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Considering that microplastics are currently polluting even the air we breathe, it is difficult to believe a 5 year old unopened helmet is any worse than a brand new one.
However, after a season wearing a helmet you can feel the plastics aren’t the same. You see the foam inserts are all collapsing to your head shape, the lid creaks and cracks. That’s before you consider the little boops the helmet had when nobody saw you drop it.
Dirt helmets are even worse. I still wear the one that had a muddy mark along the top of it where I went sliding on the clay, and my trials lid bounced down a flight of stairs before I even got to wear it. Neither show impact damage on the internal foam areas. Neither are used at speeds greater than cycling paces.
I try to replace my road helmet every couple of years because the on-and-off gestures are stressing the plastics and internals. I probably wouldn’t buy a helmet older than 5 years unless it was a bargain just because it’s easy to get <3 year old one for cheap.
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pdlouche
That's what I was thinking to be honest... I'm completely resolved to the argument of cheap head - cheap helmet but also conscious that if it's still in the box and never been used it surely can't have deteriorated to an unusable state as quick as that...
Also aware there's benefit to the manufacturer to tell us that we should be changing them regularly so it's just understanding the balance of reality vs marketing to make a decision on whether a bargain helmet is worth a punt for a few years vs a newer one which will "only last" a few years more?