A helmet could be the single most important product that you sell to your customers. Bikes can be repaired. Cuts, bruises and broken bones can heal, but when your head stops working, nothing else matters. It is so important to get your customers set up with a properly fitted helmet — not only so they have a comfortable, quiet helmet, but to keep them as safe as possible.

1. Always measure the head of every customer you are fitting for a helmet. It doesn’t matter if you can look at their head and guess that they are a size medium or if they have been wearing helmets for 30 years, and have always worn size large. It is your job to have the necessary tools to take the first step to a proper helmet fitting — which is measuring the customer’s head to get an idea of what size you should be starting with.  A measuring tape is such a basic and inexpensive tool that everyone in your apparel department should have  in their pocket.

2. Always start with the fit around the crown of the head, as that is the single most important part of the fit. Almost all helmet manufacturers offer multiple sizes of cheek pads that can be adjusted for each person’s fit. Always make sure the fit around the crown is correct, then adjust the cheek pads to fit the customer’s face. If the customer is too distracted initially by the snugness of the cheek pads, remove the cheek pads until you can determine a proper crown fit, and then add cheek pads back in.  You may need to adjust the cheek pad size a few times until a proper fit is found.

3. Know your product: It is extremely important to know your product inside and out.  Know what it is made of, what its safety rating is, what its features are.  Know each and every model of each and every brand that you sell.

4. Stock full model and size runs: How can you properly fit every customer that walks through your door if you do not have full size runs of each model of helmet that you sell? It’s not good enough to hand someone who normally wears a medium helmet an extra large, because that’s all you have in stock. It’s not good enough to tell them that you can “special order” their size, but require them to purchase the helmet. It is your job to have the products on hand to be able to properly fit your customers for a new helmet.

5. Remember that new helmets are much like new boots – they need time to break in.  Remind your customer that by starting with a snug fit, the end result will be a comfortable helmet.