Why you Should Wear Skateboard Helmets!
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A skateboard helmet is probably the most important protective gear for skateboarders. Unfortunately, the norm nowadays is skating without helmets, most of the time, it works out fine, but when it doesn't, the injuries can be fatal.
I haven't seen any head injuries happen in real life, but I have seen many close calls. You should get a skateboard helmet if you plan to skateboard for a long time and continuously challenge yourself.
In this post, you will learn about helmet sizing, some good products, and good reasons to get yourself a skateboard helmet.
The triple 8 Gotham
A friend recommended the triple 8 Gotham, and what I read in blogs looked good; I liked the design, which made me buy it.
This is one of my favorite helmets, and the dial button is an excellent feature for the series. The Triple 8 Gotham is ASTM and CSPC certified and comes with Sweatsaver technology which absorbs sweat better than most helmets. What I love most about the helmet is its light, and the extra pads make it sit tight on my head. Holes are installed on the front side and backside of the helmet for cooling.
Triple 8 Dual Certified Helmet
This helmet is certified; this means it has been tested under extreme conditions and holds up to the demands.
It has fit pads to adjust to your head size and a removable eps foam liner, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a dial button to adjust the fit.
Sizing chart for Tripple 8 Helmets
If you want optimal protection, you need to measure your head size. Get a tape measure and start in the middle of your forehead and match it with the size chart
This chart is only for the triple 8 helmets.
XS 20.10 – 20.50 Inch (51 – 52 cm)
S 20.60 – 21.30 Inch (52 – 54 cm)
M 21.40 – 22.00 Inch (54 – 56 cm)
L 22.10 – 22.90 Inch (56 – 58 cm)
XL 23.00 – 24.00 Inch (58 – 61 cm)
Pick the Right Size
measure your head more than once to be entirely sure, and don't be self-conscious about your head size. They offer three sizes, and if you are in-between sizes, you should pick the smaller one.
Most Important Situations to Use a Skateboard Helmet
Skating is a dangerous sport; knowing this, you should always use a helmet, but this isn't usually the reality. Some places and situations are a lot more challenging to skate than others.
Learning a New Trick
If you are a beginner or experienced, learning a new trick is hard; everything is new, including the landing, so make sure you don't land on your head. Wearing protection gear also makes you feel safer; this can help tremendously with learning faster since you don't need to think about potential consequences as much.
Rails
When you are railing, you are usually higher up; it is easy to forget that falling is much worse if this is the case. Balancing is a lot harder on a rail, so you will probably fall a few times; the main difference when falling on a rail and generally falling is that now you can hit your head on the rail as well.
most rails are made of metal, and with this fact in mind wearing a helmet is probably not a bad idea; hitting your head on a rail can easily lead to skull fractures. If you are a beginner and want to try a rail, you should bring your helmet.
Stairs
Skating stairs is a lot of fun; the smaller ones are pretty harmless, but a helmet can save your life when you go for the big ones. with proper falling technique, most falls won't be serious, but one hit to the head is all you need to ruin your own life and your families.
When you are jumping from a height, wheel bite is something that probably will occur. Wheel bite happens when your wheels get in contact with the bottom of your board, resulting in a sudden stop, and you rarely see it coming. These are some good reasons to use a helmet when challenging stairs.
A way to prevent wheel bite is installing skateboard pads or riser pads. If you want to learn more about wheel bite, click here.
Cruising in traffic
When cruising in traffic, it is vital to wear a helmet. The skating itself isn't dangerous, but as you should have guessed, the oncoming cars pose a threat. If a car almost hits you and you lose control, your chances of getting seriously injured are minimized if you use a helmet.
If a car hits you, it depends on how much it will help but wearing it won't hurt. When you are skating in traffic, there are a lot more factors you need to consider to stay safe; considering this, wearing protective gear is a smart move.
Stigma Around Helmets
Unfortunately, wearing a helmet in the skating community isn't normal; it is not usual to see someone bullying over protective gear, but for some reason, most skaters choose not to use it.
The best tip you can get when it comes to skating is to ignore any hate and use protection. I think that the people who use protection are smarter than the people who don't, it might feel weird on your body at first, but after a short period, you won't even notice that it's there.
Can you buy a used helmet?
If you don't have the money for a new one, you should buy a used helmet, but the correct and short answer is that you should buy a new skateboard helmet.
Good skateboard helmets are multi impact, but when a helmet has taken multiple impacts, it deteriorates; this is the main reason you should buy a new helmet instead of a used one.
Conclusion
Skateboarding is a dangerous sport, so I recommend using a skateboard helmet; some scenarios are more dangerous than others, so keep that in mind. Don't listen to people who talk negatively about protection; most importantly, slap some stickers on your helmets to get a custom fit.
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