Quick Answers
to Your Helmet Questions
Summary: Helmet answers in fast-reading format.
What's the best helmet to buy?
We think you should pick a helmet that fits you well, is round and smooth on the
outside, and has a sticker inside certifying that it meets the CPSC standard. There is not enough verifiable difference
in impact performance to make brand recommendations.
Consumer Reports publishes
helmet ratings. So does Virginia Tech University. They don't test
many models, but we have
a page on the ones where they agree. We have a detailed page
on
Helmets for the Current Season if you want more info. We also have a long description of
what we consider to be the
ideal helmet.
Who makes the coolest helmet?
Marketing hype aside, coolness always depends on ventilation, and that depends mostly
on the size of the front vents.
Consumer Reports usually finds that all of the adult helmets they test are at
least Good for ventilation and only a few are Excellent. But you can look at a helmet and see 90 per cent of the
ventilation story. Most riders will not need all the vents you see in the most expensive models, but in some climates
cooler is better.
What will I pay for it?
Our local K-Mart, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart discount stores have smooth, round, helmets meeting
the CPSC standard on sale regularly for about $20 to $25, and most discount stores are under $30. Local bike shops have
major brands for $35 to $200. There are discounts online, but there are junk helmets and counterfeits too.
Is a cheap helmet as safe as an expensive one?
Yes! We submitted samples of six helmet models to a leading U.S. test
lab: three in the $150 to $200 range and three under $20.
The impact test results were
virtually identical. There were very few differences in performance among the helmets. Our conclusion: when you pay more
for a helmet you may get an easier fit, more vents and snazzier graphics. But the basic impact protection of the cheap
helmets we tested equaled the expensive ones.
What about helmet standards?
Helmet standards test for things you can't judge in a store: impact performance and
strap strength. Meeting the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's bike helmet standard is legally required for every helmet made for the
US market. So CPSC is the benchmark standard. ASTM and Snell B-90 are similar to it, and Snell B-95 is a
little better, if you can remember all that in the store. We have a
page comparing the
standards if you want details. But every bicycle helmet sold in the US must have a CPSC sticker inside.
Kid's helmets?
There are lots of helmets for kids from one to five years old. There are no tiny helmets on the market
because nobody recommends taking a very young infant on a bicycle. Kids need vents in hot weather even if they are not
pedaling, and most toddler helmets have sets of fit pads of different thickness to adjust for growth. We have
more on kids helmets, more on
taking a tot along and a page on
trailers or bicycle-mounted child seats too.
Where can I find a helmet for my extra large head?
Several manufacturers have XXL helmets, listed on
our page on helmets for big heads.
What about my bald head?
We recommend that bald riders pick their helmet carefully, add light screening in the top
vents, or wear a kerchief or use sunscreen to control those tan lines. We have more
advice from
other bald riders.
When do I need to replace a helmet?
- Did you crash it? Replace!
- Is it from the 1970's? Replace.
- Is the outside just foam or cloth instead of plastic? Replace.
- Does it lack a CPSC, ASTM or Snell sticker? Replace.
- Can you not adjust it to fit correctly? Replace!!
- Do you hate it? Replace.
For details, see our page on
when to replace your helmet.
What other activities can a bike helmet be used for?
The ASTM standard for inline skating and bicycle helmets is the
same. Inline skaters asked to have it that way after using bike helmets for a decade and finding them adequate for
skating protection. For other activities you are on your own with a bicycling-only helmet. We have a page up with
more on multi-purpose helmets.
How can I tell if my helmet is on backwards?
On some helmets it isn't easy. Some helmets even have a "Front" sticker.
The brand is normally on the front, and the nape straps go toward the back. We of course have a page with detail on
finding the front of your helmet.
Who has mandatory helmet laws?
At least 21 states and 145 localities in the US. All of Australia and New Zealand, Argentina, and parts of
Canada. Here is our
list of laws.
Where do I find statistics on helmets?
Here, on our
statistics page. Lots of them, and they
don't agree, so you can take your pick!
How well do helmets work?
Very well indeed, as long as they are fitted securely and buckled when you crash. Helmets
provide a 66 to 88% reduction in the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury for all ages of bicyclists. Ask any club
cyclist, whose shared experience with other cyclists has shown them the pattern clearly. The down side is that many
helmet users are not securing their helmets level on the head and adjusting the straps carefully. Those cute kids with
helmets tilted back have their big, bare foreheads right out there ready to crack. A helmet has to be fitted carefully to
do its work.
Can I wear beads braided in my hair or a baseball cap with my helmet?
Not if you want your helmet to fit well. If the
beads interfere with fit, they can make your helmet less safe. So does the brim of your baseball hat, and the thickness
of the hat. In addition, beads in your hair or the steel ball at the top of many baseball caps can concentrate the force
of an impact on one spot, or the beads can shatter in a fall, cutting you. We have a page up on
hairdo's with beads braided in and wearing baseball caps under a helmet.
Where can I find a hard shell helmet?
There are plenty of hard shell helmets, but most are skate-style, and they have
the classic skate shape with tiny vents. A company in Taiwan, Hopus Technologies, is making hard shell helmets in bicycle
styles, and you can find at least one of them as a PTI brand helmet at Target stores. Check
our
page on helmets for the current year and search for the word "hard" to find more.
How can I promote bike helmets?
Check out our
Toolkit for Helmet Promotion Programs for an
amazing array of helpers.
Where can I get pamphlets?
Check
this page on how to get our pamphlets on paper or as Word
or .pdf files.
Can we quote you?
Certainly! Please follow our
press guidelines.
Who pays your salary?
We don't
get salaries! We are an all-volunteer program funded at less than
$15,000 per year exclusively by consumer donations, most of them very small. We do not accept funding from any helmet
manufacturer or industry group. That lets us take a free swing when we go to an
ASTM standards
meeting or write up a
review of this season's helmets. Our FAQ, or
"Can you trust this site?" page has more description of who we are.
If you're so poor, what are you doing with a big, fast site here on the Internet?
It's amazing what volunteer labor
can do for you on the web. To see how we run our link at minimal cost and reasonable speed, check out our
network description. We have been around since 1974, and on the web since 1995, so we have a lot of
stuff for you. Then notice how often our pages are updated, shown by the dates at the bottom. People count more than
money if they care.