helmet lifespan?

magicbastarder

do helmets have lifespans? i've read somewhere that salt from sweat can slowly degrade them, or that they should be replaced after 3 years; is there any basis for either of these claims?

my one was made in 2008, and i'm wondering if it's worth the hassle of trying to replace the pads, or whether there's other reasons i should retire it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

It depends on how much use it got but if it were me I'd replace purely because it's so old and it's a good excuse to buy more bike gear 😀

magicbastarder

given its age, not *that* much - under 10k anyway.

Inquitus

Until it smacks off the ground imo.

tomasrojo

I vaguely remember a figure of five years between replacements, based on degradation due to sunlight.

magicbastarder

it's my third bike helmet. the first one was binned due to someone in school setting fire to it (early 90s, i was a trendsetter even then), and the second one probably save my nose from being broken when i cycled into the back of a taxi.

Tenzor07

Whenever an even more Aero design comes out!

iwillhtfu

ED E wrote: »

We have a helmet thread that this should probably go in.

Science disagrees.

I call bull **** on that and would be interested to see where this so called scientific testing was carried out?

OP I recall reading about degradation somewhere but generally I wear it till it's visibly damaged broken strap clips etc.

tomasrojo

youtheman wrote: »

There speak the Chairman of the 'Flat Earth' society.

We do have a thread for discussion of the issue, but suffice it to say, it's a view that is not without support from respected mainstream academics.

magicbastarder

iwillhtfu wrote: »

OP I recall reading about degradation somewhere but generally I wear it till it's visibly damaged broken strap clips etc.

cheers; as mentioned, my main issue at the moment is the pads; i'm wondering if there's any point in chasing down replacement ones (and given the age of it, that's not easy) if the helmet itself should be retired.

tomasrojo

magicbastarder wrote: »

cheers; as mentioned, my main issue at the moment is the pads; i'm wondering if there's any point in chasing down replacement ones (and given the age of it, that's not easy) if the helmet itself should be retired.

Are these the old foamy black pads (well, they were usually black)? I have a load of them of varying sizes. I'll post them to you if you want. Never used; they were spares, back in the day, and have been in storage since.

ednwireland

Recently binned a 13 and 2 20+ year old helmets the helmets still looked ok. but I know giro only do crash replacement for under 3 year old ones. Which considering my new one's manufacturing date was 8 months before I bought it don't know how that affects it.

Interestingly. Just found this http://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm where met said

We often asked 'For how long is a helmet safe?', or 'how often should I replace my helmet?”' Until now it has been difficult to find any reliable figures to help answer these queries. MET have now developed a series of tests which are conducted on aged helmets to determine a 'best before' date (unless the helmet is involved in an accident. In that case it should be replaced immediately.). The results indicate that, if used properly accordingly to our owner manual, our helmets will still do their job up to eight years after they have been made. Not only is that good news for the customer, it’s great news for the environment!"

tomasrojo

Expiry warnings are usually VERY conservative anyway.

Beasty

tomasrojo wrote: »

We do have a thread for discussion of the issue, but suffice it to say, it's a view that is not without support from respected mainstream academics.

I have just moved a load of posts there, where wider comments about helmets and the protection they offer should be made

Thanks

cdaly_

tomasrojo wrote: »

Are these the old foamy black pads (well, they were usually black)? I have a load of them of varying sizes. I'll post them to you if you want. Never used; they were spares, back in the day, and have been in storage since.

I'd like some please if you have enough to spare. PM sent...

iwillhtfu

magicbastarder wrote: »

cheers; as mentioned, my main issue at the moment is the pads; i'm wondering if there's any point in chasing down replacement ones (and given the age of it, that's not easy) if the helmet itself should be retired.

The pads are more for personal comfort than anything else so probably no need to replace them if its still comfortable to wear.

If you can't source anymore or have a specific attachment to the helmet you could pick up similar ones and some Velcro tape cut to suit.

Personally I'd go with the kask mojito

jimmycrackcorm

My five year old helmet is discoloured from sunlight which makes me wonder if it is weakened.

I used to use plastic clothes pegs for the washing line but after a few years they became brittle and cracked easily which makes me wonder about some plastics...

magicbastarder

duff cycles in santry have ordered a fresh set of pads for my helmet, will cost €10. not bad for a 9 year old helmet.