gawdzira Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 This came to mind this past weekend while I was riding with a 2 or 3? year old helmet. What is the life span of a helmet? This was just posted as a question on a triathlon site I lurk on. My owners manual for my helmet is long gone but people on the tri site are saying 18 months. alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Depends on how frequently users washes hair... maybe. But then one can wash helmet :D Do car bumpers wear over years to replace them? I guess that impact changes usability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 I've heard anywhere from 18 months to 5 years. Motorcycle helmets usually have stickers saying no more than 5 years. Dates are from date of mfg, not purchase. If you get 2-3 seasons from a helmet, you are probably doing OK. A couple of good crashes and you should probably replace it. Or one really hard crash. Its mostly styrofoam protecting your head. Styrofoam doesn't bounce back into shape after impact, so its ability to absorb impact is compromised once you hit your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagen Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 I just found a crack in my helmet (red) after 5 seasons. That was the first helmet I had... I rock climbing I was told to replace safety equiptment like that after three years (not matter if used or not). Hagen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 I agree, replace immediately after impact, or after 3 years unless manufacturer says otherwise. Timely style updates are a good thing. Polystyrene degrades over time just sitting in the closet, let alone being slammed into the hill repeatedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Originally posted by Chris Houghton I agree, replace immediately after impact, or after 3 years unless manufacturer says otherwise. Timely style updates are a good thing. Polystyrene degrades over time just sitting in the closet, let alone being slammed into the hill repeatedly. So you're saying the Bell motorcycle helmet I bought in 1984 when I got my "M" endorsement is no longer good? Wore it for a few dozen rides and never bought a bike. Just checkin'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagen Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 ...and I hope in three years from now they will have that wireless audio option that Randy was talking about. Having built in speakers is nice. But those cables are a pain in the ... Hagen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigJay Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Giro says 5 years or replace after an impact. THey're the only company with a crash replacement programs (like with their bike helmet). I got my Giro Fuse w/ the tune ups in it... I love taking the iPOD to the slopes and get some music when going up the lifts. When i ride, i take down the volume to a minimum so that i'm able to hear the snow and also the people around me. The only thing the bothers me is the stupid switch that keeps putting itself on MUTE... Other then that, i'm satisfied with the Giro Fuse, it's by far the best looking helmet available... it doesn't look like you're wearing a bowling ball like when i had my Boeri World Cup! Thumbs up to Giro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Originally posted by BigJay Giro says 5 years or replace after an impact. Huh, no kidding. I didn't know that about snowboard helmets. I know that bike helmets have a finite lifespan, but look at them...there's not much there, just styrofoam with a plastic shell for looks and to shed water. And bike crashes are likely to involve much harder impacts than than snowboarding wrecks, so the "wreck and replace" makes sense to me. But I really thought that snowboarding helmets were more durable. The styrofoam liner's not much different, but the outside plastic shell _looks_ multiple-impact resistant. Replace after one impact? Hell, I'd have to have five or six for each day of riding. (OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but you get my point: I wreck my snowboard way more often than I fall off my bike.) And what about the skate rats that spend all day in the pipe/park? They whack their heads pretty frequently, don't they? Are those helmets also one-shot-only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigJay Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 ...it depends on your definition of impact! If you just fall on the snow while carving down the trail, that might not be considered as an impact... If you run into a tree or into someone else and hurt your head... then it 's for sure an impact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 I just replaced mine after taking two good (concussion) crashes on it last year, and a couple of smaller knocks as well. I think I'd rather be safe than sorry, but I got differing stories too ... one shop said they were multiple impact, one said it should be replaced. I can understand motorcycle helmets - they're a completely different construction/materials, but I would have thought that a styro and ABS snowboard helmet should be multi impact. Oh well. Never mind. I only have one brain, I'm happy to look after it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigJay Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Apparently the only multi impact helmet on the market is PRO-TEC. Every other helmet is single impact but no one will say their helmet are single impact except for Giro and their crash replacement programs. That's what i've heard from the companies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Originally posted by BigJay Apparently the only multi impact helmet on the market is PRO-TEC. Every other helmet is single impact And that makes sense, because the PRO-TEC seem to be the only ones that aren't made of styrofoam. I believe the line that a styrofoam helmet should be replaced after a serious knock (styrofoam doesn't bounce back), but I've always been a bit skeptical about the line that the styrofoam degrades all by itself over time. Maybe it does, but maybe it's just a ploy to sell more helmets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Baka, have you ever seen a really old styrofoam cooler. It is brittle and hard to compress. Compare that with a newer one which is easy to compress and much more flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Originally posted by Randy S. Baka, have you ever seen a really old styrofoam cooler. It is brittle and hard to compress. Compare that with a newer one which is easy to compress and much more flexible. Is it exposure to air, or exposure to sunlight that causes the brittleness/hardness? Air would be a problem, but most helmets have a covering that would be fairly effective at keeping the sun off. And is the styrofoam in a helmet the same as in a cooler, at least with respect to it's aging properties? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Sun definitely accelerates the degradation. I'm certain it is different styrofoam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Whatever you babies, wash the blood off and put duct tape on it. Or, for that rugged mountain look, wrap a dead animal around your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 From what I heard for bike helmets and rock climbing equipment, I would have to say 5 years or a major impact. Like others said, it is due to the degradation of the material over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Neil - eBay it, gotta be a retro look by now. The mods on Vespas will fight over it. Then get a new one with the ca$h. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Never got a chance to find out. Left it it in the lodge at Mt. Snow. The lady in Lost and Found said "ya think anyone is going to turn in a Boeri?". Anyhow, I bought two more (one to keep in CT and one in VT). In an earlier life I logged 2000+ parachute jumps and always wore a helmet. Likewise today for boarding, skiing, biking, and unicycling. At Zermatt two years ago, a local told me "we can always tell who the Americans are. You're the ones with the helmets". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Originally posted by Chris Houghton Neil - eBay it, gotta be a retro look by now. The mods on Vespas will fight over it. Then get a new one with the ca$h. Naw, it just looks like a normal black full-face helmet. The thing about it is that it fits, which was a huge deal back then - it was the only one in town I could find to fit my big noggin. Now there are several manus that make helmets in big sizes and even various head shapes within those sizes, so I'm all set if I ever buy a bike (it's on my list, but my list is different from my wife's list so it may be a while). It's just been sitting in my garage for years, no sunlight or whatever to damage it but plenty of freeze/thaw cycles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikko Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Originally posted by Derf From what I heard for bike helmets and rock climbing equipment, I would have to say 5 years or a major impact. Like others said, it is due to the degradation of the material over time. I agree. This is what we say to the customers who are buying bicycle/alpine skiing/snowboard helmets from the store where I'm working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Applicable to snow sport helmets as well. Helmet Replacement Recommendations Giro generally recommends that riders replace their helmet every 3-5 years (obviously helmets that are involved in a crash or otherwise damaged should be inspected and replaced as appropriate). We post this general recommendation, along with instructions for Helmet Care, Fit, Use, etc. in our Owner's Manuals and on our website in the FAQ section. (http://www.giro.com/usa/gir_faq.html) Helmet Life-span To understand the reasoning behind our replacement recommendation, it may help to learn a little about helmets: Most CPSC-certified cycling helmets use liners made of 'expanded polystyrene' (EPS), which has been used in cycling and motorsport helmets for more than 40 years. EPS helps to prevent injury to the brain by compressing and absorbing the energy of an impact. We use EPS because it's the best material known for absorbing impact energy predictably and effectively over the widest range of temperatures and conditions. But as good as EPS is, it will not last forever. Its performance can degrade over time, and can be affected by environmental factors and handling (similar examples: tires dry out and/or wear down, chains rust and/or stretch, etc). Since every helmet is subject to different conditions over the course of its life, we prefer to be on the cautious side with our general recommendation for replacement. Hence, our recommendation of 3-5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Anyone run the Ovo helmet ? My Leedom is approaching the 5 year mark and they're a local company. Removable/washable liners are key. Nothing worse than a stinky dank helmet. Putting on a minty fresh brain bucket is really nice. Where can I get a chrome BX style visor to glue/velcro/duct tape on it? Alle 2 concussion crashes ? You go girl !:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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