Choosing a helmet isn’t just buying your size and your favorite brand. It’s buying a helmet that will actually protect your head from impacts, whether it be in a crash or a side impact.
Safety is not something you can just add in and hope for the best. You need to know that the helmet is properly fitted, and you should regularly review your helmet’s DOT safety rating to ensure that it still provides the protection you expect.
Even if there’s not enough space to fit the right size helmet snugly, you can still reduce the risk of injury by wearing one that fits properly. Also, some helmets now have built-in protection systems, like Bell’s MIPS (multiple impact protection system), to reduce injuries from rotational forces.
You don’t want a helmet that feels too tight, since it will be distracting or painful, or uncomfortable, and may even stop you from wearing it.
A good fit protects you from injury and helps your helmet do what it was designed to do. No matter how much money you have to spend on your helmet, it should fit properly, and you shouldn’t need to spend a lot of money on a new one.
There are tons of options on the market for all price points, head shapes, and riding styles. You just have to pay attention when picking out your next lid. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s time to get your head right! With this guide, you’ll be on your way to finding the best fit for you.
If you can shake your head, use a measuring tape, and find a friend to lend a hand, you can do this! Ready to get started? The steps to choosing the right helmet are easy: Choose a helmet style, determine your head shape and size, and buy it.
Put on your helmet. Check to make sure it fits. Wear it for half an hour. Does it still feel right? If not, get it adjusted. Otherwise, go riding!
Table of Contents
1. Choose a helmet style
If you’re riding a motorcycle, you’ll want to choose a helmet style that’s right for your motorcycle. There are several different basic types of helmets that you’ll need to be familiar with. In general, you have five basic helmet styles to choose from.
Open-face helmets are great for people who enjoy riding the wind. They flow tons of air, as the helmet’s shell doesn’t cover your face or chin, hence the name.
If you’re looking to save money when buying a helmet, an open-face helmet would be a good choice. They’re typically less expensive than other types of helmets, and they usually offer fewer features.
Many of the riders who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles wear these kinds of helmets, although most riders opt for the half helmet and the visor style. A rider wearing a full-face helmet and a top-quality jacket has a much better chance of surviving a crash than one wearing a half helmet or no protection at all.
A face shield protects the rider’s nose and eyes, and an extension of the shell called the chin bar covers the bottom of the rider’s face. Full-face helmets have the least ventilation, but they offer the most protection and offer better vision and comfort.
If you aspire to race your street bike on the track, you’ll want a full-face helmet. They’re the only option if you’d like to take your helmet to the track. Full-face helmets are commonly found on every kind of street bike. This modular helmet looks like a full face, but it has a release that lets you pop open the front for easier access to your ears and nose.
Revzilla photo. Modular helmets are a subset of full-face helmets. These helmets use a hinged mechanism to swing the chin bar and face shield out of the way when the rider hits the release, instantly converting the full face helmet into an open face helmet.
This modularity allows the helmet to have many features, including modular technology for a unique setup that allows you to easily switch between full face or open face. Because it’s modular, this helmet is lighter and quieter than full-face helmets, and still offers the safety features you would expect from an open-face helmet. The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in a microwave oven and more particularly to an improved door lock for such an oven which can be mounted directly to the door of the oven without the need of any additional hinge structure.
With a modular design, your motorcycle helmet can be easily converted into dirt or street gear with only a few extra parts. The ADV, or adventure, the helmet is designed with versatility in mind. It will provide protection no matter where you take your ride.
When you transition from the street to the trail, you need an ADV bike and helmet combination that combines the features you need for both riding disciplines. You’ll find this combination of features on a single helmet.
Dirtbikes are the ultimate bikes for dirt riding. They provide superior grip, stability, and versatility. For adventure riding that includes road and trail riding, nothing beats them.
ADV helmets are most at home with dual-sport and ADV riders. The dirt helmet is a highly specialized piece of gear.
Note that these helmets do not require a Department of Transportation (DOT) rating, so they might not be street-legal. Dirt helmets feature plenty of airflows, plus a large peak to keep the roost out of the rider’s eyes.
A dirt bike helmet is meant to be worn with goggles. They’re extremely light, though they sacrifice face shields and other comforts to make that possible. They’re ideal for off-road riding, so if you’re going to be riding on the street, choose something else.
His head shape is an intermediate oval. RevZilla photo.
2. Determine your head shape and size
This helmet will help protect your head if you’re a long oval head shape. Now that you know the helmet’s right for you, it’s time to find the right headgear.
To find out what your shape is, get someone to take a photo of your head and ask them to flatten your hair down. If your head is nearly round, your head is almost oval.
In the United States, the most common oval is the medium. However, you can filter your search results to show only those that match your head shape.
What size helmet will fit your head the best? Now, find your helmet size. Helmet sizing is a little strange for most people since we don’t use head size as commonly as waist size, shirt size, or shoe size in everyday life.
We all know that body measurements vary from person to person, but it’s important to know exactly how tall you are in order to know how many products will fit your needs. To find out, ask a friend to measure the length of your head with a soft tape measure, from top of your ears to the top of your hairline. This is usually a pretty accurate measurement.
Measure the helmet by laying it on top of a straightedge ruler and comparing it to a chart. If you know the size of a helmet that fits well, you can measure the other sizes and compare those sizes to the helmet’s size chart.
3. Try the helmet on
Measure and try on a helmet, to determine what style and size will fit your head and work for the activity you plan to play. That should narrow down your choices considerably. Now, you can buy it! The best way to make sure you’ve got the right helmet is to go to the store and try it on. After that, you’ll know if it fits!
Helmets are not meant to be comfortable while your head passes through the pads. You may need to adjust your ears, as well. That’s totally normal, like adjusting your socks after putting on your shoe.
The focus should be on fitting the helmet properly.
4. Check for proper fit
Your helmet should feel comfortable when worn. If there’s any sort of discomfort, try another helmet. If you’re still having problems ordering your helmet, contact customer service.
It should fit as it should and the chin bar should go where you expect it to. Move the chin bar up or down, then feel the helmet against your cheeks. If it feels right, you’re close to the right size.
When you’re wearing your helmet, make sure that your cheeks move, not the helmet. If your helmet’s a little too tight, remember that most helmet liners break in 15% to 20% after the first 15 to 20 hours of riding.
It might feel cumbersome at first, but try it for a few minutes and see how you like it. You’ll feel safer and more comfortable without it, so keep it on for a longer ride.
5. Wear the helmet for about half an hour
You should wear the helmet for 30-60 minutes. It’s important to rest the brain after wearing it for a while. You don’t have to be doing anything specific. (Pressing points on the head are the main thing.
If you feel that you must stop the pain, it’s time to upgrade your helmet. Discomfort is most common right where you feel it: directly at your forehead or above your temples.
If your forehead is covered with a big red line after removing the helmet, it probably wasn’t designed for your head. Make sure to get the helmet that fits properly.
6. Still feels right? Go ride!
If you feel that it still feels right to continue riding even though you’re feeling slightly uncomfortable, then ride! Riding in the street is safer than riding on a bicycle track.
Make sure you put the helmet on and break it in for at least 15-20 hours before trying to wear it for the first time. The helmet will mold to your head somewhat, making for an even better fit.
7. Materials Used
The cool thing about helmets is they help reduce the forces of impact on a helmet wearer. There are lots of names and acronyms used for the weird and wonderful sounding materials used in helmets these days. CoolMax, Hydradry, Interpower; you’ll find them all used in helmets.
There’s lots of R&D money going into technical fabrics for helmets and other gear. But these days most helmets are moisture-wicking and antibacterial. And they’re also pretty comfortable.
The materials used in helmets: There are many types of fabrics and finishes you’ll find inside the helmet, but two of the more common types of materials used in helmet fabrication include Aegis and Microban.
Coolmax is a common fabric inside helmets. It’s designed to keep your head cool by pulling moisture away, and that means it keeps your head cooler.
Faytex products are sometimes found in AGV and 6D helmets. They’re a moisture-wicking material made by Faytex, they’re odor-resistant, breathable, and have decent abrasion resistance.
There’s no such thing as eco-leather or hydradry, but there is a plastic faux leather called Eco-Leather. It has waterproofing and wear resistance properties, and is used on the inside of ICON helmets.
Interpower is a fabric treatment found inside some Suomy helmets that are designed to reduce the contact points between the skin and fabric thereby reducing moisture build-up.
KwikWick 2 is the name the Exoskeleton Corporation gives to the lining of their helmets. It’s a very nice soft material that absorbs sweat and is hypoallergenic and machine washable.
HJC is an American manufacturer of motorcycles and other off-road vehicles. They are the first manufacturers to develop leathers that keep the rider dry and comfortable on long rides.
You’ll find that some products come with a liner. A lot of times, these are made of bioceramic. Some people think of bioceramics as a better material than silicone.
Okotex 100 is often found in Schuberts. It means the product can’t harm the consumer by using certain manufacturing processes and materials.
If you’re particularly sensitive to smells, then this might be good for you. It’s a helmet that uses tiny amounts of silver chloride to keep bacteria at bay and stop the formation of odor-causing molecules. A: I don’t think so! I’ve already started this business.
When Ritmo is placed in a protective helmet, it should last the lifetime of the helmet. It’s made of cooling, moisture-wicking, and breathable material, so it shouldn’t be sticky or tacky inside a protective helmet.
This is the first AGV we had ever seen with the Shalimar treatment. We have been using the product for quite a while, and even though I didn’t know exactly what the AGV was treating, it does eliminate odors from my helmet!
SuperCool is the new name for HJC’s comfy, moisture-wicking, and antibacterial fabric. It pulls sweat away from your head to keep you cool. Its name is Virus Cool Jade.
Cool Jade is apparently laced with jade and was designed to reduce skin surface temp by up to 10 degrees (f), so it’s there to keep your head really cool. It’s called Virus.
X-Mart is a fabric that’s designed to wick away moisture and is also hypo-allergenic. It’s used inside some Nexx helmets. Bell and LS2 have been using this fabric for some of their helmets, like the Bell LS2 and Bell XT2 silver-lined helmets.
The antimicrobial properties of silver are very real. It works by killing bacteria. You can also make your own anti-bacterial products using silver threads woven into fabrics. This is a safe, easy and affordable way to keep your home smelling clean.
