[Closed] How long do you keep your helmets?

When I was motorcycle instructing we were told to tell trainees that 2 years was the maximum for a polycarbonate helmet which would be similar material to mtb helmets. My problem is I can never remember how old my helmets are. I think they are barely 2 years old and then find a receipt that proves they are 5.

Do we have a scale of effectiveness a helmet loses in a period of time? 90% safe after 5 years? 20%..? Are there any studies or crash tests?

Some of mine are more than a decade old. Right or wrong, it's not something I think about unless it's visibly damaged.

I try to replace mine after a couple of years, why wouldn't you?

I honestly can't help but wonder how much of a difference it makes. I will believe the science (whatever it is, as long as it comes from a verifiable source), but when you consider what a helmet actually is - that is, some padding between your head and whatever your head hits - then the padding is still there even if, chemically-speaking, it has degraded.

I always wear a helmet, and I think that all my current lids are fairly new, but I have only hit my head once. That was against a tree, and was a pretty hard hit, but the helmet did what it was supposed to do: compressed with the hit, and protected my head. And that helmet was a good few years old when it did that.

Anyway, I'm happy to be told otherwise, but it does seem to me to be a bit extreme to worry about chemical degradation in a helmet, at least until the helmet definitely starts to feel old.

EDIT:

I try to replace mine after a couple of years, why wouldn’t you?

Cost? I don't like the idea of spending £100+ on something I don't absolutely need to spend that much on. Heck, even £50+ is a bit much.

I try to replace mine after a couple of years, why wouldn’t you?

Because it costs money and seems a waste of a perfectly good helmet, as well as the earth's resources.

And by perfectly good, I mean a 2 year old product, in my mind, is still pretty much brand new and usually in near enough pristine condition - let's face it, it could have sat on a shelf in a warehouse for that period of time before you even bought it. There may well be some degradation in quality, but I'd like to see some actual real data before throwing stuff away. And if it still retains any proportion of its intended purpose, I'd much rather see it go to someone that cannot afford it, rather than for it to rot away in landfill.

I have kept mine for about 15 years so far.  Bought one, wore it once and then never wore it again.  Been hanging in shed ever since.  Is it still alright?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26902784/

Thanks SO. I was just looking for that piece of research.

From long, long ago it was always drummed into us that motorcycle helmets degraded with age. UV made the shell brittle and sweat made the polystyrene liner brittle. That seems to have stayed in our consciousness (it was in mine)  and is now relayed person-to-person as "fact". Iainc on here did his MBL training and highlighted that the only way of checking the age is the sticker inside. Even given previous guidance on this that would have no bearing on the actual usage life of the helmet. It could easily have been stored safely for two years before purchase, so when does the clock start counting down?

Use it, don't abuse it. Replace if it's had a hard knock, or a few soft ones (or when fashion dictates/you want a change of colour)

seems a waste of a perfectly good helmet

Aye, and there's the plaguy rub. By two years I've probably done a couple of trips to the alps, countless BPW and lakes, and invariably I've had a tumble, or just thrown the helmet in the boot,  or had it fall to the kitchen floor... How do you know it's still ok?

In my mind after wearing a helmet every week for two years (sometimes 2or3times a week) it's probably not at its best anymore, plus it's probably growing sentient life.

I can't remember the last price of my current helmet, but I think was in the sale at about £70. Which for peace of mind, seems fair enough.

I wear mine daily for commuting so hygiene of the pads is my personal check, that and they just look scruffy - thankfully not had a helmet busting crash in the recent past

Polystyrene is pretty much chemically inert, so it stands to reason that it shouldn't really degrade. I think the guidance is best practice to change as a result of accumulated smaller knocks and dings over time.

It certainly used to be the case the UV degredation of polycarb and shell plastics was a genuine phenomenon, but these days I know at the very least UVEX shells are UV resistant (which is why I use them).

Because it costs money and seems a waste of a perfectly good helmet, as well as the earth’s resources.

That's my view on it too, well that and I crash a lot so never have to worry about a helmet being too old.

Purely for scientific validation of the above research, I took an almighty OTB onto my head in an old helmet.  For research purposes only, you see.

The helmet was a beloved old giro and would have been 9 years old, more or less.

The old helmet worked as it should, being properly banged up and very much flatter at the impact point.  The helmet didn't split or break, just compressed.  The foam wasn't degraded nor hardened with age.  The outside plastic didn't shatter and deformed in the way it should.

Definitely saved me from a cracked skull.  Many other bones not protected by ye olde helmet did break though, so if you don't mind I won't replicate the experiment.

Isn't it the fact that new polystyrene will crush on impact thus cushioning your head whereas old sun soaked polystyrene goes hard, will not crush on impact so you might as well not be wearing it.

FB's "on this day" app has shocked me by showing me wearing a helmet I'd thought was no more than 2 years old 5 years ago! Time flies

If I were still riding motorbikes I would change a polycarb helmet if it had been dropped (much) or was getting old (more than 5 years probably) but cycling helmet not so much.  I have an XC one which is about 15 years old and a Bell #enduro one that's 3 or 4 years old.  Also a carbon fibre full face that must be 6 or 7 years old.  Not planning on replacing any on the basis of age.

this is an interesting read and timely given that I dinged my nearly new Montaro 2 weeks ago. The perceived wisdom / supersition is that it should be replaced but I can see where the small  dint is and not detect any other damage around it and given that it wasn't a high speed, high energy crash - more of an embarassing low speed tumble and a badly placed stone.

Slightly different issue to the one of age degeneration but none the less, the nagging doubbt is there that it is somehow compromised and the next time this happens the helmet will explode.

I only change mine when I break them.  Cracked two of them, so that's the only reason I replaced them.

When I raced motorcycle Enduro no one changed their helmet if they dinged / dropped it.  You would fall off a few times every race, or clout a tree or get hit in the head by flying stones.

So much BS on this topic, based on hearsay or "why woudl you risk it?"

I looked into UV degradation of EPC and found nothing (SO'sa rticle goes further obvs).  I keep mine until physical integrity is compromised.

Get a smith optics then you don't need to worry about polystyrene.

I wouldn't replace a helmet unless it was damaged, worn out (straps, etc), or unhygienic (I sweat a lot).

I'd never considered that they would "age" and now reading the actual research cited above I now know that they don't.  Thanks for posting that.

Arbitrarily every two years?!

My Met helmet is nearly 20yrs old. Manufactured in April 1999. Nice and comfy.

Smith's optics are one of the brands that support the NRA so no thanks

The manufacturers say around 3 yrs use. As Scotroutes says earlier, I asked POC about this in relation to the manufacturing date on the label and they said around 3 years from first use. British Cycling also wish  coaches to change theirs at 3 years and to ask those they are coaching to do same.

Regarding hygiene, a lot of helmets you can by the inner padding for separately, which might cost you a tenner.

"I asked POC about this in relation to the manufacturing date on the label and they said around 3 years from first use. British Cycling also wish coaches to change theirs at 3 years and to ask those they are coaching to do same".

Jolly helpful, thanks 😐

It's a polystyrene hat - replace it if it's damaged. Regardless of whether you replace it or not, I would put money on it still being structurally intact floating around in our plastic-choked oceans long after your death 🙂

My old one is about 13 years old, my new one about 10 years old.

Every time I smash one.

I think mine are from 2006, 2007 and 2011 but could be out +\- a few years.

My oldest one doesn't get used, it's about 10 years old. Most of them are less than 4 years old, but I don't plan on changing them anytime soon

I have 2 motorycle lids, one is now 10 years old and then other is about 7 years old. They're still in good nick. Is there any evidence of degradation etc for those too? Something like that article that was posted earlier. I don't ride that much these days, 1-2 thousand miles a year at most, so don't want to change helmet just for that

Get a smith optics then you don’t need to worry about polystyrene.

Although you'll look like you have a bunch of plastic clumped to your head 🙂 . Aren't plastic straws in the process of being banned in a lot of places now too. That helmet is probably bad for the environment.

I'll add that personally - I think you can't really put a price on safety. Not very reassuring to hear how long some of you keep your helmets for, especially when new ones can be bought for 50 quid or less. I only do a handful of DH days a year, but I still invested in a decent full face.

Not very reassuring to hear how long some of you keep your helmets for, especially when new ones can be bought for 50 quid or less.

Why do people keep coming out with this when it's been established that age does not degrade helmet performance?  It's as if otherwise intelligent people disengage their brains.

Here's some analysis of the stats:

Despite the considerable effort that has been put into research about cycle helmets, there is no real-world evidence that helmets have ever resulted in the net saving of even a single life. However, if helmets were actually effective, then many more pedestrian and motor vehicle occupant lives could be expected to be saved if these groups wore helmets.

from http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1012.html

I think you can’t really put a price on safety

If your helmet hasn't degraded in performance, how are you skimping on safety?

Keep them?  Years.  I have around 10 sitting on top of the wardrobe.  Wear them?  Until I get a new one as there's a new model out or I get bored of the colour of my current one.  That's probably every 12 months.  Only ever had to replace one through it getting broken.

Thinking back, I reckon I replace every two to three years.

This is mainly due to them being absolutely rancid after this time period, usually stinky, bit scratched and bumped etc. And something new and fancy being available.

swapping every 2-3 years at the moment.

atm ive just bought a MT500. i cant wait for 2 years to be up to justify getting shut of it!

Surprising how folk compromise safety ? for a few quid yet happily invest in marginal gains elsewhere.... 😀

I’m not surprised how easily fools are parted from their money.

Surprising how folk compromise safety ?

For the love of..... safety isn't compromised!

Depends if it's colour still matches the new bike.

#enduro

It’s bollocks. Next time you buy one look at the manufacture date, some of you should be chucking them in the bin the day after you buy them .

i probably change after about 10 years when they have a few dunks in them from chucking in the car etc.  However even this  is hard now as most modern helmets are protected by a wrap of plastic.

And £100 + ! I never pay more than £50 it’s only a bit of in tested and uncertified polystyrene

I’ve noticed the likes of CrC sell helmets that are a couple of years old - therefore have likely been sat in a warehouse for a long period. No guidance on buying previous year’s models from the manufacturers, I guess?

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.