Last year, Bern debuted their new Allston ventilated urban helmet. The Allston was a huge hit, selling out across the country. That’s no surprise because it’s Bern’s most advanced, lightweight, ventilated helmet. Oh, and it runs a very affordable $90. It makes use of their Zip Mold process, allowing the helmet foam to be thinner than the competition, and making you look less like a bobble head. It yields a lower volume helmet, and feels better on your head.
To build upon that platform, Bern has taken the same shell as the Allston and retrofit a removable visor. They have also updated the liner (available soon for other models) and replaced the velcro fastener with a twist lock system. The Morrison (and Allston) cover more of the back of your head that before, and that lower fit means it’s good for off road use. It will also work with the line of Bern winter and audio liners, making this a year round lid. The new additions don’t do much to the price however, as the Morrison will run $100 when it hits bike shops in the very near future.
Click through for more images of the Morrison, and to see how Abus wants you to lock up your bike.
Abus doesn’t mess around when it comes to making a quality lock. I’ve been using their Granit Futura Mini U-Lock for years now with no issues, and no stolen bikes. This year, they have updated the Bordo locks with several nice features. The uGrip Bordo 5700 lock now has the key in front, as well as a swiveling head. This makes it much easier to get at the lock in tight or awkward spots. The Bordo now features a snap head as well. This means once you have opened up the lock, routed it around the bike rack and frame, you simply push the lock end into the head and it snaps shut without having to turn the key again. Even the mount has been refined. It fits bottle bosses or velcros to the frame, and there is a clip that keeps the lock in place once inserted that you have to release by pressing. It’s rated a 7 out of 15 on Abus’ own scale, (higher is more secure) and MSRP runs $69.99. It will be available in Spring 2014.
The Granit X-Plus 54 mini U-Lock is a top of the line level 15 lock. It has a short shackle to resist torsion attacks, and a wider profile that is specifically designed to fit around those repurposed parking meters that are so popular to lock your bike to in San Francisco. The lock runs $109.99 without a mounting bracket. Honestly though, most of us are going to slot this in behind the belt, in a back pocket, or toss it in a bag.
