How often do you change your lid?
Discussion
I realised mine is 12.
It's been looked after and kept in the same locations all that time, but over winter for no good reason the inner foam pads have started to disintegrate, which is uncomfortable at least.
I could probably buy new stick-on pads for buttons, but a change of colour never hurt.
It prompted me to do some reading, Bontranger say there's no deterioration of the EPS over time unless exposed to solvents or the like. The guy who sells Bell/ Giro would love you to buy one every 3 years... https://off.road.cc/content/feature/when-should-yo...
Obvs if I were to crash I'd get a new one (and the current one was a half-price Giro replacement from a big off), but I wondered how frequently anyone here swapped theirs.
It's been looked after and kept in the same locations all that time, but over winter for no good reason the inner foam pads have started to disintegrate, which is uncomfortable at least.
I could probably buy new stick-on pads for buttons, but a change of colour never hurt.
It prompted me to do some reading, Bontranger say there's no deterioration of the EPS over time unless exposed to solvents or the like. The guy who sells Bell/ Giro would love you to buy one every 3 years... https://off.road.cc/content/feature/when-should-yo...
Obvs if I were to crash I'd get a new one (and the current one was a half-price Giro replacement from a big off), but I wondered how frequently anyone here swapped theirs.
Just had a look on ebay for some replacement pads actually..
The helmet itself is probably 5 years old.. and after trying about 5 other from Chain Reaction - decided this is the only one I like / fits!
I see that technology moves on (MIPS etc..) but they don't need replacing due to age really do they?
The helmet itself is probably 5 years old.. and after trying about 5 other from Chain Reaction - decided this is the only one I like / fits!
I see that technology moves on (MIPS etc..) but they don't need replacing due to age really do they?
I am careful with my helmet and replace it only when it is past it. I end up getting a new one every 5 yrs or so max. As someone else has said UV light doesn't do the outer shell plastic much good in the end.
As far as I can see helmets are fundamentally the same as they were 15yrs ago so there is little in the way of new tech to make it worth changing before they are worn out.
One caveat - if I fall off on it or drop it onto a hard surface I replace it straightaway.
As far as I can see helmets are fundamentally the same as they were 15yrs ago so there is little in the way of new tech to make it worth changing before they are worn out.
One caveat - if I fall off on it or drop it onto a hard surface I replace it straightaway.
Not long since I swapped out (and destroyed) a really old Giro road-style lid (with peak/visor) that I used for off road riding.
It had taken a few knocks from low-hanging branches and my failure to obey the "Cyclists Dismount" signs on local canal bridges, but soldiered on for years. Then, after a break from cycling for 6 months, I went to put it on and the thin plastic strips connecting the adjustment band to the helmet shell had started to fail. Two out of the four at the rear had snapped and clearly it wasn't safe to use. Swapped for a Fox MTB helmet now. I don't buy into the guff about time limits for helmets, and just keep an eye on damage and wear, swapping when needed. I think the Giro one was at least ten years old when I put a hammer through it in the end.
I've got three helmets. One road with a light fitted on the top, one without, and the one MTB lid now. So the wear gets rotated, and I can happily wash and dry the inner padding and still ride wearing a spare hat.
It had taken a few knocks from low-hanging branches and my failure to obey the "Cyclists Dismount" signs on local canal bridges, but soldiered on for years. Then, after a break from cycling for 6 months, I went to put it on and the thin plastic strips connecting the adjustment band to the helmet shell had started to fail. Two out of the four at the rear had snapped and clearly it wasn't safe to use. Swapped for a Fox MTB helmet now. I don't buy into the guff about time limits for helmets, and just keep an eye on damage and wear, swapping when needed. I think the Giro one was at least ten years old when I put a hammer through it in the end.
I've got three helmets. One road with a light fitted on the top, one without, and the one MTB lid now. So the wear gets rotated, and I can happily wash and dry the inner padding and still ride wearing a spare hat.
Usually every 5 years or so, even if it hasn't sustained damage. Last one replaced about a year ago after I came off, there was a VERY minor knock to it, but I figure it's not worth the risk if it's been compromised.
I wash it semi-regularly.....take out the inner pads and shove them through the wash every 6 weeks or so. It's a Giro one with MIPS, can't remember the name.
I wash it semi-regularly.....take out the inner pads and shove them through the wash every 6 weeks or so. It's a Giro one with MIPS, can't remember the name.
there's an interesting article on this on www.helmets.org - pasted below;
Summary: There are reasons to replace your helmet, but simple age is not one of them. Extensive testing of used (but not crashed) bicycle helmets shows that EPS foam liners retain their performance over many years.
MEA Forensic announced at a May 2015 ASTM F08.53 technical meeting the results of their testing of 675 bicycle helmets, some as old as 26 years. "There is no justification for two to ten year replacement recommendations based on impact performance," said MEA's Alyssa DeMarco.
MEA and collaborator Collision Analysis collected 1,500 used helmets from consumers and eliminated any that showed damage or did not have date of manufacture stickers. The helmets studied had dates that ranged from 1987 to 2013. They crash tested them at 3 m/s (a drop of 1.5 ft.) and 6.2 m/s (a drop of 2 meters--the CPSC standard drop) on a flat anvil in the dry ambient condition. There were only four that exceeded the 300g maximum threshold: three of the oldest models made to meet only the old ANSI standard, and one newer model that had been recalled. So 671 of the helmets passed the current CPSC impact performance standard.
MEA's analysis showed that there was no significant impact performance change with age. Their 26 year data including all 675 helmets tested produced only a 0.7g per year increase in impact readings at the higher drop height. On average, road helmet models produced results 40g lower than skate-style models, and extra-small helmets were 21g lower than large helmets. Lower g's registered in the headform means less shock passed through to the head, but since they are averages they may not apply for a particular helmet model.
After crash testing the helmets on a standard test rig, MEA took core samples from an uncrashed area of 63 of the helmets and tested them at the equivalent of a 6.2 m/s helmet impact. This generated data based solely on the foam performance. They collected stress and strain data related to aging of the foam. Again, the findings indicate that helmet liner foam does not deteriorate with age.
In 2016 MEA published this study in a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. The abstract is free, but the article costs $25. Similar data was published in 2017 in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, with a cost of $40.
This is the first time anyone has applied rigorous science to assessing the effects of age on helmet foam liners. It is a welcome antidote to the strident marketing claims that foam deteriorates with age. There are other reasons to replace a helmet--crash damage, strap deterioration, improving fit--but simple aging of the foam liner is not one of them.
I'll still replace fairly regularly though. It needs to match the bike, right?!
=========================================================
Summary: There are reasons to replace your helmet, but simple age is not one of them. Extensive testing of used (but not crashed) bicycle helmets shows that EPS foam liners retain their performance over many years.
MEA Forensic announced at a May 2015 ASTM F08.53 technical meeting the results of their testing of 675 bicycle helmets, some as old as 26 years. "There is no justification for two to ten year replacement recommendations based on impact performance," said MEA's Alyssa DeMarco.
MEA and collaborator Collision Analysis collected 1,500 used helmets from consumers and eliminated any that showed damage or did not have date of manufacture stickers. The helmets studied had dates that ranged from 1987 to 2013. They crash tested them at 3 m/s (a drop of 1.5 ft.) and 6.2 m/s (a drop of 2 meters--the CPSC standard drop) on a flat anvil in the dry ambient condition. There were only four that exceeded the 300g maximum threshold: three of the oldest models made to meet only the old ANSI standard, and one newer model that had been recalled. So 671 of the helmets passed the current CPSC impact performance standard.
MEA's analysis showed that there was no significant impact performance change with age. Their 26 year data including all 675 helmets tested produced only a 0.7g per year increase in impact readings at the higher drop height. On average, road helmet models produced results 40g lower than skate-style models, and extra-small helmets were 21g lower than large helmets. Lower g's registered in the headform means less shock passed through to the head, but since they are averages they may not apply for a particular helmet model.
After crash testing the helmets on a standard test rig, MEA took core samples from an uncrashed area of 63 of the helmets and tested them at the equivalent of a 6.2 m/s helmet impact. This generated data based solely on the foam performance. They collected stress and strain data related to aging of the foam. Again, the findings indicate that helmet liner foam does not deteriorate with age.
In 2016 MEA published this study in a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. The abstract is free, but the article costs $25. Similar data was published in 2017 in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, with a cost of $40.
This is the first time anyone has applied rigorous science to assessing the effects of age on helmet foam liners. It is a welcome antidote to the strident marketing claims that foam deteriorates with age. There are other reasons to replace a helmet--crash damage, strap deterioration, improving fit--but simple aging of the foam liner is not one of them.
============================================
I'll still replace fairly regularly though. It needs to match the bike, right?!
I just replaced mine on the back of this thread actually, my old XC helmet was around 12 years old, I do have a new full face and roadie helmet though.
IXS for £30 reduced from £80 just because it's in a gaudy yellow colour, the other colours are still full price. I'm in my mid-thirties, and arrive at trail centres in a 15yr old Liana, I'm not going to win any fashion prizes, so it suits me just fine!
Thanks for highlighting the need.
I did 'impact test' my old Fox helmet when disposing of it last night, impressively strong in fairness!
IXS for £30 reduced from £80 just because it's in a gaudy yellow colour, the other colours are still full price. I'm in my mid-thirties, and arrive at trail centres in a 15yr old Liana, I'm not going to win any fashion prizes, so it suits me just fine!
Thanks for highlighting the need.
I did 'impact test' my old Fox helmet when disposing of it last night, impressively strong in fairness!
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