Road Or Mountain Bike Helmet - Which One Do You Choose?

       Whether you are riding a road bike or a mountain bike, you certainly need to wear a helmet for safety purposes. A good helmet can protect your head from the sun and from any accidents.

         It used to be the case that for some road races that finish up in a mountain, racers can ride without having to wear helmets. But even that rule has been scraped now. For safety purposes, all racing events (road and mountain bikes alike) must take place with helmets on - no exceptions. If a rider is found without a helmet, he or she will be disqualified.






        But what about if you are not riding in race? Do you still need to wear a helmet? Common sense tells us that the helmet can help protect our head in the event of an accident. Still, many riders take this issue lightly and fail to put on helmets while riding.

        On a road bike, the bicycle is traveling at a higher speed. During downhill descents, speed reach up to 100 kph. That's as fast as a motor vehicle! A crash can cause serious injuries or in the worst case scenario, may even be fatal. There are so many riders blogging about their crashes, and many were just glad that they had their helmets on when they crashed. They kept their broken helmets as souvenirs. Now they can show off their "scars" to their friends.
        You may shocked when you see those pictures of the helmets because in most cases, the back of the helmet cracked. That means if you are not wearing a helmet, your head is going to absorb the full force of the impact. And any strong impact to the back of the head can only spell disaster. So don't take this lightly, wear your helmet when you ride.

        If you don't have one, how do you choose a good helmet? Most helmets have been tested in labs to be able to cushion a strong impact during an accident. However, better quality helmets offer more comfort and reduce drag.
        If you ride a road bike, stick to a road bike helmet. Road helmets are built more aerodynamically to reduce wind resistance. The frontal area of the helmet is more pointed so that wind travels smoothly to the back of the head. Besides, you will look better in a road helmet.
       But if you already own a mountain bike helmet, you may just want to use the same helmet, especially if you are into leisure riding. Unless, of course, your mountain bike helmet is a full face helmet. Then you need to get something else. You certainly don't want to wear a full face helmet while riding a road bike. A full face helmet can prevent injuries to the face when you are riding in rough terrain on a mountain bike.