Daily wear also plays a part. Sweat, sunscreen and regular use all shorten a helmet's working life, so riders who use a helmet every day should expect to replace it sooner than someone who rides occasionally.

A handcrafted helmet shell starts with a base material, commonly fibreglass or a composite blend, layered and shaped by hand rather than produced purely by mould and machine. Each layer adds strength, and the shaping stage is where a lot of the time in production actually goes.

None of this needs to be bought at once. Building a complete kit over time, prioritising the areas most exposed in a typical fall, is a realistic way to get there.

ECE 22.06 is the current European standard that motorcycle helmets are tested against, and it replaced the older ECE 22.05 standard with a wider and more demanding set of tests. Helmets are checked for impact absorption at multiple points on the shell, not just the crown, and the standard also tests rotational forces, which earlier standards largely ignored.

Anti fog inserts and coatings help in cold or wet conditions, but they are not a substitute for a visor in good condition. Once scratches build up to the point where they catch the light on every ride, it is time to replace rather than keep cleaning around the problem.

To see gloves and accessories that pair with our helmets, visit handcrafted helmet shell.