What Goes Into A Handcrafted Helmet Shell

Daily wear also plays a part. Sweat, sunscreen and regular use all shorten a helmet's working life, so riders who use a helmet every day should expect to replace it sooner than someone who rides occasionally.

Any impact, including a helmet dropped from a moderate height, can compress the inner liner in ways that are not visible from outside. A helmet is designed to absorb one significant impact by sacrificing that inner material, so a helmet involved in a crash should always be replaced, not inspected and reused.

A helmet that is the right size should feel snug all the way round with no single pressure point, and it should not shift when you turn your head firmly from side to side. A helmet that moves independently of your head on a shake test is not the right fit, regardless of what the size label says.

A handcrafted helmet shell starts with a base material, commonly fibreglass or a composite blend, layered and shaped by hand rather than produced purely by mould and machine. Each layer adds strength, and the shaping stage is where a lot of the time in production actually goes.

Visors are a wear item, not a lifetime part of the helmet, and most riders find a spare on hand is worth having, especially before a long trip.

To see the handcrafted shells behind our range, visit HedonHelmets.