QUESTION: I’ve had my helmet for about four years now and haven’t crashed. It looks fine, but I’ve heard conflicting advice about replacement. How often should I really be replacing my helmet? —Emma G.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: Aside from the universal recommendation from experts that you should replace your helmet after a crash, there are no hard-and-fast rules about how often you should swap out your brain bucket for a new one. If the helmet is cracked in the crash, the need for replacement will be obvious, but even without visible cracking, the inside foam may be depressed or damaged in ways that are not easily seen.
But the primary reason behind the idea of periodic replacement of helmets that have not been through a crash is that there can be some degradation of the materials in the helmet from lengthy exposure to sunshine and heat, especially when it’s left in a closed car in high summer.
Some helmet manufacturers recommend getting a new one every five years, but that’s simply a rule of thumb. If your helmet is in good condition and has not been through a crash, it likely can be used much longer. This study, conducted by the engineering firm MEA Forensic, found that age alone did not significantly affect the performance of the protective foam in helmets up to 26 years old. But then, foam is not the only part of a helmet that matters. One helmet I’d worn for several years appeared to be still sound itself, but the polypropylene harness inside that helped keep it in place on my head eventually broke, allowing the bonnet to slide around when wearing it. That told me it was past time to replace the whole thing.
There are other reasons to get a new helmet every so often, and a big one is that the technology, particularly regarding protection from head rotational forces during a crash, is periodically improved and translated into the construction and design of new safety headgear for cyclists. The fit and attachment mechanisms get updated as well.
Whatever you decide about how long to wait before replacing your helmet, the best advice is to continue to wear one when cycling. A recent review by the Cochrane Injuries Group of five studies from different countries concluded that the protective effect of bicycle helmets decreased the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury by 63% to 88% for all ages of bicyclists. And injuries to the upper and mid facial areas are reduced 65%.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
>> A recent review by the Cochrane Injuries Group of five studies from different countries concluded that the protective effect of bicycle helmets decreased the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury by 63% to 88% for all ages of bicyclists. <<
Are there any statistics on how much of an improvement is provided by the MIPS technology you hint at in the article?
From what I’ve been able to learn, the safety improvement is 10-60%, depending on the helmet brand and design, but there are caveats. See https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-gear/mips-the-reality-behind-making-helmets-safer/
Not worried bout replacing my helmet, but I’d like to know how often to clean the pads inside the helmet, which is probably ‘never’ for most people.
I wash my gloves after every ride, but helmet pads are out of sight and out of mind.
Helmet pads are definitely out of sight, but the accumulation of smell is pretty obvious. That’s when it’s time to at least rinse them in clean water, or add a bit of hand soap to the sink and submerge the helmet, working the pads and straps. You’ll be amazed about how dark the water turns.
My helmet is 5 years old and has MIPS technology, it’s still good to wear. The way I tell when the helmet needs to be replaced is when I get what feels like sand on my sweaty forehead, that “sand” is bits of the polyfoam shredding onto your sweaty forehead.
Mips inside the helmet also puts less stress on the polyfoam in a crash, depending how hard you crash will of course depend on the condition of the polyfoam afterward. I can tell, after 50 plus year of riding, when the polyfoam has been compressed or cracked, it’s not rocket science. But if in doubt it’s best to replace.
Typically my helmets last about 12 years.
The best place to find the best crash protection helmet is to google: “Virginia Tech helmet ratings” and then click on the bicycle tab. They are listed from best to worst, simply find a helmet that fits your budget and any other needs you have.
I rinse the helmet pads and straps after every ride. I sweat a lot, and if I don’t rinse them with water from the tap, they get stiff with salt.
Is it safe to use disinfectants, Lysol spray or the like, on a helmet? Does that breakdown the foam?
We refresh our helmets (matching tandemists) periodically for smell and fashion. And will rotate older helmets into loaners and bike rental pool. I want to keep the rental helmets fresh and safe, but it is not feasible to wash them in soapy water after every use. I had not thought about disinfectants being problem, but your article prompted that concern.
I don’t know that answer to that, but if soap and water do the job, I wouldn’t risk the chemicals. See Lysol ingredients at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysol. And some other disinfectants contain bleach or ammonia.
My question is, how do people dispose of an old helmet? Just chuck it in the trash? They can’t really be donated to somewhere like Goodwill, right? There doesn’t seem like much (if any) of the helmet can be recycled either.
If you’ve simply replaced it for one with newer technology, but the old one is still in good condition, you could keep for occasional visitors who might ride with you. But if it is worn out, I put it in the trash. I don’t know of any other option.
I did not see any mention of wave-cell technology that is currently being used by at least one manufacturer. Any data on whether they degrade with time?
According to the WaveCel site, ” WaveCel helmets have the same lifespan as a standard foam helmet.” See https://wavecel.com/faq/
The reason that I would replace a helmet is the amount of time it had been ridden – meaning how much time did it spend in the sun. The sun will break down the “foam” part and every other part of the helmet. Age is NOT the issue IMO, it is hours in the sun
Also MIPS and a Spherical MIPS helmet has to be a safety improvement by holding the helmet together in a crash and rotating to remove energy from the skull area of a crash. hopefully you will never crash, but you never know. I have had a head impact crash twice – once did not knock me out and the other did. My question to you is, how much is your head worth?
Also you can clean everything on the helmet – especially the straps and pads – nothing worse that white salty straps and pads. That helmet is your friend and can save your life