This article will talk about all the important details you need to know before you choose the best protection for you and your loved ones. We’ll help you to see the similarities & differences between skate helmets and bike helmets. Hope this will help you make the right decision. So if you are also keen to know which one is good for what, let’s find out together. Shall we?
No matter what you do in life, safety comes first. Right? Whether you want to let you and your loved ones enjoy a refreshing skating session or need a ride on a bike to go someplace you like, we have to be careful about our safety. Now, helmets are the best way to protect one of the most important parts of your body, the brain.
Skate Helmets vs. Bike Helmets – What’s the Difference
Certification
Almost all the countries have a board or commission that looks after the certification of safety equipment. It’s their job to provide the accurate parameters for certifying a helmet. All the safety equipment producers all over the country follow that guideline and test their products before letting them enter the market.
For the USA, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) deals with the approval of bike/bicycle helmets. The ASTM (American Society For Testing and Materials) checks the quality of skate helmets. ASTM also marks the product with an International ASTM F1492 seal inside so that people can buy them without any concern. Some of the products pass both tests to offer an additional layer of protection.
Here is a certification chart that will give you a clearer picture:
| Activity | Helmet Type | Standard |
| Bicycling
Kick Scooter Riding Roller and In-line Skating – Recreational |
Bicycle | ASTM F1447, F18981; Snell B-90A, B-95, N-942; CPSC |
| BMX Cycling | BMX | ASTM F2032; CPSC |
| Downhill Mountain Bike Racing | Downhill | ASTM F1952; CPSC |
| Longboarding
Roller, In-line Skating – Aggressive/Trick Skateboarding |
Skateboard | ASTM F14922; Snell N-942 |
Here,
1 = Designed for use by infants and toddlers in activities involving non-motorized wheeled vehicles.
2 = Designed to withstand more than one moderate impact. Still, protection is provided for only a limited number of impacts.
Durability
Let’s get this straight, skate users are far less likely to receive a severe impact. Instead, the chance of tripping off after losing balance/control is more likely to happen. That is why most of the skate-style helmets are designed to resist several moderate strikes before breaking apart.
On the contrary, bike helmets are designed to save you from your nasty accident, but for only once. They are built for withstanding a large, single impact. They can withstand one terrible crash, and that’s it. You’ll need new safety gear after that. The helmets for biking can help you in your worst accidents and literally save your neck.
Inner Material
A helmet without comfortable inner padding will increase the security risk and may make you feel uncomfortable while you ride /skate. Usually, most bike helmets use Expanded PolyStyrene, EPS, or Styrofoam. Most of them have the ability to take a serious blow but need to be replaced after the impact. The EPS foam absorbs most of the impact, protecting you from a head injury.
There is another kind of inner padding that can absorb multiple impacts. A special type of foam named Expanded PolyPropylene or EPP can restore the shape and size of the shell slowly after the impact. It has a squishy and rubbery texture and is being used in making multiple-impact helmets.
Outer Shell
Both the skate helmet and bike helmet are somewhat similar this way. They both use, depending on the price, from plastic to carbon fiber/Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass. Some of them have a thin plastic crust, some have solid and rough plastic surfaces, and some have just a thin sheet of the plastic cover.
Depending on the quality of protection you want, the outer shell will be either more rigid to more shock absorbing. Usually, skate helmets offer a harder and stronger outer surface than a bike helmet. Bike helmets are a bit more aerodynamic in design. Both of them have a thin ABS shell outside.
Shape And Size
The injury you get from falling during skating will not be the same form when you fall from a bike. That is why both a skate helmet and bike helmet have their own ways to protect you from severe brain injuries. Most people tend to fall on their back while skating. So the producers made sure that a skate helmet would cover most of the skull, especially the backside. They are also a bit bigger and heavier.
On the other hand, a bike helmet only guards the center and forefront of your brain in case you fall from the bike. They are built lightweight but durable.
Vents
Vents are an important part of a helmet as it allows air to reach various spots on your head, making you more comfortable while you ride. Here, bike helmets tend to take the lead as they have better ventilation. And they really need it too. As they have to face a stronger wind force, they tend to become warmer with time. The ventilation helps them become cool again, helping your head cool down.
Skate helmets have ventilation as well. But it’s just that they are lower in number and size. They don’t need to gain drag as you’ll move at a much slower pace.
Visors
Visors are the transparent part of a helmet that protects your eyes from objects flowing through the wind. It may look and feel normal to us when we walk or run or skate at a regular pace, but while riding a bike, a single tiny insect or piece of debris flying into the eyes can cause serious complications. That is why skating helmets don’t need one, and many road bike helmets and racing helmets have one. Visors also help to reduce glare and to get better visibility in sunlight.
Style
The outlook of a helmet is more appealing to some people than others. That is why many mountain bikers, commuters, and casual road cyclists prefer skate-style helmets. And some skateboarders or skaters actively seek out bike-style helmets for the looks. So each one of us will have different opinions regarding looks and appearances. Just pick what looks cool to you. Don’t forget to make sure it qualifies the security standards. And you’re good to go.
Final Thoughts
You can also use a multi-standard/multi-impact safety helmet that can help you in most cases. But our experts suggest going for the perfect safety gear depending on your specific set of requirements. If you ride a bike frequently, use a bike helmet. If you need light but consistent protection, a skating helmet will do fine. Yes, looks are always important. But as we already know, safety comes first, right?
That’s all for today. I hope this article proves to be helpful to those in need. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comment section below. Thanks for reading this far. I wish you and your loved one a very happy and safe weekend. Have fun and stay safe. And always use protection 😉