Thomo Posted July 5, 2020 Share Luckily I crash way too often to bother with how old my helmets are..... hahaLast 2 replacements for that same reason.In both cases I didn't immediately notice any issues with the helmet, didn't even realise it had any impact.Subsequent headaches suggested check, and there it was, cracked in various places.Hopefully my next replacement will be out of choice or end of lifespan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted July 5, 2020 Share We wear helmets because we have to, or depending on where you ride. I have fallen and broken bones without a helmet and the noggin was OK.Done the same with a helmet and cracked it. Still OK. Or maybe not. To me the real effectiveness of a helmet is that it falls apart when you trap it between the hard object and your head. So in theory a crappy helmet is probably better as it will simulate a MIPS helmet at a fraction of the cost. So this brings to question when is a helmet better than not wearing one? Is a cheap and nasty heavy solid block better than an old soft one?As soon as the head comes into contact with something. A "cheap and nasty" lid is, normally, cheap and nasty because they don't need to put hours into development to get it as light as possible while still providing enough protection, and increasing airflow. The differences only really come in when MIPS and other impact-mitigating solutions come into it. Old & soft will almost always be worse than new and cheap, in my opinion, as in the new one it's still got a good structure that will deform and absorb impacts better than an old one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Boss Posted July 5, 2020 Share We wear helmets because we have to, or depending on where you ride. I have fallen and broken bones without a helmet and the noggin was OK.Done the same with a helmet and cracked it. Still OK. Or maybe not. To me the real effectiveness of a helmet is that it falls apart when you trap it between the hard object and your head. So in theory a crappy helmet is probably better as it will simulate a MIPS helmet at a fraction of the cost. So this brings to question when is a helmet better than not wearing one? Is a cheap and nasty heavy solid block better than an old soft one?No helmet is never better. I can't actually believe I'm seeing this post on a bike forum. Yes, you can fall with or without a helmet, and walk away, or break an arm or collarbone with or without a helmet. But the kind of fall that a helmet will save you from is literally a life or death scenario. You don't need to be going super fast or doing something silly to fall in a way that could end your riding for ever without a helmet. Daniel Loubser, Wayne pudding Mol, ScaredShiftless and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregc Posted July 5, 2020 Share Took a hard tumble last weekend . Was out for 5-6 minutes . Fortunately shoulder took most of the impact. Helmet was dented and it cracked on the front rim above the eyebrow. Was checked out at ER and only had shoulder x rayed but luckily no damage or breaks . Have replaced the helmet with exactly the same model as before . Had I been wearing an older generation helmet maybe I wouldn’t have been so lucky Daniel Loubser, Wayne pudding Mol, T_Boss and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregc Posted July 5, 2020 Share Took a hard tumble last weekend . Was out for 5-6 minutes . Fortunately shoulder took most of the impact. Helmet was dented and it cracked on the front rim above the eyebrow. Was checked out at ER and only had shoulder x rayed but luckily no damage or breaks . Have replaced the helmet with exactly the same model as before . Had I been wearing an older generation helmet maybe I wouldn’t have been so lucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stockman Posted July 5, 2020 Share Each to their own but ........ If you have a 10 cent head then buy a 10 cent helmet! Wayne pudding Mol, Veebee, Popit and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebeen Posted July 5, 2020 Share Helmets are a ripoff. Yes yes, it is protecting your head. Yes yes it is important. A seat belt will save your life, doesn't mean it has to cost R3k. Helmets are a ripoff. The actual cost of production:retail price is approaching Gillette razor ripoff territory. DieselnDust, Christie, dev null and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted July 5, 2020 Share Helmets are a ripoff. Yes yes, it is protecting your head. Yes yes it is important. A seat belt will save your life, doesn't mean it has to cost R3k. Helmets are a ripoff. The actual cost of production:retail price is approaching Gillette razor ripoff territory.You only need the thing to work for about 2 seconds . And when you do need it to work , you’ll be grateful for the money you paid for the tech to be what it is . Going to cost you a whole whack more if it doesn’t work . Popit, Wayne pudding Mol, ScaredShiftless and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted July 5, 2020 Share Helmets are a ripoff. Yes yes, it is protecting your head. Yes yes it is important. A seat belt will save your life, doesn't mean it has to cost R3k. Helmets are a ripoff. The actual cost of production:retail price is approaching Gillette razor ripoff territory.One can only wonder about the marginal gains between a R 1 000 helmet from a reputable brand vs those many times more expensive ... How much of that extra price is "engineering", and how much is "marketing".... As for a replacement schedule .... take good care of it and it may be good for longer .... abuse it and it may need replacement sooner ... gemmerbal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted July 5, 2020 Share White water kaya hlemts have to be able to take repeated hits. The most expensive example is about 1/3rd the price of a high end cycling helmet...but then they don't have ex golfers buying marginal gains ChrisF, TIB, mazambaan and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamS2 Posted July 5, 2020 Share In Holland they dont even wear helmets. I always wear one but I think the polycarbonate outer prevents UV from getting to the polystyrene.There's strong irony in the fact that Holland also produces more neurosurgeons than any other country... peetwindhoek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranswurm Posted July 6, 2020 Share Helmets are a ripoff. Yes yes, it is protecting your head. Yes yes it is important. A seat belt will save your life, doesn't mean it has to cost R3k. Helmets are a ripoff. The actual cost of production:retail price is approaching Gillette razor ripoff territory.Everything about cycling is a rip offHelmets are neccessary I have twice fallen hard and broken the helmet in numerous placesOnce hard enough to cause concussion and cancel my Epic HoweverNothing is as expensive as Gillette blades.Its ridiculous WIPEOUT 1000, mazambaan, Popit and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojoman Posted July 6, 2020 Share Everything about cycling is a rip offHelmets are neccessaryI have twice fallen hard and broken the helmet in numerous placesOnce hard enough to cause concussion and cancel my Epic HoweverNothing is as expensive as Gillette blades.Its ridiculousBut a BIC disposable razor does the same job...Its all about the prep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave303e Posted July 6, 2020 Share Imo people should not ride what they feel unsafe with. If it makes you happy, buy a new helmet every 3 years - it is your money, and your head.A new helmet will have the advantage of new technologies like MIPS/wavecell and cool things companies do to make consumers buy. I have an 14 year old helmet in my stable - it has new pads but I still use it. Small protest - Im not missing concepts, Ive been part of a team that developed light helmets for a different industry at one time in my life. We strapped them onto dummies and did impact tests with sharp and blunt impactors etc. We heated them, froze them, radiated them etc. Tried different laminates, ran finite element analyses, then tested some more. Im not a helmet guru by some margin, but I wrestled with the subject matter enough to be past the first Dunning-Kruger peak, I hope. Edit - too much wine! I never debate on the interwebs. Darn it - I posted so much bla bla bla Yet you still wear a bicycle helmet? My S-Works helmet can fit a rebar stake through the vent so I have not idea how it is deemed safe in a point impact test. Especially as rebar stakes are used to hold up course markers in races... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ouzo Posted July 6, 2020 Share Its the same with Baby car seats, apparently they also dont last all that long and degrade due to heat and UV DieselnDust 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veebee Posted July 6, 2020 Share Helmets are a rip off..., people complaining to get a new one every 3-5 years at R2-4k...But these are probably the same okes that will go out and upgrade to the latest bike and components every 2-3 years, or spend thousands on kit and gear but ride the same 10 year old helmet, the only thing thats really protecting you, hmmmm :whistling: T_Boss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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