Those two cracks in the foam would warrant an immediate replacement from me personally, I'm not overreacting here am I?
Claims that he's only crashed once and "hasn't gotten his money's worth" from it. Believes this is still safe to use, how do I convince him (assuming those cracks are as bad as I think they are?)
TIA
by Critlar
20 Comments
Eh, don’t worry about it. If he doesn’t think his brain is worth protecting he’s probably right
With that damage in a crash, the helmet has lost much of its efficacy and dependent on any accident, your friend is much more at risk of serious head injury.
Recommendation. Ask him if he thinks it will take a light hit with a baseball bat……then smack it to smithereens.
Put his helmet down and quit taking pictures of it.
Yes
Yeh, that’s done its job.
It’s already given maximum value through protecting the rider against whatever caused that crack in the first place.
They work by consuming the energy of a hit – if it has a crack _anywhere_ then it will likely not be able to do that job anymore.
I suppose I’d rather have that on than my bare skull, but I’d rather have _any_ certified helmet than that one.
Better still, I like to have the best helmet that I can afford, as my ability to exist depends on a working brain.
Maybe your mate doesn’t need his brain so much.
Edit: just looking at it – are those cracks or indents? I don’t think it changes the calculus much, but I’d be less horrified if they’re due to something pressing in on the rim, rather than being cracked from a hit.
I think there are three schools of thought when it comes to helmets
1. Way cheaper than a brain injury, worth it to replace every few years or after a crash
2. These things are expensive, I’m going to use it till it falls apart
3. Who needs a helmet?
Seems like you are a 1 and your friend is a 2.
Are you over reacting? No, but from his perspective yes.
Is it still safe to use? Probably safer than no helmet, but not as safe as one that has never crashed.
Tell your friend to buy a helmet with crash replacement like Kali or a bunch of other brands, They’re one and done if he wants to get his money worth out of his brain tell him to bite this bullet and grab a helmet with crash replacement
Some companies will give you a %off coupon for a new one if you show them their helmet saved your head in a crash.
I suppose he reuses condoms? The foam is not intact, hence it is compromised.
FAFO.
Eh. Are those cracks or dents from something sharp? I’ve seen worse from the helmet getting tossed around in the back of pickup. Helmets aren’t super high tech. Put some foam up there, keep it over your forehead.
If he crashed and can still do math, he got his money worth.
They’ve marketed it to take impact from multiple directions. He’s only got a couple so far.
I just got a new helmet (with a crash warranty) because I put a small dent in mine. The helmet before that, I replaced (again with a crash warranty) when it was just one week old because it hit the ground with my head in it. No visible damage besides a small scuff mark, but my head is worth more to me than the price of a helmet.
Also, whenever your shopping for a new helmet (for any sport), be sure to check [the Virginia Tech helmet ratings](https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/).
Next crash will splinter this thing. Replace asap
Eh he can just make sure he crashes on the other side
Those cracks are evidence of the work the original designers and engineers did when designing your helmet. The cracks tell you that the forces absorbed by the helmet, exceeding the forces for merely breaking the barrier, are unavailable.
My helmet 100% saved my life two weeks ago. I broke my collarbone something wicked, and a couple ribs. Cracked my helmet and majorly hurt my pride.
But without a helmet? I’d be dead.
Thing is that helmet was only a week old. I had a way less serious crash a few weeks before, saw a line in the foam and just decided better safe than sorry. $70 bucks. I was pissed at the time. Ultimately so glad I bought it when I did.
Best purchase I ever made. A NEW HELMET SAVED MY LIFE.
It’ll be a few weeks still until I ride again. But when I do I’m gonna have a brand spanking new helmet!
Do the only senseable thing here:
Smash it on the ground and jump on it to proper ensure that your mate wont fucking die.
Those don’t look like cracks to me, they look more like angle grinder cutoff wheel marks