Can You Wear A Skate Helmet For Cycling

A cycling helmet is more disposable than a skating helmet. When you ride a bike, typically, there’s not a lot of falling involved unless you’re in an accident, but skating consists of a lot more small impacts.

As a result of these differences, the helmets used for each sport are built to save your head from different issues. Can you wear a skate helmet for cycling?

You shouldn’t wear a skate helmet for cycling because it won’t be able to handle a significant impact if you crash. Skate helmets are ASTM certified and are built with a softer foam that springs back after minor hits. Bicycles are CPSC certified because they move a lot faster than skaters and have different safety standards for head coverage.

Skate Helmet For Biking

Please do not wear a skate helmet for biking. Unfortunately, helmets aren’t interchangeable, and you cannot wear a skate helmet for biking.

It’s easy to look at a helmet and assume that they’re all essentially the same, but the differences are more extensive than you might expect.

If all helmets did the same job, you’d see kids on skates with motorcycle helmets and cyclists in football helmets.

Face shields, a hat-like forward brim, and other, less visible features determine how a helmet is used. The simple fact is that skaters and cyclists don’t tend to land the same way, so they need different protection.

A skater will take a ton of spills, but they’re often minor. Meanwhile, a moderate cyclist should rarely fall, but when they get in an accident, it’s a significant impact.

Is A Skate Helmet Ok For Cycling

A skate helmet is not ok for cycling. While some would argue that any helmet is better than none, I believe that’s a dangerous philosophy that can lead to head trauma.

It’s too easy to forget or put off getting the correct type of helmet if you ‘already have one.’

It would be best always to protect your brain when doing sports that can involve hitting your head. However, a skate helmet will not provide enough protection and vice versa.

As Skaters HQ explains, “You can wear a bike helmet for skateboarding, but they need to be dual-certified to both CPSC 1203 and ASTM F1492 standards. A skateboard helmet should cover the back of the head. Not all bike helmets provide enough protection.”

The same is true for the reverse. If you want a multi-sport helmet, you need one certified for both types of impact.

Are Cycling And Skating Helmets The Same

Skating and cycling helmets are not the same. Cycling helmets focus on riders who are less likely to crash, but it’s a lot more pressure when they do.

Meanwhile, skating helmets take many smaller knocks. Movement speed and impact sites affect how helmets are constructed.

Cyclists are always moving forward, and often at a measured, if quick, pace, so the way they fall and where a cyclist’s head impacts the ground most often is usually the same.

Skaters do tricks moving backward, forward, and to the sides, but they are moving slower. Average skateboarding speeds vary from around 5 to 12 miles per hour.

Alternately, a beginning cyclist can typically start around ten to twelve miles per hour without breaking a sweat, thanks to their larger tires and more efficient energy transfer.

I recommend checking out this video from Smart Gadgets if you want a visual aid to spotting the differences between skating and cycling helmets.

They cover why you shouldn’t wear a cycling helmet skateboarding, rollerblading, or rollerskating and show you what to look for.

What Is The Difference Between A Bike Helmet And A Skating Helmet

There are numerous differences between skating and cycling helmets. You can spot which type someone is wearing at a glance, but there’s much more going on than what you see on the surface.

I’ve made a quick list for easy reference.

• Certification – In the US, skateboard helmets are ASTM certified, and Bike helmets are CPSC approved.

• Coverage – A skate helmet comes down to cover the back of the head, but bicyclists almost always impact in the front or sides, so their helmets don’t cover the back as thoroughly.

• Design – Skate helmets are round and smooth, while cycling helmets are aerodynamic and have ridges.

• Impact Type – Skateboard helmets are designed for multiple more minor, lower-speed impacts. Cycling helmets are meant to take a single more considerable blow and transfer less of the effect.

• Inner Foam – Bike helmets typically use Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS) for their inner lining. You probably recognize it as Styrofoam, but that is a brand name like “Q-tip.” Meanwhile, Skateboard helmets use Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), which is more rubbery and can re-expand.

• Outer Surface – A bike helmet usually has a thin plastic outer shell, while a skate helmet uses fiberglass with para-aramid reinforcement or carbon fiber.

• Reusability – If a cycling helmet is in a crash, the EPS is damaged, and you need a new helmet, but a skate helmet’s EPP foam is made to handle numerous falls and keep going.

• Ventilation – Most bike helmets have ventilation holes, while skating helmets typically do not.

Can You Wear A Skate Helmet For Cycling UK

Most skating or cycling helmets in the USA are built differently, though you can find high-quality multi-sport helmets if you know how to search for them.

However, in the United Kingdom, helmets all have to meet the same exacting standards. Resultantly, you can wear a skate helmet for cycling in the UK.

Getting the proper helmet to protect you while you wheel around is easy because all you need to do is check for an EN 1078 certificate.

Any helmet with the EN 1078 is approved for use, whether cycling, skating, or riding a scooter.

You should be able to locate the information you need on the package or a label inside your helmet. Otherwise, it’s best to assume you need a different helmet.

Best Helmet For Skateboarding And Biking

A good multi-sport helmet can help prevent injury even if you switch between your bike and skating.

Using this style reduces the need to carry a second helmet, which can be bulky and cumbersome.

I recommend the Triple Eight Dual Certified Helmet for Bike, Skateboard, Scooter, and Roller Skating from Amazon.

This outstanding helmet “Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets for Persons Age 5 and Older and ASTM F-1492 Skate safety standards.”

The EPS shell and ABS foam combine to offer you reliable impact resistance you can take with any set of wheels.

Plus, you can swap the thicker and thinner liners for a perfect fit. Get a Triple Eight by clicking here.

Helpful Tips To Know About If You Can Wear A Skate Helmet For Cycling

You cannot wear a skate helmet for cycling in the US, but the safety certifications are the same for both if you’re in the UK.

Here in the states, you need a helmet with dual certifications known as a multi-sport helmet if you want to do both.

Here are more helpful tips to know about if you can wear a skate helmet for cycling.

• The CPSC bicycle safety standard rating comes from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC is a government organization.

• As Plalsi describes it, “The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is a scientific and technical organization that is a developer of standards for testing different types of materials. In 1993, the ASTM published “Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specifications for Playground Equipment for Public Use,” designation F1487.”

• To get the right fit for your helmet, you will need to measure the diameter of your head around the widest point on your forehead.

Final Thoughts

If you want a sports helmet for cycling and skating, please get a multi-sport helmet for safety. You cannot wear a skate helmet for cycling or vice versa.

The differences between these two styles are significant, and they do not absorb impacts the same way or cover the same overall area.

A skate helmet takes lots of smaller hits all over, while a cycling helmet is meant to handle a single more considerable accident.

Fortunately, multi-sport helmets cover all areas of the head and both types of impact, so you can cut out the guesswork and bring one helmet.