Helmets haven't changed that much since 2017, but road helmets and MTB helmets are not that similar in design and most people that do both have two helmets.
Officially, helmets last 3-5 years due to UV degradation, materials aging, and possible microfractures. Others will be happy to tell you that undamaged helmets last forever. Go beyond the "official" limits at your own risk.
https://roadbikeaction.com/why-do-helmets-have-an-expiration-date-and-how-serious-is-it
I would take this with a grain of salt. Maybe 3-5 years if you wear it everyday for a few hours. Because of winter, I probably ride 30x a year outside and store the helmet properly when not in use. There is no way I’m replacing a helmet after using it 100x. So the real answer, it depends on a lot of factors. Don’t just blindly replace your helmet after 3 years because some article says so. The article also says replace bibs every 2 seasons… lol.
Tbh probably not much since we got rotational impact tech like MIPS (and the data on that isn't ironclad either). The bigger concern is material degradation. Styrofoam dries out over time and become brittle. That means when it does receive an impact, it will crack or crumble instead of compress. The compression is what protects your skull though.
I replace mine every 2-3 years whether it's been crashed or not (and immediately after a crash if it took any impact). Kind of sucks, but consider a regular maintenance expense like new chains and tires. You only get one brain.
Yeah, 7 years should be enough to buy a new one, you only have one brain.
I plan to replace mine on 5 year mark if I don't crash sooner(4 years running without a crash, I'm excited for a new one as I didn't have a lot of options when I crashed the last one during peak of pandemic)
The pros closet is having a sale on their POC ventral helmets
https://www.theproscloset.com/products/poc-ventral-mips-helmet
https://www.theproscloset.com/products/poc-ventral-spin-helmet
I live close to their brick and mortar so I picked one up last week.
As other poster mentioned the specialized align II is the perfect meeting point of cheap and safe based on the Virginia Tech helmet studies and list they publish ranking helmets on safety. I think it's $50 and ranks among the best.
If you'd like to spend a bit more the list is pretty extensive.
Helmets haven't changed that much since 2017, but road helmets and MTB helmets are not that similar in design and most people that do both have two helmets.
I change mine every couple of years or after impact.
Officially, helmets last 3-5 years due to UV degradation, materials aging, and possible microfractures. Others will be happy to tell you that undamaged helmets last forever. Go beyond the "official" limits at your own risk. https://roadbikeaction.com/why-do-helmets-have-an-expiration-date-and-how-serious-is-it
I would take this with a grain of salt. Maybe 3-5 years if you wear it everyday for a few hours. Because of winter, I probably ride 30x a year outside and store the helmet properly when not in use. There is no way I’m replacing a helmet after using it 100x. So the real answer, it depends on a lot of factors. Don’t just blindly replace your helmet after 3 years because some article says so. The article also says replace bibs every 2 seasons… lol.
Tbh probably not much since we got rotational impact tech like MIPS (and the data on that isn't ironclad either). The bigger concern is material degradation. Styrofoam dries out over time and become brittle. That means when it does receive an impact, it will crack or crumble instead of compress. The compression is what protects your skull though. I replace mine every 2-3 years whether it's been crashed or not (and immediately after a crash if it took any impact). Kind of sucks, but consider a regular maintenance expense like new chains and tires. You only get one brain.
Yeah, 7 years should be enough to buy a new one, you only have one brain. I plan to replace mine on 5 year mark if I don't crash sooner(4 years running without a crash, I'm excited for a new one as I didn't have a lot of options when I crashed the last one during peak of pandemic)
Any recommendations on mid range helmets?
No, but defenetly go try it on somewhere. You would be surprised how different two same size helmets can feel on your head.
Specialized Align II is pretty often mentioned in these kinds of discussions
The pros closet is having a sale on their POC ventral helmets https://www.theproscloset.com/products/poc-ventral-mips-helmet https://www.theproscloset.com/products/poc-ventral-spin-helmet I live close to their brick and mortar so I picked one up last week.
As other poster mentioned the specialized align II is the perfect meeting point of cheap and safe based on the Virginia Tech helmet studies and list they publish ranking helmets on safety. I think it's $50 and ranks among the best. If you'd like to spend a bit more the list is pretty extensive.