Bike Helmet Materials Glossary

Bike Helmet Materials Glossary

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

Tough and impact resistant, ABS is frequently used to manufacture hard shell helmets. Did you play with Legos when you were a kid (or still do)? They’re made from ABS too!

Aramid/Kevlar

The same stuff bulletproof vests are made of; aramid/kevlar can be used to augment bike helmets in strategic locations to ensure greater durability and protection.

Carbon Fiber

Extremely strong and lightweight, carbon fiber can be used to augment helmets while reducing weight. This can be especially attractive on full face mountain bike helmets that offer superior protection but weigh more than half shell helmets.

Поступок (Expanded Polystyrene) Foam

EPS foam resembles the stuff old-school picnic coolers are made from. On impact, the foam gets crushed rather than your head. Unfortunately EPS foam is single-use–it doesn’t rebound after a crash. That’s why you should always replace your helmet after a crash.

EPP (Expanded PolyPropylene) Foam

More commonly used on ski helmets, EPP is similar in appearance to EPS. EPP is a multi-impact foam that recovers its shape and most of its impact protection after a crash. It costs more than EPS and usually results in a helmet that is a bit thicker than one with EPS.

Honeycomb / Koroyd Straws

Koroyd Straws offer an alternative to the traditional foam helmet liner. They’re formed in an extrusion process that creates an energy absorbent honeycomb-like structure. Koroyd Straws crush in a controlled manner, efficiently decelerating the energy from an impact.

Polycarbonate

A strong yet lightweight plastic, polycarbonate is used in the construction of the many current in-mold and hard shell bike helmets. During the in-mold process, a polycarbonate shell is bonded to the liner resulting in an even stronger helmet.