You don’t need to open up your wallet very far to get an effective bicycle helmet. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute hired a firm to run tests?on six helmets. Three sold for under $20, and three sold for more than $150. The conclusion? The impact test results were virtually identical.? The extra bucks may get you?an easier fit, more vents and snazzier graphics, but not more safety.
Regardless of how much you spend, your helmet needs to fit properly to protect your brain. As the BHSI asys, you want the helmet to be comfortably touching the head all the way around, level and stable enough to resist even violent shakes or hard blows and stay in place. It should be as low on the head as possible to maximize side coverage, and held level on the head with the strap comfortably snug.
Watch these videos for more tips, or come ask the WWBPA for help this summer at the West Windsor Farmers’ Market. (We sell helmets too!)
And remember–always wear a bicycle helmet when biking, not a helmet for skateboarding or some other sport.