proceeding like a normal helmet discussion. At least those standards haven't dropped.
There is a Smith 2016 helmet on CRC at the moment. By there reckoning it is ready to be replaced.
Given that helmets are basically worthless when new I'm not going to lose any sleep over them supposedly degrading over time.
proceeding like a normal helmet discussion. At least those standards haven’t dropped.
ur mums standard have dropped
My car has a large piece of polystyrene as part of the bumper assembly at the front. It is a sizeable piece behind the bumper and grille, and must get battered by rain, stones, salt and road grime, including unburnt hydrocarbons. I cannot see any way of easily replacing it, and there is nothing in the manual. I look at it when I was the car and it doesn't seem to be fairing too badly. It will outlast the radiator and a.c. condenser.
The fact it is there must mean it serves some purpose, and it's location and size leads me to think that it must have some element of impact protection.
Surely if it was at risk of degradation in 2-3 years it would be service item on the car? As it isn't, I assume it is able to last the "lifetime of the car without significant degradation.
Replacing helmets makes you crash - fact.
I replaced my 7 year old road helmet because the straps were that sweat encrusted they wouldn't bend anymore. First ride with new helmet I came off and smashed the back of the new one.
Couldn't see any damage apart from a slight lifting of the edge of the shell, but I pressed on it, it was obvious there was a big dent/crack under the shell. If that had been away from an edge, I can easily see how I might have missed the damage.
Reading the the whole thread, there seems to be two types of riders. Ones that crash regularly, in which case they replace helmets anyway. Then there are those that don't and have old helmets. In their case there's little argument for regular replacement as the chances of them needing the protection of a helmet are pretty small anyway.
I kept my old Giro until the headband/pads got seriously sweaty. It was a bit grim.
I have a pretty new Specialized lid (sub 4 yrs old) that I dinged quite badly after having it for maybe 6 months - (I rode into an overhanging tree limb that did not give - gave me a bit of a stun). I feel I should probably bin it - it just gets used for night riding now (has my exposure lights etc on it). I would say the ding is about 1cm deep and a few cm long, so there is a decent indent - should I be consigning it to the bin?
Surprising how folk compromise safety ? for a few quid yet happily invest in marginal gains elsewhere….
This is a mountain bike forum. There are a good proportion of people here who actively compromise their safety on a regular basis, riding technically challenging and physically demanding terrain, often at high speed.
We're yet to establish whether there is any benefit to replacing a modern helmet. So, if safety is a concern I would suggest taking an easier route, or slowing down a bit. The age of your helmet it seems is probably at the bottom in the list of things you can do to improve your safety.
The dutch have one of the best bicycle safety records and they rarely wear helmets.
Yes but the number of people who cycle over there in a safe cycling infrastructure is vastly more than here.
i tend to find that it's self limiting in that either a major head impact, an accumulation of smaller impacts, breaking something on the helmet (retaining system etc) or just love of shiny new kit means I've never kept a helmet more than 4-5 years max. if I if I get 3 years out of a £100 helmet I've easily had my moneys worth in my mind as I'd happily pay £33 a year to not eat through straw for the rest of my life!
having said all of that, broke my last one about a month ago, only year old POC trabec in a lovely pea green. gutted as you cant that colour any more ! but again it paid for itself in that the crash was big enough to not just crush the helmet but also put an 6 inch crack through the polystyrene inside - worth every penny as I'm pretty sure it would of been nasty with a cheaper helmet
...I’d happily pay £33 a year to not eat through straw for the rest of my life!
Spinal injuries are quite common in cycling and could have you eating through a straw. Yet there's very few people wear protection for that. Perhaps that money would be better spent to protect you in other ways: ways which will guarantee an increase in bodily protection?
I'm sure my MTB night ride helmet with zip tied LED lamp is from 1998........................
…I’d happily pay £33 a year to not eat through straw for the rest of my life!
Spinal injuries are quite common in cycling and could have you eating through a straw. Yet there’s very few people wear protection for that. Perhaps that money would be better spent to protect you in other ways: ways which will guarantee an increase in bodily protection?
I think you’re missing my point. It’s also not an either or thing is it
Mine tend to be self limiting by crashing causing them to require replacement. IF not then about every 2 to 3 years. I have noticed, in a non scientific way how the polystyrene goes hard overtime if you press a finger nail into it.
worth every penny as I’m pretty sure it would of been nasty with a cheaper helmet
A cheaper helmet that would have passed the same testing standards and would probably be made from more material? 😉
Just treated myself to a new 661 Recon helmet 'cos it was $38. For Aus that's a superb price. Replaced a Spesh Vice Helmet which was probably 6 or 7 years old.
A cheaper helmet that would have passed the same testing standards and would probably be made from more material?
Absolutely. With the technology that has been proven to work being expanded polystyrene with a hard plastic shell it's not expensive to make a helmet that is regarded as safe.
There are lots of expensive helmets out there, and I'm sure much of this cost comes from extensive R&D, but even the priciest helmets seem to have the same basic technology even if they are lighter, comfier and have nicer stickers on them.
Cases in point are the excellent helmets sold by On One and Decathlon for under £20.
Take for example the Specialized Ambush MTB helmet at 5 times the price. Features from the spesh website:
- Composite Matrix internal reinforcement allows large vents for greater cooling. It has a bit of plastic on the inside because they've taken plastic off the outside. Not sure I fancy this.
- In-molded shell improves strength and reduces weight. Plastic shell
- Mindset 360 fit system provides a secure, comfortable fit with 360-degree tension adjustment, five height positions, and integrated dial for easy on-the-fly adjustments. It has the bit that fits to your head with the twirly wheel just like every other helmet
- Micro indexing visor allows for a wide range of fast, secure on-trail adjustments, as well as convenient goggle stowage. It's got a visor that moves a bit
- 4th Dimension Cooling system optimizes ventilation. It's got holes
- Extended coverage for added protection and durability. It covers your head
- Tri-Fix web splitter for improved comfort and ease of strap adjustments.It has the plastic bit that all helmets have on the straps
I'm not saying it's a racket, it's not, I'm sure spesh have spent lots of money on this helmet. However I don't think that 5 times the cost means five times the safety, in fact I don't think it would have any difference in safety from an 18 quid (and superb) one from Decathlon.
And the funniest thing. The Ambush weights 367g and the Decathlon B'Twin 500 is 287g.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/500-mountain-biking-helmet-black-id_8328686.html
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ambush-comp/p/132338?color=219628-132338
Cost differences aren't about safety really, are they. It's wee features (like a goggle strap or a GoPro mount) a bit more thought into aero performance, venting etc. How much you're prepared to pay for those is very much an individual thing. Fit remains the #1 factor and paying more doesn't guarantee you a better fit.
However I don’t think that 5 times the cost means five times the safety
Ot clearly doesn't .They all meet the same impact standards, and if one was significantly better than them then the manufacturer would be all over that in marketing
Yes they all pass the same impact standards (which is a fairly low bar isn’t it from what I remember reading?) and nearly all of them are made of the same materials (unless your looking st the smith type honey comb cells or mips and the like), but I think design makes a difference and justifies some of the additional expense (although a lot of it is of course fashion & brand). Case in point being the POC one I wrote off, the impact was on the built up bulge they have towards the rear top quarter of the helmet. I’m convinced a cheaper / thinner helmet wouldn’t of fared as well and the outcome would of been different
6 year old helmet, £45, been dropped 30 odd times and had a few minor crashes on it. Doesn't look damaged so I'm keeping it
I don't doubt you are convinced sofaboy, but you have no evidence of that whatsoever.
Replaced my Bell Alchera last summer, after ~3 years use, as per Bell's guidelines. Can't remember if I've looked up Giro's guidelines, for the Savant purchased.
I have broken most helmets before they are more than 5 years old... Not any big crashes but breaking a buckle and/or retention system straps makes them unusable before they become structurally compromised. Major brands actually do carry spare parts for some current models but not nearly enough.
I change on wear and tear of helmet/fashion...
I’ve been thinking of a different slant on helmet wearing recently.
The high profile case of a cyclist hitting and Killing a woman, if he was wearing a helmet when he hit her head would the impact have been absorbed enough by the the helmet that the non helmet wearing pedestrian wouldn’t have suffered a fatal head injury ?
Uh, no, her head injury was sustained hitting the ground.
I don’t doubt you are convinced sofaboy, but you have no evidence of that whatsoever.
Very true, and it’s not an experiment I’m looking to run again anytime soon! It may be completely unscientific, but as I knew that one worked increadibly well, I was more than happy to buy another
Cost differences aren’t about safety really, are they. It’s wee features (like a goggle strap or a GoPro mount) a bit more thought into aero performance, venting etc. How much you’re prepared to pay for those is very much an individual thing. Fit remains the #1 factor and paying more doesn’t guarantee you a better fit.
Good point to end the thread on, but still don't agree with having a helmet past about 5 or 6 years.
6 year old helmet, £45, been dropped 30 odd times and had a few minor crashes on it. Doesn’t look damaged so I’m keeping it
Have you ever properly inspected it.
Last nights ride...
That'll buff out.
