The safety performance of your helmet may reduce over time, through damage caused by impacts such as a crash or dropping your helmet, and through general wear and tear. Ensuring a correct fit also contributes to safety performance of your helmet.
A bicycle helmet is designed to absorb impact once. Even if it looks fine, damage can be invisible. Use this guide to decide whether a helmet should be kept, monitored, or replaced.
Why it matters: Helmet materials (foam, adhesives, straps) degrade over time due to UV exposure, sweat, heat, and normal aging.
What to do:
Look inside the helmet for a manufacture date sticker. Most manufacturers recommend replacement every 5 years, even if unused.
Replace the helmet if:
Rule of thumb: One crash = replace the helmet.
Crash history: Any impact where the helmet hit the ground, vehicle, or hard object. Even a low-speed fall or tip‑over counts. If you are unsure whether it was impacted, replace it.
Why?
EPS foam crushes to absorb energy and does not rebound, so damage may not be visible from the outside.
Look closely under bright light. If there is any crack or separation, replace the helmet immediately.
Check for:
This is the most critical safety component. If there is any noticable damage, replace the helmet.
How to inspect:
Warning signs:
A helmet must sit correctly to protect you. Replace your helmet if it no longer fits snugly, the foam or padding has compressed too much or if the helmet shifts position easily when pushed while on your head.
Proper fit check:
Test the strength of the straps by fastening the buckle and pulling firmly. They should hold their position.
Look for:
Padding does not provide primary impact protection, but it affects fit and stability. Many pads are replaceable — worn padding alone does not require full helmet replacement unless it affects fit.
Check for:
This helmet cannot be added to your comparison list.
Adult and child helmets are tested differently, so cannot be compared. Testing standards are also revised over time, so helmets tested under different standards are not directly comparable, even if they are in the same category.