The Best Bike Helmets to Keep You Safe On Every Ride

Cycling can be an outstanding workout to help bolster cardio training for runners. DAA Industry Opt Out glutes and legs too. The low-impact motion will also help save your knees Core Workouts You Can Do at Home.

If you’re going to pedal over the pavement (or anywhere, really), safety is key. According to a study in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, S, M, L—you don’t want to join that particular club.

Riding responsibly means wearing a helmet, and buying the best may make a difference if you fall hard. The best bike helmets that will not only protect your dome, but will do so comfortably and—in some cases—give you a competitive aerodynamic edge.

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Best Bike Helmets

The Expert (Adam Schram): As a former non-helmet-wearing bike commuter, my life was significantly harder for years after I inevitably hit my head one icy winter day. Later, as a salesperson at The Bicycle Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, I made it a personal mission to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of wearing a helmet. Simultaneously, I’ve spent enough time in the saddle for big races to know the ins and outs of what makes a helmet feel good, look better, and work best.

The Expert (Nick Hilden): I’ve been cycling in all its forms for my entire life, and over the course of four decades, I’ve taken more than my share of hits to the old brain box and have learned to appreciate the importance of proper protection. Accordingly, I have tested countless helmets, and have written about them and other bicycling gear for publications like Runner’s World, Bicycling, the Manual, and more.

What to Consider When Buying a Bike Helmet

Sizing

A properly fitting helmet functions dramatically better than one that’s the wrong size. Most entry-level helmets come in one-size-fits-all packages, but fancier helmets tend to come in multiple sizes for added comfort and to ensure a better fit.

All helmet manufacturers use the same sizing system, based on the circumference of the head above the ears. The sizes themselves vary from brand to brand, though, so it’s important to measure your own head and keep that number handy if you can’t try on a helmet before buying it.

Weight, Ventilation, and Aerodynamics

One of the luxuries of running, which I will always envy as a cyclist, is the ability to feel the wind on your head mile after mile. That said, some helmets are lighter and better ventilated than others; these designs, while more expensive, can help alleviate the “brain bucket” feeling that many riders succumb to on hot days.

Even though they have less material, these helmets must still meet the same safety standards as all others, and the increased cost is mostly the result of deeper structural engineering to make every gram of foam count.

In the past decade, the proliferation of aerodynamic, or “aero,” helmets has taken the road cycling and triathlon worlds by storm. This style, while lacking the many vents that keep other lids cool, is designed to improve the aerodynamics of a rider’s head, and some people argue this upgrade can make an even bigger difference in a race than buying an aero bike or fancy carbon wheels.

What’s MIPS, and Do I Need It?

The Multidirectional Impact Protection System (MIPS) is a helmet liner technology that allows a helmet to slide around on your head if you hit the deck. Although this sounds counterproductive, it’s incredibly helpful for preventing your head from twisting sharply—along with a helmet—on side impacts, which is what would happen if you were wearing a helmet without MIPS. In other words, MIPS also protects you from whiplash, not just concussions, and I generally recommend buying helmets with this additional protection.

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What’s nice about visors is that they can block intermittent spots of sunlight that peek through trees, and they can also shield you from branches, dirt, or rocks that might fly up from your wheels on densely forested trails. Larger visors start to become a hindrance in a more bent-over road riding If youre going to pedal over the pavement or anywhere, really, safety is key. According to a.

Ultimately, you’re going to see helmet visors much more often in off-road applications like mountain biking Types of Exercise Every Runner Needs sunglasses.

How We Selected The Best Bike Helmets

We picked the helmets for this list based on a combination of first-hand testing, input from the test editors at Bicycling, and user reviews from customers at retailers like Amazon. These helmets were selected based on their outstanding performance, ventilation, protection technology, aerodynamics, and aesthetics.