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 workforce felt “the 5-star label had grow to be diluted.” So, they felt this threshold adjustment was wanted “to revive the power of our system to distinguish.” Basically, it had grow to be too straightforward for contemporary helmets to earn a 5-star score underneath the outdated scoring thresholds.
Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab
In case you are unfamiliar, the Virginia Tech Helmet Take a look at Lab has been independently testing and score bicycle helmets since 2018 and has grow to be one of the crucial trusted sources for comparative impression efficiency information. 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 information to tell customers and producers alike.
I’ve examined dozens of helmets for critiques and purchaser’s guides through the years, and I’ve typically 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 impression take a look at information. In keeping with Virginia Tech’s latest 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 supply a benchmark for innovation and enchancment.”
And enhance they’ve. Just lately, scoring nicely in Virginia Tech’s impression testing has grow to be a giant promoting level, with manufacturers seemingly competing for prime honors and one-upping one another’s scores and ranks. Previously yr 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 had been even out there 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 impartial 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%) had been rated 5-star.
Whereas beforehand the take a look at lab had predetermined, fastened rating thresholds, “when the vast majority 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 enhancing, but it surely additionally makes it tougher for customers to distinguish the nice from the most effective.
Adjusted Star Ranking Thresholds
To treatment this, Virginia Tech has chosen to regulate its score threshold. In keeping with the memo, “To obtain a 4- or 5-star score, a helmet should carry out throughout the prime 50% based mostly on its general impression efficiency rating. To tell apart 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 diminished 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 somewhat the bar for top-tier efficiency has risen.” And that “usually, we advocate any 4- or 5-star-rated helmet.” That stated, some beforehand 5-star rated helmets have dropped all the way down to 3-stars underneath the recalibrated score system.
Now, bicycle helmet producers might want to work a bit of tougher to get into and keep within the prime 50% to earn these coveted 5-star scores. Typically talking, bike helmets are presently as secure as they’ve ever been, however a bit of wholesome competitors on the prime ought to be sure that they simply maintain getting safer.
Take a look at 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 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
