How to Choose the Best Bike Helmet

photo credit: striatic

Other than a bicycle the only other piece of equipment you MUST have to ride your bike is a helmet. It’s funny how times have changed. When I was a kid they didn’t even HAVE bike helmets. Now they do, and if you’re going to ride a bike you better have a helmet. While it may not be a law where you are to wear a bike helmet, it is the most important thing you can do to stay safe on your bike.

What’s the Best Bike Helmet?

Here’s the deal on bike helmets, like most things in cycling you can pay from $19 to a couple hundred and nineteen dollars for a bike helmet. Some things in cycling spending more money will get you better quality gear, but with helmets, that’s not necessarily the case.

All bike helmets must meet the exact same safety requirements, whether it’s a $19 dollar Walmart helmet or a couple hundred at the bike shop, they all must meet or exceed the national safety standards.

The best bike helmet is really one you can afford. As a beginning cyclist, and even as an endurance cyclist a cheaper helmet is a perfectly acceptable way to go. It can be a great place to save a little money to put toward a better bike or better components.

The best bike helmet is one that fits!

The second thing that makes the best bike helmet is fit. If your helmet doesn’t fit properly it will not do its job properly and protect your head during a crash. Here’s a few things you want to identify to make sure you have a proper fitting bike helmet.

• comfortably touching the head all the way around
• your helmet is level on your head ~ not tipped back
• under chin strap should be comfortably snug
• the rim should be barely visible when you look up
• the side Y straps should meet just below your ear
• when you move the helmet back and forth/side to side the skin around the eyes should move a little
• push up on the front of your helmet with your palm. If it moves more than an inch it needs adjusting
• shake your head, if your helmet comes loose it needs to be adjusted
• remember not all helmets fit all heads, so try another if one doesn’t fit

Those tips should help you find not only an affordable helmet but one that fits properly. Those are the two things that you need to consider when you are looking for the best bike helmet.

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3. The Complete Bike Book Review
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