Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Subsidiary Private (1923–80) |
Founded | 1923 |
Fate | Merged to Riddell in 1980 to form "Bell-Riddell", then other mergers |
Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Roy Richter |
Products | Bicycle and motorcycle helmets |
Parent | Vista Outdoor |
Divisions | Motorcycle Bike |
Website | bellhelmets.com |
Bell Sports is an American bicycle and motorcycle helmet manufacturer. The company is a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor. BRG Sports, owner of Riddell football helmets, sold some of its brands (including Bell, Giro, C-Preme, and Blackburn) to Vista in 2016. [1]
The company started in 1923 as "Bell Auto Parts," named for its location in Bell, California. [2] [3] Roy Richter began working for Bell Auto Parts in 1933. In 1945, he purchased the store for $1,000. [2] Richter produced his first race car helmets in 1954. The "Bell Helmet Company" was established as a division of Bell Auto Parts in 1956. [2] Bell introduced its Star model, the first full-face motorcycle helmet on the market, in 1968. [4] In 1971, Bell produced the first full-face off-road motorcycle helmet. [5]
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. 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 foam liner inside a hand-laminated fiberglass outer shell. Laminating and polishing helmets by hand was relatively expensive but Richter believed it resulted in a stronger helmet. [6]
Several members of the famous Bill Stroppe Lincoln Team wore the Bell 500 in the Carrera Panamericana Road Race in 1954. A Bell helmet was used in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time by Cal Niday 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. [6]
Bell moved to Long Beach, California in 1968. The first Bell helmet with full-face protection was developed at this location. [7]
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 renamed "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. [8] In 2005, it reacquired Bell Racing Company, [9] and was itself merged into Easton-Bell Sports in 2006. [10] Vista Outdoor acquired the company in 2016. [11]
In 2023, Vista Outdoor laid off numerous employees at Bell Sports facility in Scotts Valley, California. This is part of an effort to integrate relevant brands into Fox Racing. [12]
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. [13] 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. [14]
Bell Racing USA and Bell Racing Europe were independent companies that used the Bell trademark under license. [15] In 2019 OMP Racing acquired the majority of shares in Bell Racing Helmets Group and continues to use the Bell trademark under license. [16]
KTM is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and motorsports brand which is co-owned by Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto and Austrian manufacturer Pierer Mobility AG. It traces its foundation in 1934 as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. Today, Pierer Mobility AG operates as the manufacturer of KTM branded motorcycles; whereas KTM Fahrrad AG operates as the manufacturer of KTM branded bicycles.
A go-kart, also written as go-cart, is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing karts. Karting is a type of racing in which a compact four-wheel unit called a go-kart is used. Art Ingels created the first go-kart in Los Angeles in 1956.
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BRG Sports, Inc. is an American holding company that owns and operates the Riddell Sports Group. BRG was founded in 2004 as Riddell Bell Holdings, Inc. by the private equity firm Fenway Partners, and served as the holding company for Fenway's two sports properties, Riddell Sports and Bell Sports. After Fenway acquired Easton Sports in 2006, the company's name was changed to Easton-Bell Sports, Inc.
AGV is an Italian motorcycle helmet manufacturer active in motorcycle sport. Founded in 1947 by Gino Amisano, since 2007 the company is a subsidiary of Dainese, which was taken over by Investcorp in 2019. The AGV brand is well known in motorcycle sport.
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Giro is an American manufacturer of snow and cycling helmets; snow and mountain-biking goggles; cycling and mountain bike apparel and shoes; and softgoods for cycling, skiing and snowboarding. The company was founded in 1985 by Jim Gentes and was headquartered in Scotts Valley, California. It was acquired by Bell Sports in 1996.
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Riddell Sports Group is an American company specializing in sports equipment for American football. It was headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. In 2017, the company relocated to a new facility in adjacent Des Plaines, Illinois.
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Easton Archery, formally Jas. D. Easton, Inc., is an American archery equipment company that has existed since 1953. The company was started by James Douglas "Doug" Easton (1907–1972), who had made bows and arrows since 1922, and who in 1932 opened Easton's Archery Shop in Los Angeles. After the creation of the manufacturing company in 1953, Easton grew to become the world's leading archery business and pioneered the use of aluminum in sporting goods.
Motorcycle Superstore is an Internet-based retailer of motorcycle riding gear, apparel, parts, and accessories with two retail outlets. Motorcycle Superstore also sells products for scooters, ATVs, snowmobiles, and personal watercraft.
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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: sudden deceleration forces on the head can easily occur if a racing car loses control at the very high speeds of competitive motor racing or the rough terrain experienced in rallying. A risk more nearly unique to motor racing is the possibility of drastically severe burns from fuel igniting when the fuel lines or fuel tank of the vehicle are jolted sufficiently to dislodge or breach them in a situation in which the driver cannot soon enough escape from his car. This happened to world champion driver Niki Lauda at the 1976 German Grand Prix race at the Nürburgring in a crash from which he barely escaped alive.
Easton Sports, Inc. was an American sports equipment company that existed from 1985 to 2014. Easton was formed as a subsidiary of Jas. D. Easton, Inc. through the acquisition and renaming of the Curley-Bates Co. The company grew to become a major player in baseball and hockey equipment production. In the early 2000s, around 40 per cent of National Hockey League players used Easton sticks.
Vista Outdoor Inc. is an American designer, manufacturer, and marketer of outdoor sports and recreation products. It operates in two markets: shooting sports and outdoor products. It is a "house of brands" with more than 40 labels and subsidiaries. It trades under "VSTO" on the New York Stock Exchange.
Roy Edward Richter was an American businessman who founded Bell Helmets and Cragar Industries.
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