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How big of a crash does it take for you to replace your helmet?

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When do you replace your lid?

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21 - 35 of 35 Posts
#22 ·
slimat99 said:
I can't think of a helmet that wouldn't be easy to see foam damage. If it makes you feel better buy a new one every time the helmet sees an impact. Just be realistic about the protection helmets actually provide. Helmets are great at protecting against skull fractures, but what's of real concern is concussions which we can get regardless of how much money we spend on fresh helmets. Baring visible damage to the foam in the form of cracks or dents, we are protected from skull fractures. Unfortunately, even a fresh helmet won't protect us from concussions any better than a scratched up older helmet. That said, if you don't have a 4 or 5 star rated helmet from the VT studies, I would buy a new helmet. That's what I did. I swapped my a1 for an a2 mips. There's no need for me to replace the a2 until I damage the foam.
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Hadn't heard about this. Why this rating instead of all the others? The selection is a bit limited.

Bike Helmet Ratings

Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings - Bike helmets have been tested to evaluate their ability to reduce brain injury risk.
helmet.beam.vt.edu helmet.beam.vt.edu
 
#24 ·
slimat99 said:
Right but is there data that shows foam that doesn't have visible damage in the form of cracks or dents losing its ability to absorb energy? The foam is designed to crack first and foremost to dissipate energy. It can dent too but cracking is what it's really designed to do. If i'm wrong here I'll eat my words, I've just not seen data that shows visibly undamaged foam losing it's ability to protect against concussions and skull fractures.
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you are correct, helmet foam is made to crack and break away, not crush...

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#25 ·
I replace my helmet if the hit was hard enough to dent the eps foam. Once the foam has been dented, that spot won't serve its purpose in the future. While any helmet is better than none, I feel like my head is worth the $50 or so every few years when I crash. I don't buy expensive helmets, just the cheapest specialized/ helmet that's breathable.
 
#27 ·
Cleared2land said:
Very subjective subject that might contingent on your disposable income
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dompedro3 said:
...... I feel like my head is worth the $50 or so every few years when I crash. I don't buy expensive helmets, just the cheapest specialized/ helmet that's breathable.
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And that's a major factor. I cant afford to replace my $250 Bell Super Air unless it's really not going to offer good protection.

In literally all other respects of MTBing, I'm an "alloy, SLX and cheap workout shirts" kinda guy. I'm rather particular about the fit of my weirdly small, and oddly shaped head. I alsl like having the chin bar for my confidence, and to hang a GoPro from.
 
#28 ·
Impetus said:
And that's a major factor. I cant afford to replace my $250 Bell Super Air unless it's really not going to offer good protection.

In literally all other respects of MTBing, I'm an "alloy, SLX and cheap workout shirts" kinda guy. I'm rather particular about the fit of my weirdly small, and oddly shaped head. I alsl like having the chin bar for my confidence, and to hang a GoPro from.
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Totally understandable. Like I said, any helmet is better than none, and you're risk tolerance and budget will dictate when you replace a helmet. Having a comfortable helmet makes a huge difference in making a ride enjoyable.
 
#29 ·
slimat99 said:
Right but is there data that shows foam that doesn't have visible damage in the form of cracks or dents losing its ability to absorb energy? The foam is designed to crack first and foremost to dissipate energy. It can dent too but cracking is what it's really designed to do. If i'm wrong here I'll eat my words, I've just not seen data that shows visibly undamaged foam losing it's ability to protect against concussions and skull fractures.
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From my understanding the EPS crushes. I imagine cracking is after the EPS gets fully compressed but there's still more energy to dissipate. That energy needs to go somewhere.

"EPS is lightweight, effective across a wide range of temperatures and conditions and highly effective at reducing the amount of energy transferred to your head during an impact. EPS accomplishes that energy reduction by collapsing during the impact, converting some of the energy into heat and slowing the transmission of energy."
Taken from Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) - DOME

I've ridden with helmets I've hit my head in. Just need to be aware that once EPS is crushed it does not spring back. That spot of the helmet isn't going to absorb any energy the way it was intended. I think a damaged helmet is probably still better than no helmet.
 
#30 ·
Even if it's a minor impact, I usually use ANY impact as an excuse to go shopping. I've only had two cases over the years (knock on wood) that seemed like even a moderate noggin impact, and both times had a new helmet in hand before my next ride. A few other cases just gave me the nudge to go see what's new out there and come home with something new in the 'near future'. Bonus if any of those line up with sales at REI.

I also almost always keep my helmet in my vehicle between rides, and I live in Phoenix, so I'd rather go overboard than find out that baking in the oven all summer has degraded anything. And new helmet pads always feel nicer on the forehead than washed/used ones!
 
#32 ·
I carefully inspect, but if i see even small dimple ill be very suspect. Just had one a few months ago, i kept riding with that helmet because couldnt find new helmet i wanted, but as soon as it became available i bought new helmet. I have yet to cut old helmet apart.
We took a baseball bat to friends helmet being retired, modern microshell helmets are remakably tough. The polycarbonate shells bounce back quite well and can hide a lot of damage.
Oh, and new helmets are advancing. Im somewhat dubious on the effectiveness of MIPS, but do like dual density foam. The helmet i replaced i had a road timble and it was dual density, i clealy heard it contact the ashpalt. No head issues, just a little bit whiplash. Dual density makes sense, you can press on the EPP layer with finger and feel it give. The EPS layer is rigid, sacrificing itself on the big inpacts.
 
#33 ·
If you hit your head so often that the cost of a replacement helmet as a precaution after a crash is a big problem... maybe you should consider taking up knitting.

I don't hit my head often enough to worry about this. If I do hit it, I replace it. Unless I land on my completely unprotected face like I did last time... then the helmet is still good as new.
 
#34 ·
i get what you're saying, but when you spend 90% of your riding time at the dirt jumps goofing off and trying to learn new tricks, crashes happen pretty often. several a day actually, but of course not all are blows to the head although i'm pretty sure every one makes some kind of ground contact. it's not an excuse, but i grew up never wearing a helmet as a kid like most older people here, just having a helmet at all makes me feel pretty safe and i know not everyone thinks alike. but if you ride safe and don't crash often, i could see replacing it every time...
 
#35 ·
.WestCoastHucker. said:
i get what you're saying, but when you spend 90% of your riding time at the dirt jumps goofing off and trying to learn new tricks, crashes happen pretty often. several a day actually, but of course not all are blows to the head although i'm pretty sure every one makes some kind of ground contact. it's not an excuse, but i grew up never wearing a helmet as a kid like most older people here, just having a helmet at all makes me feel pretty safe and i know not everyone thinks alike. but if you ride safe and don't crash often, i could see replacing it every time...
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It's a fair point. It really is kind of a judgement call at that point.

When I think of head impacts, I'm thinking about the kind of thing where you've rung your bell proper. I've only done it twice and I'm pretty sure they were both concussions.
 
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