BQ Meets: PieProof Helmets

If you ride through spring in Australia, you know the sound: the sudden, sharp clack of talons on helmet plastic, the furious flapping of wings, and the unmistakable screech of a territorial magpie. For many cyclists, it’s a rite of passage. For Leo Boesten, it became a call to action.

Leo, the founder and designer behind PieProof Helmets, had what you might call a very bad magpie season while breaking out of Post-COVID Melbourne in 2022 for a rail trail ride.

Leo experienced a relentless barrage from airborne aggressors. “It was just abominable,” he recalls. “I was just pounded.” True to form, Leo found a way to inject some humour into the experience. “I kept score like an Aussie Rules match. Points were near misses, goals were hits. I logged it all on Strava.” (Final score over 3 days; Magpies 78-213-681 : Leo 0-0-0  

“I ended up with a bloodied ear and a bleeding head,” he says. “I had a look around to see if there was some sort of helmet or solution… but there wasn’t anything out there.”

This was a tipping point for Leo.

“I thought, there’s got to be a better way,” Leo says. With experience in product development and a growing itch to create something meaningful, he started toying with an idea: a cycling helmet designed specifically to reduce or even eliminate the chances of magpie-related injury.

From talon trauma to tangible tech

The design process for the PieProof helmet wasn’t about reinventing the wheel, but about evolving what already works. “Most helmets are built for crash protection, which is essential,” Leo explains. “But they don’t do anything about aerial attacks from behind or above. That’s where magpies hit.”

The result? A unique helmet designed with magpie behaviour in mind. PieProof helmets feature a series of features to disrupt a magpie strike. The design of the rear vents stops beaks and claws from entering, and all vents have a strong mesh covering – which is throughout the whole shell. There are removable covers for the ears and a visor (coupled with glasses) for added eye protection. There is also a small rechargeable red LED light in the helmet, and a really adjustable retention system and straps. With three sizes available, it’s easy to get the perfect fit. A helmet isn’t very safe if it doesn’t stay put.

The whole design is discreet but functional—and unlike the cable ties, streamers and googly eyes often used as improvised and rudimentary magpie-defence helmets, PieProof helmets actually look good. But that didn’t happen overnight.

As the concept solidified, Leo partnered with experienced industrial designers and consulted with cyclists who had their own swoop horror stories. He worked with safety consultants to ensure that the added magpie defence features didn’t compromise the helmet’s crash protection or comfort.

While the first prototype that came from the factory just didn’t meet the criteria, once Leo sent them a series of videos showing how aggressively magpies swoop, the designers understood the brief completely, and the second iteration is essentially what you can now buy.

Real-world results

Since launching PieProof, Leo’s received a wave of gratitude from riders across Australia—particularly those who ride in known magpie zones, some now even look forward to an attack! We reviewed a PieProof Helmet last spring – with great results!

While the helmet doesn’t guarantee immunity, the results speak for themselves. Riders report  less anxiety on known magpie routes, and greater confidence heading into spring.

“People have messaged to say, ‘I went through my usual route and didn’t feel the need to fight off the bird,’ or ‘The bird tried to scare me off, but just gave up after a while because I was able to ignore it.” Leo shares. “That’s the goal: reduce the damage, reduce the risk, stay calm and focus on the road or path rather than trying to fight off the bird and possibly crash.”

“It’s not magic,” Leo says. “But it’s purpose-built for a uniquely Australian problem. That’s what sets it apart.”

Beyond the beak

Here at Bicycle Queensland, we reviewed the helmet in the spring of 2024. And while the added safety features around protection from magpie strikes are great inclusions, the PieProof helmet is a fantastic helmet in its own right. Given the design means your chance of injury from a magpie is just about nil, the added safety of not being distracted or crashing while fending off a magpie is something that cannot be underestimated.

With the helmet now in full production, Leo’s focus is shifting to awareness and distribution. PieProof has partnered with Bicycle Queensland as a BQ Alliance partner, making the helmet more accessible to members and supporting education about riding safely during magpie season. PieProof helmets are available in three sizes, in either black or white, at a variety of bike shops around Australia. Of course, they are stocked more where magpies are more active!

For now, he’s proud of what PieProof has achieved. From bleeding ears to a helmet brand, it’s been a wild ride—one that proves the best ideas often come from the most frustrating problems.

“It started because I just wanted to ride without getting my head opened up,” Leo laughs. “Turns out, a lot of people wanted the same thing.”

PieProof helmets cost $109.95, and are available in select Queensland bike shops including EPIC Cycles, Pedal Inn Bicycle Garage, GVRT Cycles, Border Bikes or online: pieproof.com.au