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-   -   New helmet spoiled (https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/9373-new-helmet-spoiled.html)

Brian Ratliff 05-25-02 04:29 PM

New helmet spoiled
 
I want to take some opinions. I just spent $50 on a new Giro a few months ago. Well, one of the velcro patches which hold the cranium strap to the helmet came off. Naturally, I wanted fix this as the fit of the helmet is reliant on them.

Anyway, I tried using some Shoe Goo. Probably not the best of methods to reattach the patch but the only one I thought of at the time. Anyway, the solvant in the glue dissolved some of the foam in the helmet. Now there is about a 3/16 inch indentation in the inside of the helmet.

Should I replace it? I feel really stupid doing this to a new helmet. I really should have known better.

LittleBigMan 05-25-02 04:43 PM

Brian, I've made similar mistakes.

Next time, save your receipt and return the helmet to the shop where you bought it. Most manufacturers have warranties that would cover something like this.

I had an accident 13 months after I bought a new helmet. The company replaced the helmet even though it had only a 12 month warrany (including accidents!)

(Louis Garneau.)

Joe Gardner, this is blatent SPAM. :D

Brian Ratliff 05-25-02 04:52 PM

Do the warranty cover me putting a solvant based substance on it? It was really my error, even though the patches should not have come off in the first place.

velo 05-25-02 05:17 PM

You might as well try it. The worst thing Giro can say is no. Be sure to tell them that the piece fell out, maybe that way, they'll be more likely to replace it for you.

Brian Ratliff 05-25-02 05:55 PM

Do the warranty cover me putting a solvant based substance on it? It was really my error, even though the patches should not have come off in the first place.

LittleBigMan 05-25-02 06:21 PM

No. But maybe if your helmet had problems, so did a whole bunch of them. Maybe they will help you, too, even if you did try to fix it yourself.

In my case, I called the shop where I bought the helmet. They referred me to the local distributor. The distributor assigned me a "reference number" and gave me an address to mail the helmet to.

After mailing the helmet (broken in the crash,) the company mailed my new helmet to the shop, where I picked it up.

(The fact that you tried to fix the helmet may not matter, especially if yours was not the only one that had a similar problem. As Velo said, you can't lose by trying. :D )

Brian Ratliff 05-25-02 06:57 PM

hmm. Maybe that will work. If you will notice, this years model of the "Rok Lok 3" is fastened to the helmet in a different way that does not use the velcro tabs. Their advertisements say they do this now so it will not be affected by sweat or grime, which is what happened to mine in the first place.

If I bought the helmet through Nashbar, should I call them, or take it to my LBS? I do still have the reciept as I bought it only in Feb.

Thank you for your advice.

LittleBigMan 05-25-02 07:29 PM


Originally posted by Brian Ratliff
If I bought the helmet through Nashbar, should I call them, or take it to my LBS? I do still have the reciept as I bought it only in Feb.
Take it to who you purchased it from. Emphasize the problem, not your part in trying to fix it.

orguasch 05-26-02 10:07 AM

I was going to tell you how to cheat but the better part of me or some body inside me please don't tell him how to cheat..... just come out clean and take full responsibility of what you did to your Helmet, if it need that you have to buy a new one, thats the price you have to pay, so next time you know what to do and not fix it yourself,......

Brian Ratliff 05-26-02 10:40 AM

Good point, but painful to hear :)

So now the real question, should I replace it. I am leaning now toward not, knowing there are no cracks in the material which will cause it to lose its structural rigididy. The solvent "melted" the polystyrene beads and made a depressed area, but I am pretty sure it did not do anything to the underlying structure of the helmet.

The guy at the bike shop said the only person who will tell me that it is okay to keep is an engineer from Giro. I asked him then if he would still ride with it and he said he would. This was as I was standing there looking at new helmets, so I think he is giving real advice.

It is the fact that helmets have achieved such a mythical status that I don't like. Everybody is afraid to tell you when a helmet is damaged slightly but still usable. I know that not all damage makes a helmet unusable. I also know that slight damage can be fatal for the helmets of modern design.

Any comments to bring me back to Earth would be welcome. I fear my wallet is speaking too loudly.

:confused:

orguasch 05-26-02 11:33 AM

Brian,
get a new helmet its your head that you should worry about not our head, so even the wallet is speaking louder at you listen to it

KleinMp99 05-26-02 11:36 AM

I bought a Giro E2 at the beginning of last year. The velcro patch that holds the head strap came off, which really PISSED me off. Well, my mom went and bought some FOAM GLUE for me, and I glued the patch back on, and it aint coming back off. So If velcro has come off of your helmet, foam glue will likely fix it.

Brian Ratliff 05-26-02 11:45 AM

Thanks for all your comments. I just went online and bought a new helmet ($99 MSRP for $60 on sale :) ).

I figure I have to have confidence in my equipment and it was a good deal.

If the velcro comes off again, I'll try some of that foam glue.

If anyone needs a new helmet, and feels confident getting one online, there are several of last years models on sale at Nashbar.

Thanks again.

TomBike 05-23-05 09:37 PM

You should still give Giro a call (or email them: feedback@giro.com) and ask them to tell you if the helmet is safe. They will ask you to ship it to them for inspection.

If you read the 'instruction manual' carefully, it says "If subjected to a severe blow, the helmet should be replaced." This implies that after a minor bump, or perhaps even with a minor indentation such as you created, the helmet may still be safe.

In recent emails I've exchanged with them, they appear to reply very promptly.

F1_Fan 05-23-05 10:11 PM


Originally Posted by TomBike
This implies that after a minor bump, or perhaps even with a minor indentation such as you created, the helmet may still be safe.

A portion of the foam has been eaten away by solvent, that creates a weak spot. If it was my helmet it'd be in the garbage.

phinney 05-24-05 04:12 AM

I'd bet all the cost in producing bike helmets is in testing, regulation, distribution, and advertising. The actual helmets probably cost the manufacturers ~$5 if that. My guess is they'll replace it.

operator 05-24-05 07:44 AM

Orguasch is right.

You people are missing the point. He damaged his own helmet by accident, some of you are suggesting that he mail it back in hopes that Giro will just replace it anyways.

This is a moral/ethical issue more than anything. As for me - i'd replace it.

closetbiker 05-24-05 11:55 AM

I think the disclaimers that come with the helmet says clearly that common substances (including glue, I belieive) can damage the helmet. Further, the warnings say that sometimes, the damage is not even visable when it occurs. For this reason, I've never put anything except water on my helmet.


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