I just read about a truck that rolled over a biker’s head and he survived. That was in May 2007. Maybe this is old news, but safety never becomes obsolete. So I decided to write about the importance of having a hamlet. Or is it a helmet? Sorry, my English stinks…

Now here are some things you should know about bike helmets:

1. You don’t have to buy the best bike helmet money can buy to protect yourself. If it complies with Safety Standards like CPSC, Snell, or the CE (Europe), you’re good to go. A sticker on the inside of the helmet will tell you about its compliance. Don’t remove the stickers if you ever plan on participating in a race. The race organizers sometimes demand that you show them those stickers.

2. Before buying, make sure your bike helmet fits snugly. It’s important that you feel comfortable in it. A helmet shouldn’t feel too tight nor too loose. Fasten the straps tightly and try taking the helmet off your head by pulling and twisting. If it comes off, put it aside and try another one. The helmet should stay fastened even if a car hits you. Getting hit by a car usually is a 2 step process. The car hits you, then you fall on the ground. So that helmet better stay on your head!

3. Take good care of your bike helmet. Throwing it around might damage it without you noticing it. A damaged helmet won’t protect you when you need protection the most!

4. Avoid wearing a dark helmet, especially at night. Pick a brightly colored one that can be seen by car drivers at dusk and at night. And if you want to buy stickers for your bicycle helmet, why not make them reflective and boost your safety? Also consider sticking some lights on your helmet and always leave them on while riding. I’m considering writing a post about how to turn your helmet into a Christmas tree. If you want to be notified when I do it, subscribe to my RSS Feed or by email.

5. Replace it if you fall off your bike or after an accident. It could be damaged and might fail you the next time.

6. Replace your bike helmet every 5-10 years. You can keep using it for a lot more than 5 years if you don’t ride your bike a lot. You can extend the life of your helmet if you store it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Again, don’t throw your helmet around a lot!

7. Fasten the helmet straps when bicycling! It WILL fall off the first chance it gets if you don’t.

8. Wear it so that it lies flat on your head, not tilted back. Your forehead should be covered by the helmet, but it shouldn’t obstruct your field of vision.

9. Wear your bike helmet every single time you ride a bike. Even if it’s a 2-minute ride!

10. Avoid buying one of those helmets with aerodynamic, teardrop shape. They tend to shift and rotate the biker’s head in case of a rear impact. They might even get removed from your head, leaving it unprotected.

I hope those tips were useful to you. If you have something to add, please drop me a comment!

I love bikes, and I like riding them. When I’m at home, I read about them a lot. I like to discover new models, learn about their pros and cons. But there’s one thing I discovered while browsing all bike related websites. The lack of information in one single place! I keep googling, jumping from one website to another, then to different forums… Then a couple of months ago I helped a friend pick a bicycle. That was when I decided to create this blog, Bikeshake. I hope you like the name. I love it!

BikeShake is primarily a bicycle review blog. I will be reviewing accessories, too. A lot of sites and blogs simply copy and paste product specifications. I will only do that if I post an item overview. This is in case it’s a new model or if I can’t find the bike anywhere to properly review it. The post title will then clearly state that it’s an overview. Every review I will make will hold valuable information about the product reviewed.

You are always welcome to join the discussion by commenting on my posts! Go ahead and contact me if you feel you have something valuable to share with BikeShake’s readers and would like to make a guest post.

Now that I introduced this blog, let’s write some reviews!

Oh, my name is Tony.