Helmet question
03-13-07, 09:56 PM
#1
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Helmet question
I don't know where I read this (perhaps on this forum) but the rule seems to be that a helmet should be replaced after three years of use. I know that any fall or accident involving the helmet striking a solid object mandates replacement but do they really deteriorate requiring replacement based on a time frame?
03-13-07, 11:06 PM
#3
Making a kilometer blurry
Yeah, Giro's site says 3 years.
I use mine longer than that, at my own risk
I use mine longer than that, at my own risk
03-13-07, 11:09 PM
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i got really lucky and crashed my specialized S1 in its third year, so i didn't have to feel bad about ditching a perfectly good helmet.
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03-13-07, 11:18 PM
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I'll probably end up replacing my helmet not because I've crashed it but because those Atmoses are so damn sexy..
03-13-07, 11:41 PM
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I started looking around and i found this. It's an FAQ page 'when to replace a helmet'
https://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm
https://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm
03-14-07, 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted by the beef
I'll probably end up replacing my helmet not because I've crashed it but because those Atmoses are so damn sexy..
03-14-07, 06:33 AM
#9
Making a kilometer blurry
Originally Posted by vantassell
I started looking around and i found this. It's an FAQ page 'when to replace a helmet'
https://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm
https://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm
Does anyone else hate those head clamps at the backs? When they introduced those in the mid 90's I thought I'd never buy another helmet -- then I realized you can just cut them out. I think that those contraptions lead to a poor fitting for a lot of people. It feels firm on your head, but if the straps aren't properly adjusted, your helmet may get ripped off your head in the first part of a crash. They also mask pad adjustment issues -- since the helmet feels tight.
I had a guy at an LBS try to tell me that the introduction of the head clamps had changed the fit guidelines so that you no longer have to tighten the straps as much!!! I went straight to the manager to tell him he needed a helmet-fit staff training session, and he agreed.
I finally found a Specialized helmet that has a highly adjustable clamp that doesn't get in my way as much, so I left it on there.
03-14-07, 06:56 AM
#10
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The manufacturers' recommendations are getting shorter.
Originally: When you crash
In the 80s: After 8 years
In the 90s: After 6 years
Now: After 3 years
Isn't it good to see improvements!
Originally: When you crash
In the 80s: After 8 years
In the 90s: After 6 years
Now: After 3 years
Isn't it good to see improvements!
03-14-07, 07:05 AM
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From Bell's website: (https://www.bellbikehelmets.com/helmet101.asp#6)
WHEN SHOULD I REPLACE MY HELMET?
How often should a helmet be replaced under normal wear and tear?
Bell has a general recommendation of replacing a helmet every three (3) years. If you have any questions as to the condition of your helmet please call us for information or to set up a free inspection.
Also, make sure you always keep your helmet purchase receipts. If you ever need to take advantage of a crash replacement deal or warranty issues, you need proof of purchase!
WHEN SHOULD I REPLACE MY HELMET?
How often should a helmet be replaced under normal wear and tear?
Bell has a general recommendation of replacing a helmet every three (3) years. If you have any questions as to the condition of your helmet please call us for information or to set up a free inspection.
Also, make sure you always keep your helmet purchase receipts. If you ever need to take advantage of a crash replacement deal or warranty issues, you need proof of purchase!
03-14-07, 07:13 AM
#12
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Originally Posted by LWaB
The manufacturers' recommendations are getting shorter.
Originally: When you crash
In the 80s: After 8 years
In the 90s: After 6 years
Now: After 3 years
Isn't it good to see improvements!
Originally: When you crash
In the 80s: After 8 years
In the 90s: After 6 years
Now: After 3 years
Isn't it good to see improvements!
3 years works well for the Marketing Dept as well as the Lawyers. Absent a crash, I just replace mine after its been beat around the car, etc, to look like crap after a number of years, or something new and cool comes along.
03-14-07, 07:57 AM
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Of course the manufacturers recommend a 3 year replacement...gotta keep them revenues up and the stockholders happy with dividends.
From the BHSI site
From the BHSI site
Occasionally somebody spreads rumors that sweat and ultraviolet (UV) exposure will cause your helmet to degrade. Sweat will not do that. The standards do not permit manufacturers to make a helmet that degrades from sweat, and the EPS, EPP or EPU foam is remarkably unaffected by salt water. Your helmet will get a terminal case of grunge before it dies of sweat. UV can affect the strength of the shell material, though. Since helmets spend a lot of time in the sun, manufacturers usually put UV inhibitors in the plastic for their shells that control UV degradation. If your helmet is fading, maybe the UV inhibitors are failing, so you probably should replace it. Chances are it has seen an awful lot of sun to have that happen. Otherwise, try another brand next time and let us know what brand faded on you.
At least one shop told a customer that the EPS in his three year old helmet was now "dried out." That is highly unlikely, unless the EPS is placed in an oven for some period of time and baked. The interior of your car, for example, will not do that, based on helmets we have seen and at least one lab crash test of a helmet always kept in a car in Virginia over many summers. EPS is a long-lived material little affected by normal environmental factors. Unless you mistreat it we would not expect it to "dry out" enough to alter its performance for many years.
In sum, we don't find the case for replacing a helmet that meets the ASTM or Snell standards that compelling if the helmet is still in good shape and fits you well.
At least one shop told a customer that the EPS in his three year old helmet was now "dried out." That is highly unlikely, unless the EPS is placed in an oven for some period of time and baked. The interior of your car, for example, will not do that, based on helmets we have seen and at least one lab crash test of a helmet always kept in a car in Virginia over many summers. EPS is a long-lived material little affected by normal environmental factors. Unless you mistreat it we would not expect it to "dry out" enough to alter its performance for many years.
In sum, we don't find the case for replacing a helmet that meets the ASTM or Snell standards that compelling if the helmet is still in good shape and fits you well.
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03-14-07, 11:08 AM
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Look at food expiration dates. Is that box of cereal "A" quality on July 1st, and "F" quality on July 2nd? Of course not, but they do need to put a date on the food. Assuming that cereal is stored in a dry cupboard at around 75 degrees, it might still be "A" quality in September, and it might be "B" quality in December.
If a helmet is used only fifty hours a year, never stored in a car or in direct sunlight, it may still be in "A" condition after four or five years. But, if a helmet is worn 300 hours a year, often stored in the car, or clipped to the handlebars day after day under a hot August sun, after three years it may have begun to lose its original "slow crush" abilility, and become brittle, and likely to shatter, rather than crush under impact.
A helmet supplier is likely to assume the "worst case", and so the "replace in three years" guideline is directed at helmets that are used and abused on a daily basis. The folks who ride only on sunny Sundays in June are likely to be able to keep the same helmet for many, many years.
If a helmet is used only fifty hours a year, never stored in a car or in direct sunlight, it may still be in "A" condition after four or five years. But, if a helmet is worn 300 hours a year, often stored in the car, or clipped to the handlebars day after day under a hot August sun, after three years it may have begun to lose its original "slow crush" abilility, and become brittle, and likely to shatter, rather than crush under impact.
A helmet supplier is likely to assume the "worst case", and so the "replace in three years" guideline is directed at helmets that are used and abused on a daily basis. The folks who ride only on sunny Sundays in June are likely to be able to keep the same helmet for many, many years.
03-15-07, 06:41 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
A helmet supplier is likely to assume the "worst case", and so the "replace in three years" guideline is directed at helmets that are used and abused on a daily basis.
03-15-07, 07:06 AM
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As an ex funny car driver from the 60's I kinda got interested in my helmet. Here's how a Bell rep explained it to me.
Your head is like an egg. Hit it too hard and it breaks. The outside layer (hard) of the helmet is to prevent penitration by objects from the outside. The inside of the helmet is essentially foam. The foam is designed to crush at a rate that trades distance for reduced G-force on the head. Crush distance is good once and once only. The amount of foam is limited by how heavy the helmet is. The safety margins for your head are not large.
Foam degenerates for several reasons.
1. a crash uses up the crush in the foam. definately a new helmet if the safety margin is to be retained.
2. heat and uv light damages the "crush" of the foam. how you store and care for your helmet affects this. when to replace is unknown. this probable results in the 3 year rule.
3. the scary part is dropping the helmet is the equivalent of a small crash. carrying the helmet strapped to the handle bar is a nono for bikers. tossing it into the equipment basket after a ride is equally bad. helmet bags for $700 helmets are not just to keep them pretty.
How this translates to your bike helmet is up to you. Clearly you are not planning on a 200mph crash but the principals are not totally different. Its an insurance policy that most riders never use but its your head if the can't happen to me happens. Perhaps you will think of your helmet in a different light when you look at it this way.
Your head is like an egg. Hit it too hard and it breaks. The outside layer (hard) of the helmet is to prevent penitration by objects from the outside. The inside of the helmet is essentially foam. The foam is designed to crush at a rate that trades distance for reduced G-force on the head. Crush distance is good once and once only. The amount of foam is limited by how heavy the helmet is. The safety margins for your head are not large.
Foam degenerates for several reasons.
1. a crash uses up the crush in the foam. definately a new helmet if the safety margin is to be retained.
2. heat and uv light damages the "crush" of the foam. how you store and care for your helmet affects this. when to replace is unknown. this probable results in the 3 year rule.
3. the scary part is dropping the helmet is the equivalent of a small crash. carrying the helmet strapped to the handle bar is a nono for bikers. tossing it into the equipment basket after a ride is equally bad. helmet bags for $700 helmets are not just to keep them pretty.
How this translates to your bike helmet is up to you. Clearly you are not planning on a 200mph crash but the principals are not totally different. Its an insurance policy that most riders never use but its your head if the can't happen to me happens. Perhaps you will think of your helmet in a different light when you look at it this way.
03-15-07, 08:03 AM
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3 Years. The foam they use in the helmet starts to break down and doesn't offer the same protection. Why risk it? A new helmet isn't that much money compared to everything else but does more for your safety than any other piece of equipment you wear.
03-15-07, 08:14 AM
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I'd look at it in two ways.
1) seems kind of funny that only the makers of these helmets say to replace them every 3 years.
2) they are mostly stryofoam. the same stuff that environmentalists are complaining about because it lasts a billion years in garbage dumps.
show me some proof that this foam is breaking down in only 3 years (with out falls or other impact) that is put out by someone other than a helmet makers and I MIGHT believe it.
1) seems kind of funny that only the makers of these helmets say to replace them every 3 years.
2) they are mostly stryofoam. the same stuff that environmentalists are complaining about because it lasts a billion years in garbage dumps.
show me some proof that this foam is breaking down in only 3 years (with out falls or other impact) that is put out by someone other than a helmet makers and I MIGHT believe it.
03-15-07, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by waterrockets
Does anyone else hate those head clamps at the backs? When they introduced those in the mid 90's I thought I'd never buy another helmet -- then I realized you can just cut them out. I think that those contraptions lead to a poor fitting for a lot of people. It feels firm on your head, but if the straps aren't properly adjusted, your helmet may get ripped off your head in the first part of a crash. They also mask pad adjustment issues -- since the helmet feels tight.
The fit problem is likely not the rear headlock, but some other aspect of the helmet. Not all helmets fit everyone properly, cool looking or not.
03-15-07, 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by rha600
I'd look at it in two ways.
1) seems kind of funny that only the makers of these helmets say to replace them every 3 years.
2) they are mostly stryofoam. the same stuff that environmentalists are complaining about because it lasts a billion years in garbage dumps.
show me some proof that this foam is breaking down in only 3 years (with out falls or other impact) that is put out by someone other than a helmet makers and I MIGHT believe it.
1) seems kind of funny that only the makers of these helmets say to replace them every 3 years.
2) they are mostly stryofoam. the same stuff that environmentalists are complaining about because it lasts a billion years in garbage dumps.
show me some proof that this foam is breaking down in only 3 years (with out falls or other impact) that is put out by someone other than a helmet makers and I MIGHT believe it.
Three years is likely a good rule for everyday users. 5 years is probably more practical.
Also, these designs tend to get better every three years anyway (stronger, more venting, lighter).
03-15-07, 02:46 PM
#23
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Originally Posted by DocRay
Also, these designs tend to get better every three years anyway (stronger, more venting, lighter).
03-15-07, 10:06 PM
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DocRay's comment sounds logical. I'd believe that over the past 5 years i've dropped my helmet enough to signifigantly reduce the ability of my helmet.
I can see how putting a helmet on could produce mini-mini-mini-cracks, but where did you hear that?
I can see how putting a helmet on could produce mini-mini-mini-cracks, but where did you hear that?
03-15-07, 10:11 PM
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take care of your helmet. I've never dropped mine (then again it was kinda expensive) and have made sure it stays safe. I think itll be fine after 3 years in any case if I don't crash. Used an 8 year old bell paradox helmet and it was great 
