Do Women Really Need Special Helmets?

I’ve now got more than 26,000 miles/40,000 km on my Schuberth C3W helmet and remain extremely impressed with its quality and comfort. It fits like a glove, has good airflow and excellent aerodynamics. I’ve always worn high-quality helmets but really noticed the absence of buffeting. It fits so well there are no drafts. In fact, it feels cozy in cold weather (i.e. freezing) weather. In hot weather, the ventilation and airflow is excellent.

A big thank-you to Sarah Schilke, Marketing and PR Manager, Schuberth North America for sharing her expertise and contributing this article. Read Sarah’s bio below.

Schuberth is the only helmet manufacturer offering motorcycle helmets specially fitted for a woman’s unique head and facial structure. What might seem like a clever marketing tactic to some is actually providing a premium level of comfort and enhanced safety for women riders and passengers.

Many women have difficulty finding helmets small enough to fit, sometimes resorting to cheap, ill-fittng children’s helmets which are not designed for the adult anatomy. The C3 Pro Women can be sized down to an XXS (50cm) and the C3W is available for purchase down to XXS. Helmet fit is critical for comfort and safety and a woman should wear a helmet that fits without ‘snugging it up’ with a scarf or beanie underneath.

Another common problem is that a helmet that fits the crown of the head is too loose in the face area and moves around as helmets are not supposed to do. This is because women typically have a higher, more prominent cheekbone and narrower jaw. Schuberth’s C3 Pro Women and C3W have a specially contoured fit in the cheekpads to accommodate this female facial structure.

Studies* show that men have greater neck muscle strength than women, so women are particularly sensitive to helmet weight. Many women express relief when trying Schuberth helmets because of their lightweight and compact construction. In fact, the C3 Pro Women and C3W helmets are the lightest flip-up helmets available.

So whether you are a woman rider, passenger, or a man with a female passenger, we hope this information will help with your helmet shopping. Of course the women’s helmets, just like women’s gear, don’t necessarily fit 100% of women better than standard helmets, but it’s certainly worth looking into when trying to find the best, safest fitting helmet for yourself or your loved one.

Click here to read about the C3 Pro Women and C3W Helmets on Women Riders Now

*Maximal isometric muscle strength of the cervical spine in healthy volunteers

* Three-Dimensional Isometric Strength of Neck Muscles in Humans

Sarah Schilke, an avid street rider turned amateur off-road racer, has made a career out of her passion—riding motorcycles. Sarah has worked in the motorcycle industry for almost 20 years, currently as the Marketing & P.R. Manager for Schuberth, the German helmet manufacturer responsible for the award winning C3W helmet engineered specifically for women riders. Her background also includes positions with the  International Motorcycle Shows, Hein Gericke motorcycle apparel, the American Motorcyclist Association and Electric Motorbike, Inc.  Sarah is the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Motorcycle Industry Council and is an expert member of the FIM Commission on Women in Motorcycling. She is also a lifetime member of the AMA.