Earlier this month, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab launched a memorandum explaining an replace to its STAR score rating thresholds for bicycle and soccer helmets. Seems, helmets are getting safer, and the helmet take a look at group felt “the 5-star label had turn into diluted.” So, they felt this threshold adjustment was wanted “to revive the flexibility of our system to distinguish.” Basically, it had turn into too straightforward for contemporary helmets to earn a 5-star score beneath the previous scoring thresholds.
Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab
If you’re unfamiliar, the Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab has been independently testing and score bicycle helmets since 2018 and has turn into one of the trusted sources for comparative affect efficiency knowledge. Utilizing a standardized testing protocol, Virginia Tech has examined a whole lot of bicycle helmets — together with different sports activities like soccer, equestrian, and snow sports activities — to supply goal comparative knowledge to tell customers and producers alike.
I’ve examined dozens of helmets for opinions and purchaser’s guides over time, and I’ve usually referenced Virginia Tech’s helmet scores. Not essentially as a result of its the be-all and end-all of a helmet’s protecting qualities, however as a result of they’re just about the one useful resource for one of these standardized, comparative affect take a look at knowledge. Based on Virginia Tech’s current memo, “For customers, this technique highlights efficiency variations that aren’t seen from worth or advertising and marketing claims. For producers, our take a look at protocols and efficiency thresholds provide a benchmark for innovation and enchancment.”
And enhance they’ve. Not too long ago, scoring properly in Virginia Tech’s affect testing has turn into an enormous promoting level, with manufacturers seemingly competing for high honors and one-upping one another’s scores and ranks. Up to now 12 months alone, the brand new Fox Speedframe fashions launched with the highest rating, solely to be bested a month or so later by the brand new POC Cularis and Cytal helmets earlier than they have been even obtainable to the general public.
Safer Helmets
Over time, new supplies, applied sciences like Mips, and designs have improved the protecting qualities of bicycle helmets — and a few of that may seemingly be attributed to Virginia Tech’s unbiased testing. Virginia Tech states that when it began score bike helmets in 2018, solely 4 out of 30 (~13%) earned 5 stars. In 2025, a whopping 167 of 272 helmets (~61%) have been rated 5-star.
Whereas beforehand the take a look at lab had predetermined, fastened rating thresholds, “when nearly all of helmets can earn 5 stars, the highest class not distinguishes the easiest.” In fact, it is a good factor because it signifies that helmet security is bettering, nevertheless it additionally makes it more durable for customers to distinguish the great from the most effective.
Adjusted Star Score Thresholds
To treatment this, Virginia Tech has chosen to regulate its score threshold. Based on the memo, “To obtain a 4- or 5-star score, a helmet should carry out throughout the high 50% primarily based on its total affect efficiency rating. To differentiate between 4- and 5-star helmets, we computed the midpoint between the median-performing helmet and the best-performing helmet. Helmets nearer to the highest performer acquired 5 stars; these nearer to the median acquired 4 stars.”
This shift has dramatically lowered the variety of 5-star bicycle helmets from 167 to 38. Virginia Tech can also be fast to level out that simply because a helmet’s star score has modified, “this isn’t as a result of their efficiency has worsened, however fairly the bar for top-tier efficiency has risen.” And that “basically, we suggest any 4- or 5-star-rated helmet.” That stated, some beforehand 5-star rated helmets have dropped all the way down to 3-stars beneath the recalibrated score system.
Now, bicycle helmet producers might want to work a bit more durable to get into and keep within the high 50% to earn these coveted 5-star scores. Usually talking, bike helmets are at present as secure as they’ve ever been, however a bit wholesome competitors on the high ought to be sure that they simply preserve getting safer.
Try Virginia Tech’s bicycle helmet scores to see in case your helmet has been examined and the way it ranks. In any other case, click on by way of to the technical paperwork to be taught extra about Virginia Tech’s helmet testing protocol. It’s truly fairly attention-grabbing.
Helmet Scores: helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
Helmet Lab: (For more information in regards to the lab itself, together with a video tour) daring.beam.vt.edu/BOLDLabs/HelmetLab.html
