Bicycle Helmets And How To Choose The Better For Your Needs

Usually it's your hands that take the brunt of the damage or arms or possibly the thigh, these parts hurt, but will heal in time.

If it's your head that hits the ground there is a good chance you may not recover from the damage, so a helmet could save your life, wear one.


Which Cycle Helmet Should I Buy?

The answer to the question, which cycle helmet should I buy? It's the one that fits you and the one that you can afford.

You might want to look like your heroes, but this could be expensive, the most well known helmets are:

• Giro
  
• Catlike
  
• Limar
  
• Lazer
  
• Met
• Rudy Project
  

There are others that do the job as well as those, but these names are worn by the top men of cycle sport, the men you watch racing across European roads, up Alpine and Pyrenean climbs, across Spanish plains, round Italy and over the cobbles of northern France and the low-countries.

Some History Of The Cycle Helmet


Years ago, cyclists either didn't wear helmets or wore a thing more like a hair net, made of strips of leather and padding, they gave some protection, but not much.

Then in America mountain bikers started to wear polystyrene, one piece helmets, then it became compulsory for mountain bikers to race with them, next road riders started to wear them because professionals could put there sponsors name on them and now they are compulsory for all racers and are now compulsory in many countries for normal day to day cycling.

The polystyrene helmet, which was more like a bucket, is now plastic coated and has air holes and vents.

The problem with the original helmets they were too hot in the summer, so they had to be made for more ventilation, so they now look more like the original hair net style and weigh very little, but give much more protection than the old helmet, especially the important areas of the skull, the frontal lobes, the sides and the back of the head where you are more likely to hit your head if you are unlucky.


What To Look For In A Cycle Helmet

Comfort must be the most important thing after safety, look for a safety certificate, in America it's the C.P.S.C. safety standard that helmets have to comply with and this is recognised through out the world.

If you do receive an impact to your helmet it is usually best to destroy it and get a new one as the damage can be unseen and the helmet may not give you protection.

Always fit your helmet according to the manufacturers instructions and make sure you always wear it.

A summary of the Consumer Product Safety Commission study; CPSC Document #345
asked to "282 kids, ages 8 to 13, from schools in Pennsylvania, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio, New Mexico, New York, Nebraska, and Washington, just what they thought about bike helmets" says:

"WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF YOU HAD A BIKE CRASH AND WEREN'T WEARING A HELMET? "

"You could be paralyzed, killed, or you could suffer damage." "You could bust your head open on the sidewalk or a rock." "You could go into a coma." "You could break your neck or crack your head. "You could have serious brain damage and you might have to learn all you know over again."