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I have just booked a weekend in the Alps later this year. Some caveats:
a) I ride moderate stuff - no big drop offs , no big gaps
b) I can go quick ish down stiff I can see well on - new singletrack slow me down a lot. Two recent trips to hospital have made me more cautious than i was.
c) I have a Giro full face - but from 2009 ish. It has been worn once - kept in a bag, out of sunlight. I would rather wear a FF than a normal helmet ( plus other armour). Obviously the helmet is old - on inspection it is basically as new - no decay in lining etc.
Is it for the big - or could I use it?
I don't fancy renting some sweating helmet - but 240 GBP plus for a new one makes me want to explore other avenues.
I will not be entering the Red Bull Rampage wearing it
why do you need to spend £250 on a helmet? there are decent options alot cheaper?
In theory your current lid should be fine if kept out of sunlight but i think recommendations are they need changing periodically.
I have a similar vintage Troylee and have I no doubts over safety if stored properly.
There has been testing on climbing kit and age wasn't a huge factor, UV yes..
BTW it is a Giro Remedy Carbon Fibre helmet
And yes it has been in the dark, in a bag , other than the one time I used it
I'd have no qualms whatsoever.
I've got a pretty old FF stored in its bag that I'd probably use if heading for a day on the uplifts, might not be so trusting if it were a full week in the Alps though. ~£80 should score you a decent basic FF, and maybe take the old one as a backup?
It depends on where you look - SNELL recommend 5 years, manufacturers recommend 3-5 years.
I suppose it depends on how many times it's been worn, dropped, left on the back shelf of your car - has it been left to fester in sweat etc.
Sweat and damp seems to attack and damage the straps more than anything else first - but not sure how well the polystyrene/inner stuff holds up to sweat - whether it degrades it or not.
I suppose it depends on how many times it’s been worn, dropped, left on the back shelf of your car – has it been left to fester in sweat etc.
Erm...
It has been worn once – kept in a bag, out of sunlight.
I would use it without any worries
I think that when manufacturers list life spans they’re taking into account general use. You could probably still buy you helmet from somewhere like Wiggle/CRC that’s sat on a shelf for the same amount of time so does that mean they should all be binned?
You haven’t had it out and exposed to Heat/cold, UV light, general knocks and bumps. So I reckon you’ll be fine.
I was in a running shop a few years ago and they were trying to convince me that buying last year’s shoes on sale wasn’t a good idea as the foam breaks down just sitting there on the shelf unused. Suffice to say I bought 2 reduced pairs of last years shoes for the same price as one new pair.
You’ll be ok with your helmet unless there’s been a massive leap in design since you bought it (but probably not with that helmet).
thanks
where and when ? We're in Morzine 3-10 Aug.
I bought a Bluegrass helmet for both me and the lad for about £110.
I'd wear it no worries. I have a 661 FF that I've worn a couple of times a few years ago, but like you has been kept in a bag out of sunlight. I'll happily wear that again someday, and yours sounds way better than mine!
In theory your current lid should be fine if kept out of sunlight but i think recommendations are they need changing periodically.
They last forever!
https://helmets.org/up1505a.htm
Taking a helmet that fits you and is comfortable, albeit old yet stored properly, is a darn sight better than risking what's available when you arrive.
Thanks all,
Me and the carbon lid will go - Zombie paint job and all!
They last forever!
https://helmets.org/up1505a.htm/blockquote >
@footflaps this is why I love this forum 👍
where and when ? We’re in Morzine 3-10 Aug.
I bought a Bluegrass helmet for both me and the lad for about £110.
Morzine - but July 1st -4th
.They last forever!
https://helmets.org/up1505a.htm/blockquote >
Indeed that is brilliant information - I was beginning to believe the marketeers ...
I just want to see the zombie paint job.
@footflaps cheers! Now a lot less worried about using my ~ 15 year old KBC full facer.
This is for dirt bike helmets, but I think the principles hold. The guy who does these videos has spent a lot of time talking to manufacturers, testers and standards bodies. He started a campaign that changed the laws around helmets in Australia years ago.
Sorry to bring this up again - but I was planning ahead.
I thought I would weigh my old Giro Full Face - 1100g
Wow - that seems a lot. I know I know brain safety is important - but that is only about 250g less that my Arai Chaser for the motorbike!
Does anyone have a suggestion for a cost effective full face - that isn't black, that will fit a Giro / Arai shaped head that is lighter than 1100g?
Or is that a normal weight?
The Brighton area isn't filled with places that stock them - so difficult to try on.
Looking at Weeksy's suggestion of Bluegrass - it seems 1.1 kg may be about normal!
1100g is about the weight of my TLD D3 carbon and my old Giro Disciple (so more modern than your old one) was about 1250g.
FWIW more modern helmets have, for the most part, got a bit bulkier so even if materials have got lighter, there's more of it. Certainly the D3 has more to it than my old D2.
the enduro style lightweight ones come it at 600-800g.
You are looking at well north of £100 for them, but not £250.
I have an Endura MT500 for downhilling, and my regular helmet is a Giro, which seems to fit my head.
Up to 200 is no problem - any more than that an it will be no heating next year ...
TeenRat - I would have loved it - but my head's too big!