Love Letters

WE'VE GOT MAIL 

Here at Nutcase mothership we like nothing better than receiving notes from our Nutty fans all over the world. And believe it or not, we read every single one.  Sometimes it's a bike nut, other times it's parents of kids who love our designs.  But more often than we would like, it's a note about how a Nutcase helmet saved someone's life.   We receive so many letters that we decided to dedicate a page to all of them.   We like to call these notes, Love Letters.

 

“Not sure, I guess I am okay.” This is what I first said to the people who came running when my bike had gotten stuck in the Muni tracks close to Dolores Park in San Francisco. I was lying on the street staring at a number of faces. My head had hit the asphalt pretty hard and my leg was bleeding. I was biking home from a field trip at a park where my daughter’s class had celebrated all upcoming summer birthdays. It was my day off and I thought I’d bring them some ice cream. What started as a happy sunny day was now me sitting on the sidewalk, finally realizing that I was not okay at all and might need help. My head hurt very bad, I had trouble swallowing and I felt dizzy. Later in the emergency room the doctors took a CT scan and luckily I got away with a concussion. All the ER staff pointed out how lucky I was wearing a helmet. Things could have been much, much worse. Thank you Nutcase for saving me.

 

 

 

 

I have coveted one of your helmets for a long time; finally bought one a week ago. I love the perfect fit and my stylish Swirl. Yesterday, I foolishly didn’t check for cross traffic while on the bike trail — crashed into a moving car, bounced off, and landed face first on the pavement. My nose is sore, I have mild road rash in a couple of places, but scans showed no spinal fractures and I walked away. THANK YOU for protecting my brain AND making me look cool out on the trail! I’m sad to give up my beautiful helmet after only one week — but I will purchase another one with a happy smile, because I LOVE MY BRAIN and I LOVE NUTCASE!

 

 

 

 

 

A year ago, after a few close calls, I decided to make a helmet a non-negotiable part of my riding. I knew I wanted something entertaining and then I saw the Turtle. I knew this was the eye-catching headgear I was looking for. One day I decided I wanted a little more speed; I rose from the saddle to put some heat on the pedals and SNAP! My chain had come off the sprocket and found its way around my rear wheel, locking it up. My face took the worst of it, shattering my cheekbone, fracturing my orbital, and jaw. However, based on the damage to the foam in my helmet, it deserves the real praise. Crazy thing was once I hit the ground, I was alert enough to first get my bike off of me, my head out of the street and then fix my bike and ride away (I attribute every bit of this to my Nutcase helmet). I know that without my trusty Nutcase Turtle Shell I would probably not be able to compose the retelling of this story. I am looking forward to my next Nutcase! (I just hope I don’t need another too soon.) Thank you Nutcase and farewell Turtle Shell.

 

 

I first saw your Ring of Fire helmet at the 2013 Bike Expo New York and fell in love. But I wasn’t ready to commit. One year later, we met again and I knew I would be a happier, safer, better biker with the Ring of Fire on my head. We spent many miles together all summer on my city’s streets. I got shout outs from kids, cyclists and the occasional tourist. They all recognized how special my Ring of Fire Nutcase was. One glorious fall morning my Nutcase and I set off. I felt lucky to be able to ride my bike. I had meetings all over town and rode from place to place with each bird singing to me, every squirrel stopping to say good morning! On my way home that evening, two men tried to mug me. Secure in my Ring of Fire, I wasn’t going to give up easily; I rammed one of them at top speed. I catapulted off the bike and judging from the banged-up Nutcase, did quite a bit of tumbling on the way down. My hard charging tactics and tigress roar sent the muggers running. My Nutcase saved my brain. I am sad to retire the Ring of Fire that saved my life, but really excited to wear my brand new Nutcase all season. I’m ready for real commitment now.  With love, Claire

 

 

I’ve been a daily bicycle commuter for a while now. My family has always been concerned about my safety on the bike and I’ve had a few close calls. But, luckily, I’d never had a serious wreck where I’d impacted my head. I say luckily because, up until recently, I’ve only been wearing a cheap, department store helmet. That changed this last Father’s Day when my wife finally took the bull by the horns, did her research and bought me a Nutcase.  I’ll forever be in her debt. I hadn’t had the helmet more than a couple weeks when I was riding at dusk and hit a groove in the asphalt. It grabbed my tire and threw me over the handlebars. I impacted my head directly. I have absolutely no doubt that if I had been wearing my store brand helmet, I would not be in a condition to write this love letter today. Instead, I was able to get up, and after the half dozen bystanders were assured I was ok, ride home. It turns out I had a minor concussion, but without Nutcase, it would have certainly been much, much worse.  So, thank you Nutcase and, above all else, thank you to my wife who cared enough to buy me a piece of equipment that very well may have saved my life. – Ken 

 

 


Hey Nutcase Helmets, I just wanted to say thanks real quick. I was biking one night a couple of weeks ago (lights and all), and when I slowed to signal my left turn, a car whipped around me and plowed through my bike frame. I had my lights on the front and back of my bike, but it didn’t slow the driver down before or after I was hit. I spent most of the night in the ER going through tests and checks with the doctors and nurses. I’ve got a lot of bruises, some stitches, and some minor breaks, but thanks to my helmet, I’m ok. Doctors said that without that helmet, we’d be having a very different conversation, and it’d be at a much slower pace if nothing else. I’m sad to retire my patriotic helmet, but it’s earned it’s spot in my hall of fame. My bike is totaled, but thanks to my Nutcase Helmet, I’m not. Thanks for what you all do to show your love for our brains!  Seth

 

 

 

Nutcase saved my life – at least, that’s what the EMT told me after my accident. What she actually said was “if it weren’t for your helmet, we’d be taking you to a nursing home instead of the trauma center”.  I’ve been bike commuting to work off and on for the last seven years – I’m the co-captain of my work’s Bike Commute Challenge Team. My route takes me through about six miles of quiet neighborhood streets. On this particular Friday morning commute, I had an unfortunate collision with a car. The impact fractured my left tibia, tore my rotator cuff, and gave me quite a bit of road rash (the road rash hurt the most!). Later, the EMTs and driver would tell me that I also cracked the windshield, most likely with my head!  When we moved to Portland in 2005, we did the Providence Bridge Pedal. I noticed all the beautiful custom-designed Nutcase helmets and tucked the brand name away in the back of my head until I finally purchased a Swirl helmet in 2010. Up until this past July, I had never been in an accident. Mostly, my helmet was just this beautiful accessory that I enjoyed wearing because it was so colorful and distinctive. I shared secret smiles with other Swirl owners and waved at fellow Nutcasers.  Now that I’ve put this helmet to the test, I’m a life-long customer! Because I love my brain (and Nutcase does too), I’ll be getting back in the saddle this Spring!  Thank you!  Minna

 

 

Cinder’s Mom tells the story: “Cinder was super excited to ride with her new mountain bike friend. At the start, she cruised ahead of the group, taking a downhill at full speed. She had only walked this hill in the past, so I was surprised she went for it. At the bottom, she got the speed wobbles, hit her brakes to regain control but her rear tire locked up as she hit a slick uncovered root. The bike high-sided, causing Cinder to fly like a super hero over the bars, “Whack!” She landed forehead first into the cold hard ground. I got there quickly thinking for sure that we were going to be headed to the hospital. As she calmed herself down, I checked for noticeable injuries and a concussion. With an impact that hard we were surprised that the only damage was to her Li’l Nutty helmet! Cinder looked to her friend who gave her some motivational words, then turned to me, smiled and said she was ready to ride. Scrapes to the outer shell and a dent and two small cracks to the foam are minor in comparison to what could have happened to her brain. Thank you, Nutcase, for making a great fitting, safe helmet!”

 

 

When I cycle, I dot my i’s and cross my t’s: I bought a bike that could handle the older (Read: rough) roads of Boston and Cambridge, I follow the laws as if I were a car, and a helmet and lights are non-negotiable ‘accessories’ that are with me at all times.  But this is life, and even when you do everything right, things happen. In this case, it was a pot hole I didn’t see coming. It brought my bike down, and threw me about 5 feet across the pavement. The momentum of the crash threw me under a parked cable van. My Nutcase actually became wedged between the road and the truck, and, because it was still firmly attached to my head, I had to unclip the magnetic strap in order to slip out from under the van.  The paramedics, ER doctors, and myself all agree that because of the way in which I fell (which was hard, fast, and head first), it is certain that if I hadn’t have been wearing a helmet I would either be dead or would have sustained serious head and neck trauma. And at the very least, I would have lost skin and broken some bones on the right side of my face. Sure, helmet hair sucks, but I’d much rather have to throw my hair in a ponytail after riding to work than lose half of my face to road rash. I got out with some bad scrapes all over my right side, but only a small, dime-size bruise on my forehead.  My Nutcase saved my life, and I’m so grateful to you for making such a wonderful product!  Rebecca

 

 

The Ketchum Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest recently re-routed and made improvements to the Osberg Ridge Trail here in Sun Valley, Idaho. One of my riding buddies rode it and said it was sure to become a classic. Time to put everything aside and check out the new trail!  Several of us went and found it just as described:  Great, challenging, narrow single-track through a variety of landscapes with stunning mountain views. We were having a blast!  Then I crashed.  Getting ready for an approaching turn I set my outside pedal and clipped an unseen rock. I was instantly thrown from my bike and sent spinning. When I hit the dirt I crashed such that I struck the back of my head on a large rock.  WHAM!  Dusting myself off I was amazed at the force of the impact and that I had not suffered a head injury.  Thank you Nutcase for making such a high quality product.  My Nutcase saved my brain (and I love my brain), and it saved my friends from having to deal with getting a messed-up-me (at best) out of the woods.  You make an outstanding helmet.  Thank you Nutcase!  Chris

 

 

 

My daughter Annika is almost 5 and Nutcase saved her brain on July 3, 2013.  We always insist on a helmet whenever she rides and she loves her Nutcase because it’s pretty and says “I love my brain” on the back.  We were out on a trail when she crashed.  She was going downhill, using her coaster brakes, turning, and ran over some sticks.  I watched from 30 yards away as she landed on her head and wiped the pavement with her face. She had a mild concussion, a nosebleed, a laceration in her mouth, a loose tooth, a sore neck, a sprained wrist, and some killer road rash on her face.  She also had a cracked helmet.  I almost fainted when I saw it because I knew that chunk out of the front of it could have been her forehead.  At the ER, they told me how lucky she was, and that without her helmet she could have easily had a cracked skull, fractured face, or bleeding on the brain. They even gave her a special certificate for wearing her helmet!  I am so grateful that it was not any worse.  While we had many tears over the demise of her old helmet, she’s excited to get a new one—as long as it still says “I love my brain”. She says she is ready to get back on the bike! Thank you Nutcase, we love her brain too.  Love, Shanta

 

 


The crash was a particularly nasty one. My local wheel park just updated their box jumps by making them taller, longer and steeper and using concrete as opposed to wood for the construction…things were flowing really well until I missed the grab on a toboggan over the big box. It’s a really simple trick that I’ve been doing for years and have messed up on only once before, but it only takes once. I landed with a hand still off the handlebars and got thrown to the side of my bike, landing on the back of my head at the flat bottom. After a few minutes of gathering my senses I was helped off of the park by some friends to ride another day. My helmet did its job, sacrificing itself to save my head. If I hadn’t been wearing a CPSC approved helmet the crack would have been in my skull and I might not have had the chance to write this. Some people dislike wearing helmets because they don’t look cool, but I have to say that being alive to ride my bike again sounds pretty cool to me and thanks to Nutcase’s awesome designs I can look cool while being cool. Thanks Nutcase! Connor

 

 

I was riding home from work, wearing my pink, polka-dotted with star bursts Nutcase, and had a red flashing light on my messenger bag.  I was almost home and was coming downhill on a 4 lane road with a center turning lane, and needed to make a left turn to get onto the road I was living on.  I looked behind me and was sure I had plenty of time to get into the center lane.  I signaled, and made the turn.  I made it across one lane and then I heard a car quickly coming up behind me.  My heart sank.  I was going to get hit by a car.  My guardian angel must have been watching over me at the moment, because in a split-second panic I ended up facing with traffic, not across the lane as I had been during the turn.  My handle bars ended getting clipped by the passenger side rear-view mirror, and I went down hard.  My hip hit the pavement, followed by the rest of my body, with my head bouncing off the pavement last.  People stopped and held up traffic as I got myself out of the middle of the road.  I was laying in someone’s yard when police, firemen, and EMTs all showed up.  At first, EMTs didn’t believe me that I actually hit my head because my Nutcase held up so well.  You can see, it looks great!   My Nutcase took the impact much better than I did.  At the ER I was diagnosed with a fractured sacrum, road rash, and a compression fracture of one of my vertebrae.  The only damage my Nutcase sustained was a few scratches and small dings. I’m pretty much fully recovered and feel I owe a lot to your helmet!  First off, thank you so much for making a helmet that fits my tiny head!  Because your helmet fit, I was actually wearing it when I got hit.  Second, thank you for making a helmet that really saved my brain.  I was incredibly lucky, and my Nutcase protected my head better than I could have ever expected!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Lauren

 

 

I was running late the other day and noticed there was a light drizzle, so I threw on my rain jacket and ventured out onto the slick busy streets. I was in such a rush to leave I ALMOST forgot my helmet! Thank God I didn’t! I had my safety lights on, riding in far right lane, when a car decided to make a left turn from a side street and cut me off! I hit my brakes and since the road was wet my tires shot out from under me, causing me to be parallel to the ground while still on the bike! The first thing to hit the street was the left side of my helmet, i just remember the sound! I was in pain and out of it so I was taken to the ER where a CAT scan was taken. I had a concussion but every doctor thanked me for wearing my helmet and said it definitely saved me from a lot of trouble! Thanks to my Nutcase I only missed one day of work and had a headache, I don’t even want to know what would have happened if i wasn’t wearing it! I’ll never even come close to forgetting it ever again, Thank you everyone at Nutcase, I love my brain!!  Sincerely & Thankfully, Ted

 

 

I am a 50 year old Mom of six children who lives in Queens, NY and was riding on a Saturday morning. A guy speeding around the corner cut me off and I had to quickly pull the brakes for an emergency stop! Well, I didn’t hit the rear quarter panel of the car but I did go flying over the handlebars with my bike following behind me.  I then found myself on the ground, entangled in the bike..light broken off, wheel and handlebars bent, some ripped clothing and skin..but, alas, my Nutcase was all scraped up and MY brain wasnt in pain! Hurray! My kids and I thank you!  Happy day!  Monica

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday the 13th July 2011, I had a bit of a crash, riding REALLY fast (maybe 16 mph) on a cement bike path, hit an uneven surface and the bike slid out from under me, and I went sailing through the air.  I landed about twelve feet from the bike, on the side of my head, in front of a dozen people – mostly lifesavers. They immobilized me and called an ambulance immediately, with sirens and lights flashing. The noise of the helmet hitting the cement was SO LOUD, according to all the witnesses, there could be no way I could not have sustained a neck injury. Apparently it was LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. The general consensus was that without the helmet, the impact of my head on the concrete at 16 mph would have split my head like a tomato.  Emergency Department x-rays showed no damage to the head or neck – so THANK YOU NUTCASE.  One broken elbow is not too bad an outcome I think.  Cheers and thank you for the BEST HELMET in the world. Louise,
 A Genuine Nutcase and Silly Old Duck

 

 

Thank you, Nutcase.  If it weren’t for you, I would have had a major head injury today. In trying to avoid a head-on collision with a boy who was biking on the wrong side of the bike path (and whose adult companions were inattentive), I flew over my handle bars and landed on my forehead. I had to get two stitches in my chin, my lip is fairly busted, two teeth are loose, I lost skin on the tips of three fingers, and it hurts to move, but my brain was not broken. Your helmet really did save my life. I hung it up, still covered in my bloody hand prints, as a badge of honor.  A thousand times, thank you, Tasha

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Nutcase Team!  I recently saw the Watermelon helmet on your website and I immediately fell in love– My favorite food is watermelon and I knew this helmet would be “the one”.  I found a dealer in Culver City, California, got fitted and ordered one (they were out of stock).  When I got my helmet in late July, I wore it every single time I went out for a ride, feeling confident and stylish. I never really thought that I would need a helmet for protection since I ride as safely as I can every time I’m on my bike. I wore my helmet just because it was so damn cool.  Two nights ago I had my first spill on my bike. My head bounced on the asphalt and slid. My helmet cracked as I slammed against the street and I went to the ER. Luckily I had no concussion or any brain injury.  My nutcase helmet saved my life.  I want to thank the Nutcase Team for creating such stylish and comfortable helmets. Without that helmet, my head would be the one that cracked against the asphalt. Thank you again for saving my life — I can’t wait to ride until I get another helmet!  Nutcase Team, You Rock!!  Sincerely, Vicky

 

 

Hey Nutcase,  My story isn’t insane or anything, I just feel compelled to say ‘thank you’ for making rad helmets that are fun to wear. I ride my bicycle everywhere, and as it happens, I got hit head-on by a car last night. I shattered the windshield, flipped over the car and landed on the other side. Despite all that, I walked away from the accident with my brains intact. All the ER nurses were impressed with my helmet.  Thanks for being awesome, Libbie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was riding in a bike lane on a busy street in Chicago, in my Superstar Nutcase helmet – mostly white and very visible. I always ride really far from the cars, at the traffic-edge of the bike lane, simply because Chicago is lethal for bikes because drivers still don’t consider them. Anyway, when I was merely 5 feet from it, a parked car door flew open. I was going about 9 mph, so I had zero time to react. Given my injuries, I must have jolted to the left to avoid it, but it was no use. The door smashed my finger against my right handlebar, which sent my bike way off balance and threw me into oncoming traffic. Sadly, a passing car (going about 30mph) rammed me and sent me flying. It all happened in about .8 seconds – that’s my guess, anyway. My eyes were shut immediately after the door opened, so I never saw the car coming. I just felt a tremendous impact and went flying, blinked out for a second, and came to on the pavement about a half a block up the street.  When I landed, I went down on my right side, scraping up my leg bad while sliding on it, banging my head on the ground REALLY hard, but the helmet protected me totally. My left elbow was shattered, but no blood, and I had on a sweater and a jacket, so that was good. The ER put a cast on, I had a surgery three days later and they rigged up a fake joint with a steel plate and four screws.  I had to work my butt off to get my full range of motion back, but I got it all back, though the bones catch on one another and konk really loudly and painfully, and it feels like it’s in a vice when I extend it really hard. But oh well, such is life. I’m not dead or brain damaged or crippled, so i’ll take a funky elbow any day.   ;-)   Jenny

 

 

I have to start off and say thank you for making a quality product. I just recently got into a bad longboarding accident that left my Nutcase helmet cracked down the back, up to the crown and the foam shattered within. It saved my life…the impact I took should have killed me and I was lucky enough to be wearing your helmet. I was going down a hill I have gone many times before…I don’t know what exactly happened, all I know is that your helmet saved my life.  I bought it for a cross country trip and I wore it for every minute of the ride because I understand the importance of having our groms wear the right gear and keep them alive. Ever since we got back I have been using it, no matter what I was doing on a board, and I have been forcing people to wear their helmets. After my accident, where I came out with nothing more than some scraped skin and a major case of headaches, everyone of my skating buddies has realized the importance of wearing a helmet and it’s done nothing but make me happy. Thank you so much for creating a product that works.  Your loyal customer, Brian

 

 

Hello!  I was riding my bike on a nice fall day, and I was probably going a little bit fast. When I was going down my driveway, the front wheel of my bike started to wobble. I didn’t know what was happening. My feet came off of the pedals and the bike twisted and turned, and I knew I was going to crash. And sure enough, I was right! I crashed next to a big bush.  When I started to get up, everything was a little blurry, and I saw a lot of blood on the ground. My toes were cut very badly because I was foolishly wearing flip flops. (This part was from my Dad.) One of the brake handles was broken off, and my bike was scraped and beat up. I started to feel pain in my left wrist. The pain felt deep! My Dad said it was probably bruised, and put ice on it. The next day, it only felt worse. We went to the emergency room, and I found out my wrist was broken. My toes still hurt really badly, too. When we got home, my dad and I talked about wearing the proper gear for riding a bike. Flip flops are not allowed.  We looked at my helmet, and I was upset that it was scraped up so much. Dad said the helmet saved my “nut” from getting cracked. He also said I couldn’t use the helmet any more because we can’t be sure that its OK. Now, I was REALLY upset. My brother gave me the helmet the previous Christmas, and I love that helmet! How cool is the watermelon?!  I have recovered, my wrist is fine, my toes are almost healed. Dad repaired my bike and I will be ready to ride when the weather gets warmer.  So, I wanted to thank all of you at Nutcase for making a helmet that saved my life! It has been the one piece of safety gear that I always wear.  Sincerely,  Camille

 

 

Hello!  I was recently hit by a car while biking in downtown Vancouver. I was heading straight down a road, the driver didn’t see me and turned left directly into me.  I went up on to the hood of the car, broke the windshield with my head (blacked out at some point) flew off the car, regained consciousness in the air, thought to myself “oh my God, I need to land on my feet”, somehow managed to rotate myself in the air, landed FEET FIRST and fell on to the road.  That day as I got on to my bike, I put my Nutcase helmet on as usual, but this time, for some reason, gave it an extra little adjustment, just to make sure it was sitting nice and snug on my head.  Yesterday my brother, Adam, was riding his bike home from work in Calgary. He was riding pretty fast down a hill… a van didn’t see him and pulled out into the intersection he was crossing. He doesn’t remember the accident, but what we do know is that he smashed through the passenger side window into the van then was propelled back out and on to the street.  The paramedic looked at Adam’s Nutcase helmet and was amazed… straight up telling him “yep, if you hadn’t been wearing this, you would be dead”.  Your helmets have saved both mine and my brother’s lives.  To say we are grateful for the quality of your products is the understatement of the century. Unfortunately, however, I have no other way of putting it…So thank you… THANK YOU!!!! A million thank yous! (And I believe it is safe to say, the same gratitude is being extended from our parents).  Keep doing what you do.  Thank you, Hali

 

 

I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ to everyone there at Nutcase for making these helmets!  On August 6, 2010 my Nutcase helmet saved my life.  The last thing I remember from that ride is racing from work to pick up my car from the shop because my husband and I were leaving for a backpacking trip for our tenth wedding anniversary. I woke in the ambulance on my way to the hospital and was told that I had been in an accident. My tire had blown and somehow come off of my bike, how I do not know. According to the EMT report, witnesses who called in the accident stated I was traveling over 20 mph. I was thrown over the handlebars, landing on my head.  What the doctors told my husband in the ER was that the helmet saved me two-fold. The front of my head was protected from being smashed in from the initial impact. Second, because of the design, the back of the helmet most likely prevented my spinal cord from being severed due to the snapping back of my neck.  While I did knock out my four front teeth, broke my nose, jaw and had stitches all through my top and inside my bottom lips, what did not happen were any lasting BRAIN ISSUES! I was a little rattled for a few months, but that is all in the past now. I was told later by my boss that initially I had hopped on my bike, was gone for a minute but came back in saying ‘I can’t believe I just left without my helmet!’. I put on my helmet and rode off…I really do hope that my new Nutcase still says ‘I LOVE MY BRAIN’! because I do, as do my family and friends. We are all true believers and wearers of the Nutcase! I had the best caretakers in the world, but they only had someone to take care of because I was still in tact!  So once again, THANK YOU folks at NUTCASE HELMETS!  With much gratitude and love, Ticari