Helmet life span

[GrumpyOldGuy]

now dont spoil things for me, i am looking for a reason to buy a new helmet okay

 

I don't know, but motorcycle helmets it seems also have a finite lifespan even if you have never crashed with them. I was quite interested in this so I had a look and inside my AGV it clearly says "Helmets should be replaced every 5 years". Now my helmet is at least 8 years old and I have never crashed in it, to me its still fine but I am not a materials expert, I wouldn't know if the material was degenerating or if it was developing micro cracks and I defy any regular man in the street to know either.

 

We rely on manufacturers to tell us everything we need to know, be it how to care for your car or how to oil your sewing machine or when to change your mattress, so why not our bicycle / motorcycle helmets.?

 

If they say every 5 years it should be changed, I assume they have done tests and have the information available to make informed decisions and let me know about them, who am I to question this, I dont question my doctor, my neurosurgeon, my car mechanic, my refrigeration technician, why should I question my helmet manufacturer.?

 

Certainly to me its important, if my motorcycle / bicycle helmet is degenerating I want to know about it, I don't want to live in blissful ignorance until its too late and I spend the rest of my life eating through a straw, so yeah, I will consider getting a new helmet, a 5/6k investment over 5 years is around 80 bucks a month, hardly an issue.

[Big H*]

I don't know, but motorcycle helmets it seems also have a finite lifespan even if you have never crashed with them. I was quite interested in this so I had a look and inside my AGV it clearly says "Helmets should be replaced every 5 years". Now my helmet is at least 8 years old and I have never crashed in it, to me its still fine but I am not a materials expert, I wouldn't know if the material was degenerating or if it was developing micro cracks and I defy any regular man in the street to know either.

 

We rely on manufacturers to tell us everything we need to know, be it how to care for your car or how to oil your sewing machine or when to change your mattress, so why not our bicycle / motorcycle helmets.?

 

If they say every 5 years it should be changed, I assume they have done tests and have the information available to make informed decisions and let me know about them, who am I to question this, I dont question my doctor, my neurosurgeon, my car mechanic, my refrigeration technician, why should I question my helmet manufacturer.?

 

Certainly to me its important, if my motorcycle / bicycle helmet is degenerating I want to know about it, I don't want to live in blissful ignorance until its too late and I spend the rest of my life eating through a straw, so yeah, I will consider getting a new helmet, a 5/6k investment over 5 years is around 80 bucks a month, hardly an issue.

 

Shyting through a straw is even worse!

[Tankman]

As far as I know a cycling helmet should be replaced every 3 years. That or just make sure you crash with it within the first 3 years. All the major brands offer a crash or crack replacement warranty within the first 3 years.

 

Crash or crack it and you can get a replacement at around 30% of the price.

[Minion]

If they say every 5 years it should be changed, I assume they have done tests and have the information available to make informed decisions and let me know about them, who am I to question this, I dont question my doctor, my neurosurgeon, my car mechanic, my refrigeration technician, why should I question my helmet manufacturer.?

The manufacturer's stated life would have to be a general figure that encompasses almost all uses, almost all of the time. It may be their testing shows, for example, that 99% of all tested helmets will reach the figure while 84% will exceed it by 1 year, 50% by 2 years, 16% by 3 years and so on.

 

With careful care and inspection, I suspect most helmets will reach well over their stated lifespan. The manufacturer would open themselves up to all kind of litigious crap if they said this, though, since they have no real control over the care and inspection process.

Edited October 30, 2011 by Edman

[Tjokkits]

I don't know, but motorcycle helmets it seems also have a finite lifespan even if you have never crashed with them. I was quite interested in this so I had a look and inside my AGV it clearly says "Helmets should be replaced every 5 years". Now my helmet is at least 8 years old and I have never crashed in it, to me its still fine but I am not a materials expert, I wouldn't know if the material was degenerating or if it was developing micro cracks and I defy any regular man in the street to know either.

 

We rely on manufacturers to tell us everything we need to know, be it how to care for your car or how to oil your sewing machine or when to change your mattress, so why not our bicycle / motorcycle helmets.?

 

If they say every 5 years it should be changed, I assume they have done tests and have the information available to make informed decisions and let me know about them, who am I to question this, I dont question my doctor, my neurosurgeon, my car mechanic, my refrigeration technician, why should I question my helmet manufacturer.?

 

Certainly to me its important, if my motorcycle / bicycle helmet is degenerating I want to know about it, I don't want to live in blissful ignorance until its too late and I spend the rest of my life eating through a straw, so yeah, I will consider getting a new helmet, a 5/6k investment over 5 years is around 80 bucks a month, hardly an issue.

 

your reasoning is sensible, i guess there will always be a level of distrust given the amount of gread or at best avoidance of litigation, so yess i guess if ones car needs servicing every 15000ks they will state 10,000 to be safe and to cater for abuse given that they have little control over what happens to the product in a consumers hands. IMO a new helmet every 5 years is not an issue, i would bet most regular cyclist buy a new helmets more often anyway.

 

And it is logical to accept the material will weaken over time, leave a piece of plastic in the sun for 5-10hours a week x 52 weeks x 5 years and see what it looks like.......

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The manufacturer's stated life would have to be a general figure that encompasses almost all uses, almost all of the time. It may be their testing shows, for example, that 99% of all tested helmets will reach the figure while 84% will exceed it by 1 year, 50% by 2 years, 16% by 3 years and so on.

 

With careful care and inspection, I suspect most helmets will reach well over their stated lifespan. The manufacturer would open themselves up to all kind of litigious crap if they said this, though, since they have no real control over the care and inspection process.

 

Indeed, and therein lies the crux of the matter.

 

I ride my bike say three times a week for an hour or two in mostly ideal conditions, I look after my helmet, wash it, keep it in a cool cupboard etc, as opposed to say a motorcycle delivery business where the riders drive all day in the hot sun, the beating rain or the freezing cold, the helmet is never cleaned and its left on the garage floor at night exposed to harsh chemicals etc, the elements and poor care will almost certainly play a role in the rapid deterioration of the helmet material as opposed to mine, but of course the manufacturer has no idea who is buying the helmet so they aim to be conservative, I have no issue with that, it dos not mean they are aiming to sell me more or unnecessary product, quite the contrary actually, they are possibly aiming at saving your / my skull. I call it been a responsible manufacturer.

 

I don't think the average guy / gal knows when they bought their helmet, I don't anyway, I buy it and forget it, unless maybe if they crashed they would have a look to see if it was still under some sort of warranty, but if not they would possibly just ride and use it until it fell apart, but in a way the manufacturer has a responsibility to make you aware of the reasonable lifespan and use of his safety appliance (helmet), be it by a sticker in the helmet, or a smelly enzyme, I would not expect it it any other way, millions of safety appliances have failure or warning devices fitted so you are aware the device needs service, needs to be replaced, has failed etc, why not on a bicycle helmet?

 

As I said I think the theory is great, I would not have any issues with such a product.