When is it time for a new helmet?

Morning all,
I am considering buying a new helmet, pretty much purely due to the age of mine.

I got my Shark S500 (cheap i know) in 2002ish. I didn't use it once until i got my SV in 2005. I have used it ever since... for about 10,000 miles.

I dropped it from my bike seat this morning, it landed onto the visor and rolled, but i thought "oh dear, they say to replace after a drop" then i thought.... it is 7 years old anyway! They have a 5 year guideline don't they?

Anyway, let me know if the 5 year rule is something to stick to, i will probably want to spend no more than £150. Style isn't my game, i just want a safe helmet!

now would be the time with all the sales still going and i would replace after a drop

I'd say it's probably time to replace going on the age, although not necessarily because of the drop.

The bit about replacing after a crash is because the important part of a lid is not really the outer shell but the expanded foam between the shell and the padding - this is the stuff that slows your head in a controlled manner rather than allowing it to crash into the inside of the hard outer shell. The job of the outer shell is to protect the foam from abrasion and to provide some puncture protection.

Anyway, this expanded foam compresses only once, it's not like a sponge that rebounds to it's original shape, it'll decelerate your head once and that's it, after that it's compressed (in the part where the impact took place) and future impacts to that area result in far less energy absorbtion. The job of a lid is not so much to keep your skull from smashing open but to decelerate your head so your brain doesn't turn to mush as it collides with the insides of your skull.

So - dropping a lid off the bike, when it doesn't have a head in it, isn't going to compress the foam. It's then up to you whether the outer shell is damaged in such a way that it's a liability and without training as an engineer I'm certainly not in a position to advise on that either way, but in the past I've gone along with a healthy dollop of common sense - but personally I've dropped lids and had no qualms from using them.

But age is going to be a factor and 7 years is probably pushing it. I recently replaced a Shark S600, lovely helmets but I have found that there are considerably better ones around now (not necessarily any safer, I'm not qualified to make that judgement, but definitely quieter and comfier lids are around).

[embee]

What Minimatt says is the way I understand things.

I've worked on the basis that 5 years is fine if it's not damaged in any way, after that start considering replacement. The date of manufacture is marked on the helmet somewhere, either stamped into the strap sleeve or a label inside under the lining or similar.

When I've come across a really old retired helmet in a cupboard somewhere the foam in the "comfort" lining (not the expanded polystyrene working stuff) is usually crumbling to dust. Maybe this is a sign..............

^thanks guys, good advice.

Considering i dropped it AGAIN yesterday (what the hell is wrong with me?) i have decided to get one anyway.

My local shop seems to have good deals, i am going to look at this one-
http://www.shorrocks.co.uk/index.php...oducts_id=1233

but, this helmet is only 50 quid... surely the actual safety of the helmet must be the same?-
http://www.shorrocks.co.uk/index.php...oducts_id=1257

[chris8886]

Originally Posted by branny

^thanks guys, good advice.

Considering i dropped it AGAIN yesterday (what the hell is wrong with me?) i have decided to get one anyway.

My local shop seems to have good deals, i am going to look at this one-
http://www.shorrocks.co.uk/index.php...oducts_id=1233

but, this helmet is only 50 quid... surely the actual safety of the helmet must be the same?-
http://www.shorrocks.co.uk/index.php...oducts_id=1257

i wouldn't touch that cheap one with a 10 foot barge pole, let alone put my head in it and ride! get the best you can afford when it comes to a helmet (in my opinon), you only got one head and it's been shown many times before they don't react to big bumps very well!

[ogden]

A lot of it depends where it was stored. The shell degrades over time and a lot of that is down to UV light.

5 years from first use is a good rule of thumb for a composite lid (glass or carbon fibre), 2 years for polycarbonate. If you had it stored in a cupboard for a year, you could add a year or so to the lifetime. It's not quite so important when it was manufacturered, just when it left the box (though obviously an unused 30 year old Bell isn't going to be much use wherever it's been stored.)

I've bought cheap lids in the past and while even a 90 quid lid kept my head in one piece when I hit the ground hard enough to be knocked out cold, I've not found anything that beats the comfort and all-round quality of an Arai.

I know a lot of people trot out the old chestnut of "if you have a 30 quid head, wear a 30 quid helmet" but the lid is the one thing that warrants proper investment.

One other thing - dropping a lid doesn't necessarily do it damage. It depends what it landed on and how far you dropped it - the shell may suffer if hit hard but if, say, my lid fell off the seat of my bike onto tarmac I wouldn't worry about replacing it. The liner will still be absolutely fine and the shell should withstand that OK.

I was in George Whites in Slough today and they had Shoei Raid II for £100........
OK, so they were all the same blue design but if you want blue then what a bargain.

Not 100% but I think this was the design

£100 wow!

They had loads aswell.
They have a new "upstairs" with quite a few discounted items.
I got an Oximiser for £20