The 6 best bike helmets for every cyclist in 2022 Bike helmets are an essential for any type of rider, whether thats recreational on your suburb street, more high-gear on a mountain-bike or commuter-driven, like those Citi Bikes you see all over Manhattan.To get more news about ebike helmet, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safetys 2021 report across New York City area-based data, nearly all bicycle-related deaths (97%) were boiled down to one common denominator: bicyclists were not wearing a helmet. Bike helmets typically are meant to provide protection from one crash, Ken McLeod, policy director at the League of American Bicyclists, told the New York Post. They absorb the energy of a crash and dissipate the energy through breaking apart. Aside from his decade-long experience working on policies to improve the safety and experience of bicycling in the U.S., McLeod is also a long-time bicycle commuter and recreational road and mountain bike rider, which is why we leaned on his expertise to help round up the 6 best bike helmets of 2022 and what to know before buying one. What to look for when buying a bike helmet Though any helmet is better than no helmet, there are few key characteristics to take note of when searching for your travel essential. When buying a helmet, people should look for a helmet that fits, is easily adjustable, is comfortable and that theyll [actually] wear, McLeod shares. The most important feature of a helmet is using it, so buying a helmet that fits you and your style is very important so that youre more likely to use it. Other than that, every helmet sold in the US should meet Consumer Product Safety Commission standards, per McLeod. You can look at Virginia Techs helmet ratings if you want to know more about helmets meeting even higher standards, he adds. Another standard to look for is the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) seal, which catalogs tested helmets that meet the following criteria: They dont block the riders vision (the peripheral vision test) They dont come off when the rider falls (the positional stability test), The straps that hold a helmet on a riders head do not stretch enough to let the helmet come off in an accident (the retention strength test) The helmet significantly reduces the force to the riders head when the helmet hits a hard surface (the impact attenuation test) McLeod personally looks for helmets with MIPS technology, which stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System. This may reduce rotational forces in a crash. What to avoid when buying a bike helmet Avoid buying a helmet that does not fit, is not comfortable, or doesnt feel like something youll wear, McLeod advises. Features that may be appropriate for one style of riding like a chin bar may be uncomfortable and inappropriate for other styles of riding. Its important to (1) think about how youll use the helmet and (2) buy a helmet that youll use. How to check if your bike helmet fits properly This may seem like common sense, but according to a study from Injury Prevention, individuals whose helmets didnt fit properly had nearly a 2% increased risk of head injury compared with those whose helmets fit well. McLeod recommends following the 2-2-2 method to check helmet fit. The 2-2-2 method checks fit by checking that two fingers fit between your eyebrows and the helmet, that the helmet straps go around your ears in a V that is formed by your pointer and middle fingers, and that two fingers fit between the helmet strap and your neck, he explains. |