Helmets. Which is safer?

An old good quality one that is a perfect fit or a new cheapy?

The old one is at least 15 years old but has hardly been used and stored in a cool dark place.  It really shouldn’t have degraded significantly.  Fit is so important with helmets and this one fits so well.   I am not going to buy a new posh one.  I’m too tight and I resent spending the money 🙂

I need a helmet for a trip I am doing 🙁

Use the old helmet.

What is your basis for saying it ‘shouldn’t have degraded’ ?  Do you have some insight into the materials used that the manufacturers don’t when they tell you to replace them regularly?

Compared to the cost of your upcoming trip and the cost of the rest of your gear, a good helmet is peanuts.  They are often safer due to things like MIPS – you remember bringing up rotational injuries as a downside of helmet wear?  MIPS mitigates that.  It’s now available even in cheap helmets – this one’s only £26!

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Align-II-Mips-Road-Cycling-Helmet_229400.htm

Every time I have spent more on a helmet I have appreciated it.  Seems like cheaper MIPS helmets just have a separate head cradle inside like a hard hat, which feels weird to me, but the better ones have the plastic drinking straws arrangement which I reckon would be better.

The polystyrene foam degrades over time and becomes less able to absorb impacts. I don’t know the mechanism for this, or whether good storage will slow this down or not. But having broken some helmets through impacts, I would want the certainty of the foam being in good condition as that does most of the work.

Modern helmets also have more head coverage than those from 15 years ago and most have rotational impact protection of some sort. So I would go new and mid-range to get decent protection for peace of mind. No need to spend a fortune. Eg https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Specialized/Tactic-4-MIPS-MTB-Helmet/W67N?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&co=GBR&cu=GBP&glCountry=GB&id=1501063&ds_eid=3823279037&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=&ds_cid=20019900928&ds_ag=&ds_agid=&ds_k=&ds_kid=&ds_kids=&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQiAu8W6BhC-ARIsACEQoDCLvZLPZqvnH1YkK1ySv3AlLtkZwaKq9rRzC4aXkunxixmHWSW6QMwaAgb8EALw_wcB

MIPS/ good coverage (if it fits you) and £35.

TJ starts “what helmet” thread shocker!  Stored as you describe, I think your old lid will be OK. UV light is what invisibly degrades a helmet shell.

Thats my understanding blokeuptheroad.  Perhaps with time as well but very slowly.  UV and heat will be the main sources of degradation I would have thought

Are you wanting a helmet because you think you might be riding gnarr, or because the law says you must?

Every time I try on new helmets I’m always impressed how even low end ones fit and look. Light, well vented, nice looking. And enough on the market to get a really good fit

Do you have some insight into the materials used that the manufacturers don’t when they tell you to replace them regularly?

Even the manufacturers accept that the vast majority of degradation is due to UV, sweat and day to day use. And testing has been done as well.

As an aside, what are the rules around helmets in Aus/NZ? I know they have different accreditations and version of *some* helmets.

 a helmet shell

Which does relatively nothing for the safety of your head so it’s pretty irrelevant how much that degrades…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28462479/

According to above study age in itself is not a problem.

There is other research (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/256314/cycle-helmet-safety-ranked-imperial-research/) showing that cost bears little relation to performance.

Personally I would want a well fitting helmet with MIPS or similar.

When I rode in Oz I regularly got attacked by some crazed magpie things swooping down and swatting my swede. A helmet needs to be bird proof at least, perhaps with a scarecrow attachment

Yak + 1

I was just gonna say have a look at a specialized tactic. Second best MTB helmet on the virginia tech ratings and cheap. RRP is £45 and they are always cheaper somewhere. Fit aside, I’m not sure why people spend hundreds on “lesser” helmets.

Edit: RRP is actually £80 but I’ve never seen them at that price and I only paid £40 for mine.

Are you wanting a helmet because you think you might be riding gnarr, or because the law says you must?

The law.  I will be pootling byways and back roads

Perhaps i should look at new helmets.  Its been a while

I have always thought that having a shite helmet, not doing it up or carrying on your elbow is the daftest of all.  If you have one put it on your head.

Check the specifics of the law and be sure to comply with any standard or manufacture date.  I can imagine that after a lengthy discussion about the merits or otherwise of compulsory helmet use any police officer is likely to be checking yours thouroughly 🙂

While I’d agree yours unlikely to have degraded, helmet technology has come on quite a bit in the last 15 years. I’ve never had a helmet last that long (I always knock them in that timescale) but new ones have things to help with rotational injuries, be that MIPS, Spherical, Kineticore or whatever a brand is using. There’s also more secure closures like Fidlock, and the fitting systems are much better. I’d go for whatever is closest to the top of Virginia Tech’s rankings that suits your budget and fits your head.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Sports-Spas-Leisure/Bikes-Scooters-Accessories/Freetown-Bike-Helmet-in-3-Colours/p/1362205

I have one of these, £30, comfy, light, MIPS and includes a rear helmet light for those “oops it’s getting dark or this road is busier than I thought”. Also pretty lightweight, actual 300g on  my kitchen scales. Showing as out of stock at Costco but they will come in again very likely. Seen them on Amazon too but dearer.

I have seen those in Costco and they do look excellent for the money but they only seem to come in one size which might be a problem if you want a perfect fit.

You off to Oz, tj?

I knew the mullet would get you on the end!

Every time I have spent more on a helmet I have appreciated it.

It’s like most cycling gear, you don’t appreciate how old, stiff scratchy, worn out, saggy or just ill fitting things are until you pop into a shop and thing “ohh this is so much nicer” and it goes back to something you just don’t notice wearing.

I’ve got a Giro XL shaped head , and the Foray is always on offer somehwere and now comes with MIPS.

When I was learning to ride a motorbike, I asked an experienced mate for helmet advice and his response was “how many heads do you have?”

The law.  I will be pootling byways and back roads

On that basis, your old helmet.

“I need a helmet for a trip I am doing”

The answer then being use the comfortable one you have since you are only using it to comply with local laws.  I took a helmet on a bike tour for one day riding in Canada before crossing into the USA. Brand new. Then skipped it at my first USA campsite.

After 15 years your old helmet owes you nothing. You can easily get a really good helmet for £50-60 quid which if you keep for years costs peanuts over that time. You only get one head, even yours is worth looking after. My Giro Source is the best helmet I’ve ever had, fits (me) well, light, not sweaty, lots of protection. You can’t take your millions with you might as well spend it.

Have you seen some of the offers out there? They are practically giving bike kit away, helmets included.

Is there any safety related data on all of the “advancements” in helmets?

Of course the manufacturers will come up with improvements to sell you (and tell you to replace every 3 years!).

A shame that people will try to shut down discussion with the old “you’ve only got one head” argument ?

Troy Lee Flowline MIPS helmets can be found for as little as £42 on Tredz and for me, the double bonus of that additional rotational protection plus the deeper, closer coverage of a modern lid make the decision to buy a new one a no brainer…

Their Grail is basically the same helmet but sold without a visor.

While I’d happily use an older helmet, 10-15 years is still a long time, some materials harden, some disintegrate given enough time. We threw out some hardly used motorcycle helmets  as it was clear they had gone downhill after a few years of storage. Normally my cycle lids are worn out well before then and need replacing for other reasons.

Every time I try on new helmets I’m always impressed how even low end ones fit and look.

When ever I try on helmets I am always bemused how little difference there is between cheap ones for £15 and really expensive ones for £200

Is there any sense to buying one when you get there?  they are awkward shape to carry/ship and have the potential to get dinged on the way.
I wouldn’t have any real concerns about a well cared for older helmet still being reasonably effective.  If I was going places where a spot tracker is considered “essential” I’d want the best helmet I could find (and I’m not a helmet must be worn at every moment person).
But for A/NZ I suspect the most important thing will be a helmet with good sun protection and comfortable when hot.  This may be different from your current “see you jimmy hat with polystyrene lining”!

Is there any safety related data on all of the “advancements” in helmets?

There is theoretical data for mips and the like.  No real world studies that I have heard of.  There is also a weight / features payoff

New helmet…15 years is too long to use a safety device.

shame that people will try to shut down discussion with the old “you’ve only got one head” argument ?

It’s not a case of trying to shut down discussion, it’s attempting to answer the question. If there’s any doubt about the old helmet still being able to do the job then why take the chance? It’s not as if he can’t afford it, he’s travelling half way round the world after all. Obvious answer is to buy a helmet when you get there and gift it to someone or some charity when it’s time to go.

Is there any sense to buying one when you get there? they are awkward shape to carry/ship and have the potential to get dinged on the way.

Thats the question. I’m not going to buy one here.   More plastic waste tho if I buy one there rather than taking mine

When ever I try on helmets I am always bemused how little difference there is between cheap ones for £15 and really expensive ones for £200

I’ve had more mid priced helmets over the years than expensive, and I’ve also had plenty that fit me in the shop but give me a headache after a short ride – these have tended to be the cheaper ones, less so the expensive ones. Also, when you try a helmet on in a shop you can’t really tell how poorly a cheap helmet ventilates your head – although maybe that’s not important to you. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a decent helmet, but the cheap ones are cheap for a reason. Normally more than one reason.

If there’s any doubt about the old helmet still being able to do the job then why take the chance? It’s not as if he can’t afford it, he’s travelling half way round the world after all.

Iirc TJ doesn’t wear a helmet, so it’s really a question of whether the old one work better than his bare bonce?  😀

Is there any safety related data on all of the “advancements” in helmets?

Safety aside, I would expect 15 years of product design would have produced something more comfortable, better ventilated &c.

More plastic waste tho if I buy one there rather than taking mine

Just a thought. If you’re wanting a lid to comply with local laws, do those laws specify a standard? Ie, if it says something like “must meet Aus347436 standards,” will a BS/CE standard be recognised? Or is the requirement simply “a helmet”?

Are you taking your bike or hiring one? If the latter, hire a lid at the same time?

All lids will be protective to a degree as set down in law. Obviously a distinction between roadie, urban commuter and full face mtb.

What’s more at risk is your collar bone.

Depends on what “new cheapy” is. I bought a Specialized Tactic helmet for like £30 back in Spring and its awesome. I think it also has one of the highest safety ratings too as per testing.

Has great coverage, full MIPS, decently breathable, nice adjustment, and looks nice and modern too. I would recommend – I prefer it to my POC Tectal one. Hss dedicated glasses slots below the visor which has worked really well with all my shades too.

Only issue is the visor doesn’t move if you like that, but it doesn’t bother me at all.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the old helmet, it’ll still be bobbing around fine in the Pacific ocean 100 years after we’re all dead and gone!

A shame that people will try to shut down discussion with the old “you’ve only got one head” argument ?

I might be two faced, but I do only have one head. I’ve sacrificed four helmets to try and protect it, and they were due to either slips on ice or mud, or the actions of others.

Fair play to any adult who chooses not to wear one, but the “only one head argument” is quite a sound one from my experience.