Is a helmet junk once it hits the ground?

[Russ]

From the Snell website:

"Helmets are normally comprised of four elements; a rigid outer shell, a crushable liner, chin straps or a retaining system and fit or comfort padding. The rigid outer shell when present adds a load-spreading capability, and prevents objects from penetrating the helmet. It's kind of like an additional skull. The liner, usually made of EPS (expanded polystyrene) or similar types of materials absorbs the energy of an impact by crushing. The chin strap when properly buckled and adjusted along with the fit padding helps the helmet remain in position during a crash. Helmets work kind of like a brake or shock absorber. During a fall or crash a head is traveling at a certain speed. Since the head has weight, and is moving there is a certain amount of energy associated with the moving head. When the helmet along with the accompanying head impact an unyielding object; a rock, a wall, a curb or the ground the hard shell starts by taking the energy generated by the falling helmet (head) and spreads it over a larger portion of the helmet, specifically the internal foam liner. The foam liner then starts to crush and break which uses up a lot of the energy, keeping it from reaching the head inside. Depending on how fast the head is traveling, and how big, heavy and immovable the object is the faster the head slows down, and the more energy is present. In short everything slows down really quickly. A helmet will effectively reduce the speed of the head by breaking and crushing which reduces the amount of energy transferred to the brain. The whole process take only milliseconds to turn a potentially lethal blow into a survivable one."

Because of the different layers involved in how a helmet reduces the impact of an accident, coupled with the fact that the part that absorbs most of the impact is not even visible, a drop of anything higher than 1 - 2 feet onto a hard surface can, effectively, render a helmet useless as protection in an accident - even if there is no visible damage.
In addition to the above, helmets deteriorate over time due to the effects of weather and heat/cold damp/chemical exposure. Their life is approx five years(varies by manufacturer and model). The probability of helmet survival from dropping also diminishes over time.


In addition to the above, helmets deteriorate over time due to the effects of weather and heat/cold damp/chemical exposure. Their life is approx five years(varies by manufacturer and model). The probability of helmet survival from dropping also diminishes over time.

[pizzaman]

and they would like to sell you a new lid every 5 years

[WasntMe]

I have talked to a couple of helmet reps and they all say that a helmet that has hit the ground should be either shelved or sent into the manufacture to be examined. They say even from a fall off the bike it should be sent in. Personally I have dropped almost every helmet I have ever owned and still wore them and own several of them. But if I were to roll it on the ground in a crash I would not wear it again.

[WasntMe]

and they would like to sell you a new lid every 5 years

I was going to mention something along those lines. WERA will not allow a person to race with helmet that is too old. I think it is five years but it might be three. I would assume the AMA is the same way.

[Gixzer7Fitty]

If it falsl off your bike its not a big deal all my helmets have fallen and they were ok.

They just want to scare u into buying more of there product.

Now if u wreck and go down even if the helmet is just scuffed the I do suggest u get a new 1.

[Reckless01]

When I worked at Barney's the Shoei rep came out and they showed the film on how helmets are made and tested. The fiber composite material lids are susceptible to damage which would not be visible to the naked eye. The helmet gets tiny stress fractures and when they tested a helmet that had been dropped from 5' onto concrete it did not perform the same as one which was structurally sound. The polymer lids (hard plastic) are not the same. They work differently however they recommend that you replace them every 5 yrs because of the breakdown in the foam's integrity. It is what suspends and protects your noggin in the accident in which you strike your head on something.

[Reckless01]

From HJC:

HELMET USAGE

Helmet Replacement (All Models)

Although your HJC Helmet is constructed with the best materials available to offer a long-lasting product, it will eventually need to be replaced. Immediately replace your helmet if:

• It has suffered an impact. Your helmet is only designed for ONE impact. An impact may fracture the outer shell or compress the impact absorbing liner. You may not be able to detect this damage. Any impact in a crash or a drop from as low as 4 feet is enough to damage your helmet.

• The shell, lining, or retention system is damaged. The helmet shell, the impact absorbing lining, and the retention system must be in good condition to provide you with the most protection.

Even if your helmet has not been damaged, it needs to be replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on how much you use it. Over time, UV rays and adhesive and component aging will damage your helmet. Wearing a damaged helmet may increase your risk of serious injury or death in an accident.

If you are unsure if you need to replace your helmet, contact HJC America before using your helmet again.

[SideShow]

Well arai says A helmet is perfectly safe if it only falls off your bike.I bet you guys have old info.Plz supply the date those finding were made.

If a helmet could take damage from a small drop I don't think a manufacturer would be claiming they were safe to wear.

Here is an arai interview from Jay Leno's Garage.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819

[Over_Easy]

Well arai says A helmet is perfectly safe if it only falls off your bike.I bet you guys have old info.Plz supply the date those finding were made.

If a helmet could take damage from a small drop I don't think a manufacturer would be claiming they were safe to wear.

Here is an arai interview from Jay Leno's Garage.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819

Of course Arai is going to state that for customers buying a $6-700 helmet. Especially when other helmets that cost 1/5 the price perform just as well in crash tests. The impact material is manufactured to break ONE time only and even a 3' fall on concrete can make the difference in head trauma in a future crash. Your head is worth a new $1-200 helmet.

[SideShow]

Seeing this post shows me you didn't even watch the vid,but you are commenting on it.The arai guy explains this and exactly why a low drop is ok.

[Over_Easy]

Seeing this post shows me you didn't even watch the vid,but you are commenting on it.The arai guy explains this and exactly why a low drop is ok.

From the Snell website:
"Because of the different layers involved in how a helmet reduces the impact of an accident, coupled with the fact that the part that absorbs most of the impact is not even visible, a drop of anything higher than 1 - 2 feet onto a hard surface can, effectively, render a helmet useless as protection in an accident - even if there is no visible damage."

Motor Cyclist and other pubs have done articles on this. What exactly is consodered a "low drop" by the all knowing "Arai guy" who makes a living by moving helmets? I'll trust credible independent sources over the "Arai video guy."

[SideShow]

I am done in this thread.Wow you are killing me.Nothing more annoying then posting about shit you didn't even watch.I asked for dates on findings and you can't even produce that either.Why is every post seem like drama.

Go ahead and post what the fuck you want to try to force people your views.I won't post again in this thread since you"WANT" to be the know all and be all.GoodNight.

Oh and here is somoe info to the snell followers :)

"The Snell sticker," continued Newman, "has become a marketing gimmick. By spending 60 cents [paid to the Snell foundation], a manufacturer puts that sticker in his helmet and he can increase the price by $30 or $40. Or even $60 or $100.

"Because there's this allure, this charisma, this image associated with a Snell sticker that says, 'Hey, this is a better helmet, and therefore must be worth a whole lot more money.' And in spite of the very best intentions of everybody at Snell, they did not have the field data [on actual accidents] that we have now [when they devised the standard]. And although that data has been around a long time, they have chosen, at this point, not to take it into consideration."

[Over_Easy]

I am done in this thread.Wow you are killing me.Nothing more annoying then posting about shit you didn't even watch.I asked for dates on findings and you can't even produce that either.Why is every post seem like drama.

Go ahead and post what the fuck you want to try to force people your views.I won't post again in this thread since you"WANT" to be the know all and be all.GoodNight.

Oh and here is somoe info to the snell followers :)

"The Snell sticker," continued Newman, "has become a marketing gimmick. By spending 60 cents [paid to the Snell foundation], a manufacturer puts that sticker in his helmet and he can increase the price by $30 or $40. Or even $60 or $100.

"Because there's this allure, this charisma, this image associated with a Snell sticker that says, 'Hey, this is a better helmet, and therefore must be worth a whole lot more money.' And in spite of the very best intentions of everybody at Snell, they did not have the field data [on actual accidents] that we have now [when they devised the standard]. And although that data has been around a long time, they have chosen, at this point, not to take it into consideration."

Easy, killer. IMO, people should do their own research and make their minds up for themselves. I'm familiar with the ol' SNELL approval rating article: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html
It still does not disprove the recommendation given for a helmet hitting a hard surface after falling only 3 feet.

[LeMans]

SNELL is a meaningless americo-american sales gimmick. I personally have never cared for it one bit and only buy helmets that are both DOT and ECE certified.
BTW you could spend a lifetime riding outside the US and never, ever hear or know what SNELL is. Seems I'm not the only one thinking along these lines.

Like was mentioned above: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

[Russ]

I think id wear a dropped helmet before wearing no helmet.

[KyleB]

BSI standard FTW.

[Crashin]

Seeing this post shows me you didn't even watch the vid,but you are commenting on it.The arai guy explains this and exactly why a low drop is ok.

but the guy didn't mention anything along the lines of a low drop and hitting a sharp rock or something. do you think the helmet would be good then?

[ohgood]

I am done in this thread.Wow you are killing me.1) Nothing more annoying then posting about shit you didn't even watch.I asked for dates on findings and you can't even produce that either.Why is every post seem like drama.

Go ahead and post what the fuck you want to try to force people your views. 2) I won't post again in this thread since you"WANT" to be the know all and be all.GoodNight.

Oh and here is somoe info to the snell followers :)

"The Snell sticker," continued Newman, "has become a marketing gimmick. By spending 60 cents [paid to the Snell foundation], a manufacturer puts that sticker in his helmet and he can increase the price by $30 or $40. Or even $60 or $100.

"Because there's this allure, this charisma, this image associated with a Snell sticker that says, 'Hey, this is a better helmet, and therefore must be worth a whole lot more money.' And in spite of the very best intentions of everybody at Snell, they did not have the field data [on actual accidents] that we have now [when they devised the standard]. And although that data has been around a long time, they have chosen, at this point, not to take it into consideration."

1) agreed.

2) too bad you're done with the thread because you've provided the best and easiest information in this thread so far. the video is an excellent resource, from a reliable source. maybe folks will actually watch, and take heed. good deal man.

thanks for the link, i didn't know mr leno was so open with his garage, nor did i know he had such good info there. good stuff.