Helmet Expiration

[bdevries]

Hello all,

This may seem like a very silly question but do helmets have a recommended date to be replaced? The reason I ask is because I have a chance to buy a brand new 500$ helmet for 99 bucks in my size, the thing is, I already bought one of them in silver, this one is in black.. so i figured on having two, two different colours, if i drop one, i have the other there ready for me.. would there be a problem say if a helmet just sat for a few years without use?

 

[pookamatic]

5 years is the recommended lifespan.

After that, material degradation, incidental bumps in handling may have weakened the structure. That, and by that time, new technology in safety standards have surpassed previous generations enough that it's time to replace.

http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace

 

[iSteve]

I can see where spiking the helmet against a hard surface, dropping at highway speeds and five years of petroleum based cleaners can affect the helmet. But sitting for two years should be no problem at all. And just dropping a helmet from like seat hight doesn't weaken the helmet unless it is a really bad helmet to start with.

 

[Erci]

I've done a lot of research on this (for MSF).

Suggested helmet life varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The 2 brands I researched (Arai and Shoei) both state that helmet should be replaced after 5 years of use. Both state that new helmet can be properly stored for 2 years before 1st use and still be considered brand new and will still be good for 5 years (after 2 year storage).

Of course helmet life is also affected by exposure to temperatures and various conditions / drops.

Quality brands will inspect your helmet free of charge (though you'll likely be responsible for shipping costs), but inpection only makes sense if the helmet's *expiration* date is not in immediate future.

 

[bdevries]

I've done a lot of research on this (for MSF).

Suggested helmet life varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The 2 brands I researched (Arai and Shoei) both state that helmet should be replaced after 5 years of use. Both state that new helmet can be properly stored for 2 years before 1st use and still be considered brand new and will still be good for 5 years (after 2 year storage).

Of course helmet life is also affected by exposure to temperatures and various conditions / drops.

Quality brands will inspect your helmet free of charge (though you'll likely be responsible for shipping costs), but inpection only makes sense if the helmet's *expiration* date is not in immediate future.

Excellent! Sounds good, I feel like 100 bucks for a 500 dollar helmet is an offer I shouldn;t pass up, so I may as well get two, and that way when I go down(first year riding) Ill have a back-up helmet and not have to spend 300-600 bucks on a new one!

 

[Erci]

Excellent! Sounds good, I feel like 100 bucks for a 500 dollar helmet is an offer I shouldn;t pass up, so I may as well get two, and that way when I go down(first year riding) Ill have a back-up helmet and not have to spend 300-600 bucks on a new one!

Yeah, that's a gread deal (provided helmet fits you well). And you don't necessarily have to go down just because it's your first year of riding.
Practice, ride smart and be safe :thumbup:

 

[FIZZER6]

A helmet expiration date is silly. Some people ride 50,000 miles/year. Some ride 1,000 miles/year. How hard you use it probably means more. My HJC is 7 years old and seen about 30,000 miles of use. I'm finally decided to replace it. Structurally it is still sound and has taken a couple dings here and there.

 

[yamihoe]

that way when I go down(first year riding) Ill have a back-up helmet and not have to spend 300-600 bucks on a new one!

I didnt go down my first year, it was the second and even then it was in mud.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

A helmet expiration date is silly. Some people ride 50,000 miles/year. Some ride 1,000 miles/year. How hard you use it probably means more. My HJC is 7 years old and seen about 30,000 miles of use. I'm finally decided to replace it. Structurally it is still sound and has taken a couple dings here and there.

This is true up to a certain point. This is why I tend to replace my helmet every 2-3 years, I always buy new. I ride every day, so I figure that the every day use and the wear and tear will be equivalent to five years. I'm sure the material used to absorb the impact must degrade over time. You can always replace the inner liner (cushions) for most helmets. By the way, the outer shell is not considered part of the impact absorbing material. I'm sure the hard plastic is not the issue.

After the helmet is retired, I generally will still use it as a back up. From my experience coaching for the MSF it makes a great range helmet. I've seen my helmet roll across the range from the brutal wind gusts that Vegas experiences from time to time. If it were my primary helmet, I would be pissed.

 

[marke14]

Controlling for typical wear-and-tear (small damage/dings from normal use, perhaps a drop here and there), I would think that the biggest factor that "ages" a helmet would be temperature and specifically temperature cycling.

I would expect that the styrofoam (which is what really protects your head in a crash, as it crushes down in an impact) would become brittle after years of heat cycling.

As such, I would think that the #1 thing we could all do to preserve the material characteristics and effectiveness of the helmet as it ages is to keep the helmet in a fairly "neutral" temperature environment when it is not in use. That is to say, in your house, probably NOT in the attic or basement, if those areas tend to experience extreme temperatures.

We are fortunate to have an attic in our place ("fortunate" because I have so much sh!t). However I found that the radical temperature swings - I've seen 50-degree F swings, according to a digital thermometer that I keep up there, during summer months - has a negative effect on certain things. For example, I found that it was so hard on my snowboard that it began to de-laminate! I moved the snowboard down into the bedroom after that.

I'd think that styrofoam would become brittle (and thus less effective at cushioning your head in a crash) faster if it is kept in a place where it experiences vast temperature swings.

Anyone else have any opinions on my theory? Obviously I am no materials engineer or anything, just speaking from experience.

 

[bdevries]

A helmet expiration date is silly. Some people ride 50,000 miles/year. Some ride 1,000 miles/year. How hard you use it probably means more. My HJC is 7 years old and seen about 30,000 miles of use. I'm finally decided to replace it. Structurally it is still sound and has taken a couple dings here and there.

I wasn't talking about mileage on the helmet, I was talking about an expiration date as I thought it was possible for the materials to loose their protective properties or something. Similar idea as tires, even though they don't get installed, a 5 year tire is on it's way out.

 

[2nd childhood]

I could be wrong (my wife would say more than likely) but I think the issue with helmets is exposure to sunlight and other weather elements breaking down the composition of them, not so much just time.

 

[PhotoAl]

This issue is the energy absorbing material - styrofoam breaks down from being exposed to the air and other "stuff". A cool dry place will age it less but still takes time. Being stored in a box for a couple of years would not concern me too much but was it stored in a hot warehouse? The shell is also a critical component which will age.

I ride pretty much every day and get a new helmet every 3 to 5 years (get tired of the same helmet day after day) but would not worry too much about a helmet that was a couple of years old but would probably not wear it for 5 years. Have bought cheap helmets before that were a great price only to find they were several year old - didn't use them too much.

Reason I wear a helmet is for protection in the event that I go down and at that time I want the best protection - at my age it is tough enough to think without having whacked my head.

 

[fazil]

I've always wanted a Schuberth concept helmet and at last i bought one today from ebay. It is 10 years old but not used and very cheap. (35 Euros)
I hope expiration date is not neccessery.

Schuberth Concept Helm XS 54-55 neuwertig, kaum gebraucht | eBay

 

[Zack]

A helmet expiration date is silly. Some people ride 50,000 miles/year. Some ride 1,000 miles/year. How hard you use it probably means more. My HJC is 7 years old and seen about 30,000 miles of use. I'm finally decided to replace it. Structurally it is still sound and has taken a couple dings here and there.

Agree 100%, moreover I think it is total bull*#@ promoted by manufacturers because if you ask them they would want to sell you a new helmet every 2 months.

No manufacturer will ever post helmet 5 year expiry date on their sites and papers because that would mean plain lying to the public. It would mean admitting that product is big time bad and will turn into sh#@ after 5 years of sitting on the shelf or wear.

We were selling helmets for about 6 years. US brand, Made in China (as 95% of all helmets are) and encountered few customers questioning expiry date.

I personally disassembled one perfectly new and good helmet into smallest pieces (sold some as a spare parts). I placed shell, styrofoam and internal liner on display for everybody to see, touch, bang, puncture, twist, crush, step on, kick, scratch and do any other abuse their heart desired.

So after 5 years styrofoam is still like new, hard and resisting any abuse. Outer shell same thing. Determined person could crack it only after many hits with sledge hammer or some big blunt device. You could not destroy damn thing. No different from my own Scorpion I use normally.

If you think better there are sports and trades which use similar kind of helmets for many years and those helmets really DO take abuse. Nobody is replacing them, they are MADE TO LAST and not crumble down. Hockey players, construction workers, mining ... you name it. They all use helmets to preserve head intact. Their helmets really get banged, dropped, scratched, thrown and what not.

Every helmet sold in NA is DOT approved and will protect head regardless how much it costs. When you look at horrific motorcycle crashes head probably always survived but body could not.

That's my take on replacing helmets. If you have one that you paid good money for and you like it keep it forever! If you don't believe in above buy new but keep old helmet in garage, bang it, throw it around, use as a ball and after 10 years be honest and come back to this forum with your own conclusion.

 

[FinalImpact]

Controlling for typical wear-and-tear (small damage/dings from normal use, perhaps a drop here and there), I would think that the biggest factor that "ages" a helmet would be temperature and specifically temperature cycling.

I would expect that the styrofoam (which is what really protects your head in a crash, as it crushes down in an impact) would become brittle after years of heat cycling.

As such, I would think that the #1 thing we could all do to preserve the material characteristics and effectiveness of the helmet as it ages is to keep the helmet in a fairly "neutral" temperature environment when it is not in use. That is to say, in your house, probably NOT in the attic or basement, if those areas tend to experience extreme temperatures.

We are fortunate to have an attic in our place ("fortunate" because I have so much sh!t). However I found that the radical temperature swings - I've seen 50-degree F swings, according to a digital thermometer that I keep up there, during summer months - has a negative effect on certain things. For example, I found that it was so hard on my snowboard that it began to de-laminate! I moved the snowboard down into the bedroom after that.

I'd think that styrofoam would become brittle (and thus less effective at cushioning your head in a crash) faster if it is kept in a place where it experiences vast temperature swings.

Anyone else have any opinions on my theory? Obviously I am no materials engineer or anything, just speaking from experience.

I think this covers most of degradation, as its the "unseen" part that is not inspected. That said, while its actually on your head, give thought about what the actual temp is inside the helmet. Keeping in mind that at your head is setting the temp for the most part! Its mean temperature inside can't be that much more than me (98.6F) or we'd melt. Although the shell may get direct exposure its not like its 145F at the core or we'd be dead. Just saying.... For the most part its accumulated hours in the sun don't amount too much (esp with our weather here).

Obvious reasons to destroy a helmet:
- Straps are cut or fraying. There is doubt it will remain secure during an event!
- You ran over it with your truck
- You hate it
- Its been in the sun for 5 years straight EVERY DAY!

My helmets on its 4th year and has never been dropped. If it fell 3ft with nothing in it I'll be the last to run out and replace it. Its like dropping an empty milk container. It doesn't weigh enough to harm itself!. So I'd use it just the same even if it had fallen.

- Do what you can afford and what makes sense to you!. I'm not trying to sway anyone here. However, if you have a good helmet and some other part of your safety gear sucks or doesn't fit proper - I'd opt for getting that gear improved before buying another helmet (Gloves, Boots, leathers etc), because this one is 5 years old. JM2C.

 

[MG-242]

Yep, 5-7 yrs is what the experts will tell you. The styro starts to break down because of the crap in the air. Don't store around gas cans or other nasty chemicals. There's a good reason why race\track day orgs won't let you play if it's older than 5 yrs. A good org will check the born on date.