April 16, 2014
Bicycle Helmets: One for you, one for your honey-bunny
Nice bunny ears, but the helmets need better fitting. Photo: thanks to Andy Smitty Schmidt!
When April showers bring May flowers, cyclists also start to sprout up on city streets and park paths. After all, there’s nothing better than a bike ride when there is warm sun, sweet breezes, and bursting blooms all around.
It’s spring, the season of greenest grass, Easter egg hunts, and (yay) fair weather cycling. The weather is ready. But if you haven’t tuned your bike(s) or made sure everyone you’ll be riding with has a well-fitting helmet, you may not be. It’s a fixable problem – unlike global warming, the common cold, and male pattern baldness.
Scoot to a Nutcase-friendly neighborhood bike shop or if buying online, pull out the trusty tape measure.
“If you measure your head correctly, chances are very good you’ll get the right size of helmet,” says Nutcase sales manager Chris Streight.
Measure your head’s circumference (or that of your honey-bunny) exactly one (horizontal) fingerwidth above your eyebrows with the tape running around the head right above the tips of the ears. For kids, a head circumference of 46 – 52 centimeters (18 to 20.5 inches) is perfect for the Little Nutty helmets.
With a larger than 52 centimeter head circumference, a child can wear a small Gen3 helmet (52 – 56 centimeters, 20.5 to 22 inches). The Nutcase adjustable spin dial helps these helmets fit well and stay in place.
Medium Gen3 helmets fit heads 56 – 60 centimeters (22 – 23.5 inches), while the Large Gen3 helmets can take those big-brained heads of 60 – 64 centimeters (23.5 to 25 inches).
Once you’ve got your new helmet in your hand (or on your honey-bunny’s head) you are almost ready to ride. Almost. Having a helmet is great, but wearing it correctly is actually necessary to get its full safety benefits.
“I tell kids the helmet should start just one finger above their eyebrows,” Streight says. “When you look straight up, you should be able to see your own helmet – if you can’t, the helmet is too far back.”
To see more of Chris demonstrating proper helmet fitting technique, go here. For an easy tutorial on no-sew bunny ears, try this one.
And happy springtime riding!