Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab has become the industry standard for safety testing for nearly every type of sports helmet on the market, from American football and equestrian to snow sports. For cycling helmets, the lab uses a variety of impact testing protocols to measure linear rotation and rotational velocity, and from this derive a safety score, which correlates with concussion risk. These tests look at how each helmet design handles impacts and how energy is transferred and dispersed.
MIPS technology, first introduced in 2007, was revolutionary for its integration of a low-friction layer into helmets that can move under impact, reducing the rotational forces that are transferred into the head.
Brand new company, PIKIO LABS, of Vancouver, BC, has built on this approach and taken it a step further by developing an impact management system it calls OBLIK, designed to reduce both linear and rotational forces (the testing foci of Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab protocols). It does so through the use of mechanically decoupled layers of modules that move independently during impact.
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PIKIO, pronounced “P-Q”, is a riff on the Italian word for woodpecker, picchio, an animal known for being able to withstand significant and repeated head impacts. The company’s first product, a road helmet called the Si integrates the OBLIK system and has apparently been given the Virginia Tech Testing Lab’s best-ever STAR score for a cycling helmet: a 4.61.
For reference, the next lowest score (Virginia Tech’s scores are similar to golf scores—lower is better) is a 6.82, with the rest of the top 100 cycling helmets coming in with scores lower than 12. According to this testing protocol, PIKIO’s Si represents a substantially safer helmet. Virginia Tech has not yet published these results at the time of publication.
Design and Construction
(Image credit: PIKIO LABS)
The Si helmet is designed for road, gravel and urban use. Claimed weight is 279 grams for a size medium, and MSRP is $379 USD. This puts it roughly in line, both weight- and price-wise, with offerings from Specialized, POC and Kask at the very top end of the market.
PIKIO LABS claims the Si is aerodynamically comparable to leading premium road helmets, according to testing conducted at the University of British Columbia Aerolab.
The standout feature of the helmet is the integration of the OBLIK technology, which features a “dual-layer, dual-density structure with macro-cavities that combines a base liner with independently moving shock-absorbing modules.”
Whereas most standard bicycle helmets are built with an outer shell bonded to a single layer of foam, OBLIK’s system uses separate internal pieces that can move independently based on the direction and intensity of impact. The helmet is certified to the U.S. CPSC Bicycle Helmet Standard.
The person behind PIKIO LABS is Canadian researcher and academic Dr. Daniel Abram, who holds a PhD in Design Optimisation and has been involved in “head protection technologies” for over 17 years. In 2020, Dr Abram co-authored a study titled A modular impact diverting mechanism for football helmets in the Journal of Biomechanics that looks at methods for mitigating the effects of head impacts for American football players. He holds several patents related to helmets and safety.
PIKIO LABS plans to offer a limited crash replacement program, with further details available on the company’s website.
We’ve been sent a PIKIO Si for testing and will be publishing our comprehensive review in the coming months, so keep an eye out on the Cycling Weekly homepage.
Specs
(Image credit: PIKIO LABS)
Colours: White, Black, Silver
Weight: 279 grams, claimed, size medium
Website: pikiolabs.com
