Wearing a well fitted bicycle helmet is perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your safety on a bike.  You don't have to be going fast or racing to suffer a severe head injury on a bike.  Even at slow speeds you can fall from your bike and hit you head on the ground.

 

A properly designed bicycle helmet is intended to take most of the impact from such a fall and spare your head from injury.  In Georgia, all riders under the age of 16 are required by law to wear a helmet when riding a bike.

 

While the actual foam that helmets are made from is regulated by the federal government and is the same across all helmets, there are huge difference in how the helmet attaches to your head.  Mass market helmets - those sold at discounters - do not have the same retention systems found in helmets sold exclusively at bike shops.  While the material may be the same, the way a helmet attaches to a rider's head makes all the difference in its safety.

 

You'll spend no more than $50 on a great quality, well fitted, shop quality helmet.  Spend the extra $20.  You'll be glad you did!

 

Here's a quick guide to fitting your helmet properly:

 

1.  Make sure the helmet is level on your head.
A level helmet is a safe helmet.  Mass market helmets that don't fit level on the rider's head will do very little in the event of a fall.  Your helmet should fit level and evenly around your head.

 

You should adjust the helmet's straps in such a way that there is one strap in front of your ear and another behind your ear.  The straps should form a "Y" around your ear.  Straps that come across your ear not only create a poor fit, but are uncomfortable.

 

The buckle of your helmet should be snug and should only allow for about two fingers of space under your chin.  A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to comfortably chew a stick of gum and not have the helmet strap bind under your chin.  Any looser and the helmet could shift during an impact.  Any tighter and you will be uncomfortable.

 

All helmets sold at The Bicycle Wheel come with a sizing band.  When tightened, this band forces the helmet to be level on your head for maximum safety.  Most of the helmets we carry are "one size fits all".  This is because the sizing band eliminates the need for foam fitting pads that compromise fit.

 

When you think the straps are right, shake your head around.  Then put your palm under the front edge and push up and back.  Can you move the helmet more than an inch from level, exposing your forehead?  If so, tighten the strap in front of your ear.

 

Now reach back and pull up on the back edge.  Can you move the helmet more than an inch?  If so, tighten the rear strap.  When you are done, your helmet should be level, feel solid on your head and be comfortable.  It should not bump on your glasses.  If it does, tighten the rear strap.  You should forget you are wearing it most of the time, just like a seat belt or a good pair of shoes.  If it still does not fit that way, keep working with the straps and pads, or try another helmet.

You should always replace any helmet if you crash.  Helmets are single impact products and are designed to save your life only once.  Even small impacts crush some of the foam, although the damage may not be visible.  Under severe impact, a bicycle helmet will break apart.  This is by design as the helmet is taking the impact - not the rider's head.

 

No one ever complains about the cost of replacing a crashed bike helmet.  Most manufacturers recommend replacement after five years even if one has never been involved in an accident.

 

As a commuity service, we will fit you or your child to a helmet - whether you purchased it from us or not - for free.  It only takes a few minutes and it could save your life!

 

For more info on helmets, visit www.bhsi.org.  This is the most comprehensive, up to date site we know of for all information related to bicycle helmets.