Koyote

No, it doesn’t. No need to replace a helmet in that time span unless it has been crashed or has developed some problem.

MoAlpha

Moreover, the safety provided by a brand new, top quality, helmet is partial and relative. Some theoretical degradation of the foam only reduces that safety by some partial and relative amount. And since no one offers any data or proposes any data-based threshold for replacement, the whole discussion is even less than theoretical. Buy a new helmet when you, crash, get the hebee-jeebies, or need a little retail therapy.

Hiro11

All helmet testing is debatable, including the much respected (but probably pretty good) VT testing. The "official" safety standards are similarly debatable.

I have a couple of inexpensive (~$50) Bell helmets I purchased in years past that have MIPS, are comfortable and ventilate well. I also have some expensive helmets (Kask Utopia, POC Tectal Race Spin, Bell Z20) that are the ones I actually wear. These helmets vary between $200-$300. From a pure value perspective, are they "worth" the money over the $50 helmets? I'd say no, but that never stopped me before when it comes to bike stuff. Aero carbon frames cost a ton of money and offer only highly debatable performance benefits, the same goes for carbon wheels, Dura Ace vs Ultegra etc. Similarly, the nicer helmets are better made and can be more attractive, but they're likely not really "better" functioning in any appreciable way. The Kask and the POC don't even have MIPS...

If you're only looking for functionality, just get an inexpensive, certified helmet with MIPS that fits you well and move on. I would not buy used helmets. I also don't believe that helmet's "degrade" over a few years, especially if you store them out of the sun. You probably don't want to wear a 20 year old helmet, but that's obvious.

MoAlpha

Yes! Consider the uncertainties encountered in, for instance, drug testing on actual humans, where the mechanisms of action and toxicity are well understood and robust endpoints established!

Research on acceleration/deceleration injuries consists mainly of a few productive years from a single lab, which was shut down for abusing their primate subjects, back in the 80s.

Phil_gretz

Costco currently has a MIPS helmet in white or matte black that includes a rear light. $30. It fits the central 70% of the size spectrum. Why look any farther?

The retention system is fine, and there are plenty of vents. It's a seasonal item, so don't wait too long. They will sell out.

mstateglfr 

Ventilation design.
Weight.
Comfort features.
Adjustability.
Materials.


So besides all those very real potential differences, there are no differences.

veganbikes

Helmet makers and independent testing facilities suggest replacement at those times. Some could say maybe it is a tinge of marketing but it is a safety device designed to protect the most important thing your head which contains the brain. Parts of the helmet can degrade from sweat, sun damage and heat. Also if your helmet has been in a crash or has been dropped it is time to replace. A helmet is a one time use item once it has that impact it has done its job and is time to be gotten rid of.

Korina

You can't say Danes don't have a sense of humor.

CheGiantForLife

I grew up in an era where no one wore helmets. Biked all day long as kids on BMX and no helmet. They seem to be a post-90s thing.
I ride 5 miles around the neighborhood. I can not get myself to buy a helmet. I would actually rather not ride than ruin the ride with a bulky sweaty shell strapped to my head.


I fully expect Darwin snark from this forum, but am curious if anyone else does not wear a helmet.
Please share your helmet stories!

CheGiantForLife

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133729908017?

What is the deal with these $11 helmet off Ebay?
Total fake junk? Then again, foam and plastic should not be costly?

wolfchild

Wearing a helmet or not wearing a helmet is a personal decision. I choose to wear it but i have nothing against people who don't wear it. A helmet may be useful in mild and not so serious crashes but at the same time a helmet isn't going to prevent serious injuries and death from internal injuries caused by blunt force trauma when hit by a car or a truck.

tempocyclist

So did I.

Grew up in Australia before compulsory helmet laws came into effect. Now I wear a helmet every single ride (it's the law).

If you buy a decent, high quality helmet, you get used to it.

jamesdak 

Glad you had the sense to take out your TBI statement. As someone who's whole life in now jacked up due to that trust me, you don't want it!

GlennR

I grew up when cars didn't have collision avoidance, air bags, antilock braking, right side mirrors, seat belts or padded dash.

Just because I survived I wouldn't want my to drive my grandchildren around in one of those cars.

If you choose not to wear a helmet then you shouldn't expect others to pay for your medical bills or after care.

I once crashed at 16mph and cracked a $250 helmet that was a week old. After regaining my wits, I was able to ride home. Best $250 I ever invested and bought the same one since it worked so well.

50PlusCycling

When I raced in events which were likely to have a sprint finish, I wore a helmet. I suffered a few crashes, tore up shorts, jerseys, and got some road rash, but never got a scratch on my helmet. Nowadays I ride for pleasure, and don't bother with a helmet.

wolfchild

I had a number of crashes when mountain biking and out of all those crashes only once did my head take a hit , i am glad i was earing a helmet . Even with a helmet on I still felt light headed and dizzy for a while. If i wasn't wearing a helmet i would of probably blacked out and had a concussion.

jack pot 

just about always wear one > after "luckily" surviving a helmet less high speed encounter with a deer on my moto, I started wearing a full face helmet and wearing a helmet carried over to my urban cycling

LSUFANDAN

When I got my Diverge I was such a bike noob that I didn't think I needed a helmet. I wasn't going very fast. Always just wore my baseball cap backwards. I rode a full year without a helmet. As I started getting faster averaging 18/19mph range I decided to buy a proper road bike. My second time riding my 2022 Tarmac I got caught in a rain storm. The combination of riding a new bike with 26mm tires in the rain was a bad idea. I was about 10miles from my car stuck riding in the rain. Took a sharp turn a little too fast and went down. Rear tire slipped out from under me. I probably wasn't going too fast. Maybe 12mph. Regardless of how slow I was going I landed hard on my right side. Bruised my right hip. I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and took bad road rash all down my right side. I still remember my head bouncing off the concrete and the knot on my head. The crash bent my rear derailleur hanger. Scratched the rear derailleur a bit. Trust me when I say I ordered a helmet as soon as I got home lol.

I just recently got in my 2nd wreck on my Tarmac about 3 weeks ago. It was another slow accident. Probably around 12mph. A guy had his truck parked in the bike path taking sunset photos of his low rider Ford F150. I had to go off the paved trail to go around the truck. This spot is at the bottom of a hill so I was braking to slow down. I usually just maintain speed and go right through. As I went around him my rear tire hit some gravel and slid out from under me again. This time on my left side. I didn't even know that my head hit the ground until I saw the scratches on the side of my helmet. I felt nothing. Of course I got road rash and bruising again. My ribs got a little bruised this time. Only damage was a scratch on the front left sram shifter. I wasn't very nice to the F150 owner.

These two accidents happened within about 2 months of each other. Has me a little shell shocked really. My confidence is really low. I am way more concerned with weather for sure. Its not worth risking my health or my expensive bike riding on days with high chance of rain. One thing I am also considering is gloves. Its hard to work out at the gym or ride my bike with open wounds on my hands. Not sure how well the bike gloves work against road rash?

veganbikes

A helmet thread, those always end well.

Look I say probably a good idea to wear a helmet it protects your head and inside the head is the brain but you do you.

Alligator

I wear one in the summer to stop my head from getting sunburned. In the fall, winter, and spring, I wear a Hövding. Best helmet I’ve ever used from a safety standpoint.

kahn

Never heard about it until your post. Interesting device.

mstateglfr 

Why would you have a sweaty head after a 5mi neighborhood ride that lasts less than 30min?

Dont wear a helmet if you don't want to wear a helmet. It doesn't affect me either way.
I wear one because I find value in wearing one. I crashed on the road in June which broke 2 ribs and separated my clavicle. My helmet hit the ground while I was going 22 or so mph. Had I not had the helmet on, my skull would have directly hit the road.

To each their own. We all evaluate risk and safety differently.

mstateglfr 

Is it a helmet? Seems like a collar that explodes into an airbag.
I remember seeing a video for this and thinking it was an SNL commercial. Interesting to see a recommendation in the wild.

kahn

I was hit by a pickup truck a number of years ago. My body took a real beating and my left sitting bone could have used its own helmet. I cut holes in saddles for about two years. But my helmet also took a beating in the left temporal area. I think I might have been the worse for wear if not killed or brain damaged and even if none of that happened I would really have badly scarred in that area. If we knew when ACCIDENTS were going to happen we would not need helmets.

Alligator

It depends on how you think of “a helmet.” If you want something that will prevent you from scraping your head on a tree branch, this “helmet” is not for you. However, if you regularly commute in traffic, and want to prevent concussions from hitting your head on a windshield or the pavement when you crash, then this is the perfect helmet. It’s pricey, no doubt about it. And it’s one time use. But I love mine and it works well in colder weather. It gives me a lot more confidence that I’ll be around to see my family again if I was ever in a big crash. Ultimately, each person should do their own research for their own use case.