How many replace a helmet for one blow?

[wheelsONfire]

Since i ride my gravel in the winter, i had the nice experience of what ice does and what none studded simply tires does not.
This ended up with me landing on the shoulder side and head, in a ditch.
Well, i also found this was not a dry ditch (funny - NOT!)

Anyway, i banged my helmet and scratched up my lenses on glasses (which btw looks like a Z now)

I came to think of the fact i heard from insurance points of view.
Once a helmet has taken an impact, it is deemed unsafe and should be replaced.

How many of you do replace your helmets in this case?

To clear things up, i am not talking of a helmet obviously smacked up and cracked.
It's bumped and scraped, that's it!

[kode54]

depends on how hard the impact was. but from the sound of it...i probably would. the foam compresses and won't be as effective the next time around...when you may need it the most. just saying.

[Marin]

You should see it - if there is no serious deformation and no cracks, the helmet should be able to protect your head again.

[joec]

as above, depends,

if it was a glancing whack then probably ok, but anything straight on then best bin it IMO.

I took a tumble about 18 months ago (front blowout and over the bars onto the road) in a cheapish bell helmet, and although it looked pretty ok, if you tugeed on the rim you could hear it creaking, distruction tested it to see where it would give out, and yep right where i whacked it.

went straight out and bought somthing considerably more expensive as its obviously money well spent.

[c50jim]

I always replace any helmet that's hit the ground (or anything else) in a crash. I've had a concussion where the neurosurgeon told my son (I was out of it for a week) that the helmet saved my life. I've also tapped several helmets less heavily on slower speed falls and have replaced them.

It's your head. Without it, you might as well be dead. Why save a couple of hundred bucks and run the risk of having a helmet that doesn't work when you need it?

[JDEves]

I had a spill a few weeks ago landed on the shoulder and head. Thankful I was wearing a helmet. It wasn't a huge impact on the helmet but enough to crack on the inside.
Now replaced through Lazer crash replacement policy.

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[joec]

having ponderd this a bit more, IMO I think it comes down to scratch vs ding, anything more than a scratch/scrape bin it.

[wheelsONfire]

I agree. If the inner shell has been cracked (even though visually a small crack) i decided to order a new helmet.
But i was really contemplating the policies of insurance companies.
How safe or lack of impact resistance a helmet have after a small damage, i simply have no clue of.
But it's not worth risking a cracked skull and/ or a more serious damage to the head.
Insurance says all helmets should be replaced after a blow.
Inspection might not show hairline cracks, and this may lead to a mold injection which is weak and do not save in case of another crash/ blow.

What amazes me is the cycling clothes. Not a scratch.
(years ago i smashed in apex of a corner)
I broke a few ribs and got really banged up. Same this time, not a scratch on bibs or jersey. Helmet was scratched this time, but no internal mold cracks)

The last crash and my second, i first crasched to the right and landed on tarmac and slided down a ditch.
I got up and had a long way home, so i decided to bike instead of walking.

About 500m further it was a section of bumpy ice and i fell to the left side.
So what happened.
No damage to frame and fork after carefull inspection.
No damage to saddle.
Some scrape at pedal.
No smash against RD (thank God!)
Real abrasion at the shifters sides and at the lids of the shifters.
These could be sanded lightly and spray painted.
Bike works 100%

Also kind of lucky i had my aluminium handlebar and stem and not the latest purchase for this bike (MCFK combo).

I must say, after this i wrote Schwalbe and asked them to contemplate making Ice Spiker Pro (none wired version) in a less wide version
27.5*2.00, to fit all or most gravel bikes with 650B/ 27.5´wheelsets.
A tubeless tire would be best imo (those that prefer, could use an inner tube).

For now, neither Ice spiker pro 27.5*2.25 or Suomi WXC'R 312 27.5*2.25 fits my UP bike.
Both tires scrape chainstays.

I did find Best grip studs, but as good as they seem, the require 6.2mm penetration into a tire and stick out 2.2mm.
http://www.gripstuds.com/1000_Tire_Stud.php
So a soft knobbed mtb tire at 27.5*2.00-2.10 would work.
Studs are really high end, but they cost alot of money.
300 studs is about 200-230 Euro incl a tool to fit them with.

Last but not least, don't bike without your cell phone in case you fall really bad!

Take care guys!

[dmulligan]

I took a tumble about 18 months ago (front blowout and over the bars onto the road) in a cheapish bell helmet, and although it looked pretty ok, if you tugeed on the rim you could hear it creaking, distruction tested it to see where it would give out, and yep right where i whacked it.

Brilliant! From now on I'm going to try this. I've decided against wasting a perfectly good helmet and it's worked out OK so far but i can't help but feel lucky. It would feel much less wasteful if the helmet is used in an experiment if I'm unsure if the hit was hard enough or not.

How did you perform your destructive testing? In hind sight would you have done it differently?

I propose to start a thread with recommended testing procedures and ask people to try this with crashed helmets with and without visible damage. It would be interesting to see if any trends are found. Do all brands and models survive equally? Manufacturers make the same model differently depending on local certification requirements; how does that change post crash testing results? What kinds of visible damage predict lower head protection?

We have to be careful though. Being weight weenies and racers we may lean towards certain brands and models more so we have to recognize how that skews results.

D

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[shoemakerpom2010]

Ill admit I was pretty pissed when my wheel went out due to some unseen moss buildup and I went down so fast I managed to bump my head in the fall. The helmet had a very faint structure damage on the core foam so I threw it out. I figure you could take countless falls to your legs arms, ect. but too many to the head and your out... Why even chance it. Live to ride another day!

[joec]

distruction testing is perhaps an over statment, we just abused it until it gave out.... sat it on a desk and whacked it open fist not particuarly scientific.