Do you reckon it’s ok to buy a new helmet from 2008/2009 from a shop, or does the material degrade even in storage? I know manufacturers say they don’t last forever, but then they would, wouldn’t they. Anyone know anything about this sort of thing? Ta.

My hex is over 2 years old and is still spot on so I wouldn’t worry.

I know what you mean, but the helmet I wear is 4 years old, and I just wondered if it’s daft replacing it with a new one that’s from 2008, even though it’s new and has presumably been in storage somewhere.

IIRC its degradation from UV exposure which gives helmets their shelf life? So as long as its still in it’s box on a bike shop’s shelf it should be ‘new’

I think most manufacturers recommend replacing every 3 years but that’s obviously in their interest so they’re bound to be over cautious. Exposure to UV, sweat and general use for 3 years is a bit different to it sitting in a box on the shelf for 3 years so I’d guess it’s probably fine.

I assume it’s on special given that it’s an old model? If it was a good deal I’d probably go for it but wouldn’t pay anywhere near full price for a helmet that’s 4 years old even if it had just been sitting on the shelf.

Met reckon their helmets are good for seven years if used appropriately and not damaged in any way.

I’ve had a couple of Arai crash helmets that have needed no more than a fresh set of pads to keep them going. My RX7 dates from 2004.

I always check the date of manufacture when I buy a lid some recent online bargains have dated from 2007/2008.

Newest helmet I’ve ever bought was a Fox Rampage the other month which had been made in November 2011.

Yep, three years from date of manufacture, every helmet will have this date inside.As mentioned though UV seriously shortens the life span of a helmet.

Interesting comments:

My hex is over 2 years old and is still spot on

and

I’ve had a couple of Arai crash helmets that have needed no more than a fresh set of pads to keep them going.

How do you know they are OK?
So looking at them they may look fine but what if you crash are they still as strong, just asking as I don’t know the answer, still riding a Giro from 2005 my self.

How do you know they are OK?

The nice people at the Arai Five Star dealers can get it inspected by the Arai service people who despite wanting to sell you a new £700 Cal Crutchlow replica will tell you the truth about your crash helmet.

Obv if you’ve crashed in it it’s toast the outer shell may look OK but the polystyrene liner which is designed to absorb the impact by deforming will almost certainly not survive another blow and will break rather than deform.

Cheers, wonder if such a service could be offered by the bike helmet lot, guess the costs involved outweigh the value, might as well just buy a new helmet every few years.

As noted above it’s UV and crashing which will damage/degrade the helmet.

If it’s been stored in a shop it should be fine but it’s odd they’d have the stock that long without selling it.

so exactly what does exposure to UV do to polystyrene??

too much UV causes your lid to instantly vapourise resulting in you purchasing a new one 😉 cynic moi? 😉