Bell Sports is an American maker of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

s. The company is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...

of Vista Outdoor, after BRG Sports –owner of Riddell

football helmet The football helmet is a piece of protective equipment used mainly in gridiron football, although a structural variation has occasional use in Australian rules football. It consists of a hard plastic shell with thick padding on the inside, a ...

s– sold some of its brands (including Bell, Giro, C-Preme, and Blackburn) to Vista in 2016.

History

The company started in 1923 as "Bell Auto Parts," named for its location in

Bell, California Bell is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, near the center of the former San Antonio Township (abolished after 1960). Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the ...

Roy Richter Roy Edward Richter (March 16, 1914 – July 28, 1983) was an American businessman who founded Bell Helmets and Cragar Industries. Early life, family, and education Richter was born to Otto and Cora Richter in the small town of Dupo, Illinois. Dup ...

began working for Bell Auto Parts in 1933. In 1945, he purchased the store for $1,000. Richter produced his first

race car helmet A racing helmet is a form of protective headgear worn by racing car and rally drivers. Motor racing has long been known to be an exceptionally risky sport:Lippi, G., Salvagno, G. L., Franchini M., and Guidi G. C.; “Changes in technical regulation ...

s in 1954. The "Bell Helmet Company" was established as a division of Bell Auto Parts in 1956. Bell introduced its Star model, the first full-face motorcycle helmet on the market, in 1968. In 1971, Bell produced the first full-face off-road motorcycle helmet. Bell made its first production helmet in 1954. It was the result of months of research and development. Richter, with the help of veteran naval pilot Frank Heacox, reverse engineered numerous helmets, including some used in

military aviation Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift ( air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war thea ...

. Heacox played a key role in developing Bell Helmet's first products, most importantly by using the helmets himself, both in races and on the street. These experiences with the prototypes led to many useful suggestions. That first helmet, named the Bell 500, featured a

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane is produced from ...

foam liner inside a hand-laminated

fiberglass Fiberglass ( American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

outer shell.

Laminating Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materia ...

and polishing helmets by hand was relatively expensive but Richter believed it resulted in a stronger helmet. Several members of the famous Bill Stroppe Lincoln Team wore the Bell 500 in the

Carrera Panamericana The Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border sedan ( stock and touring and sports car) rally racing event on open roads in Mexico similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. Running for five consecutive years from 1950 to 1954, ...

Road Race in 1954. A Bell helmet was used in the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

for the first time by

Cal Niday Cal Niday (April 29, 1914 in Turlock, California – February 14, 1988 in Lancaster, California) was an American racecar driver. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident after high school, but it did not affect his race car driving career. Cal is ...

in 1955. Niday crashed during lap 177 of the race and suffered several major injuries. Despite suffering a skull fracture, Nidal credited the helmet for preventing even more serious injury. By 1956, helmet sales were far above projections. This resulted in the formation of the Bell Helmet Company as a subsidiary of Bell Auto Parts. The helmet operation employed at least four people working full-time producing helmets in a facility next door to the original Bell Auto Parts location. Bell moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

in 1968. The first Bell helmet with full-face protection was developed at this location. In 1980, the company merged with football helmet maker Riddell to form "Bell-Riddell". The Bell-Riddell motorcycle division was sold in 1991, becoming "Bell Helmets". The remaining company was re-named "Bell Sports". In 1999, the auto racing division was sold and split into two separate companies called "Bell Racing Company" (North America) and "Bell Racing Europe" (Europe, Asia and Africa). Bell Sports reacquired Bell Helmets in 2002, creating Bell Powersports. In 2005, it reacquired Bell Racing Company, and was itself merged into Easton-Bell Sports in 2006. Vista Outdoor acquired the company in 2016.

Products

The Bell Star MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) is the entry-level model of the Bell Star line of motorcycle helmets. It is made using a slip-plane design and a foam EPS liner. The EPS liner is designed to deal with main impact forces while the MIPS helps prevent brain injuries such as concussions by reducing rotational forces. Their Bell Star helmet was listed as the safest full-face road helmet after being tested by Australia's independent Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets team.

Relationship to Bell Racing

Bell Racing USA and Bell Racing Europe, are independent companies that use the Bell trademark under license.

References

External links

* {{American bicycle manufacturers Helmet manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1923 Companies based in Champaign County, Illinois Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Cycle parts manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Illinois 1923 establishments in California

History

Products

Relationship to Bell Racing

See also

References

External links