Specialized Prevail helmet crash test

[KLizotte]

A couple of weeks ago, my helmet was hanging off my handlebar and the bike fell over on to the pavement. Imagine my shock when I saw how much damage the helmet sustained from a low impact, largely non-weight bearing incident. I say “largely non-weight bearing” because the straps did get caught in the handlebars so some of the bike weight did fall on the helmet; no one was sitting on the bike at the time. The rear mindset fit system broke and the front of the helmet cracked rather badly for such a small fall IMHO.

My helmet is a Specialized non-MIPS Prevail (I or II?) that I paid $250 for about 5-6 years ago. It is supposed to be reinforced with Kevlar. I’m not at all impressed with it’s noggin protecting properties after this incident; I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I’d ever gone over the handlebars.

I went to Spokes over the weekend and bought a new helmet, a Bontranger wavecell in lime green. Hopefully the hype surrounding the new technology is accurate though I worry about poor airflow making me sweat even more this summer. It supposedly reduces the chance of concussion more than just about any other helmet out there so the trade off should be worth it though.

Any experience with either helmet in real life crash situations? While I have experienced broken bones from biking accidents, I have never hit my head. Knock on wood. I’m familiar with the VA Tech rankings.

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[Steve O]

@AnthonyClayman 202933 wrote:

A helmet should be replaced about every 2 years. The foam degrades and the reality is that when you need it, you want it to do its job. Be glad that it happened off the bike. I have been hit by a car and the only reason I can do anything is that my helmet (a Louis Garneau) took some of the impact.
I now have a WaveCel. So far, we have not met the pavement together so I can’t speak for how it will serve me. I would not use it in the summer. I wear it below 50 degrees. Way too hot otherwise. I have a MIPS Lazer for the warm weather. Testing shows that both MIPS and WaveCel offer some added protection but I will toss both after 2 years. You only have 1 brain and the concussion and dizziness that followed my accident is something I never want to repeat.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/when-to-replace-your-bike-helmet/

If you ride a bike and wear a helmet, you may have heard at some point—perhaps for vague reasons having to do with foam degrading, or maybe corrosion from salt or sweat—that helmets expire. Which is why we were surprised to learn, in the course of researching our recent bike-helmet guide, that John Larkin, an industrial designer specializing in helmets (including some iconic ones, such as the Giro Reverb and Schwinn Atlas), hasn’t replaced his helmet in more than 20 years.

“I ride a 1998 Trek Photon,” he mentioned via email, “which is the first helmet I ever designed. Light, good ‘perception of ventilation’ and ‘vintage’ all at once!”
Now Larkin may be an extreme case, but even the most trusted helmet safety resources do not agree on when to retire a seemingly undamaged bike helmet. The government testing body in the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), recommends replacing a bicycle helmet every five to 10 years. The Snell Memorial Foundation, which also certifies helmets for safety, states a firm five years. And many manufacturers tell you to get rid of your helmet after as little as three years.
…

[Dachs6]

@KLizotte 200737 wrote:

Imagine my shock when I saw how much damage the helmet sustained from a low impact, largely non-weight bearing incident….Any experience with either helmet in real life crash situations?

Late to this thread. I’ve crash tested a few…

I crashed head first about 3 years ago on gravel, demolished my Prevail though the inner lattice held it together as the styrofoam ribs broke apart. I had no concussion, but a lot of road rash and my shorts were finished.

Then this summer (Aug I crashed on a gnarly gravel to asphalt transition wearing a Prevail II. The impact was head first again. Helmet foam held together much better this time, again no concussion. Then Sep 25, while wearing a Specialized Evade (1st Gen) I had a car turn in front of me while I was on my road bike, I grabbed the binders but rims brakes on wet carbon…head first into a car window at 35km/h. Helmet crushed in front, no concussion.

Higher end Specialized helmets perform as advertised, in my experience.

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