Helmets are one of the most important pieces of cycling safety gear that you can buy. Head injuries are one of the most common ways for cyclists to suffer serious injuries on the road, but wearing a helmet will certainly protect your head in many types of collisions. In fact, the safety advantages of wearing a helmet are so great that in many countries it is now been made a legal requirement to wear one when cycling.
Regardless of any legal requirements, one thing that is for sure is that children should always wear a helmet when cycling. This is because they are more prone to more inexperienced decisions (and hence more likely to have an accident), and have softer skulls (and hence need head protection more).
In the past, many people didn't wear helmets because they felt they were heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. However, with modern helmets these should no longer be issues. Modern helmets are ergonomicaly designed and so light that you will be hardly aware that you are wearing one, and they also have many large vents to let plenty of air in.
One other thing to be aware of is that it is important that you get a correctly fitting helmet and that you position it properly on your head. For example, a common mistake is to position the helmet too far back on the rider's head - and if you do this and get into a collision, the helmet will simply get pushed off the back of your head without actually protecting you. You should also make sure that the straps are securely fastened with equal tension in each of the straps - sufficient tension that if you open your mouth you should be able to feel the helmet pressing down on to the top of your head.
Once you've had your helmet for a while, it may start to get a little smelly. That's not a problem however as the pads inside the helmet are generally secured by velcro, so can be detached, and either put in the washing machine or replaced with new pads.
By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.guide2cycling.com/p1_articles_kit_helmet.php
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Source: www.a1articles.com