How to choose a helmet size from your head measurement

A wrongly sized helmet is more dangerous than it sounds. Too large and it shifts on impact and roars at speed. Too small and it gives you a headache within half an hour, which means it eventually stops being worn at all.

Measuring

Take a soft tape and measure around the widest part of your head: roughly a centimetre above the eyebrows, above the ears, around the back of the skull. Keep the tape snug but not tight. Measure two or three times and take the largest figure.

Size charts differ between manufacturers, so the number in centimetres matters more than the letter. The same rider can be an L in one brand and an M in another.

What a correct fit feels like

• The helmet goes on with effort but passes the ears without pain
• Cheek pads press firmly and your cheeks are slightly squeezed
• The skin of your forehead moves with the helmet when you rock it by hand
• Nodding and shaking your head does not make the helmet wobble
• With the strap fastened, the helmet cannot be rolled off forwards
• After 15 to 20 minutes there is no pressure point anywhere

A new helmet should feel tighter than comfortable at first glance. The liner packs down over time to the shape of your head, and a helmet that felt roomy on day one becomes genuinely loose later.

Signs of the wrong size

A single sore spot is not about size, it is about shape: brands differ in internal geometry. Even pressure all the way round means the helmet is too small. Being able to twist the helmet on your head by hand means it is too big.

If trying one on is not an option, send us your head measurement and the model you like. We will confirm the size before you pay, and tell you if that particular model will not suit your head shape.