I understand this is a topic that comes up often enough and the answer is often “it depends”, but I’m looking to get a feeling for when people pull the trigger on buying a new helmet.
Would you only replace in case of ;
Visible damage to the helmet
And/or being in volved in a crash or accident where contact was made with the helmet
Or does anyone replace their helmet after a certain amount of time, regardless?
Ive a specialized Align MIPS II that is 4yrs old, but with no visible signs of wear (no cracks etc.) I’m sure it’s been dropped a few times as it’s been heavily used, but it’s not been involved in any crashes or accidents. Should I think of replacing, or is that a total waste of money?
If the helmet is involved in a crash or has visible damage i replace it of course, as you described.
But if the helmet reaches an age of 5 years i replace it as well. This is also within in the recommendations of some of the helmet manufactures like Met.
I replace all my ski or bike helmets every 3 years, and if they were in a crash with ground contact in case of bike helmets. Exception maybe if I am 100% sure that it was a non-damaging crash without an actual impact and there are zero traces on the helmet itself.
The material deteriorates from sunlight and all the tiny every day impacts of handling, and I had two bad concussions, one with partial amnesia, so I want to take no risks in that regard. You only get one head and one brain, no point in saving money on them.
Absent any obvious structural damage I look for a new helmet once I get a sense that my current one is getting old (usually at about the 5 year mark). If I’m riding around doubting that my helmet is doing its job then that encroaches on my enjoyment.
I’m not a fan of plastic waste so for a while I’ve been repurposing my old helmets as hanging baskets in the garage.
I don’t have a firm rule about when to replace my helmet so I was curious when this thread popped up. I’m a little suspicious when companies that want to sell me stuff ask me to buy something new every X years. So I just looked around on Google Scholar and the studies I found on helmet aging find no significant effect of age on impact performance:
I think it’s interesting to note that for both of the studies on bicycle helmets, I could not find any studies that showed the opposite or argued against their findings.
Of course, this is just two studies, helmets aren’t that expensive and you only have one head and brain. So this isn’t to say people shouldn’t replace their helmets.
If the helmet is “well used” as you describe, I would probably feel more comfortable replacing it within 5 years or so.
The other thing to note is that even if helmets don’t deteriorate meaningfully over time, technology still advances and so a new helmet today could still be better (safer, lighter, more aero etc.) than your old helmet, even if your old helmet is as good as the day you bought it. One of my motivators when I last bought a helmet was getting something with a 5* rating on VT’s testing.
Since styrofoam can degrade (especially in sunlight) I’ve made it a practice to replace my helmets every three or four years. Helmets are cheap insurance and (I can say from experience) do work.
The idea that the clock starts ticking from the day of manufacture is because the manufacturers/brands have no way of knowing how a helmet is used and stored from the moment they ship it.
Helmets degrade through UV and temperature (high temp certainly). If you have left your helmet in a car, in sunlight, on a hot day, it should probably be replaced.
Beyond that, it entirely depends on how well you store the helmet, and how much/often you use it. Daily use equals relatively often replacement. Occasional (once a week) use and cool, dark storage, and it might last a decade or more.
When I was racing, I replaced helmets yearly or when I crashed. If you live in a high heat/high UV area, the styrofoam will compact. I had a silver helmet with black lettering and after a summer of riding you could feel the indentation of the letters in the styrofoam.
I still try to replace my helmet yearly due to general wear and tear and temperature differential between summer and winter riding.
Light colored helmets will deal better with bright sunlight and heat compared to a dark helmet in the same conditions.
I have ended up “testing” every type of helmet I have used. DH skiing, Ice Climbing, MTB & Road bike, hard hat. As several have mentioned, you only have one head.
Lazer used to have a section of their FAQ page on this subject that said they’d tested helmets up to 7 years old that showed no signs of degradation. They’ve removed it, probably because they realized it was costing them sales….Kask recommending 3yrs is IMHO profiteering and also hits retailers with old stock customers refuse to buy.
I don’t set a calendar but I probably replace mine every 4-5 years (assuming no impacts) - I ride outside year round and also have separate winter (fluorescent yellow and poorly vented Trek Circuit) and summer (lightweight Trek Velocis) helmets which spreads the wear and tear, UV exposure etc
If you look after your helmet, store it correctly and protect it from knocks, scrapes and damage, it can perform appropriately beyond the five-year replacement window. Equally, if your helmet sees a lot of abuse and is subject to harsh environments, even the lower-end three-year replacement cycle is most likely too long.
EPS foam might not degrade overnight, but the real world – UV rays, knocks, and the odd forgetful moment in a hot car – takes its toll. That’s why the 3-5 year replacement window is a solid rule of thumb.
Still, it’s not just about the calendar. The biggest variable is you. A helmet that’s carefully stored and regularly cleaned will last longer than one that’s chucked in the boot of a car or left to marinate in post-ride grime. Even as a coach, I’d see plenty of cracked or damaged lids that had never seen a crash, just careless handling. A reminder that if your helmet looks worse for wear, it probably is.
The best approach? Treat manufacturer recommendations as a baseline, not gospel. If your helmet’s shell color is fading, the EPS is flaking, or it’s picked up a few too many mystery dents, it’s time for a new one, whether it’s six months or six years old. In the end, how you treat your helmet matters more than how long you’ve had it.
I think their is less reason to replace helmets these days than their was some years back when helmets were not as well made and the EPS liners were more exposed to environmental degradation. I used to replace helmets every 2or 3 years simply because helmet technology was advancing and every new helmet brought with it increased comfort, ventilation and possibly protection. A regular wash of the liner and straps can go a long way to extending the life of a helmet. Helmet design in my view is now a bit like frame design, where new models have improvements that are more about marketing than actual improvements the average cyclist would notice. So I’m hanging on to my helmets a bit longer (unless I spot one in a really cool colour and then I’m sold). Why are they almost all black or white!
Damage to helmets is cumulative from day to day impacts (like dropping), UV, environmental factors etc…. You have no way of knowing what has happened to the structural integrity of the helmet over time with respect to how well it will perform in a crash.
Our son had a bad skiing crash that resulted in a 3 week coma and a year of outpatient rehab. He had the best helmet we could find. After his crash, I spent a lot of time going over his helmet (I’m an engineer) wondering why it didn’t protect him more. I could not see a visible change in his helmet that even indicated he had been in a bad crash other than the ER had cut the strap to get it off. In other words, there is a good chance you won’t even be able to tell if the helmet is functional.
Bottom line: the only prudent way to deal with this is using the manufacturer’s recommendations for time or after any crash if sooner. The downside risk of getting it wrong is just not worth it against the small upside risk of new helmets more often.
The helmet may have protected him plenty. We do not know the counter-factual outcome if he had been wearing no helmet or a lesser quality helmet. Helmets are awesome but they can only do so much to safely decelerate a brain.
With regards to helmet lifespan, I go two years or until a crash. I ride like 5 days a week so that’s a lot of sweat, sunscreen, and UV it’s absorbed by then. It’s not worth pushing it.
You may have missed my point and I probably wasn’t clear.
The helmet absolutely protected him. That was evident simply by the lack for external injuries on his head from his highly kinetic fall. I am certain of that. It almost certainly saved his life
But for such a severe crash, there were no external signs the helmet was damaged although it had to have been with a crash of that magnitude and severity and based on the subsequent injury
My point was that it is very difficult to impossible in many cases to ascertain if a helmet has been damaged in a fall. A manufacturer can figure that out by looking at the helmet and measure any crushing of materials/steucture but they may not at all be evident by visual lay inspection. Therefore, regular replacement is the safest approach.
We replace helmets on a 3 yr schedule and sooner if we see evidence of UV or impact damage. We don’t want any helmet degradation whatsoever - not worth the risk.
I think for me it’s probably something like 600 rides?
It ends up being 3-4 years. I am usually very ready to move onto a new helmet. The internal padding and/or structure is starting to wear out.
And I would rather be safe than sorry like some others have mentioned. Last time I hit my head in a crash was in 2005 IIRC, in a criterium. But I still want to be safe.
And by then I am usually curious if something new fits better. Then I look for a sale on something that is highly rated for safety, then I think about aero versus ventilation.
Most manufacturers recommend replacing after three to five years depending on use, storage, etc.
This replacement interval accounts for not just UV exposure, or visible changes to the shell or EPS foam, but degradation of the glue that holds the different components together. This glue dries and off-gasses, and becomes less effective. In a catastrophic failure—when a helmet is most needed—do you want to risk the helmet separating under stress?