How old is my helmet

All of that is nothing but marketing hype to sell a replacement helmet before you need it. There is some loss of aromatics in the first hours and days after molding, and helmet designers take account of that for standards testing. But after that the foam stabilizes and does not change for many years, unless the EPS is placed in an oven for some period of time and baked. The interior of your car, for example, will not do that, based on helmets we have seen and at least one lab crash test of a helmet always kept in a car in Virginia over many summers.

Helmet shells can be affected by car heat, but not the foam. The Snell Memorial Foundation has tested motorcycle helmets held in storage for more than 20 years and found that they still meet the original standard. See the next paragraph for lab testing of bicycle helmets showing the same thing.

Test Lab proof that performance holds up In MEA Forensic reported on their extensive testing of used but not crashed bicycle helmets shows that the foam liners retain their performance over many years. Some of the helmets were as old as 26 years. They crash tested helmets in their lab. Their analysis showed that there was no significant impact performance change with age. Their data including all helmets tested produced only a 0.

After crash testing the helmets on a standard test rig, MEA took core samples from an uncrashed area of 63 helmets and tested them. This generated data based solely on the foam performance. Again, the findings indicate that helmet liner foam does not deteriorate with age. We have more on this landmark study in this Update newsletter. Looking for an honest manufacturer The Italian company MET said in their catalog that after conducting a test program they had found that "if used properly accordingly to our owner manual, our helmets will still do their job up to eight years after they have been made.

Perhaps their helmets have changed. We applauded MET at the time for undertaking an actual testing program on helmet life and for making that statement. We regarded it as a triumph of integrity over marketing. MET's helmets were made with industry standard shells and liners, so there is no reason we can see that their recommendation should not be good for many other helmet brands as well.

If another manufacturer comes up with a testing program that shows earlier deterioration in the protection from their products we will revise this page. Most are now telling you that if your helmet does not have MIPS or some rotational energy technology you should replace it. We have a page up on that. In sum, we don't find the case for replacing a helmet that meets the ASTM or Snell standards that compelling if the helmet is still in good shape and fits you well.

Select a category New arrivals 1 Visorcat 5. Checkout Shopping Cart. Login Register. Home Visorcat How to find out the real age of your helmet, and other gear-changing headaches. I might end up buying a couple of pairs … And so to that crucial piece of safety gear, the helmet. I just need a bike ….

Related post. At first glance, not very much. One is probably the most famous scientist ever, Even though it might look to be okay, there could easily be a tiny invisible fracture to the shell. If your helmet has an EPS foam liner, then it is only good for one impact only. This is because once the foam has been depressed or squashed it cannot bounce back into shape again, so on the next hit it will not have any ability to absorb the impact. Try this. Take a piece of polystyerene and hit it with a hammer or something.

Now sit down and watch it slowly bounce back to its original shape. Because it can no longer absorb the impact and cushion your head sufficiently. Play it safe, get a new helmet! When your helmet is 5 years old, is that the time to replace your helmet? Maybe yes, maybe no. I would take the time to give it a thorough inspection inside and out. Be critical. Pull on the chin straps, tug hard. If it breaks, then that might be your answer.

In the past decade, helmet technology has come a long way. One of the best reasons to replace can be simply to upgrade to the latest technology in safety standards, comfort, and possibly weight. If in doubt, chuck it out! Heck, this could even provide employment opportunities for countless people all over the country as helmet reconditioners. Professional helmet relining so that it gets done properly. Helmet manufacturers would still make money by selling the liners, padding, straps and other paraphernalia.

At the present, there are far too many helmets of all types being sent to landfills because no-one is taking the responsibility to do anything about recycling expired helmets or simply asking the hard questions like, what to do with expired helmets? Recycling helmets is a subject for another day, but eventually, the problem needs to be addressed. MPN: There have been various theories over the years that motorcyclists should purchase new helmets every three years or so.

So the 3 or 5 year thing is more of an ass saving measure than a real measure of degradation. It will not degrade as quickly as one that is in daily use and kept in sunlight. In your case I guess its used pretty much daily and for long periods of time each day thus 3 years sounds not unreasonable but start the clock when you open the box. So by that logic, are we better off keeping helmets in a cool dark place between rides to extend workable life? There is some discretion applicable in any of these situations, and coaches are always encouraged to lead by example.

As before the straps will degrade the most in UV, see any amount of climbing equipment tests on Dyneema and nylon slings. So is it up to me to suggest we should all be wearing our bike helmets while covering them in a box to protect them from UV and prolong their life? Just make sure the box is aerodynamically teardrop shaped! The UV debate is a bit spurious. Ho much UV really gets onto helmet straps? If you have no defence to that and you are intent on keeping within the BC guidelines then the question you are asking is irrelevant.

If not, then send it back. First use would seem a sensible point for that given the arse covering nature of the guidance.