There’s a lot to love about cycling to work. On my morning ride from Walthamstow to London Fields I meet ducks and horses, and pedaling past a huge Kingsmill factory gets me in the mood for my morning bagel. I bypass the stress, the squash and the other-peoples-sweat of public transport, and I’m delivered to work bright-eyed, windswept and feeling like I’ve just knocked back a double espresso. 
 
On the downside, my hair looks rubbish. Yes, helmets have come a long way in the style stakes, with brands like Bern Unlimited introducing delightfully Penelope Pitstop-esque lids to the heads of freewheeling females. You no longer need to look like you’re balancing a bunch of bananas on the top of your head. But helmets still squash your hair; any helmet that didn’t wouldn’t really be doing its job.  
 
So hair that was bouncy becomes flat; wavy becomes scruffy; tousled becomes mangled. 
Saddest of all, most of my go-to styles are out the window. Since starting to bike to work at the start of the summer, I’ve had to wave goodbye to my beloved mini-quiffs, beehives and topknots. 
 
After getting seriously bored of limp, matted locks, I enlisted the help of Percy & Reed stylist Jenni Last, in a quest for a new repertoire of helmet-friendly hairstyles. In the gallery above you'll see what we came up with...