Bicycle Helmet Review

Reviews on bike-helmet fit and safety

Bike helmets are an essential piece of cycling gear. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI), riders who don't wear a helmet are 14 times more likely to be killed in a biking accident than cyclists who wear a helmet. All told, BHSI statistics say that 75 percent of bicycle-related deaths are due to head injuries, and 88 percent of head injuries sustained by bicyclists could have been prevented by a helmet that is well-designed and fits properly. There are no federal laws requiring the use of helmets, but 21 states and upwards of 84 localities require cyclists under a certain age to wear a helmet. The law aside, wearing a helmet just makes good sense as a preventative measure.

Fortunately, helmets have become lighter, more ventilated and increasingly stylish over the years -- and you don't have to spend a fortune for a good one. All bike helmets sold in the United States must meet safety criteria set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), so a $30 helmet will have to meet the same standards as a helmet that costs $200. The CPSC recalls helmets that fail to meet safety standards, but there have been no major bicycle-helmet recalls in the past year.

Reviews of bicycle helmets can be divided into two main categories -- those that test helmets for safety and impact absorption and those that focus on fit, comfort and style. Unfortunately, there are few recent tests that focus on impact absorption; the best test of adjust helmets comes from ConsumerReports.org, but it is several years old and rapidly becoming outdated. Editors perform their own impact testing to determine the degree to which helmets exceed CPSC safety parameters, along with important factors such as ventilation and ease of use. A more recent update at Consumer Reports performs a similar evaluation for youth and toddler bike helmets. Several other consumer testing organizations, like Australia's Choice magazine or the U.K.'s Which? magazine, test bike helmets, but they are also outdated and include many helmets not available in the United States.

Of the reviews that focus on fit, comfort and ventilation, a number of sources stand out. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute provides comprehensive coverage of bike helmets for 2009, but each helmet only gets a brief overview. Still, it's a great source for general helmet information and details on the major helmet brands. Mountain Bike Rider, a British magazine, conducts a comparative test of a number of helmets, focusing on factors like fit and ventilation. Each bike helmet gets a detailed report and numerical rating. In addition, non-comparative reviews from sources like Bicycling, Outside, BikeRadar.com and The Independent are helpful in rounding out reviews on helmets.