Old Steelhead

Hi all,
I have an old Giro Hammerhead, that is in almost pristine condition. It has never been bumped hard and is still structurally sound. I love its retro look and want to put it back into service. The issue is that the foam in the headliner is starting to crumble after sitting in storage all these years. The liner is still there so I could use it as a template for cutting a new one. Does anyone have any recommendations for a readily available fabric that I could use for this purpose?

momoman

If you go to Amazon and search for “bicycle helmet padding”, will any of those kits work?

grizzly59

Smash that 30yo helmet with a hammer and find a new one.

gringomojado

Duct Tape

GM

Koyote

Having cracked a few helmets in crashes, I advise against choosing a helmet on the basis of retro style points.

cxwrench

It's wayyyyyy past it's 'expiration' date. Do NOT use it. This is one of the worst ideas I've heard lately.

veganbikes

That helmet is beyond not safe. Unless it were hermetically sealed in a special temperature controlled environment like in a lab (which clearly it wasn't) I wouldn't trust that helmet to protect my head which houses my brain. However I do enjoy using my brain from time to time if you aren't one of those people then staple some foam in that dome and find a cool mountain to ride down. I would down some Everclear first and then go down because hydration is key and since Everclear is clear and water is clear they must be the exact same thing. However if you are healthy you can chug some Jaegermeister, because it has herbs and stuff so it's got to be healthy.


Seriously don't use old helmets. Replace them with regularity at least every 5 years and certainly after any crashes and any drops or other impacts. Again this is not a fashion statement, we aren't wearing it for looks, we are doing so to protect our noggins. Sure it may not totally prevent injury but it will certainly be better than some hair or a naked skull.

Now you don't have to throw the thing away you can display on the wall with other cycling ephemera. Or you can wear it while indoor training or save it for Halloween or National Bubble Wrap Appreciation day or St. Swithin's Day.

reoc01

Dont use beyond expiration date

rsbob 

Retro is cool but also extremely dangerous in this regard. Your noodle should be in the latest greatest SNELL /ANSI rated helmet and your antique proudly mounted forever in a frame.

70sSanO

In the 80’s I had this metallic blue fiberglass Monarch helmet. About a year ago I thought it would be cool to find one and use it. I went on eBay and saw these old Bell, Vetta, Specialized, etc. helmets. Then I thought of my head hitting the pavement in one of them.

I did find a blue helmet, but it was a new Abus and I think it looks pretty cool.

John

2cam16

That would be a wall hanger for me.

Ghazmh

Perhaps you should turn it upside down, fill it with potting soil and use it as a planter. You could hang it from the chin strap!

cb400bill

A much better idea is to buy a new Giro Reverb instead.

Hiro11

The red and black one is an homage to the red and black Prolite I used to race in. I think it was the first helmet with a polycarbonate shell bonded to it. I had the Prolite with the lycra hairnet as well earlier.

TiHabanero

The chance of the helmet being put to use is minimal. Rarely does it happen. The purpose of a helmet is protection should your head hit the pavement or other hard, unyielding object. As one who does not wear a helmet on a regular basis, I am not a helmet nazi.
It makes no sense to wear a helmet that is unable to provide crash protection. A 30 year old helmet will provide less than optimal protection, albeit better than nothing. Put the helmet on display where it belongs and get a new helmet that will provide protection as designed.

Pop N Wood

This is a funny thread.

so black and white.

Cougrrcj

Oh, c'mon... ANY helmet is better than none. I wore a Skid Lid BITD, when organized centuries started requiring a helmet...




But that was 45 years ago...


.

Kapusta

I’ve seen a study where helmets of varying ages were tested (up to 20 years) and the takeaway was that there was no degradation of function within that age range.

Cougrrcj

That old Skid Lid would do next to nothing for impact resistance, but I'm sure it would help with 'road-rash'.

My old college roommate was wearing the first-gen Bell 'mushroom' when he was flipped by a car while riding at 30mph downhill. That bell wore through on the one side as Jim slid some 150' on the pavement. That would have been his ear/scalp ground off and skull ground through had he not been wearing the helmet. Bell gave him a new helmet, free of charge in return for the old one - which they then used for advertising!


.

rydabent

I wish Bell still made the hard shell Tourlite that I had many years ago.

Old Steelhead

Wow, who knew I would get such a reaction. The helmet doesn't seem to be any different from when I bought it in the 80's but...not wanting to put my genius IQ in jeopardy I am now riding with a brand new helmet..