New helmet?

cannondale_boy · June 2007

I've had my helmet for around three years now, and it's in perfect condition. Never been dropped, no scratches, and certainly never been in a collision...thing is though, it states in the giro manufactures little book that its always best to change a helmet every three years.

What is the point of this, if it's in perfect condition...i was thinking of changing it, because they do say change it every three years. But i think it's a marketing deploy.

"In 1949, 34 per cent of miles travelled using a mechanical mode were by bicycle"

Unknown · June 2007

if i remember correctly it is because its believed that the polistyreen deteriates with age and so may not give as much protection as a newer helmet.

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

I want one of those helmets which are black and look like they were in WW2.

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv

dondare · June 2007

UV light (daylight) degrades the polycarbonate shell.

Tynancp · June 2007

I'm still wearing the one that came free with a bike about fifteen years ago it's lucky, never touched the tarmac despite some proper accidents

Just checked it, 1991!

'shell of injection molded thermoplastic', nothing about sunlight, I think it predates the la de dah replace every three years helmets

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

Firk em I only wear a helmet because I can't wear a hat.[:P]

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv

cannondale_boy · June 2007

I think i'll stick to the one i've got then...till something happens. Save me money, as helmets don't come cheap. [:)]

"In 1949, 34 per cent of miles travelled using a mechanical mode were by bicycle"

Hackbike 6 · June 2007

This helmet will do for me.

http://tinyurl.com/37ygnx

Hackbike 8 Commuting Debut 09/09/2006Dawes Audax 2006 New 20/09/2006 

 Cycle Commuting since 1981 

Cycling Proficiency Test 24 May 1977 (30 years ago)

 Ride to work part 1 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/ypjapc
Ride to work part 2 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jfagu
Ride to work part 3 of 8 http://tinyurl.com/2jcldv

Hairy Jock · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by cannondale_boy

I've had my helmet for around three years now, and it's in perfect condition. Never been dropped, no scratches, and certainly never been in a collision...thing is though, it states in the giro manufactures little book that its always best to change a helmet every three years.

What is the point of this, if it's in perfect condition...i was thinking of changing it, because they do say change it every three years. But i think it's a marketing deploy.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Depends on why you wear a cycle helmet

<ul><li> if you wear it because you want it to provide you with a modicum of protection in the event of an accident, then change it every 3 years. It might look perfect but due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics the materials it is made of degrade and its effectiveness is reduced </li>
<li> if you wear it as a fashion statement, then there is no need to replace it so long as it looks good[:)] </li>
</ul>

Personally I feel the only good reason for wearing a cycle helmet is as a place to mount a helmet cam or extra lights, but since I don't have either I don't bother wearing one.[:p]

A hirsute Scotsman.

**************

Best advice I ever got was "better get a bike then"
Cycle commuting since 1994. Blog with cycle bits.

hevipedal · June 2007

after 3 years isn't it getting a bit manky; mine after a year is nearly walking out of the door on it's own.

 Hevipedal 
Phrase of the week - I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings and
Things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
 
51yrs old and Proud of it - Made it to 87kg 2 more to go for the target.
Pedal to Paris Sept 2007

Unknown · June 2007

Considering 'most' companies offer 'crash' replacements for very little, there's no harm in replacing it.

Mleh Mleh Mleh

Oddballcp · June 2007

New helmets are never comfortable.

http://victoryatseaonline.com/war/kellys.html

The Endorser · June 2007

eh? My Giro Zen is wonderfully comfy, and definitely more comfy than a Volvo bumper through the cranium.

Taking the moral high ground since 1969

domtyler · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by The Endorser
eh? My Giro Zen is wonderfully comfy, and definitely more comfy than a Volvo bumper through the cranium.

Taking the moral high ground since 1969
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

A plastic bicycle helmet will do nothing to help if you are struck in the head by a speeding vehicles bumper, in fact it will most likely increase your chances of being hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
________
Mexico Hotels

dondare · June 2007

Oh good. Now we have an RLJ thread and a helmet thread.

This sig is under construction.

The Endorser · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by domtylerA plastic bicycle helmet will do nothing to help if you are struck in the head by a speeding vehicles bumper, in fact it will most likely increase your chances of being hurt.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">2001. Im cycling along on te road. Nocomputer so I don't know the speed, but it was a good 20 or more, so i'm reasonably up with the traffic flow. Woman overtakes very wide and as she draws level suddenly turns left into me. I'm off the bike and underthe front of the car and head is indeed mashed into the front bumper of a ton and a half of Ford Grandad.

I'm in a lot of pain, but consscious and making a lot of noise (mainly shouting abuse at the effing stupid cow that had put me there). Fire service lift the car off me with som clever airbag thing and the ambo boys have me away on a board. Painful, but conscious and lucid throughout.

Final tally - shattered left patella, extensiv cartilege damage, ligament damage, left side of pelvis not actually broken but so much torque had been applied through it that it was bent forward and just 2 weeks ago was dignosed as the cause of some stabbing pains down my leg, 6 years after the incient. Some tasty abrasions down the left side of my face and over my left eyebrow, and the front edge of my Oxford helmet is damaged where it took the impact instead of my temple, but no internal head injury, breakage or even concussion.

My then 4 year old Raleigh max Cromo bike was wrecked, though the frame turned out to be undamaged (it remained between my legs so i guess I protected it!) though wheels bars etc ruined. The bike was subsequently totally rebuilt by myself with new componentry.

Off work for 4 months, though being old bill my employer continued to pay me, which was nice for me but unfair on them - it wasn't their fault, after all. I receved a pathetic œ4000 for injuries that will affect me for the rest of my life.

the stupid old biddy was trying to turn left into her driveway, though hy she couldn't wait behind me i don't know. She couldn't be arrussed to wait an extra 2 seconds for me to pass. She got founnd guilty of careless driving and fined a few hundred quid and got 3 whole points on her licence - that's a deterrent, eh? She won't do that again with draconian penalties like that. Anyone who recklessly causes avoidable serious injuries in ths way should receive a lifetime ban, IMHO.

Upshot of this is that if you want to murder someone then try it in a car, as you'll essentially get of with it. Oh, and in a serious impact a helmet is going to increase your chances of surviving without major head trauma. they're not infallible, and having had many minor offs over the years I think that they can make you more likely to get minor injuries as they incrase he size of the head, but when the poop gets realy thick you'll be glad you had one on.

Taking the moral high ground since 1969

domtyler · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by The Endorser
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by domtylerA plastic bicycle helmet will do nothing to help if you are struck in the head by a speeding vehicles bumper, in fact it will most likely increase your chances of being hurt.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">2001. Im cycling along on te road. No computer so I don't know the speed, but it was a good 20 or more, so I'm reasonably up with the traffic flow. Woman overtakes very wide and as she draws level suddenly turns left into me. I'm off the bike and underthe front of the car and head is indeed mashed into the front bumper of a ton and a half of Ford Granddad.

I'm in a lot of pain, but conscious and making a lot of noise (mainly shouting abuse at the effing stupid cow that had put me there). Fire service lift the car off me with some clever airbag thing and the ambo boys have me away on a board. Painful, but conscious and lucid throughout.

Final tally - shattered left patella, extensive cartilage damage, ligament damage, left side of pelvis not actually broken but so much torque had been applied through it that it was bent forward and just 2 weeks ago was diagnosed as the cause of some stabbing pains down my leg, 6 years after the incident. Some tasty abrasions down the left side of my face and over my left eyebrow, and the front edge of my Oxford helmet is damaged where it took the impact instead of my temple, but no internal head injury, breakage or even concussion.

My then 4 year old Raleigh max Cromo bike was wrecked, though the frame turned out to be undamaged (it remained between my legs so i guess I protected it!) though wheels bars etc ruined. The bike was subsequently totally rebuilt by myself with new componentry.

Off work for 4 months, though being old bill my employer continued to pay me, which was nice for me but unfair on them - it wasn't their fault, after all. I received a pathetic ?4000 for injuries that will affect me for the rest of my life.

the stupid old biddy was trying to turn left into her driveway, though why she couldn't wait behind me i don't know. She couldn't be arrussed to wait an extra 2 seconds for me to pass. She got found guilty of careless driving and fined a few hundred quid and got 3 whole points on her licence - that's a deterrent, eh? She won't do that again with draconian penalties like that. Anyone who recklessly causes avoidable serious injuries in this way should receive a lifetime ban, IMHO.

Upshot of this is that if you want to murder someone then try it in a car, as you'll essentially get of with it. Oh, and in a serious impact a helmet is going to increase your chances of surviving without major head trauma. they're not infallible, and having had many minor offs over the years I think that they can make you more likely to get minor injuries as they increase the size of the head, but when the poop gets really thick you'll be glad you had one on.

Taking the moral high ground since 1969
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ouch, sounds nasty. Couldn't you get the boys to go knocking on her door every few weeks, drag her into the cells and mete out some 'proppa' British justice?

Back to the point, your helmet may or may not have helped you in this case. Impossible to say without repeating the incident while not wearing one. I understand you are not keen to do this? In any case this would only be an instance of anecdotal evidence which is weak at best. Actual statistical evidence tells a totally different story, probably due to risk compensation on the part of both the rider and third parties.

Talking of risk compensation, maybe when the woman driver saw you were wearing a helmet she subconsciously left you less room than she might otherwise have. We shall never know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
________
Girlfriend pic

The Endorser · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by domtylerTalking of risk compensation, maybe when the woman driver saw you were wearing a helmet she subconsciously left you less room than she might otherwise have. We shall never know.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Fair point bud - i've oft wondered if drivers ubconsciously bully you a bit more than normal if they see you in a bince potty.

Taking the moral high ground since 1969

dondare · June 2007

Simply sounds to me like she simply wasn't aware of you. Either she didn't see you or forgot you were there as soon as she was along side. I doubt if the lid made any difference to that at all.

This sig is under construction.

The Endorser · June 2007

She said she saw me, but reckoned she could get past ok. I wonder what she would've done with the 2 seconds she would have saved if she'd pulled it off? As it is, her time saving manoeuver cost her many, many hours.

Ah well, it wasn't half as unpleasant as an acrimonious divorce! just when i though i'd stopped being bitter...

Taking the moral high ground since 1969

Roastie · June 2007

Very fortunately never taken a knock on my helmet, but I'll never forget a photo taken at the finish of one of our local (SA) league races. In the final sprint the one guy's crank broke (freaky!), he went down on his head, helmet split open wide, the cameraman got him as he flipped over again in mid-air, looking very dazed and with the two halves of the helmet apparently floating either side of his head!

I'll wear my helmet!

dangerousjules · June 2007

horses for courses guys! i think helmets act as a placebo making the rider think he's less prone to accidents, trust me the motorist will deciede ultimatly who the 'choosen' one is on any given day!

dangerous jules.
god bless those pagans!

DavidTQ · June 2007

As much as a Helmet might make a cyclist feel more secure about their head getting hurt in an accident I know for myself I dont take greater risks because of that due to the fact that I know that theres plenty of unprotected skin that whilst might not be fatal to lose, it will still hurt a lot [:D] I cycle to keep the most vulnerable parts of me from ever meeting tarmac \ another vehicle.

hevipedal · June 2007

I wear a helmet. When commuting because my wife told me to and she'll kill me if I don't........ when doing sportifs for most it's compulsory. So I'm used to wearing one and it feels wierd if I don't. But if you don't want to then I won't argue against you.
But don't tell a nurse who works in A+E (my wife again) that helmets don't work as with the endorser's story the anecdotal evidence is that they do work. To the level that is expected of them.

 Hevipedal 
Phrase of the week - I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings and
Things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
 
51yrs old and Proud of it - Made it to 87kg 2 more to go for the target.
Pedal to Paris Sept 2007

New helmet?

Comments

Categories