Riddell Helmet Sizing & Fitting Guide

A helmet only protects you when it fits. The Riddell SpeedFlex, Speed Icon and Victor-I are built around adjustable liner systems, and those systems do nothing until they are set up on your head. Work through this guide in order, and give it the twenty minutes it deserves.

Why proper fit matters

A correctly fitted helmet:

• Puts the padding where the impact energy needs to go
• Stops the helmet rotating independently of your head
• Keeps your sight lines clear through the facemask
• Stays comfortable for a full game, so you are not adjusting it between snaps

Step 1: Measure your head

Use a soft fabric measuring tape, never a metal one. Wrap it around the widest part of your head, roughly 2,5 cm above your eyebrows. Keep it level and snug without pulling it tight. Measure twice and write down the number in centimetres. No tape at home? Wrap a piece of string, mark it, then hold the string against a ruler.

Riddell SpeedFlex, SpeedFlex Youth & Speed Icon size chart

Riddell publishes one size chart for the whole SpeedFlex platform and the whole Speed platform. Adult and youth use the same head measurements, so a Youth M fits the same head as an adult M. The size does not change between them, the shell and the certification level do.

Size	Hat size	Head circumference (in)	Head circumference (cm)
Small	up to 6 1/2	up to 20 3/8"	up to 52 cm
Medium	6 1/2 to 7	20 3/8 to 22"	52 to 56 cm
Large	7 to 7 1/2	22 to 23 1/2"	56 to 60 cm
X-Large	7 1/2 and up	23 1/2" and up	60 cm and up

Between two sizes? Start with the smaller size. That is Riddell's own instruction in the official platform fitting guides. It matters most on the SpeedFlex Youth, which has no inflatable crown pad to lift the helmet if it sits too low.

Step 2: Check the height before you touch anything

Start with every inflatable liner fully deflated. Put the helmet on and look at where the front rim sits.

• Correct: the front rim sits level, roughly 2,5 cm above your eyebrows.
• Too high: too much forehead showing below the rim. Try the next size up and start again.
• Too low: the rim is down on your brows and your vision is cut. On a SpeedFlex, inflate the crown pad to lift it. On a SpeedFlex Youth there is no crown pad, so go down a size instead.

Step 3: Inflate the liners, in this order

Order matters. Each stage changes the one after it, so do not jump ahead.

1. Crown pad, only if the helmet sits too low. This sets the height.
2. Back and side liner. Inflate until the fit is snug front to back and side to side.
3. Occipital lock. Snug against the lower back of your head, so the helmet barely rotates forward and back.
4. Face frame pads, last. Inflate both sides equally until they sit snug against your face.

Use the right needle. Riddell specifies their own inflation needle, 5/8 of an inch long, and it must be lubricated with glycerin before you insert it. Other needles, and dry needles, can tear the liner bladder. We stock the Riddell inflator pump with needle.

Step 4: The three fit tests

These are the checks Riddell puts in its own fitting guides. If the helmet fails any of them, it is not fitted yet.

• The forehead test. Turn the helmet side to side, then rock it forward and back. The skin of your forehead should move with the front pad. If your forehead stays still while the helmet slides, it is too loose.
• The crown test. Interlock your hands on top of the helmet and press down. You should feel the pressure on the crown of your head, not on your brow. Pressure on the brow means the liners are not all in contact.
• The height test. Front rim still roughly 2,5 cm above the eyebrows, helmet still level, after everything else is set.

Step 5: Chinstrap

1. Loosen the Strap-Loc screws, but do not remove them.
2. Hold the chin cup centred and firm on your chin.
3. Slide the upper straps through the Strap-Loc until the helmet sits level, then tighten the screws.
4. Pull the lower straps back toward the rear of your head to engage the Cam-Loc, until the chin cup is secure.

To release: press and hold the levers on the Cam-Loc housing on both sides, then use your thumbs to pull the chin cup forward and away from your chin.

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Riddell SpeedFlex Youth

The SpeedFlex Youth uses the size chart above, unchanged. Pick the model by playing level first, then pick the size by head circumference.

	SpeedFlex	SpeedFlex Youth
Playing level	Senior, varsity	Youth, junior high
Shell material	Polycarbonate alloy	ABS
Crown pad	Inflatable, adjusts helmet height	None as standard, can be added as an upgrade
Shell warranty	5 years	3 years
Sizes we stock	M, L, XL	M, L

No inflatable crown pad. If the helmet sits too low on the head, go down a size. There is nothing to inflate to raise it. Crown pads can be fitted later as an upgrade. Everything else follows the steps above.

Choosing between them: a senior player with a 57 cm head takes the adult Large, not the Youth Large, even though both fit the head. Youth helmets are certified against a youth standard tested at lower impact energies, because youth players collide with less force. Level decides the model, measurement decides the size.

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Riddell Victor-I (Youth)

The Victor-I uses its own chart and its own retention system, so do not carry the SpeedFlex numbers across.

Size	Hat size	Circumference (in)	Circumference (cm)
2XS / XS	6 1/8 to 6 1/2	19 1/2" to 20 3/8"	49,5 to 51,8 cm
S / M	6 5/8 to 7	20 3/4" to 22"	52,7 to 55,9 cm
L / XL	7 1/8 to 7 1/2	22 3/8" to 23 1/2"	56,8 to 59,7 cm

Riddell publishes no between-size rule for the Victor platform. If you land between two sizes, send us your measurement and we will advise.

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Care, reconditioning and warranty

This is the part most players skip, and it is the part that decides whether your warranty still exists in two years.

Reconditioning is not optional

Riddell requires your helmet to be reconditioned at least every two years by a NOCSAE licensed reconditioner, using new factory replacement liners where liners need replacing. Riddell recommends every year. Skipping it voids the shell warranty, and fitting used parts instead of new ones during a liner replacement voids it too.

Warranty at a glance

• Shell: 5 years on polycarbonate varsity helmets, 3 years on ABS youth helmets, with normal use and proper maintenance.
• Components: 1 year against defects in material and workmanship.

Riddell also voids the warranty for fitting another manufacturer's facemask, guard or components, for drilling new holes in the shell, for use outside American football, and for removing the warranty, date code or warning labels. The full terms are in Riddell's own guide, linked below, and those terms are Riddell's to set, not ours.

Cleaning and painting

Use Riddell's own helmet cleaner and wax only. Commercial cleaners and polishes can attack the shell and the liner system. The same goes for paint: only Riddell paint systems, because commercial paints can damage the varsity shell's polycarbonate alloy and the youth shell's ABS. Getting this wrong is both a warranty problem and a safety problem, since it can compromise the shell itself.

When to replace

• The shell is cracked, dented or structurally damaged
• Padding is compressed and no longer recovers
• The retention or inflation system has failed
• It no longer fits properly even after full adjustment
• It fails reconditioning inspection

Inspect before every use

Riddell's instruction, and ours. Check the shell, the facemask hardware, the chinstrap and the liners before you put it on.

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Get it fitted properly

This guide gets you a good fit at home. For competitive play we still recommend a fitting by a trained equipment manager. If you are near Stockholm, bring the helmet to us in Jordbro and we will fit it with you.

Riddell's own guides

These are Riddell's official documents, hosted by Riddell. They are the authority on their own products, and they carry the full warranty text:

SpeedFlex platform fitting and care guide
Speed Icon fitting and care guide
Victor-I fitting and care guide

Need help?

Send your head measurement and the model you are looking at to info@reyrr.se and we will size you. We would rather spend five minutes on an email than have you playing in the wrong helmet.

This guide summarises Riddell's published fitting and care instructions in our own words, for our customers. Where our summary and Riddell's own document differ, Riddell's document is correct. Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines and have safety certification confirmed by qualified equipment professionals.