3 days ago
How to Buy a Bike Helmet
One of the best parts of owning a bicycle is shopping for all the gear and accessories that you need to go along with it, from bike lights to stay visible on the streets to bike locks to keep it safe when you're at the shop. But no piece of equipment is more important than a bike helmet.
But does buying a more expensive helmet mean you get more protection? What features do you need for what you intend to do, and how often do you have to replace it? And what the heck does MIPS mean? Let me walk you through the jargon and help you make sure your brain stays safe in your skull.
What Type of Helmet Do I Need?
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
That depends on the kind of riding you do. If you just ride 1 to 5 miles on city streets to work, a commuter or everyday helmet is fine. Some have more or less ventilation or look more or less cool. Others, like the Thousand Chapter MIPS ($145), have commuter-friendly features, like a punch-out hole that lets you lock up your helmet with your bike.
If you're a road cyclist, you need a road helmet like the Kask Utopia Y ($300), which takes aerodynamics, ventilation, and weight into account. A road helmet has to help you go against the wind, keep sweat from dripping into your eyes, and be comfortable for long hours of riding. Mountain biking helmets like the Smith Forefront 2 ($270) cover the back of the skull and often have a visor, and sometimes even include clips to fasten eye protection or googles.
How to Fit Your Helmet
The best way to buy a helmet is also the best way to buy a bike: Try it on. Most helmets today come with a dial system at the rear of the helmet, allowing the rider to adjust their helmets for a more precise fit than ever before. The adage goes 'low, level, snug': Your helmet should sit level on your head and cover almost all of your forehead.
A good rule of thumb is that your index finger should fit in the space between your eyebrows and your helmet. Anything more and the helmet isn't sitting on your head properly. The strap should be snug enough beneath your chin that you shouldn't be able to easily fit a finger between your jaw and the strap. You should also not be able to move the helmet more than an inch or so in any direction.
What Is Mips?
If you've bought a new bike helmet any time in the last few years, you've no doubt noticed a tiny yellow logo with the word 'Mips' printed on it somewhere on the helmet's shell. Mips is an acronym that stands for 'Multi-directional Impact Protection System.' It's an in-helmet system that reduces the rotational impact that is common during most crashes.
An inner webbing—what the brand calls its 'low-friction layer'—fits snug to your head. This webbing is connected to the helmet's outer shell with a series of fasteners. The low-friction layer and the helmet's outer shell are able to move independently of one another. If you crash while wearing a Mips helmet, the mobility of the low-friction layer works to redirect the rotational forces of impact away from the head.
Mips was developed in the mid-1990s, when Swedish brain surgeon Hans von Holst realized that contemporary helmets weren't doing enough to protect against brain damage. Von Holst noticed that helmets were designed and tested for impacts at straight angles. However, cyclists very rarely have head-on impacts from a crash. Von Holst and his team began to test impacts from a variety of angles to develop a system that could rotate within the helmet, thereby diffusing the force of impact from the head.
