igorgroks

I took this photo at a distance out of respect for the victim. In the distance is an ambulance an a firetruck at a skatepark I pass nearly everyday. Up close I saw some EMTs working down in one of the bowls and bringing a gurney. I hope the kid was wearing a helmet, but had the sick feeling they weren't

Geergirl

I always wear my helmet. My much-fitter-than-me boss was riding a gravel trail this year with his sister, who hit a pothole at a good clip, flipped over the bike, and ended up in the hospital with broken wrists if i recall....wearing a helmet minimized the impact to her skull.
My sister doesnt like to wear a helmet for short rides; i simply refuse to ride with her unless she does!

Troul 

It might be their way of achieving a solo ride.

Geergirl

haha no not really. I just got her cycling again and she’s just starting her journey. Normally she rides very short 1-2km rides, but last year I helped her fulfill a 20 year old bet and she managed a >40km ride with a head wind the entire way.

bikehoco

I really like my helmet: lightweight & great air flow. After years of sweating in it, it was becoming less comfortable.

I was going to purchase a new one but instead purchased replacement pads off Amazon.

It’s like I have a new helmet for $5.

bruce19

Except...you don't. The conventional wisdom says that after several years the composite breaks down and it loses it's integrity. I'm going through a similar situation with a motorcycle helmet I have.

terrymorse 

The conventional “wisdom” is a myth. Old bike helmets don’t lose their protection capability.

MattTheHat 

Big helmet strikes again!

Iride01 

I hope you've been rinsing that sweat off your helmet after every ride. Otherwise you might need a new helmet just to rid yourself of the funky smell about you.

CAT7RDR

I use moleskin tape to replace worn-out pads and also to make the helmet fit better to my noggin.

prj71

Depends how old. Some older helmets don't have UV inhibitors to protect the shell and then shell breaks down and becomes brittle over time from UV exposure.

tcs

Follow the science:

https://helmets.org/replace.htm

cyclezen

Good thread.
Helmets are about as variable as anything designed for human use. My activities almost all have helmets as a major element of safety/protection.
'Science' as relates to educating, testing or discovering is an important thing, but it's not infallible. It is limited in scope because there's no way to completely cover the complexity of 'real' life/situations. So we need to make our decisions, with the aid of science findings.
Maybe you've seen, as I have, that quite strong/dense packaging foam deteriorates fairly quickly with just some short term time in the sun/environment. So it's not really a long life material.
Sure, it's covered and protected by a shell - but not completely. The environmental conditions still affect the primary 'cushioning' material.
Given 'science', the balance of various expert recommendations, good fit and comfort, wear and tear, I tend to keep my helmets for a while. But I'd rather 'retire' a helmet, than 'Test' the longevity while in actual 'use'.
And I do a couple things to encourage 'longevity'. A Helmet used for 4-5 rides gets a 'shower' with me, and a tiny bit of shampoo for the pads. I have 5 cycling helmets in use at any one period.
They vary for type of coverage, a few have either fixed visor and 2 have a flexible, flip up/down visor for those rides when low sun is probable. Helmets for when most ventilation is needed and helmets for cooler rides. Rotating helmets gives them longer life spans.
Given the difficulty of me finding a good fitting helmet, I'll buy 2 when one proves to be excellent - and put the 2nd in my closet, for later use.
I'm not one who needs 'new' every year, or even 2, 3 or 4 yrs, but I have replaced pads, especially the forehead pad - that one seems to go south, sooner.
It's your ride... and your head.
Ride On
Yuri

tcs

I had an earnest LBS associate tell me if my helmet was over five years old, I had to replace it. I pointed out that the helmet I was holding had a build date of six months before and asked if she'd prorate the price. She blinked twice and said helmets age differently in the shop.

tcs

Virginia Tech Five-star rating, now $9.95

https://helmetsrus.net/bike-helmets/...-graphics.html

​​​​​​https://helmets.org/up2103.htm

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/...8.2021.1929943

probe1957

Mein Gott, how long would that take? 3000 years?

GAtkins

Post of the day....

drlogik 

I look at it this way. Having personally witnessing a bad crash and the aftermath of how the helmet saved the rider, I replace my helmet after about 5 years regardless. Having said that, and with the current pricing of helmets, that may get extended.

To me, my life is worth more than the cost of a new helmet, unless the helmet is over $300 bucks, then, well, I digress. I'd rather have peace of mind that my helmet will protect me than worry about it. No amount of diatribe or convincing will change my mind. That's just how I feel about helmets having seen first-hand what they can do.

bruce19

Can you point me to a source of that info?

bruce19

Thank you

terrymorse 

This study is pretty good:

Age Does Not Affect the Material Properties of Expanded Polystyrene Liners in Field-Used Bicycle Helmets

Based on these data, the impact attenuation properties of EPS foam in field-used bicycle helmets do not degrade with the age.

bruce19

Thanks.

Korina

I'll still wear mine, but it's a great discussion.

JW Fas

The one thing I find annoying about helmet rhetoric is whenever a cyclist crashes or collides with a motor vehicle. The response from unaffiliated parties is always the same: "It's a good thing they were wearing a helmet." It's spoken even when the cyclist didn't hit their head. Nobody says it's a good thing you car had airbags in a low-speed collision where the airbags didn't deploy.

base2 

JW Fas That's going to be my new go-to whenever I hear about car crashes.

Thanks!