do it. Bern totally changed that for me- if you're anything like me, I urge you to check out Bern's site and the wide variety of helmets available.

The first thing that caught my eye was the visor. Bern makes visor-less helmets as well, but personally I love the visor. A different model sports a hard-hat style visor, but the Brentwood's visor is a cloth snap in, and also comes with a regular headband style insert in case you're not down with the visor...but I'm all about it! It really kinda looks like you're wearing a little bill-cap underneath! Very rad!

Additional (sold separately) upgrades include various winter snap-ins that feature ear muffs and more- and these are also available in their audio models for those that like to rock & ride! Not only does Bern make really rad helmets, they also make earbuds and headphones (with bags!)...and knee pads for cycling and skating!

So the Brentwood is definitely an all-season helmet, and with Michigan's cold winters, I'm looking forward to picking up one of the winter upgrades- and I'll be updating the review when that happens!

Bern has a few different interiors for protection- EPS, H2O, HARD HAT, and ZIP MOLD, which is what the Brentwood has to offer. The Zip Mold is a liquid foam technology with a high strength to weight ratio and a polished, seamless, tapered finish. All of this gives you one of the thinnest, lightest (12.5 ounces!), and lowest profile helmets around. Zip Mold also features molded eye wear channels for a comfy fit. the vents are set up so that air is channeled through the front vents and exits through the back keeping your head cool.

Standards-wise, Zip Mold hard foam meets ASTM F 2040, CPSC, and EN 1078 requirements for bicycling/skateboarding.

The Brentwood is available in sizes S-XXXL, so chances are they've got one that'll fit most any shaped head out there! For a sizing chart, again, check out their site!

The Brentwood model is also available in 5 different colors plus another black option with a bigger logo.

I honestly feel a lot safer riding with a helmet, but at the same time it tends to give me a bit of a superman complex...but I can only work on one thing at a time, and I think going with a helmet was a very wise choice...what's that saying about age and wisdom?

Overall, I love this helmet and highly recommend it- it's super comfy, and a helmet is a wise choice no matter what age you are. Over the years I've managed to bash my head in quite a few times one way or another, and somehow I hit my head on something- pretty much on a daily basis... I'm very lucky that I haven't done any permanent damage (I had a brain scan last year just to make sure...thanks to state insurance!), but now that I'm riding with a Brentwood, I feel pretty protected- at least up top, and that's where it counts the most!!! You really can't do much if you're brain dead- think about that...think about Bern.

Whether you're into cycling, skating, surfing, snowboarding, and more- Bern definitely can keep you covered!!! They've been around a few years now, and are available world wide. If your local shop doesn't carry Bern, bug the crap out of them until they do! And if that doesn't work, Bern's site offers a list of their dealers to help you out!

Needless to say, I'm totally stoked. If you get the chance, try one on- give it a shot, and i'll bet you fall in love too!

-Brandon