Replace A Banged Helmet??
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Replace A Banged Helmet??
I was riding at the weekend and had just had to stop suddenly as some people coming the other way came downhill and round a corner fast and as I pulled away it felt like my brakes were still on so I was looking down at the wheel instead of ahead of me as I gathered speed again and didn't see a tree branch that was drooping down into my path and smacked it with a hefty impact ... all I can say is thank goodness I was wearing a helmet.
It's broken the covering in a couple of places but it seems to be superficial and there doesn't appear to be any other damage .... if I push hard in the areas where the covering's been affected it seems totally solid ... would you replace the helmet as a matter of course or would you think it's OK???
I only started wearing a helmet a coupe of years ago when I became a "more serious cyclist" but the number of people I know that have had accidents that if they weren't swearing one could have been really quite serious ... a friend of my parents ... their son wasn't and he has to be permanently looked after / can't hold a job or anything .... can't believe how stupid I was for so many years!!
Interested to hear people's thoughts on the helmet although I'm erring towards it'd probably be stupid not to replace it.
It's broken the covering in a couple of places but it seems to be superficial and there doesn't appear to be any other damage .... if I push hard in the areas where the covering's been affected it seems totally solid ... would you replace the helmet as a matter of course or would you think it's OK???
I only started wearing a helmet a coupe of years ago when I became a "more serious cyclist" but the number of people I know that have had accidents that if they weren't swearing one could have been really quite serious ... a friend of my parents ... their son wasn't and he has to be permanently looked after / can't hold a job or anything .... can't believe how stupid I was for so many years!!
Interested to hear people's thoughts on the helmet although I'm erring towards it'd probably be stupid not to replace it.
#2
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I was riding at the weekend and had just had to stop suddenly as some people coming the other way came downhill and round a corner fast and as I pulled away it felt like my brakes were still on so I was looking down at the wheel instead of ahead of me as I gathered speed again and didn't see a tree branch that was drooping down into my path and smacked it with a hefty impact ... all I can say is thank goodness I was wearing a helmet.
It's broken the covering in a couple of places but it seems to be superficial and there doesn't appear to be any other damage .... if I push hard in the areas where the covering's been affected it seems totally solid ... would you replace the helmet as a matter of course or would you think it's OK???
I only started wearing a helmet a coupe of years ago when I became a "more serious cyclist" but the number of people I know that have had accidents that if they weren't swearing one could have been really quite serious ... a friend of my parents ... their son wasn't and he has to be permanently looked after / can't hold a job or anything .... can't believe how stupid I was for so many years!!
Interested to hear people's thoughts on the helmet although I'm erring towards it'd probably be stupid not to replace it.
It's broken the covering in a couple of places but it seems to be superficial and there doesn't appear to be any other damage .... if I push hard in the areas where the covering's been affected it seems totally solid ... would you replace the helmet as a matter of course or would you think it's OK???
I only started wearing a helmet a coupe of years ago when I became a "more serious cyclist" but the number of people I know that have had accidents that if they weren't swearing one could have been really quite serious ... a friend of my parents ... their son wasn't and he has to be permanently looked after / can't hold a job or anything .... can't believe how stupid I was for so many years!!
Interested to hear people's thoughts on the helmet although I'm erring towards it'd probably be stupid not to replace it.
We've had our differences, but I'm glad you're ok and would like you to stay that way. Don't take the risk of wearing this helmet again.
Likes For livedarklions:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,444
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4232 Post(s)
Liked 2,947 Times
in
1,806 Posts
Helmets are single crash and then throw away items.
Likes For himespau:
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,232
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18409 Post(s)
Liked 15,525 Times
in
7,325 Posts
At a minimum, I'd look it as a mandatory need to upgrade.
#5
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I definitely agree with this ... it really was a hell of a bang, the 2 guys behind me were .... Christ are you OK as they heard how hard the impact was and apart from having my head jerked a bit I didn't feel a thing so it did a brilliant job .... won't look down at my brakes again in the future unless I've taken a long good look ahead of me 1st or am stationary so a cheap lesson learnt.
#7
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I feel like that's a bit of an olive brunch for which I have the greatest respect ... takes balls ..... happy to put anything that's gone before behind us as a stupid internet misunderstanding and thank you for the well wishes!!
I definitely agree with this ... it really was a hell of a bang, the 2 guys behind me were .... Christ are you OK as they heard how hard the impact was and apart from having my head jerked a bit I didn't feel a thing so it did a brilliant job .... won't look down at my brakes again in the future unless I've taken a long good look ahead of me 1st or am stationary so a cheap lesson learnt.
I definitely agree with this ... it really was a hell of a bang, the 2 guys behind me were .... Christ are you OK as they heard how hard the impact was and apart from having my head jerked a bit I didn't feel a thing so it did a brilliant job .... won't look down at my brakes again in the future unless I've taken a long good look ahead of me 1st or am stationary so a cheap lesson learnt.
I've never hit my head falling or flying off a bike, but the branch thing is almost unavoidable if you ride enough trail miles or anywhere with roadside hedges and bushes--there's often a tree branch hidden in the mix. I usually get it where the road is rough and I'm having to focus on avoiding bumps and potholes, so I really can't look up as much as I want to. I've had a number of glancing blows, but nothing so hard as you describe. Startles the hell out of me, but the helmet has always stopped it from being anything injurious. If nothing else, I'm pretty sure I would have suffered some pretty nasty gashes. Really an underestimated benefit of wearing helmets--thanks for bringing it up.
Likes For livedarklions:
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 2,249
Bikes: 1964 Legnano Roma Olympiade, 1973 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Raleigh Super Course, 1978 Peugeot PR10, 2002 Specialized Allez, 2007 Specialized Roubaix, 2013 Culprit Croz Blade
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 741 Post(s)
Liked 818 Times
in
421 Posts
I've retired two helmets due to crashes. My old Costco Bell was dented in two places from street contact, but I was fine, never lost consciousness. The other one, a Specialized, had no obvious damage but I was out cold, with concussion. Both did their jobs, I guess. I hated to retire the Specialized. I liked the fit and color, and never found one just like it again, but there are others just as good. Not about style, and some don't cost that much, just stay safe. Specialized used to have a discount for crash replacement, but I couldn't find my receipt, proof of purchase.
Last edited by Slightspeed; 07-01-19 at 08:40 AM.
#9
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,113
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 853 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times
in
816 Posts
Bike helmets are designed to protect the head from one hard blow. They would have to be more like mortorcycle helmets, very heavy and sight/hearing restrictive. Be glad the helmet did its job and retire it immediately!
#10
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I've retired two helmets due to crashes. My old Costco Bell was dented in two places from street contact, but I was fine, never lost consciousness, the other one, a Specialized, had no obvious damage but I was out cold, with concussion. Both did their jobs, I guess. I hated to retire the Specialized. I liked the fit and color, and never found one just like it again, but there are others just as good. Not about style, and some don't cost that much, just stay safe.
I think it's pretty clear at this point that safety, comfort and price are independent variables and not well correlated.
Glad you're ok.
#12
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
#13
Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 37
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
3 Posts
One Hard Blow
Unless something with motorcycle helmets has changed in the past few years they are one bang items also.
Insurance companies agree....
I was in a motorcycle accident 3 years ago and when the insurance company began the claim on my bike, the first line item was $xxx for a new helmet. When I questioned why, they said that helmets were rated for one hard blow and would need to be replaced.
After a little research, I discovered back then that even if you dropped a helmet on the ground, you should replace the helmet.
Likes For alfordjo:
#14
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,113
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 853 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times
in
816 Posts
I stand corrected, thanks.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,902
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4802 Post(s)
Liked 3,923 Times
in
2,552 Posts
I'm not quite so "you gotta have a new one, now!". Yes, your helmet is compromised. So for a specific hit, it is not as good. The odds that you will need that helmts's protection in the next say 6 months - not very high. Multiply those odds and you get a very small number.
I approach issues like this like I do bends to traditional steel forks. Re-bend the fork and order/keep an eye out for a replacement. Do small damage to the helmet, keep wearing it and have your eyes out for a new one; either the same on sale if you like it or a step up that strikes you. (I wore my original Bell which took a very hard hit until I received the replacement from Bell.)
I'm still wearing the POC I crashed wearing two weeks ago. Dazed myself/slight concussion. No visible damage to the helmet. (I have suffered a major TMI and can get concussions simply from hard body slams, no head contact needed.) The helmet is 5 years old and has served me well. So my eyes are open for the next one.
Ben
I approach issues like this like I do bends to traditional steel forks. Re-bend the fork and order/keep an eye out for a replacement. Do small damage to the helmet, keep wearing it and have your eyes out for a new one; either the same on sale if you like it or a step up that strikes you. (I wore my original Bell which took a very hard hit until I received the replacement from Bell.)
I'm still wearing the POC I crashed wearing two weeks ago. Dazed myself/slight concussion. No visible damage to the helmet. (I have suffered a major TMI and can get concussions simply from hard body slams, no head contact needed.) The helmet is 5 years old and has served me well. So my eyes are open for the next one.
Ben
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,547
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18372 Post(s)
Liked 4,507 Times
in
3,350 Posts
Don't post here and expect the group to say to put duct tape on it and keep riding.
We can see that the cover has been compromised. But, I've seen that with age and banging around the house (which may also be bad).
But, it is impossible to see the condition of the foam from your photo, and whether there are cracks in the foam. That would be a judgement call you'll have to make.
Nonetheless, that appears to be a relatively cheap helmet, and replacing it may well be worth peace of mind... or preventing the mind to be in pieces the next time.
We can see that the cover has been compromised. But, I've seen that with age and banging around the house (which may also be bad).
But, it is impossible to see the condition of the foam from your photo, and whether there are cracks in the foam. That would be a judgement call you'll have to make.
Nonetheless, that appears to be a relatively cheap helmet, and replacing it may well be worth peace of mind... or preventing the mind to be in pieces the next time.
#17
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
Don't post here and expect the group to say to put duct tape on it and keep riding.
We can see that the cover has been compromised. But, I've seen that with age and banging around the house (which may also be bad).
But, it is impossible to see the condition of the foam from your photo, and whether there are cracks in the foam. That would be a judgement call you'll have to make.
Nonetheless, that appears to be a relatively cheap helmet, and replacing it may well be worth peace of mind... or preventing the mind to be in pieces the next time.
We can see that the cover has been compromised. But, I've seen that with age and banging around the house (which may also be bad).
But, it is impossible to see the condition of the foam from your photo, and whether there are cracks in the foam. That would be a judgement call you'll have to make.
Nonetheless, that appears to be a relatively cheap helmet, and replacing it may well be worth peace of mind... or preventing the mind to be in pieces the next time.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,900
Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2603 Post(s)
Liked 1,926 Times
in
1,209 Posts
I don't "believe" helmets do much good, and the data behind helmet use is mixed, but it's time to replace this one. Why?
I look at helmets as lawyer repellants. The insurance company's lawyers, or lawyer for the jerk who runs into you, the first question coming out of their mouth will be, "Were you wearing a helmet?"
Wearing this helmet with cracks will let them argue, "The helmet wasn't being used according to manufacturer's instructions, which say replace after every accident, so it's the victim's fault his leg ended up broken. (A subsequent review of the original TRT data showed no significant reduction in head injuries with helmet use, but did show that helmet use was associated with a reduction in leg injuries.) Especially since OP posted a picture.
No, it's time to replace the damaged helmet so your magic defense against attorneys remains intact.
I look at helmets as lawyer repellants. The insurance company's lawyers, or lawyer for the jerk who runs into you, the first question coming out of their mouth will be, "Were you wearing a helmet?"
Wearing this helmet with cracks will let them argue, "The helmet wasn't being used according to manufacturer's instructions, which say replace after every accident, so it's the victim's fault his leg ended up broken. (A subsequent review of the original TRT data showed no significant reduction in head injuries with helmet use, but did show that helmet use was associated with a reduction in leg injuries.) Especially since OP posted a picture.
No, it's time to replace the damaged helmet so your magic defense against attorneys remains intact.
Likes For pdlamb:
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Northeastern MA, USA
Posts: 1,678
Bikes: Garmin/Tacx Bike Smart
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 646 Post(s)
Liked 289 Times
in
191 Posts
Had this same choice in April. I replaced it without hesitation. Helmets are expensive, but still cheaper than heads.
Likes For dmanthree:
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,952
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix, Canyon Inflite AL SLX, Ibis Ripley AF, Priority Continuum Onyx, Santana Vision, Kent Dual-Drive Tandem
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 871 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times
in
436 Posts
I crashed two days after buying a Lazer Cyclone MIPS, top of the VTech safety ratings. No concussion, but a small dent and scratch on the Lazer. It's no longer readily available to buy, which is a bummer, but I haven't worn it since. In the meantime I still have the once-king of those VTech ratings, the Bontrager Ballista, but I ordered a new road helmet to replace the Lazer since I feel silly wearing an aero road helmet on slower rides.
#21
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I crashed two days after buying a Lazer Cyclone MIPS, top of the VTech safety ratings. No concussion, but a small dent and scratch on the Lazer. It's no longer readily available to buy, which is a bummer, but I haven't worn it since. In the meantime I still have the once-king of those VTech ratings, the Bontrager Ballista, but I ordered a new road helmet to replace the Lazer since I feel silly wearing an aero road helmet on slower rides.
#22
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
I don't "believe" helmets do much good, and the data behind helmet use is mixed, but it's time to replace this one. Why?
I look at helmets as lawyer repellants. The insurance company's lawyers, or lawyer for the jerk who runs into you, the first question coming out of their mouth will be, "Were you wearing a helmet?"
Wearing this helmet with cracks will let them argue, "The helmet wasn't being used according to manufacturer's instructions, which say replace after every accident, so it's the victim's fault his leg ended up broken. (A subsequent review of the original TRT data showed no significant reduction in head injuries with helmet use, but did show that helmet use was associated with a reduction in leg injuries.) Especially since OP posted a picture.
No, it's time to replace the damaged helmet so your magic defense against attorneys remains intact.
I look at helmets as lawyer repellants. The insurance company's lawyers, or lawyer for the jerk who runs into you, the first question coming out of their mouth will be, "Were you wearing a helmet?"
Wearing this helmet with cracks will let them argue, "The helmet wasn't being used according to manufacturer's instructions, which say replace after every accident, so it's the victim's fault his leg ended up broken. (A subsequent review of the original TRT data showed no significant reduction in head injuries with helmet use, but did show that helmet use was associated with a reduction in leg injuries.) Especially since OP posted a picture.
No, it's time to replace the damaged helmet so your magic defense against attorneys remains intact.
#23
Cycleway town
There's no legal case against anyone at any time, in any situation or case, where a rider wasn't wearing a helmet - in areas where the wearing of one is not mandatory by law. Here, it couldn't be used against me.
Should you wear a helmet? Or replace a damaged one? Yeah, if you're likely to hit your head on something because you don't look where you're going. In fact the really clumsy should just wear one 24/7 regardless of what they're doing.
Should you wear a helmet? Or replace a damaged one? Yeah, if you're likely to hit your head on something because you don't look where you're going. In fact the really clumsy should just wear one 24/7 regardless of what they're doing.
#24
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,098 Times
in
5,054 Posts
There's no legal case against anyone at any time, in any situation or case, where a rider wasn't wearing a helmet - in areas where the wearing of one is not mandatory by law. Here, it couldn't be used against me.
Should you wear a helmet? Or replace a damaged one? Yeah, if you're likely to hit your head on something because you don't look where you're going. In fact the really clumsy should just wear one 24/7 regardless of what they're doing.
Should you wear a helmet? Or replace a damaged one? Yeah, if you're likely to hit your head on something because you don't look where you're going. In fact the really clumsy should just wear one 24/7 regardless of what they're doing.
It's really easy to miss a branch hanging right above eye level when you're looking forward--it's just not somewhere you're paying attention to because there's almost never anything there.
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I may go up one level from this and would like one with removable padding as I'm sure on the really hot days salt accumulates in the padding from when you sweat and can contribute to making your eyes more sore than they'd otherwise be on those scorching days if you can't remove and wash the padding from time to time.
I'm also in the camp of not spending a fortune on it as livedarklions mentioned you're then in the bracket being reluctant to replace it after a bang .... especially if it happened within a week or two of buying it and even the cheapest ones have to conform to a level of safety testing.