As your child grows and gets stronger and more coordinated, he or she is going to be able to do more on the bike or the skateboard–more tricks, harder tricks, bigger jumps. As the skill level increases, so do the need for quality protective gear. If you haven’t inspected your child’s bicycle helmet or your kid’s skateboard helmet lately, be sure to go through the How to Inspect Your Helmet checklist in our Helmet Learning Center.

You might also want to check your kid’s knee pads and elbow pads. The biggest question with kids’ pads is: Are they too small? Some other things to consider:

Do the Velcro straps still fit securely?
If it’s a soft-shell pad, are there abrasions or tears in the material covering the shell?
If it’s a hard-shell pad, is the shell still securely fastened to the sleeve?
Is the hard shell cracked?
Is the stitching coming apart?
Is the sleeve material still intact?

For more information about protective gear for kids, check out our Kids Skateboard Gear Information Center and our Kids BMX Gear Information Center to learn more about the different types and brands of kids protective gear. And feel free to give us a call at 800-930-4084 if you have any questions or when you’re ready to place your order.

Are they worn? Do the Velcro straps still close securely and comfortably?

How do you get your teenager to wear a helmet?

Surprisingly enough, your teen might be less adverse to helmets and helmet-wearing peers than you might think. One small study found that adolescent boys had more positive perceptions of hypothetical peers who wore helmets than peers who were featured without helmets. So the question might not be the idea of a helmet but finding the right helmet for your kid. Skateboard helmets and bike helmets are available in a huge variety of colors and designs. Chances are, XSportsProtective has one that your teen will like. And wear. Why not let your kid be the trendsetter among his friends?

As you shop for the right skateboard helmet for your child, remember that even if a helmet is not specifically named as a “kids’ skateboard helmet,” it may likely fit your child’s head. At XSportsProtective, we’ve found that Triple Eight and ProTec skateboard helmets in particular frequently fit kids’ heads just fine.

For instance, let’s say your eight-year-old is browsing through skateboard helmets on the XSportsProtective website and decides he absolutely must have the Triple Eight Brainsaver Pro skate helmet, Adam Taylor edition. You might say “No” because it isn’t listed as a kids skateboard helmet (or you can’t stand that dropping bomb graphic). However, size small in that particular helmet fits head circumference 52-53 centimeters. 95% of kids up to eight years old will fit in a 54 cm or smaller helmet. You won’t know if this particular skateboard helmet should be your kid’s skateboard helmet until you measure his or her head.

How do I measure my child’s head for a skateboard helmet?

Measuring your child’s head (or anyone else’s, for that matter) is actually quite simple. Take a tape measure and wrap it around his or her head, about an inch above the eyebrows. This measurement is the circumference of the head and is the measure by which every helmet is sized. If you don’t have a tape measure, use a piece of string or yarn and then lay the string next to a ruler to measure it.

For more information on sizing kids’ helmets, including an measurement-to-hat-size conversion chart, check out the Kids Helmet Sizing Help article in our Helmet Learning Center. To learn more about kids’ skateboard helmets, check out the article on Kids’ Skateboard Helmets in our Kids Skateboard Protective Gear Center.

What do you know about kids’ skateboard pads? What do you need to know?

Kids think they’re invincible. And while sometimes they way they bounce back from a tumble makes it seem like they must be made of rubber. We know they’re not. One-third of all skateboard injuries happen in the skater’s first week on the board. Skateboards and kids’ skateboard protective gear has changed a lot in the last 15 or 20 years. To help you find the best kids’ skateboard pads and kids’ skateboard helmets, we’ve created a Kids’ Skateboard Protective Gear center. Here you can learn about the different types of kids skateboard pads or get the information you need to find the best kids skateboard helmet.

Check out the Kids Skateboard Protective Gear center to get the information you need to find the best skateboard protective gear for your child. XSportsProtective is the largest protective gear store on the web, so when you’re ready to buy, check out our huge selection of skateboard protective gear. Call us at 1-800-930-4084 or email us at info@XSportsProtective.com today to order your skateboard protective gear.

Skateboard helmet vs. Bicycle helmet: What’s the difference?

Skateboard helmets come in two designs—those designed only as skateboarding helmets and those designed to do double duty as both bike and skateboard helmets. Traditional bicycle helmets (i.e., those designed only for biking) are a separate class. There are a few obvious and not-so-obvious differences between a skateboard helmet and a traditional bike helmet.

The obvious differences are in the shape. Skateboard helmets have a round, bucket shape that covers more of the back of your head than the typical bicycle helmet. You’ll need this extra coverage in a backwards fall. In addition, skateboard helmets don’t need the aerodynamic design of a bicycle helmet or quite as many huge vents.

The bigger differences are in the construction of the helmet and how it protects your head. Skateboard helmets typically have an inner liner made of soft foam. This protective liner that is meant to slow the force of multiple, low to moderate impacts. In other words, skateboard helmets are designed to sustain a series of small impacts at low speeds. A traditional bicycle helmet has a protective inner liner made of stiff expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam with a thinner liner of soft foam for comfort. Traditional bicycle helmets are designed to withstand one big impact (like a crash).

What about bike/skate helmets (i.e., dual use helmets)?

The kind of helmet you end up buying depends on what activities you plan on doing. If you’re strictly a skateboarder, you’re fine with a skateboard helmet like the ProTec Classic or the Triple Eight Brainsaver. If you think you’ll be going from the skateboard to your mountain bike, you might think about getting a dual use helmet, like the ProTec B2 for bike/skate or the POC Receptor Flow bike/skate helmet.

For more information on the differences between skateboard helmets and bicycle helmets, check out the XSportsProtective website.

Should I replace my bicycle helmet?

But did you know that most bicycle helmet manufacturers recommend replacing your bike helmet every three to five years? Yes, that does awfully frequent, but the reasoning behind this recommendation is sound. There are any number of factors that can contribute to the the degradation of a helmet’s protective capacity, for instance sunscreen, insect repellent, temperature cycles (do you leave it in a cold garage in the winter and a hot car trunk in the summer?), or ozone exposure either from the sun or being stored next to an electric motor can all have an effect on the bike helmet’s protective capacity.

We’ve created a new learning center article on When to Replace Your Bicycle Helmet. It’s available for free on the XSportsProtective.com website. We also have a How to Inspect Your Helmet checklist, so you can give your bicycle helmet the once-over and see if it needs to be replaced. Just as you check your bicycle at the start of a new cycling season to make sure it’s in good working order, it doesn’t take much time or effort to get in the habit of checking your bicycle helmet too. Nobody has invented a prosthetic brain or done a brain transplant–make sure your bicycle helmet is in good shape before you ride.

The Azonic Kamikaze Venom Helmet – hard to find, but we have them in stock!

Azonic is the bike division of O’Neal Motocross, a household name in motocross gear since 1970. Like O’Neal does with its motocross products, Azonic offers superbly engineered, incredibly strong components for mountain bikes, the critical components at stress points where the bike takes its biggest beating – the bike frame, its wheels, pedals, bars, and stem. The same is true for their helmets. Azonic full-face helmets are well engineered and very strong. They provide excellent head protection in a sport where superior head protection is an absolute necessity.

Roller Derby Discount Program

In order to be eligible, you must have a minimum of 20 active skaters, a regular practice and bout schedule, and a team website (or a website in development). Complete our roller derby sponsorship form or email our derby specialist and start earning discounts on roller derby gear.

We’ve done a brief comparison of some of the most popular full-face mountain bike helmets in three price ranges–$75-100, $125-150, and $175 and above. In general, a more expensive helmet is going to have more specialized features and will be constructed with slightly higher-tech materials, which may save you an ounce of weight here or there and add to your comfort level. A more expensive helmet may also meet a greater number of safety certifications, although a helmet must meet CPSC safety standards in order to be sold as a bicycle helmet in the United States.

Hopefully, this full-face mountain bike helmet comparison will help you decide on the right full-face mtb helmet for you and the type of riding you plan on doing. You might want to check out our Mountain Bike Learning Center for more information on how to choose a mountain bike helmet. No matter what mountain bike helmet you choose, make sure it fits snugly but not too tight and then wear it. No helmet can protect you against every hit, but no helmet can protect you if it isn’t on your head. Safe riding!

However, unlike glass or carbon fabrics, the linen fiber is natural, requires low energy to be produced, and creates compostable waste that poses no danger to the environment. In addition, it is non-allergic and is safe for Urge’s employees to use.

Urge makes the Archi-Enduro in a Veggie style, which uses a linen/fiberglass shell construction, and a style that uses only a fiberglass shell. You can read more about this unique full-face mountain bike helmet at the XSportsProtective website.