Bell's helmet story starts on the racetrack. Southern Californian hot-rodder and engineer Roy Richter, who ran the Bell Auto Parts business, launched the company's first helmet in 1954 after seeing too many drivers suffer head injuries in flimsy period headgear. The gamble paid off: Bell helmets went on to dominate Indianapolis 500 winner's circles for decades and became the default choice across American motorsport.

Cycling followed motorsport into the Bell range, and the brand has spent decades since applying the same safety-first engineering to bike helmets — including early adoption of MIPS rotational-impact protection. Bell now sits within Revelyst (formerly Vista Outdoor's outdoor products arm) alongside sister brand Giro, with a range spanning road, mountain bike, full-face and kids' helmets.