About that thing on your head…

[OneEighth]

Just a quick reminder, folks, if you don’t wear it correctly, the helmet won’t protect you properly.
So, for starters, make sure you’ve got it on with the front of the helmet facing…forward. Most helmets are adjustable at the back, so if you’ve got that in front, spin it round.
Now, here’s the bit I see loads of folks get wrong—the front of the helmet should sit right above your brow. That way, when you crash, the helmet will take the hit rather than your forehead. But don’t worry, helmets are designed to protect the back of your head even when you’ve got them down nice and low over your forehead.
One more thing—strap it down properly. If you don’t secure the straps at all, the helmet will come off in an accident instead of staying put and absorbing the shock. Same deal if the straps are sloppy loose. Properly adjusted straps also help you make sure that your helmet is sitting properly on your head (by which I mean right above your brow).
If your helmet is old (as in more than 5 years), replace it.
If you’ve smacked it into the pavement, replace it.
Cheers.

Topic

[mstone]

And my favorite pet peeve–No jaunty angle!

[CCrew]

@mstone 17347 wrote:

And my favorite pet peeve–No jaunty angle!

I love the soccer moms that wear a baseball cap underneath. They rock

[aflapr]

@OneEighth 17344 wrote:

…So, for starters, make sure you’ve got it on with the front of the helmet facing…forward. Most helmets are adjustable at the back, so if you’ve got that in front, spin it round…One more thing—strap it down properly. If you don’t secure the straps at all, the helmet will come off in an accident instead of staying put and absorbing the shock…

About once I week I see someone wearing a helmet backwards with the straps dangling. I never know if I should offer to help or if this is yet another fashion trend that has passed me by.

[pfunkallstar]

@CCrew 17348 wrote:

I love the soccer moms that wear a baseball cap underneath. They rock

My cousin did that once, took a spill, and ended up with the craziest looking bruise ever from that little metal thing on the inside.

[rcannon100]

If your helmet is old (as in more than 5 years), replace it.

This is not meant as a challenge. This is an honest question. Why?? The helmet – the functional part that protects you – is styrofoam. It doesnt age. Its an artificial substance. As long as the integrity of the helmet remains, I dont understand the “styrofoam is old” argument. Is there any actual real research on why a helmet goes bad over time?

Thanks

[americancyclo]

@rcannon100 17353 wrote:

This is not meant as a challenge. This is an honest question. Why?? The helmet – the functional part that protects you – is styrofoam. It doesnt age. Its an artificial substance. As long as the integrity of the helmet remains, I dont understand the “styrofoam is old” argument. Is there any actual real research on why a helmet goes bad over time?

Thanks

I’ve often heard this at bike shops too, that helmets should be replaced every year or two, but I did find this, although I’ve never heard of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (website revised last in 2010)

The Italian company MET says in their 2010 catalog: “We are often asked ‘For how long is a helmet safe?’, or ‘how often should I replace my helmet?”’ Until now it has been difficult to find any reliable figures to help answer these queries. MET have now developed a series of tests which are conducted on aged helmets to determine a ‘best before’ date (unless the helmet is involved in an accident. In that case it should be replaced immediately.). The results indicate 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. Not only is that good news for the customer, it’s great news for the environment!”

We applaud MET for undertaking an actual testing program on helmet life and for making that statement. We regard it as a triumph of integrity over marketing. MET’s helmets are 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 review this page.
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.

[off2ride]

The one that took the cake for me was this rider wearing her HELMET on BACKWARDS plus the FORK on her bike was facing the rear of the bike while she was riding it. Now that’s a WTOP Knuckle head.

@aflapr 17350 wrote:

About once I week I see someone wearing a helmet backwards with the straps dangling. I never know if I should offer to help or if this is yet another fashion trend that has passed me by.

[baiskeli]

@rcannon100 17353 wrote:

This is not meant as a challenge. This is an honest question. Why?? The helmet – the functional part that protects you – is styrofoam. It doesnt age. Its an artificial substance. As long as the integrity of the helmet remains, I dont understand the “styrofoam is old” argument. Is there any actual real research on why a helmet goes bad over time?

Thanks

You’ve already received a great answer, so I’ll just add my mindless speculation. Exposure to the sun and heat, even the part under a liner, probably breaks down styrofoam a bit.

[txgoonie]

There’s definitely wear and tear to consider with your helmet. I know I abuse mine pretty bad – I drop it all the time, which can cause small dents over time. I chain it to my bike at work so the adjustable cradle in the back gets beat up. The straps get gross after a while. I want all of those parts working all the time, not just the foam, so getting a new one after a few years of near daily use seems pretty reasonable.

[brendan]

@off2ride 17355 wrote:

The one that took the cake for me was this rider wearing her HELMET on BACKWARDS plus the FORK on her bike was facing the rear of the bike while she was riding it. Now that’s a WTOP Knuckle head.

How was the bike not falling over? My gut feeling is that would be extremely unstable…

[OneEighth]

@rcannon100 17353 wrote:

This is not meant as a challenge. This is an honest question. Why?? The helmet – the functional part that protects you – is styrofoam. It doesnt age. Its an artificial substance. As long as the integrity of the helmet remains, I dont understand the “styrofoam is old” argument. Is there any actual real research on why a helmet goes bad over time?

Thanks

It’s a valid question and I appreciate it and americancyclo’s info, too.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never questioned it. When I used to work in a motorcycle shop, regular replacement of helmets was accepted practice among the riders (and racers) who worked there. The explanation I heard is that your sweat, etc., affects the styrofoam and degrades its shock-dissipation properties over time. Again, I’ve never sought a reason not to replace my helmets frequently because I accepted the underlyng idea that is a good practice to regularly replace wear and tear items. What indicator you use is beside the point to me.
Look at it this way, the longer you have a helmet, the more likely you are to have dropped it, scuffed it, exposed it to loads of sunlight (not kind to the plastic shell that holds the styrofoam in place when you hit), whatever—all things that produce impact on the helmet and, however slightly, degrade its shock-dissipation capacity. I want my helmet as close to 100% when I really need it. Regular replacement just ups my odds as I see it.
I would also note that in the excerpt that americancyclo posted, the helmet manufacturer still felt compelled to qualify their statements about the life-span of the helmet—note the reference to 8 years.

[off2ride]

It’s still ride-able. Provided the cables are not binding but the handling will be twitchy. I’m sure she noticed something was not right but she carried on anyway. I hope she operates a motor car normally.

[CCrew]

@OneEighth 17363 wrote:

I would also note that in the excerpt that americancyclo posted, the helmet manufacturer still felt compelled to qualify their statements about the life-span of the helmet—note the reference to 8 years.

The 5 years more than anything comes from almost all the racing venues. Helmets, safety harnesses, firesuits, etc are only certified from 5 years from the tagged date. No tag or expired tag can mean disqualification. IIRC, UCI may have the 5 year rule on Helmets, and I know USAT does.

[DSalovesh]

The other part is that over “a number” of years the condition of a used helmet is unpredictable and untestable.

That time it fell off the table once? Probably still fine. The one that’s fallen off a table on average once a week for five years, that got banged on a door frame once or twice a month, that got smushed by the bag in the closet, that has no sharp corners anywhere anymore and got a couple of gouges along the way? Still effective? Nobody really knows, and nobody could say which of those minor defects did or didn’t put it over the line.

If it was then involved in a crash and it failed to protect as intended, the folks who design them – and sell them too, of course – are saying they wouldn’t be surprised. I trust them in the first place or I wouldn’t wear their helmets at all, so I don’t really have much reason to disagree when they tell me there’s a limit.

And helmets are pretty inexpensive overall. Basic commuter helmets are $45-65, enthusiast helmets are $100-120, and it’s hard to spend over $200 on any helmet. With a five year expected lifetime, for daily riders, that’s at least 1,200 uses, so it’s under $0.20 per day even for the most costly ones. At that cost, considering the purpose, it’s hard to worry about squeezing extra life out of an old or uncertain one.

[OneEighth]

Even with a good helmet, worn properly, you can still end up with an injury. This is all about reducing the risk and severity of injury.
Case in point, I flipped early this February while going roughly 25 mph. Point of initial impact was my left temple before I rolled onto my back and slid. The styrofoam broke in several places and separated from the plastic skeleton that covers the helmet at the left temple and at the top rear of the helmet (thereby protecting the back of my skull).
The helmet functioned as designed. No complaint there whatsoever.
And yet, I still ended up with a lovely concussion that lasted the better part of four weeks.
Now who are you people and get off my lawn.

[Author]

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