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I've sustained 3 minor crashes over the last 2 years. I think I hit my head on the road or ground all 2 times, but at low speeds.

The back of my helmet has some scratches from contact with the road. There is no indication of compression of the foam. Is it really a single use item?

Helmet makers stress that a helmet needs to be replaced after any crash in which one head hits the ground. OK ... I replaced it.

What do I do with the old one? do I save it in case my son needs a helmet when he's visiting? Do I put it in the trash and risk someone picking it up and getting hurt? Do I destroy it and put the pieces into the trash? Give it to a co-op?

I keep thinking it would be great for it really to be safe and to be recycled by someone who can't afford to buy a helmet. It would be awful if the recycler was hurt in a crash because the helmet really is single-use.

Thinking out loud here ... I'm leaning pretty strongly to destroying it. The injury risk of recycling a helmet that crashed is too high.

Any counter-arguments?

It's a Bontrager Rally MIPS, BTW. It scores very well in VPI's helmet testing.

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Beta blockers

Last Saturday I had a terrible ride in beautiful weather. I turned around at 4 miles because I was feeling so lousy and cut over a mile from my route to get myself home, and I was unable to move much for hours after I did struggle home.

Monday I talked my doc in to changing a med from Toprol to atenolol, both beta blockers, both slow down heart rate, both can sap energy. I've hated the Toprol for as long as I've taken it (18 months or so) because I have no appreciable energy on it.

Today I rode 14 miles in the same time it took me to do 7 Saturday. I didn't need to stop and rest. I came home, sat and told plainsong about my ride, changed out of bike clothes and into normal stuff, and proceeded to do what I wanted to do. 'Recovery' took no more than 45 minutes - would have taken less if I had had to get somewhere. I'm hoping atenolol will govern my BP better than Toprol did AND let me have more energy.

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Bugs

Fucking bugs - literally. Today I kept riding into clouds of bugs. A lot of them stuck to my jacket. I brushed a lot of those off, but I looked at them at a red light. (I stop at red lights. It really screws up drivers, because they expect me to contest the intersection with them. But I'm a grown-up, and I learned not to get into contests with cars - oh - at least 2 years ago.)

Anyway, lots of the 'bugs' were really 2 bugs attached to each other at their rear ends. I never had a picture in my head of copulating bugs. Now I do. You really can learn something every day.

I did not like riding through the clouds of bugs, but I feel so great knowing that atenolol may be MUCH MUCH MUCH better than Toprol.

I was told by the er dr.that bike helmet hits are one and done. The er here has helmets at a discount usually. They actually fit them for the little ones. It was great for the budget less than $10 per kid. So please just get a new one. Sorry if I rambled.

Sisson,

I agree with the one time helmet use for safety. Head injuries are terrible, and helmets are so important. My husband doesn't wear helmets, and it took forever to get my children to comply. I'm glad you are dedicated to them.

In Florida, they're called "love bugs". They swarm at a certain time of the year and they're everywhere. But maybe they're better than the alternative.

In Honduras, one of my children found a Hercules beetle. They're huge and have massive pincers on their head. I was told the pincers weren't weapons. They're used to root around the undergrowth for dead fruit to feed on. Anyway, a local said they've been hit in the chest by one while riding a moped/motorcycle. It took his breath away and left a big welt and bruise.

Years ago I had a similar problem with beta blockers. I lost weight and was running, biking and walking. Biking I would get so lightheaded I had to pull over and lay down, walk the bike back home or to the car, then was completely wiped out for rest of the day.
I was put on a holter monitor and was told to go ride. Heart rate was in low 40s during the ride. Dr took me off blood pressure meds completely. Pressure was normal, heart rate was on the low side but I was pretty active.

Helmets - Yes one and done. Pull the foam out of the frame and toss.

Betas- yup that change in meds should work but keep an eye on your heart rate especially when exercising. It can decrease the threshold if popping into A fib with a rapid response, which you dont want.

Mating bugs, ..... hmmm spring is in the air and all creatures are feeling frisky I suppose.

I will render the old helmet unusable as soon as I put the computer down. My new helmet is a lot more comfortable than the crashed one, and it was only $55. It ranks right next to my old helmet in VPI's tests. Also, I'm much more sensitive to danger now, so I'm less likely to crash. I think. I hope.

hcsv, HR of 40 while riding? Wow. I'm glad you got that straightened out.

Mel, I hope you were talking to the ER doc over cocktails, but my guess is the conversation took place in an ER. I hope the patient recovered completely.

Thanks, all.

Yes, it was an er trip, but about 20 yrs ago. My daughter had a bad ear infection and her ear drum ruptured. She ended up being fine, she was six and told the Dr. All about her new bike, hence the talk about the helmets. Went back the next week and got the little ones fitted.

I personally evaluate the strength or force of the hit. Like if you fall over and hit the road head-first then the helmet has done it’s job and should be sent to the Valhalla of helmets. If you fall off a bike and roll of your shoulder onto the helmet… then maybe not so much.
Other than that – I change bike-helmets every 3 years or so, depending on usage. My present helmet is about 4 years old, but due to Covid I haven’t commuted so much on my bike as normal (usually I do the 30 minute ride 2-3x each week for 8 months of the year).
I think a bad helmet is better than no helmet. Keep in mind that a new helmet can cost less than a full tank of gas.

Yeah, the type of crash can make a difference. Scuff marks on the back of the helmet that had to have come from crashes made me lose faith in my old one.

BTW, I always thought helmets were commodities; finding the right circumference was all that was needed to buy one that fits.

In fact, there are lots of variations in how they sit on one's head, and a millimeter or 2 here or there can make a big difference in comfort. That makes sense, since there are probably lots of variations in heads. I ended up with a $55 helmet because it fit me; I tried on at least a dozen, ranging in price up to $300. Nothing came close to my new helmet in how it fit on my head.

I'm really glad I did not go the online purchase route for this purchase, and I recommend buying only what you can try on. (Of course, some vendors make it easy to return online purchases.)

It took several minutes to figure out how to destroy the old helmet. I couldn't just destroy the foam, even with a box cutter. Eventually I peeled the cover off to reveal the foam, which allowed me to cut it put. It's now waiting to be picked up with other trash and compressed by the garbage truck. I don't think anyone will use it. I enjoyed the effort.