Road Bike Helmets

Road Bike Helmets for Protection and Speed

A helmet is the single most important part of your road cycling kit. While you hope to never have to put it to use, it’s the only piece of equipment protecting your head in the event of a crash.Modern road cycling helmets are designed to blend that protection with comfort and speed, offering highly ventilated and aerodynamic designs. Whether you need a helmet simply to get out and enjoy the roads or to perform your best during a race, bikester.co.uk has a road bike helmet for you.

How Do Helmets Work?

Road bike helmets are constructed with a thick layer of foam surrounding a hard shell. The foam is designed to compress when impacted, absorbing and distributing the force of your head hitting the road in the event of a crash. The outer shell is there to ensure that the foam stays together and doesn’t catch on theroad, which could cause the helmet to pull on your neck mid-accident.

MIPS

Unfortunately, traditional helmets can’t do anything to dampen the rotational forces of an impact, which have been linked to concussions. That’s why many helmet manufacturers are integrating a new technology – a Multi-Impact Protection System, aka MIPS – into their road cycling helmets. MIPS-equippedhelmets have a secondary shell inside the helmet that’s designed to rotate slightly upon impact and mitigate rotational forces. While MIPS helmets are currently more expensive than traditional helmets, they represent the new standard of cycling safety.

Ventilation vs. Aerodynamics

Road cycling helmets necessarily pit ventilation and aerodynamics against oneanother.Recreational cyclists will typically want to opt for a traditional fully ventilatedhelmet. They’re less expensive than aero road helmets, more comfortable for most people, and won’t cause your head to overheat during long climbs in the sun.Aero road helmets are designed for road bike racers. These helmets are designed entirely around aerodynamics, which often means reducing the number and size of vents and decreasing air circulation through the helmet. Keep in mind that the added speed from aero road helmets is minimal, and most time savings come whenyou’re riding faster than 40 km/h. Most road bike racers will want to have a traditional ventilated helmet to use during training.

Helmet Fit

Road bike helmets are often available in multiple sizes based on the circumference of your head. The easiest way to check what size you need is to measure with circumference of your head with a tape measure – starting in the middle of your forehead and wrapping right above the tips of your ears. If you’re in between sizes, you should opt for the smaller size or plan to wear a hat beneath your helmet to take up the extra space from the larger size. Note that different helmet manufacturers use different model heads, so some road helmet brands may fit you better than others.

Road Bike Helmets at bikester.co.uk

The easiest way to find the perfect road bike helmet to protect your noggin is to shop our wide selection at bikester.co.uk. We carry traditional ventilated helmets, as well as aero road helmets and MIPS-equipped helmets. Plus, we offer a 100-day return policy on all helmets.