ASTM Lowers Helmet Peak g Standard: What It Means for Riders and Helmet Design

ASTM Lowers Helmet Peak g Standard: What It Means for Riders and Helmet Design

In a meaningful move for rider safety, ASTM has revised its F1447 bicycle helmet standard, lowering the peak g fail threshold from 300 g to 275 g. While the number may seem small, the implications for helmet design and rider protection could prove significant—and long overdue.

Not Mandatory, but Potentially Influential

The revised ASTM standard reinforces the industry’s duty to prioritize head protection and creates a new voluntary benchmark. ASTM is not a required certification for bicycle helmets in the U.S. market—the mandatory legal requirement remains the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) standard, which has remained unchanged since 1999.

However, ASTM’s move may inspire brands to adopt the new standard for marketing value and to demonstrate an elevated level of rider care and product performance.

“We fully support this change because this kind of scrutiny of existing test standards is a win for riders,” says Norman Cheng, Managing Director of Strategic Sports. “Our helmets have always aimed to exceed minimum requirements, and this brings the baseline closer to where we’ve already engineered our products.”

Cheng believes the change could also influence regulatory bodies. “In Europe the CE (EN1078) already references an even lower limit of 250 g, so if CPSC elects to follow ASTM’s lead and revise their standards, many helmets optimized to the limits of the old standard will likely require redesigns,” he notes.

However, ASTM’s move may inspire brands to adopt the new standard for marketing value and to demonstrate an elevated level of rider care and product performance.

“We fully support this change because this kind of scrutiny of existing test standards is a win for riders,” says Norman Cheng, Managing Director of Strategic Sports. “Our helmets have always aimed to exceed minimum requirements, and this brings the baseline closer to where we’ve already engineered our products.”

Cheng believes the change could also influence regulatory bodies. “In Europe the CE (EN1078) already references an even lower limit of 250 g, so if CPSC elects to follow ASTM’s lead and revise their standards, many helmets optimized to the limits of the old standard will likely require redesigns,” he notes.

“Some brands may consider proactively revisiting their current designs to meet this new, lower threshold,” Cheng adds, “This is an opportunity to take action and show your customers that you’re making a meaningful effort to design safe helmets.”

The revised 275 g ASTM rating recommendation will be adopted for cycling and skate helmets and for equestrian helmets with a two-year grace period. Discussions are also in progress for snow helmets. 

“We fully support this change because this kind of scrutiny of existing test standards is a win for riders,” says Norman Cheng, Managing Director of Strategic Sports. “Our helmets have always aimed to exceed minimum requirements, and this brings the baseline closer to where we’ve already engineered our products.”

Cheng believes the change could also influence regulatory bodies. “In Europe the CE (EN1078) already references an even lower limit of 250 g, so if CPSC elects to follow ASTM’s lead and revise their standards, many helmets optimized to the limits of the old standard will likely require redesigns,” he notes.

“Some brands may consider proactively revisiting their current designs to meet this new, lower threshold,” Cheng adds, “This is an opportunity to take action and show your customers that you’re making a meaningful effort to design safe helmets.”

The revised 275 g ASTM rating recommendation will be adopted for cycling and skate helmets and for equestrian helmets with a two-year grace period. Discussions are also in progress for snow helmets. 

Proven Technologies for Safety and Performance

At Strategic Sports, decades of research have gone into materials and designs that improve helmet performance without sacrificing energy management. Proprietary technologies such as ERT (Energy Reduction Technology) and Conehead dual-density foam liners allow Strategic Sports to offer lighter, smaller, and more ventilated helmets while maintaining advanced impact absorption.

“The new ASTM limit addresses linear acceleration, and we’ve long engineered our helmets to perform at or beyond this level while also addressing rotational impact,” Cheng says. “Innovative materials and thoughtful design remain at the heart of our rider-first philosophy.”

Ongoing Action as ASTM Committee Meets in Toronto

The ASTM Committee, a collection of engineers, academics and manufacturers met for two days in early May to discuss current ratings and testing methodology, how to test equestrian helmet visors, and human headforms used for testing. Notably, a task force was formed to investigate E-bike helmet standards, and will be headed by Russ Boelhauf, a Strategic Sports employee since 2003.

Moving in a Promising Direction

The ASTM update represents relevant progress and reflects the safety standards that many premium manufacturers, including Strategic Sports, have already been striving to achieve.

“This is the right direction for the industry,” Cheng concludes. “The updated standard provides greater protection for riders and aligns with our mission: Protecting Life.”