Biking for everyone

Photo by Elizabeth Train

We Westerners love our bikes – like, really, really love them. They’re synonymous with the way we live life out here: outdoors and with the earth – and style – in mind.

But some people don’t have a bike, or just don’t want to cart one around all day. That’s why bike-sharing programs, where you rent a bike from one location and return it to another, are popping up everywhere from Boulder and L.A. to (very soon) San Francisco and Portland.

One sticky wicket: Some cities’ mandatory helmet laws, like those in Seattle and Vancouver, make it difficult get the programs rolling (because who wants to carry a helmet everywhere or – ew – share one with a bunch of other sweaty cyclists?).

So why not a vending machine stocked with helmets that are cleaned between each use? Or, you could just spring for this fetching accessory.