How old is your helmet

jeremyrundle

I have looked but no doubt overlooked this question in the past so apologies.

I have MET and Bell Slant helmets.

No damage, but was wondering, do they deteriorate with age and use needing to be replaced.

I have googled this and many say two to three years, on one site said a chap said he asked Bell and that was what they said, great for the manufacturer !.

Supposedly plastic and foam deterorate in about two to three years.

If that is the case I am glad I never spent more than £50 on a helmet.

shouldbeinbed

this was done recently dig back a few pages in commuting or possiblt cake stop.

I keep mine till they break, sell by dates are a manufacturing / retail concept to make you throw out still servicable stuff and buy more from guess who.....

jeremyrundle

Thank you

jeremyrundle

Thank you

jeremyrundle

Yo are no doubt right

roger_merriman

UV is going to be the thing that ages foam/plastic. But in uk it's going to take some time, probably a lot more than other places as we really don't have a fierce sun.

Cuchulainn

Well, it also depends on where you keep them - if they are in the shed near volatiles (paint stripper, stuff like that) then the foam can also be degraded by those vapours. Remember, it doesn't need to look melted; if the foam has become more brittle over time then it might look perfect but will have a greatly reduced ability to dissipate the energy of an impact. I tend to change mine every 3-4 years as I reckon that the combination of various environmental factors (I work as a researcher and so often have my helmet in a lab that will have traces or all sorts of solvents in the air) will make it worth the 30-40 quid investment on a new one.