Helmet repair

Milk_Tray

Does anyone know where to get a helmet strap repaired? Its frayed off - the helmets 100% but strap needs to be fully replaced. Its a POC Cerebel! Any help appreciated

BowSideChamp

A tailor - run it through a sewing machine?

miketheDIYman

A shoe repair shop should be able to help if some of the strap is left intact

Milk_Tray

its frayed badly - needs a new one - it got damaged in delivery and is not fixable as is..

Weepsie

Milk_Tray wrote: »

its frayed badly - needs a new one - it got damaged in delivery and is not fixable as is..

If bought from a retailer they should be able to replace it

Milk_Tray

was bought 2nd hand Would a bike shop do it or another specialist ?

at1withmyself

Milk_Tray wrote: »

was bought 2nd hand Would a bike shop do it or another specialist ?

Pop an e-mail to POC, they might offer a service like your after

jimbobaloobob

Milk_Tray wrote: »

Does anyone know where to get a helmet strap repaired? Its frayed off - the helmets 100% but strap needs to be fully replaced. Its a POC Cerebel! Any help appreciated

How old is the helmet OP?

Milk_Tray

2 years old id say

jimbobaloobob

Milk_Tray wrote: »

2 years old id say

Helmets start to degrade even if they look ok or haven't been crashed. If it's two years old it's likely POC will tell you same however they might offer a discount on new model.

Milk_Tray

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

Helmets start to degrade even if they look ok or haven't been crashed. If it's two years old it's likely POC will tell you same however they might offer a discount on new model.

This was damaged by a courier It doesnt seem like its a fixable which is a shame to throw away a perfectly good aero helmet

Weepsie

Get onto the courier then? They might be insured

Rechuchote

Did you ever leave plastic out in the garden over the winter? Plastic goes brittle after a bit - you see it more after it's been outside, but I wouldn't be happy to keep a helmet a long time!

saccades

Rechuchote wrote: »

Did you ever leave plastic out in the garden over the winter? Plastic goes brittle after a bit - you see it more after it's been outside, but I wouldn't be happy to keep a helmet a long time!

Cheap plastic seating that isn't made to a standard, in reply:

"Occasionally somebody spreads rumors that sweat and ultraviolet (UV) exposure will cause your helmet to degrade. Sweat will not do that. The standards do not permit manufacturers to make a helmet that degrades from sweat, and the EPS, EPP or EPU foam is remarkably unaffected by salt water. Your helmet will get a terminal case of grunge before it dies of sweat. Sunlight can affect the strength of the shell material, though. Since helmets spend a lot of time in the sun, manufacturers usually put UV inhibitors in the plastic for their shells that control UV degradation. If your helmet is fading or showing small cracks around the vents, the UV inhibitors may be failing, so you probably should replace it. Chances are it has seen an awful lot of sun to have that happen. Otherwise, try another brand next time and let us know what brand faded on you.

At least one shop told a customer that the EPS in his three year old helmet was now "dried out." Other sales people refer to "outgassing" and say that the foam loses gas and impact performance is affected. Still others claim that helmets lose a percentage of their effectiveness each year, with the percentage growing with age. All of that is nothing but marketing hype to sell a replacement helmet before you need it. There is some loss of aromatics in the first hours and days after molding, and helmet designers take account of that for standards testing. But after that the foam stabilizes and does not change for many years, unless the EPS is placed in an oven for some period of time and baked. The interior of your car, for example, will not do that, based on helmets we have seen and at least one lab crash test of a helmet always kept in a car in Virginia over many summers. Helmet shells can be affected by car heat, but not the foam. The Snell Memorial Foundation has tested motorcycle helmets held in storage for more than 20 years and found that they still meet the original standard.


Test Lab proof that performance holds up
In 2015 MEA Forensic reported on their extensive testing of used (but not crashed) bicycle helmets shows that the foam liners retain their performance over many years. Some of the helmets were as old as 26 years. They crash tested 675 helmets in their lab. Their analysis showed that there was no significant impact performance change with age. Their data including all 675 helmets tested produced only a 0.7g per year increase in impact readings at the higher drop height. After crash testing the helmets on a standard test rig, MEA took core samples from an uncrashed area of 63 helmets and tested them. This generated data based solely on the foam performance. Again, the findings indicate that helmet liner foam does not deteriorate with age. We have more on this landmark study in this Update newsletter.
An honest manufacturer: MET
The Italian company MET says in their 2010 catalog:
"We are often asked 'For how long is a helmet safe?', or 'how often should I replace my helmet?”' Until now it has been difficult to find any reliable figures to help answer these queries. MET have now developed a series of tests which are conducted on aged helmets to determine a 'best before' date (unless the helmet is involved in an accident. In that case it should be replaced immediately.). The results indicate that, if used properly accordingly to our owner manual, our helmets will still do their job up to eight years after they have been made. Not only is that good news for the customer, it’s great news for the environment!"

We applaud MET for undertaking an actual testing program on helmet life and for making that statement. We regard it as a triumph of integrity over marketing. MET's helmets are made with industry standard shells and liners, so there is no reason we can see that their recommendation should not be good for many other helmet brands as well. If another manufacturer comes up with a testing program that shows earlier deterioration in the protection from their products we will review this page.

In sum, we don't find the case for replacing a helmet that meets the ASTM or Snell standards that compelling if the helmet is still in good shape and fits you well. "

Source: helmet.org

Rechuchote

So eight years and then ditch the helmet. Or seven to be sure to be sure.

saccades

From the empirical evidence I'd keep a well looked after helmet at least 7 years and then inspect the foam (not the shell so much) for degradation.

Any drops, big smacks or crashes and I'd replace it.