How To Size A Bike Helmet

Helmets are incredibly important when cycling and we really recommend you wear one. It could save your life. And having the correct fit offers much more protection than one thats too big or too small.

Step One: Measure up

First things first. Grab a fabric tape measure and either a mirror or a willing volunteer. You want to wrap the tape measure around your head above your eyebrows and your ears. Make sure it goes around the largest part of the back of your head too. This will give you the circumference of your head in centimetres.

If you don't have a fabric tape measure handy, wrap a piece of string around the widest part of your head and mark where it overlaps. You can then easily measure the length of the string using a ruler or a metal tape measure.

Step two: Pick some helmets

Now you’ve got your measurement, choose a few helmets that correspond with this number and best meet your needs. All helmets are made to cover a range of sizes. For instance, a medium helmet will typically cover head sizes from 54-58cm. The next step is to try on the helmets you've selected. This is one of those times where its better to pop in to the store instead of ordering online as two similarly sized helmets can actually fit you completely differently.

Step three: Test them out

When you're trying helmets on, there are a couple of tests you can do to make sure its a good fit. A helmet needs to cover most of your forehead as this protects the frontal lobe of the brain, something we definitely want to keep safe.

Hold your middle and forefinger together at the eyebrow like this. If your helmet is touching your fingers, that's a good fit and you can move on to the next steps. If your fingers aren't touching the helmet, try another one out.

Step four: Adjust and check

Fit systems have varying degrees of adjustment built into them. This is largely linked to the price of the helmet. Typically, the higher the price the more adjustment is available allowing you to make the fit more precise and comfortable for you.

The next step is to adjust any adjustable straps so they're firm, snug and all the parts of the strap are evenly tensioned. Adjust them around your ears so it sits in a comfy V shape just below your ears and adjust them under your chin. You shouldn't be able to get more than one finger between the strap and your chin, if you can, tighten up some more.

Having these straps snug is very important but dont have them so tight that they rub or mark your skin. Now push your helmet back on your head. If it moves more than an inch, tighten the part of the strap in front of your ears. Now see if you can push the helmet vforward, if it moves more than an inch, this time tighten the part of the strap behind your ears.

Step five: Give it a wobble

The last test is to shake your head around in all directions. As long as it doesn't droop or move more than an inch in any direction, your'e good to go. Don't forget to keep checking your helmet fit regularly as straps have a tendency to loosen.

Once you followed all these steps and have found a comfy well-fitting helmet, get out there and enjoy your ride. If you’re still unsure our in store experts will be happy to help you select the right one.