Should You Buy a New Helmet Every 3-4 Years?
#151
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CPSC says 5-10 which overlaps most manufactures 3-5. If you use your helmet a few times a year the CPSC 10 year estimate might be about right. If you use your helmet several times a week manufacturers are probably closer.
(Only one manufacturer suggests 2 btw, they are in Greater Boston.)
Two studies (coincidently by the same legal forensics company) say helmets have an infinite life span. Ask yourself why.
Then there is the quote the styrene data sheets crowd, who think that EPS and styrene are the same thing.
Hey, if YOU want to wear your Bell Tourlite or Bell Biker in 2020 (and beyond) “enjoy.”
-mr. bill
(Only one manufacturer suggests 2 btw, they are in Greater Boston.)
Two studies (coincidently by the same legal forensics company) say helmets have an infinite life span. Ask yourself why.
Then there is the quote the styrene data sheets crowd, who think that EPS and styrene are the same thing.
Hey, if YOU want to wear your Bell Tourlite or Bell Biker in 2020 (and beyond) “enjoy.”
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 12-23-19 at 04:58 PM.
#153
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You have an argument that proves way too much--if inspection is essentially useless, then I have no way of knowing whether the helmet was fatally compromised in shipment or just basic handling at the store. Obviously, the only rational way to do this is to acquire a helmet right at the end of the production line after, of course, minutely observing every facet of the helmet's production.
In use, however, there isn’t anything to protect the helmet from exposure to chemicals or environment conditions that can compromise the helmet. You can’t see that kind of damage. And, again, neither can you test for that kind of damage.
]Sorry, but if the CPSC says up to 10 years is ok, I'm finding it pretty damn hard to believe that the manufacturers have some secret knowledge that the CPSC doesn't regarding degradation over time.
Can we stop with the nonsense "conspiracy" condescension? These are all business concerns with marketing departments, I don't have to be some sort of paranoid to think that might affect their call on when replacement is needed.
BTW, I don't think anyone here is suggesting that someone use 20 year old helmets,. The question in the OP was specifically about 3-5 years. There seem to be plenty of sources more knowledgeable than thee or me that indicate that that range is not based on anything.
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#154
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Yup. I’ve used several over the last 40 years. Somewhere between 15 and 20 or, roughly, every 2 to 3 years. It’s never fun to actually put one to the test.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#155
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#156
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I find the fact that I've repeated that 3-5 years has actually been too long for me and you keep accusing me of taking unreasonable risks rather funny.
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After this thread started, I got the idea to explain to my wife that I need a new bike every couple of years because the carbon fiber loses it’s integrity over time. She bought me an aluminum bike for Christmas and said I would never need another bike.
#158
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To my memory, my helmets have had a year of manufacture marked on them. My current one certainly does.
Yet you also repeatedly claim that the material doesn't degrade which seems that you are advocating that others replace their helmet when? If you didn't bang up your helmet more frequently, if it showed no signs of damaging wear or impact, how long would you go before replacement?
Yet you also repeatedly claim that the material doesn't degrade which seems that you are advocating that others replace their helmet when? If you didn't bang up your helmet more frequently, if it showed no signs of damaging wear or impact, how long would you go before replacement?
I'd probably go with the CPSC and do an automatic replacement every 5-10 years. But, basically, I think this whole degradation issue is a total red herring as no one seems to have any real evidence that it's a significant factor in any of these range calculations. If it is the major factor, then 3-4 years is absurdly short.
For me, the real calculation is whether I am getting any enhanced safety and/or comfort (without safety loss) by purchasing a new helmet. That's really going to depend more on what's available at a price I'm willing to pay than some hypothetical degradation rate that no one seems to have actually quantified in a manner that anyone else can check their work.
BTW, I've relegated a couple of helmets that were barely used to the "keep as a backup" status because I became convinced that MIPS was likely a very good purchase of safety for the cost so they're what I'm using primarily. My tentative conclusion is that MIPS helmets are actually going to require more frequent replacement for me than conventional foam helmets as the points of connection between the liner and the foam are more subject to the effects of wear. I think this trade-off is worth it.
Long story short, I think people can make reasonable judgments about when to replace their helmet without blindly accepting the "recommendations" of people who clearly have a financial interest in planned obsolescence.
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Oh, and one more thing from the actual packaging --here's Bell's safety warning: "A helmet has a limited lifespan in use and should be replaced when it shows obvious signs of wear." Not a single word indicates a fixed rate of degradation. If that's the manufacturer's warning, it's a lot closer to my view than "every 3-4 years."
#160
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My helmet is a Bell V1-Pro in a cool camo pattern that I bought in 1986 when I worked at a bike shop. The conspiracy of that purchase is that it is easier to sell bike helmets when I am a helmet user. I don’t plan to replace it unless my head smacks the ground, which is what I consider “use” in my way of thinking.
I recently replaced the sweat pads and the velcro attach points are still in great shape.
I recently replaced the sweat pads and the velcro attach points are still in great shape.
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Oh, and one more thing from the actual packaging --here's Bell's safety warning: "A helmet has a limited lifespan in use and should be replaced when it shows obvious signs of wear." Not a single word indicates a fixed rate of degradation. If that's the manufacturer's warning, it's a lot closer to my view than "every 3-4 years."
“Bell also recommends that helmets be replaced every 3 to 5 years from the date of purchase.”
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 12-28-19 at 09:38 AM.
#162
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You are going to want to read the whole owner’s manual.
“Bell also recommends that helmets be replaced every 3 to 5 years from the date of purchase.”
-mr. bill
“Bell also recommends that helmets be replaced every 3 to 5 years from the date of purchase.”
-mr. bill
Interesting. Note that they give no reason for the recommendation. Also note that it really isn't consistent with the recommendation in the warning section. Guess which section their attorneys would insist not be touched by the marketing department.
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If anyone wants to replace his helmet for any reason, they're golden in my view. That's the American Way, prosperity through consumption. But it rubs me the wrong way to scare people into buying what they don't need, especially when it's based on obvious CYA legal disclaimers by the manufacturer.