When to replace your helmet (and how to break a new one in)

Your helmet has a shelf life, and almost nobody respects it. The foam that saves your brain quietly degrades whether you crash or not. Sweat, UV, and time all eat away at it.

Let's figure out if yours is still doing its job.

Replace it immediately if

• It took any real impact, even a single drop onto pavement from seat height. The EPS foam crushes once and does not bounce back. It can look perfect outside and be useless inside.
• The shell has cracks, or the liner is loose, crumbling, or no longer hugs your head.
• The straps or buckle are frayed or no longer cinch tight.

A helmet that hit the ground in a crash is done, even if it looks flawless. The protection is in the crush, and it already crushed.

The age rule

Most manufacturers recommend replacing a helmet roughly every five years from the date you first wore it, and no more than seven years from the manufacture date. The glues, foam, and shell materials simply age.

Check the manufacture date stamped on the strap or under the liner. If you cannot remember buying it and it is older than your last bike, it is time.

How to break in a new helmet

A correctly sized helmet feels snug at first. That is normal and good. Here is how to settle it in without stretching it to death:

1. 01Wear it around the house for 15 to 30 minutes at a time for the first week.
2. 02Let the cheek pads compress naturally. They give roughly 15 to 20 percent over a couple of weeks.
3. 03Do not force it loose. If there is a sharp pressure point that never fades, it is a shape problem, not a break-in problem.

A little tight on day one usually means perfect on day fourteen.

Not sure if yours has aged out? Bring it by the shop and we will take a look, or start fresh with a new lid. Your brain does not get a replacement. Your helmet should.