Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Helmet lifespan question

I have read that it's a good idea to replace a bicycle helmet every three years because the material used to make them deteriorates, and that three years was a good time to get a new one.

My question is, since I recently purchased a helmet before reading about the "shelf life", I didn't notice the date it was made which is inside the helmet. My helmet says 2007, but I bought this in 2008, so did I lose a year?, or is the three year lifespan according to being used? I would be annoyed if I actually only had 2 years because I paid full price for it at my LBS.

Thanks

I think you're safe going with 3 years of use and exposure to heat, sweat, and use. To be sure, however, contact your manufacturer.

Now you've got me thinking since I bought my helmet as a year end close out.

What if you ride in the dark? Will it last longer? Mine is pushing 3, but it has rarely seen the sun.

When the lining pads get too nasty

Who says three year life span, the manufacturer? I have one that is considerably older then three years and it seems to be fine. I want to update because the newer helmets have a different fastening system that is more comfortable.

I use the 3 year standard. They may well last longer, but it's the only head I got, so I'll continue the conservative approach of every 3 years or the first crash where the head strikes the pavement. :p

Bell recommends replacement every three years.

http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/helmet101.asp#6

I don't know if the recomendation is based on material deterioration or sales deterioration. :innocent:
Personally, I don't have a spare brain - (some would say I don't even have one...) It's still cheap insurance even if you replace your helmet every three years (or trauma) as recommended.

car dealers tell you to replace your car every three to five years too. I'll take my chances and keep my $150 Giro from 2001. It fits great and there are no signs of damage. I wouldn't sweat the date.

I don't replace mine according to how old it is, but by the condition. I will always replace my helmet if:


After ANY significant impact to the helmet. This includes anything from dropping it and my trunk bag down the stairs at work (happened :o), hitting my head on ANYTHING at all going down on my bike (even soft mud), and I once had a helmet dented by a being hit by a door with a heavy spring at a convenience store.
Anytime that I find an unexplained serious scrape or dent inside or outside the helmet.
The straps and such continue to smell rank, no matter how much I wash them.


Something like that tends to happen to my helmets every 3-4 years, though. I had one old helmet that made it about 7 years. I ended up replacing it because of how it looked. I don't really care about "style", but it definitely had that WAY out-of-date AND extra stinky look to it (permanent, darker, and lighter stains on the chin-straps).

Hmm...I guess that means I'm gonna have to consider purchasing a new one soon. The sticker on the inside of my helmet says "October 1997" 80

...I want to update because the newer helmets have a different fastening system that is more comfortable.

I looked at replacing my 3 year old cheapie last month. I looked at mid-range helmets up to $80 but the fastening systems weren't any better. So I've kept using my $20 helmet.

What brand of helmet are you looking at dbikingman?

It fits great and there are no signs of damage. I wouldn't sweat the date.

Just because there are no signs of damage, doesn't mean the helmet is still effective. Remember: exposure to sunlight, heat, and oxygen all cause deterioration of the rigid foam in a helmet. The same foam designed to protect your head from an impact. Just because the helmet still looks good is no guarantee that the foam isn't as hard as concrete. Given how cheap it is to buy a decent helmet, I'm surprised that anyone wouldn't want to replace them on a regular basis...

Rut Ro Rorge!!!!! The helmet I have been using is the same one I bought right before I got married...17 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like I am stopping at the LBS on the way home from work tonight.

Why do people think that EPS in cycle helmets degrades significantly over time?

From http://www.epspackaging.org/fnf.html

"Chemical Resistance
Water and aqueous solutions of salts, acids and alkalis do not affect molded polystyrene. Most organic solvents are not compatible with EPS. This should be taken into consideration when selecting adhesives, labels and coatings for direct application to the product. All substances of unknown composition should be tested for compatibility. Accelerated test may be carried out by exposing molded polystyrene to the substance at 120-140 F.
UV radiation has a slight effect on molded polystyrene. It causes superficial yellowing and friability, but does not otherwise affect physical properties."

Why do people think that EPS in cycle helmets degrades significantly over time?


One of the problems with most helmets is that they're a plastic shell laminated to an inner foam liner. The plastic can become detached from the liner. When that happens, the helmet's impact resistance goes down dramatically. It can be hard to tell if it's suffered damage.

The plastic can become detached from the liner.

On both my helmet and the wife's, there is an airspace between the thin plastic shell and the inner styrofoam. Are you saying that that is not how they were when they were new, and that that indicates that they are now defective?

Just because there are no signs of damage, doesn't mean the helmet is still effective. Remember: exposure to sunlight, heat, and oxygen all cause deterioration of the rigid foam in a helmet. The same foam designed to protect your head from an impact. Just because the helmet still looks good is no guarantee that the foam isn't as hard as concrete. Given how cheap it is to buy a decent helmet, I'm surprised that anyone wouldn't want to replace them on a regular basis...

I think I'm fairly capable of determining the condition of my helmet. I'll take my chances. If I die because my helmet wasn't up to par you have my permission to put "Here Lies A Stupid Man Too Cheap To By A New Helmet Every Year" :)

Yeah, same here. It's hard to know where to draw the line, but I have a lot of faith in styrofoam's ability to not decompose.

I don't think I'd worry too much about it. There might be some overlooked issue with the plastic buckle becoming brittle over time or the straps deteriorating but other than that...

All helmets rated by the CPSC have the same safety factor so other than weight and appearance, the inexpensive Bell is as good safety wise as the high dollar Giros.

Mine was just fine right to when it and I hit the pavement two Sundays ago. Sure glad I wear a helmet, wish it could have protected my clavicle too.

From the manufacturers standpoint, if they do not put out a recommendation of replacement to protect themselves, then they provide an area of vulnerability for litigation. The helmet may well last 20 years, but 3 years keeps them safe to some degree. Plus it is a good sales ploy.

I will keep my Bell until I hit it hard or feel that it has delaminated to the point where it no longer provides the protection that I need. That is just my take.

meh, i'd air on the side of caution, given that I use my head like every day for thinking and such (I slay me).

I generally go for every 2-3 years.

From the manufacturers standpoint, if they do not put out a recommendation of replacement to protect themselves, then they provide an area of vulnerability for litigation. The helmet may well last 20 years, but 3 years keeps them safe to some degree. Plus it is a good sales ploy.

I will keep my Bell until I hit it hard or feel that it has delaminated to the point where it no longer provides the protection that I need. That is just my take.

There are actually four reasons to replace a helmet once on a while, first is materials, can breakdown and wear, not so much the foam and outer plastic, but the clipping mechanisms, strap adjusters and straps, which are softer plastic. Second, it's really tough to clean all the sweat and bacteria out of the padding in a helmet, replacing it once in a while, is also good from a hygienic standpoint. Third, helmet technology is always improving, and those improvements trickle down to cheaper and cheaper helmets over time, so even if you buy only the cheapest helmets. They have better adjusting mechanisms and venting then they did only a few years ago, Fourth, you occasionally will drop your helmet, toss it on the table, bang it around, and each time you do this, it damages it a little,

After 2-3 years it's getting pretty banged up, you can smell it from 5 feet away, it closes kinda funny, the straps are all frayed and the nice new ones at the LBS are so much easier to adjust, lighter, better vented, time to retire the old one..... A $100 helmet replaced every 3 years is $33.33 a year, about $2.78 a month, 64¢ a week or 9¢ per day, that's not a huge investment, and a $100 helmet is toward the expensive range, there are lots of decent ones about for half that.

Teh following web site seems that have the most complete information regarding bike helmets and safety: http://www.helmets.org/

There is a sub page that discusses helmet replacements: http://www.helmets.org/replace.htm

The basics apprear to be that unless you crashed, or your helmet is old enough not to meet the current standards, then just keep on using your helmet. Bell claims that you need to keep up with helmet technology, but the site points out that descent helmets haven't changed in the last 10 years. In anything the most expensive helmet provide marginally less protection at the expense of better ventilation.

This is just like the oil change places claiming that you MUST replace your oil every 3000 miles. Most manufacturers tell you it is not needed because modern motors are built to tighter tolerances and run much cleaner. Sure this was true in the 1970's, but that was a long time ago. None the less the oil change places will tell you all kinds of bad things happen if you don't follow their recommendation and you do that the car manual states.

I still have my Bell V1 Pro that I bought back in the 1980's. I won't wear it anymore because it has yellowed slightly (UV will eventually attack plastics a bit), and from the helmes.org site they do mention that the old foam was a little stiffer than what is now considered ideal. My other helmet is a 7 year old Schwinn I bought at Target. It is actually one of the better ones they made as it is molded in the shell. The newer onces are not nearly as well made. The Schwinn looks just fine as well. I just hang my helmet on my handlebars when I am done riding. I have heard some riders complain that their helmets get all scratched up in a year. I have no idea what they do to their helmets, but I guess they must be pretty rough on them.

Happy riding, and don't worry about your helmet. There should be absolutely no reason you can't get at least 5 years of use. If the helmet still looks good, then maybe it will last 7 to 10 years... this is unless they come up with some new pretection scheme that is clearly supperior to today's helmet, then I may upgrade sooner.

André

Thank you all for the great replies and info. :thumb:

I've decided to error on the side of caution and replace every three years or so.