Originally Posted by
Wildrat
Yes, I looked the helmet over very well. The Air Attack is a hard shell helmet. I know with my motorcycles you would look for another helmet. This air attack is not dented or cracked just scraped up.
Thank Everyone for your well wishes. I will be back on my bike tomorrow for a group ride. Yes, it could have been much worse accident. I could have gotten run over while lying in the street wondering if I hurt my carbon frame. LOL
I have learned a couple lessons from this. If this type scenario happens again just stop the bike and put it back on the rode, of course I say that now but will I listen to myself, maybe, maybe not. I will tomorrow anyway. Nah, I'm not that hard headed. The other is don't look left. If in England, don't look right. LOL What's odd is I usually can hold a straight line when looking around. I guess it was just lack of concentration and I got bit!
My scrapes likely would have been fine but they put shell in their asphalt here.
Again Thanks To All!
Seriously, even if the helmet looks fine, don't use it again!
They are not designed to sustain multiple impacts.
Is It Time To Replace Your Bike Helmet? ? BikeFAT
Have you crashed while wearing your helmet?
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Foam helmets are the recommended type for cycling
Damage is not always this obvious.
When most people purchase a helmet, they should be educated that they are only good for one crash. The reason for this is that the EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam that modern bicycle helmets are made from absorbs impacts by allowing the walls of the foam cells within the foam to crush, slowing the head down and spreading the impact over a greater area. Once the EPS foam has crushed, the helmet is no longer able to absorb more impacts. This is the reason why we need to replace our helmet after we crash, and it is also the reason why we recommend EPS foam helmets.
Helmets that contain soft foam liners to protect the head will compress and store energy (picture a coil spring), rather than dissipate it. On rebound, much of that energy is sent back into the head. Though they do offer some protection in the form of a hard shell protecting the head from being wounded, they are detrimental to the rider by increasing risk of concussions. If you are currently riding with that style of helmet, I recommend replacing it with an EPS foam one.
You probably won’t need a new helmet after every crash. A tiny tap on the head won’t hurt much, but if the impact to your head was enough to make you feel that the helmet actually did something, then do yourself a favor and replace it before your next ride, even if the damage isn’t really visible.
When to Replace a Helmet?
Did you crash in it?
For starters, most people are aware that you must replace a helmet after any crash where your head hit. The foam part of a helmet is made for one-time use, and after crushing once it is no longer as protective as it was, even if it still looks intact. Bear in mind that if the helmet did its job most people would tell you that they did not even hit their head, or did not hit their head that hard. And the thin shells on most helmets now tend to hide any dents in the foam. But if you can see marks on the shell or measure any foam crush at all, replace the helmet. (Helmets made of EPP foam do recover, but there are few EPP helmets on the market. Yours is EPS or EPU unless otherwise labeled.)
You can also crack the helmet foam or damage it by dropping the helmet on a hard surface. The cracks may be small and hard to see, so you need to look carefully. Cracks in the foam always require replacement of the helmet.
You may be reluctant to replace a helmet that looks almost as good as new, but if you did hit, you don't want to take chances on where you will hit next time. If the foam is cracked under the thin shell, it will be more likely to fly apart in your next crash. Many manufacturers will replace crashed helmets for a nominal fee, and most will also inspect crashed helmets to see if they need replacement. Call them if you are in doubt. For contact info check our list of manufacturers. (You can also ask them if they think the advice on this page is valid!**