Youth Dirt Bike Helmets: How To Choose And Buy?
Jane Tu - November 21, 2022Even though youth dirt bike helmets are safe, if the helmet doesn’t fit your child properly, they aren’t getting the protection they need. A poorly fitting helmet—one that is too big, too small, moves from side to side, or tilts back too far—is not significantly safer than wearing none at all. You will learn how to choose and buy fittable youth dirt bike helmets for your kids.
How Do Youth Dirt Bike Helmets Sizes Work?
The names of different youth dirt bike helmet sizes vary. Depending on the helmet brand, the sizes may be referred to as Toddler, Child, Youth, XS, S, or M.
You should concentrate solely on your child’s head circumference, and only that! There is a head circumference range for every helmet, regardless of size. For instance, the Giro Tremor can move between 50 and 57 cm. The helmet should fit your child if their head circumference falls within that range!
How Should a Bike Helmet Fit?
In order to achieve a perfect fit, the correct helmet size must also be adjusted. The following six simple steps will guide you through finding a youth dirt bike helmet that is just the right size, and then adjusting that helmet so that it stays snuggly on your child’s head to provide them the protection they need to ride safely.
Visual learner? In our video tutorial, we’ll walk you through each step of properly sizing and adjusting a child’s bike helmet. Don’t worry if you missed a step—we’ve listed every action in this video below.
How to Get a Perfect Fit Youth Dirt Bike Helmets?
Here are six steps to having perfect youth dirt bike helmets.
Measure Your Child’s Head
If a helmet is a wrong size, it won’t fit you well.
- Measure the child’s head circumference using a soft tape measure at the thickest point of the head, which should be about an inch above the brows.
- This measurement should be compared to the sticker listing the recommended head sizes that are located inside the helmet. If you’re buying online, the manufacturer should have their size range listed, or check our website!
Position the Helmet Just Right
A child’s view while riding may be obstructed by youth dirt bike helmets that are too low or tilted forward. A child’s face or forehead won’t be sufficiently protected by a helmet that is too high or tilted back.
- Remove any thick ponytails or hair accessories that might prevent a child’s helmet from fitting snugly on his or her head.
- Simply place the helmet atop your child’s head.
- Two finger widths or so should separate the helmet from the child’s eyebrows.
- TEST: When viewed from the side, a properly positioned helmet should extend past the tip of a child’s nose. By having your child tap their helmet against a wall, you can verify this.
Tighten for a Snug Fit
A helmet should be worn securely but comfortably.
- Once the helmet is sitting correctly on the head, and before you buckle the helmet, tighten the dial-adjust knob on the back of the helmet.
- When the internal cage is placed on your child’s head, it should be snug but not uncomfortable.
- If the helmet does NOT have a dial-adjust knob, it should have some pads that come in various widths to widen or loosen the inside of the helmet.
- SHAKE TEST: To check that the helmet is tightened correctly, have your child shake their head back and forth (without it buckled). It should be impossible to remove the helmet.
Make a “V” With the Side Straps
To achieve a secure fit, it is necessary to adjust the sliders on the side straps, but this is a step that is frequently missed. If your side straps are already sewn together, just don’t worry about this step since some newer youth dirt bike helmets do not have these sliders.
- At the child’s ear’s base, the sliders should be adjusted so that the straps meet and form a V.
- This keeps the child’s head in the center of the helmet. The helmet may move forward or backward while being worn by a child due to an improperly adjusted slider.
- The majority of sliders can easily slide up and down the side strap, though some can lock into place. The sliders’ position needs to be regularly checked as a result.
Adjust the Chin Strap for the Length
- The chin strap should be snug under the chin but loose enough that the child can buckle it. You should be able to fit one finger between the chin and the strap.
- 1 FINGER TEST: Is there enough room for one finger between my chin and the strap?
Check Regularly
- Every time your child rides, you should check the fit of their helmet.
- As crucial as making sure your child is wearing a helmet is a regular adjustment.
- Helmets can easily and quickly lose their adjustment.
What Are the Other Tips on Helmet Safety?
- It is necessary to replace the youth dirt bike helmets if it has been dropped or have been in an accident. The integrity of the helmet could be damaged even if there are no obvious signs of damage.
- Teach your kids to take good care of their helmets. In relation to the previous point, if your child throws their helmet or lets it carelessly fall to the ground, the helmet is getting damaged and won’t be as effective in a crash.
- Look for obvious wear on the helmet. Earlier this week, I noticed a crack in the foam of one of my son’s helmets!! It’s time to discard that infant!
- MIPS-equipped children’s helmets are my personal favorites. Although more expensive, they offer better security.
- Don’t assume your child’s existing helmet will function properly for biking if they participate in other sports (skateboarding, skiing, etc.). Ensure that it has a CPSC label approving it for bicycle use.
- Keep the helmet indoors. The helmet can be harmed by extreme temperatures (both hot and cold). Additionally, you should keep it out of direct sunlight.
- Kids are dirty, as we all know. Use warm water and mild detergent to clean a bicycle helmet. Keep the helmet out of the water and out of the hot sun.
What Should Be Considered When Buying Youth Dirt Bike Helmets?
It is obvious that the most crucial aspect of purchasing youth dirt bike helmets making sure you are aware of kid’s helmet sizes. Nothing matters if you purchase the incorrect size. But there are a lot of other aspects of a helmet that can affect how comfortable it is to wear and how easy or difficult it is to adjust! Additionally, there are helmets designed specifically for biking, scootering, or skateboarding. So what else should you consider when buying a bike helmet?
Adjustability – Getting a Tight Fit
Helmet Internal Adjust Systems
Any youth dirt bike helmets worth purchasing should have an internal adjusting system to ensure a proper fit. Since the head shapes and sizes of children vary greatly, internal adjust systems allow the helmet to conform to heads of many sizes, helping the helmet stay in place and better protect the child.
Traditional Dial-Adjust: A dial at the back of the helmet serves as the most popular adjusting mechanism. The internal cage can be adjusted to fit a child’s head by turning the dial. It’s still important to buy the right size because helmets can only be adjusted to a certain extent.
Pads Width Adjust: Many bicycle-style and low-end skater helmets lack an adjustment system in favor of a variety of thicker or thinner pads. Parents must insert the proper amount of pad thickness to achieve a snug fit before their child wears the helmet. This “adjustment system” is very limited and often results in a poor fit.
Lazer Self-Adjust: With Lazer’s exclusive Autofit system, the wearer’s head size is automatically adjusted. In order for the internal cage to stretch to fit a child’s head, the system can be adjusted via a tension wire that is housed in a plastic housing.
Strap Sliders
The strap sliders and youth dirt bike helmets’ internal adjustment system work together to keep a helmet firmly on a child’s head. To prevent the helmet from tilting forward or back, the chin straps on a helmet should come to a “V” right below the child’s ear.
The straps are kept together by plastic sliders so they can continue to buckle together. A child’s head will be much more likely to fall forward or backward if the helmet is not properly positioned below the ear.
No Adjust: There are a few helmets out there that don’t have any way to adjust the sizing of the helmet. You should not wear these helmets.
Toddler Helmets: Flat Back for Trailers and Bike Seats
A helmet with a flat, smooth back will help prevent it from sliding forward during a ride if you intend to transport your children in a trailer or bike seat. Our favorite helmet, the Giro Scamp, has a flattened back that guard against a child’s head being pushed forward in a seat or trailer.
Construction – In-mold Vs. Hardshell
In-mold and hardshell construction are the two main styles of youth dirt bike helmets. Both construction types offer sufficient crash protection, but they differ in terms of style and durability. The way the outer plastic protective shell is attached to the foam core of the helmet is the primary distinction between the two types.
In-Mold: In-mold helmets combine the inner foam core and the outer plastic shell. The fusing process allows for more vents and typically provides for lighter overall weight. Since the outer plastic shell of the helmet is fused to the foam core, it will never crack or separate. In-mold helmets cannot be certified for use with skateboards by ASTM standards because of their thinner plastic shell.
Hardshell: Skater-style and budget-friendly youth dirt bike helmets are the two main categories of hardshell helmets. Helmets in the skater style have a thick plastic shell that is adhered to the foam interior. The thick shell is necessary for ASTM skateboarding certification and allows for increased durability and multiple impacts for skateboarders.
A thin plastic shell is taped onto the foam core of hardshell helmets with a lower price point. These fragile shells have poor durability and are easily cracked, warped, and detached.
Standard Bike Helmets Vs. Multi-Sport Skater Style
There are benefits and drawbacks to both skater-style and traditional bicycle helmets. Traditional youth dirt bike helmets are lighter, have more vents, and are more adjustable, but are not dual-certified and can be harder to fit odd-shaped heads.
Skater-style helmets are generally heavy, lack a visor, have fewer vents, and are less likely to have dial-in adjustments, but they also offer more coverage, can be dual-certified, and tend to fit odd-sized heads better.
Buckle Type – Standard Vs. Magnetic
Although a buckle may not seem important, children who experience discomfort while trying to fasten a helmet are less likely to wear them, which frequently results in unwarranted conflicts with parents. To prevent pinching, several different companies have developed “pinch-free” buckles.
Underneath the buckle is a plastic guard which is a common feature of non-pinch buckles. The magnetic Fidlock® buckles found on Lazer, Nutcase, and Melon helmets and the distinctive ratcheting buckle from Uvex are examples of more sophisticated systems.
Multiple Impact Protection System – MIPS
Several high-end youth dirt bike helmets come with an additional safety feature called MIPS. No matter which way the impact is coming from, the Multi-directional Impact Protection System, or MIPS, enables the energy from the crash impact to be absorbed by the helmet.
According to studies, MIPS can significantly reduce brain damage. The system consists of a non-obstructive inner plastic cage that is fastened to the foam core with elastic rubber anchors. The foam core can rotate around the child’s head as a result of the anchors stretching after impact. The Giro Scamp (Toddler), Tremor, and Hale all offer MIPS.
CSPC/ASTM Safety Certifications
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations must be followed, and stickers must be present on every helmet sold in the US. All youth dirt bike helmets sold in the US are therefore “safe” in terms of providing protection, but only if they are properly fitted and adjusted to a child’s head. We think higher-end helmets typically provide better overall protection because they typically offer a better fit and stay in place more securely than lower-end helmets.
Only use helmets for the sports for which they have been certified. All helmets that are CPSC-approved for use with children’s bicycles are also approved for use with in-line skating, scooters (including low-speed, motor-assisted models), and hoverboards.
Beyond the standard CPSC kid’s biking certificate, BMX riding and downhill mountain biking call for a different level of certification. A CPSC sticker is required to be placed on the label of every helmet that has received certification. Since the CPSC doesn’t have a set sticker, they differ from helmet to helmet.
Are you looking for a bike and skateboarding helmet with dual certification? Make sure to look at the list of the Best Dual-certified Helmets.
Visors – Sun and Facial Protection
A more enjoyable ride will undoubtedly result from keeping the sun out of children’s eyes. The majority of skater-style helmets lack visors, while the majority of traditional bike helmets have built-in or clip-on visors.
As they offer crucial face protection in the event of a face plant, built-in visors are frequently found on preschool helmets. Youthful riders’ helmets typically have snap-on visors that are purely decorative or offer only a little sun protection.
Dual Certification
Helmets used for skateboarding and trick skating have ASTM certification. Different safety requirements than those for biking are necessary because skateboarders crash more frequently and in different ways.
Make sure the helmet you buy is both ASTM and CSPC certified for skateboarding if you want to use it as both a bike helmet and a skateboard helmet. You can find more details about CPSC standards here.
Youth dirt bike helmets safeguard our kids. You should measure your kids’ heads accurately, and consider different elements, so that buy fittable youth dirt bike helmets for safe.
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