I have two helmets that have been replaced with new models. There is technically nothing wrong with the helmets. They have never been in a crash. I just replaced them because the helmets were five plus years old and I wanted current technology.

Any recommendations on what to do with them? Or just throw them in the garbage as they've lived a good life.

What are you doing with your old helmets?

I throw mine away.


Edit....I should clarify that statement. I toss them when they've done their job, and are no longer safe to use.

Sell them for a few bucks. It will enable someone to ride safer, and save landfill space.

I give mine to my LBS for use in test rides. They occasionally give me a $10.00 credit in appreciation.

Last week I gave an older helmet to one of my friends who recently got a bike. You could also give them to GoodWill and claim the donation off of your taxes.

Give to a friend or family member. Donate. If you participate in any casual group rides like the monthly Critical Mass in some cities you'll find some bareheaded folks. Maybe one of them will use it.

I'm keeping my crashed helmet for an art project. Partly a reminder of how idiotic some drivers can be, partly to remind me to always wear a helmet, partly because I enjoy kitsch art. I'm just looking for a properly damaged mannequin head to put it on. Maybe turn the whole thing into a lamp or punch bowl.

Might have been a sales pitch, but a guy at an LBS told me the materials degrade over time, making the helmet unsafe, or at least less safe. When I bought a new helmet he told me to go home and take a hammer to my old one so no one could use it (it was 20 years old - so it was an extreme example).

Or just donate sans tax break.

Child car seats are another example. Plastics degrade in the sun, though car seats see a lot more sun than a helmet. CPSC recommends a 5-10 year life, or following manufacturer guidelines.

If a helmet's crashed, cut the straps so it can't be used after you throw it away.

I once put costume antennae on a headband and poked the antennae through the helmet vents and affixed two plastic eyeballs at the tips.

I then painted my face and exposed skin green, put on those slinky-loaded goo-goo eyeball eyeglasses, and went out for Halloween as a four-eyed space alien. (Doesn’t even have to be a used helmet.)

I wear both left and right Take-a-Look rearview mirrors (link), and once even put plastic eyeballs on them.

EPS used in bicycle helmets remains effective for a very long time. Of course, plastics age, styles change and--hopefully--more current designs and construction make safer helmets. However, if I had to choose between no helmet and a 20 year old helmet in reasonably good condition, I'll take the old helmet.

Manufacturers and retailers, due to both liability concerns and the desire to sell new product, don't want their products to last forever lest they forgo the revenue of selling new helmets.

At the link below is a summary of testing of older helmet.

https://helmets.org/helmetlineraging.htm

I've also saved my two crashed helmets - not sure what I'll do yet, maybe something like a helmet wall of fame.

The other ones hung around the basement for a while then eventually got tossed, as they were pretty worn and starting to fall apart. Donation will probably be a good idea in the future, now that I'm replacing (upgrading) helmets a bit more regularly.

That's cool. A bike-specific memento mori.

I might put my mom's ashes inside the mannequin head. She never liked me riding bikes anyway.

Donate seems to be the best route. I do the same with my running shoes. While the shoes have no life left in them for a runner, they still have plenty of life left in them for day-to-day activities.

I've been getting into road biking recently, but have only been using my 12 year old mountain bike helmet as money is a bit tight lately (I like working on and cleaning up bikes about as much as riding them, and this is where my free money has been going).

If any of you have a nice shape, good quality, medium size road helmet I'd be happy to send a few dollars your way for it if it is destined for the trash anyway.

Landfill, we need more hills!
Tim

Continue to use them...I've been using the same helmet since 2007.

Styrofoam, polystyrene, PET, different plastics...all materials that will not decompose for a few millions years need to be replaced every 5 years (at least according to helmet sellers)

Not sure if bike helmets would be of interest but old motorcycle helmets are sometimes donated to local fire departments for EMT trainees to practice how to remove a helmet from a crash victim.

Give them away - Donate them - encourage someone that has no helmet to consider wearing one.

IF THE HELMET IS UNDAMAGED & IN OTHERWISE DECENT SHAPE, IT IS JUST ABSOLUTELY STUPID TO TOSS IT IN THE TRASH CAN!

I do understand that some of you may be proprietors of bicycle store(s) or perhaps you are an employee of such a local bike shop, so you might feel that it is best to have them tossed so it doesn't impact potential sales. Look at it this way, anyone getting excited about riding a bicycle or someone returning to casual riding of a bicycle for exercise/recreation is always a great thing, even if those folks revive a 45 year old garage sale bike, or purchase a $150 Wal-Mart/Target special, because the more folks rollin, rollin, rolin........will always inspire other doofusses, because naturally some folks wait for others to do it and they gauge whether it is an "approved behavior that "other folks" see as acceptable. Yeah, you have plenty of people that are afraid to do something because the need to be sure that it is something that............well they just have to have to have confirmation from their neighbors/friends/relatives/peers that it is "approved behavior". These were the people that you remember as kids that were hesitant to get into the pool..............they would check the water with their toes to see if the temperature was acceptable, and they would wait for hours watching others have fun in the pool, because they were still somewhat unsure. Those people eventually do dive in and enjoy it such that they don't want to get out of the pool at closing time. I imagine that there are some folks like that when it comes to considering getting on a bike for the first time since they last rode one at age 14, some fifty years ago. There are always some of them, no matter the age, that have that 'Oh, I dunnnO , its been so long, I dunno, I don't have any sunglasses, I don't have a helmet, I don't have the time, I am too outta shape to ride, I don't have a pump to air up the tires,..............just negative, excuses for not trying to do it...........................It isn't really those, it boils down to they don't want to appear stupid and get laughed at, although nobody will, in their minds, they believe that might be the case, so they miss out on fun that might also do them some good.
This is where giving away an old rebuilt Schwinn/Raleigh/Columbia/Peugeot/Huffy/Murray...whatever it might be, to a neighbor, friend, relative, etc with a decent functional Helmet could be just the jumpstart that this person might need. Obviously, you'd have to help them get started, riding slow with them, at an area that is perfect for those no automobile traffic, slow rides, without hills, enjoying the scenery and nice weather------------if you get them moving and they enjoy such an experience, well, there is a chance that they might continue to do the short, slow-ride thing, when the weather is nice.
You have to be realistic, and be careful not to overestimate what someone may be able to do because you're a fit triathlete that can do anything...............you may just have to do the 8mph ride thing with them in the park on flat roads.


Give the Helmet away, or donate it to Salvation Army or Goodwill. Sure, you might have somebody that is a professional-shopper, FLIPPER, that goes to the Goodwill/Salvation Army daily to find merchandise to re-sell on their EBAY store or Craigs' listings. In that case, well at least, GOODWILL, & SALV ARMY received some cash to continue their good works. The flipping thing happens mostly with nearly new, top-quality name brand items, and it could happen with $2 Salvation Army helmet sale if that helmet is a high-end one that the Flipper recognizes as such, otherwise no body is likely to attempt to flip a $2 helmet unless they have a weekend booth at a local flea mkt and regularly sell used bicycles and such.


Don't toss an otherwise decent, useable Helmet into the trash can.
Someone may benefit from wearing it.
There are never enough folks using helmets, as the belief that well, you know I just don't need one because I have never needed one and I'm only riding safely and slowly. Let us hope that no one finds out the hard-way that oops, oh shoot, you know what, I should have worn a helmet. Let's hope that no one ever has their relatives and friends gathered together saying "oh dang, I just can't believe Chuck is gone, I saw him on Tuesday and he appeared to be as fit as Chuck Norris, wow, its so sad that he's dead because of falling off a bicycle, we're gonna miss ya Chuck, sure wish you were wearing a helmet!"

I keep my prior helmet in a one of my bike parts storage totes just in case something happens to my current helmet. Being I wear an XL helmet finding one locally on short notice in a small town is impossible so I can always use the backup until I can order new one.

Our 'Walmart' sells helmets for less than an hour's minimum wage.

I find it very hard to believe the non-wearing of helmets to be an issue related to poverty.

I wouldn't wear one if I was paid. So their use is very much subject to opinion.

It'd be interesting to see what charity shops think. I wonder if they're even allowed to issue them out past a certain vintage.

The foam goes hard and brittle, it's weird how people will attack cheap Chinese helmets, yet endorse an expired one that'd probably fail tests the Chinese ones pass...

I think we should promote less trash, bicycle helmetless friendly riding.

It works for Copenhagen.

I'll never see helmet wearing bicycle riders as Earth friendly people again.

I carved mine into a lightweight set of wheels.