Everyone knows that while riding a bike you should wear a helmet. But with so many options to choose from, it's hard to decide which helmet is safe or right for you. With so many designs, colors and styles available, it's easy to forget safety and protection when choosing your helmet.
Skate Helmet
While the skate helmet is a popular choice of teenage riders, its design may not be the safest option. The skate helmet is designed for skateboarding and provides terrific coverage for the types of falls that occur when riding a skateboard. However, for a cyclist, the impact when falling can be too much for a skate helmet to handle. Skate helmets are designed to absorb multiple hits with lesser impact, while a bike helmet is designed to protect from one blow of a greater magnitude.
However, if you're a kid trying to look cool or a parent doing your best to get your child to wear any helmet, skate helmets aren't the worst option. If you look for a helmet with a CPSC sticker, that means that the helmet is an approved model for cycling, according to Helmet Guide.
Bike Helmets
The typical bike helmet is designed with a few inches of foam surrounded by a thin plastic shell. The helmet is designed to prevent injury from falling off a moving bike, so the foam absorbs the impact of the hit, while the plastic allows you to slide to prevent all of the impact from occurring in one place.
While some helmets come with visors, safety organizations sometimes frown upon their use because they can cause a snag, according to Helmet Guide. The helmet is also heavily ventilated, which not only keeps your head cool, but also lessens the blow by forcing it to spread out.
Aero Helmet
Many racers prefer the aero helmet, which is sleek and fast-looking. Its aerodynamics prove it to be a bit of a faster option, but its design is somewhat flawed when it comes to safety. Principally, it is very much like the bike helmet--thin plastic shell, foam, ventilation--but, its aerodynamic design results in a tail that can get snagged during a crash, according to Helmet Guide.
Though the chances of a snag happening are slim, it is still a slightly safer option to go with the regular bike helmet.
Motocross Style
Another style of helmet is the motocross or motorcycle full-head helmet. While not the most stylish option or the most practical or comfortable, the full-head helmet is incredibly effective against bike crashes, according to BMX Helmet. If you are in a situation where you expect a crash to be more than likely, looking into this helmet is a wise idea. These helmets are specially designed to absorb impacts along wilderness or dirtbike trails. They can be useful for mountain biking, motor biking or dirt biking.
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