Helmet Lifespan

Given that we are all told by any bike shop and manufacturer that a helmet should be replaced after three years, even if it has never been in accident… what should I make of Specialized sending me a “new’ helmet with a manufacturing date of June 2021?!

I do understand that a lot of stuff has been sitting in Chinese warehouses because of Covid (which was ages ago) and it took Specialized nearly three weeks to send it to me, surely manufacturers should be practising what they preach?

Funny how people who make money selling helmets tell us to replace helmets every 3 years?

There’s no evidence of helmet degradation over time whatsoever, and it’s really wasteful to replace them when not needed.

Given that we are all told by any bike shop and manufacturer that a helmet should be replaced after three years,

Source?

I think the modern take on a helmet’s lifespan is how much use it gets, how much exposure to UV light and extremes of temperature it gets.

If you ride rarely and keep it put away safely then it’ll last longer than if it’s being used daily.

What zero cool says – they degrade with time, UV exposure ad with sweat.   How quickly is debateable

Mine spends most of its life in a cupboard so I believe it still to be OK at something like 15 years old

My helmets become unusable when paddings deteriorate – some helmets have silly complicated forehead paddings which are not easily replaced or mfgr has stopped supporting the model after few years. Looking at throwing my Sweet Protection helmet to thrash because of this reason. I have tried to sew in new pads without success, silly strap is too weak for that

Also lack of spares for complex retention systems makes helmets unusable. Thrashed my Specialized Propero because of this.

Given that we are all told by any bike shop and manufacturer that a helmet should be replaced after three years,
Source?

I’m not OP, but you must have heard that “three years” thing – it used to be received wisdom and parroted on this forum as well.

It’s bollocks of course, but it was ubiquitous a while ago.

Replace when damaged or it starts falling to bits. If not stored in direct sunlight, you’ll be fine.  I’ve found the plastic strap cages usually fail due to age rather than the helmet or actual straps or pads – pads tend to go on my commuter lid, but I buy a pack of generic pads to replace. I’ve given up spending £140 on a fancy lid these days, and usually opt for PX lids. Damage them, in the bin they go. (PS I’ve yet to break one).

All that UV does is degrade the pigments in the helmet shell.

Sweat means that the adhesives start to fail and the pads fall out. Even then it’s probably still good, just not as comfortable.

As long as it looks and feels structurally ok, then it’s ok.

I replaced my POC Tectal after 4 years juts a few weeks ago. It was totally fine in the shell, but starting to look grubby with scratches and ingrained dirt that wouldn’t wash out, and the retention system system was starting to stiffen. Still useable though as a spare.

TBH I change my helmet when I see a cool new one that I think would look nice. Maybe like once every 2-3 years anyway.

Giro say 3-5 years in their FAQ:

https://www.giro.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

I’ve seen similar statements from other manufacturers.

What I haven’t seen is the evidence suporting this assertion. After a few years mine tend to get the odd knock/scuff and I lose confidence in them so I replace them.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-017-1842-4

‘Age has a minimal effect on impact performance of field used bycicle helmets’ according to 2017 study.

As helmets are nominally PPE the manufacturer has to give the product a lifespan. For most soft goods (fabrics and webbing) this is 5 years and for metal items 10 years.

Even UV stabilsed webbing degrades in sunlight but abrasion and cuts are more of an issue. With a cycling helmet the buckle is the weakest point and will likey always fail before the webbing unless it’s cut or damaged.

I’m not sure what foam degradation is like or how small knocks effect its energy absorbency.

A number of years ago we tested some old climbing helmets and they all passed the standard but were mainly webbing cradle shock absorbers not foam.

Pragmatically if it looks very battered replace it or pick a number between 5 and 10ish years depending on how much you use it feels sensible.

N.B. lifetime is usually quoted from time of first use so if stored correctly a 2021 helmet should be no issue, although I think it is stretching a point from the seller unless on very special price.