Had this helmet for a couple of years but only gets worn racing so maybe around 20 or so times. Never crashed, in general very clean condition, but I’ve noticed that the ear cover part on one side is starting to come away from the main part. I think this is because i ride out to races with the lid in a bag on my back and it’s been kind of pressed against my back.
Trying to figure out if i should keep using it. I think I’m ok with it since it’s not the main part of the helmet, but what would you do?
Yeah in a way I’m with you on that. I hate to put this to landfill though, seems a bit wasteful. And if i deem it not good enough for me then can i really sell it?
I’d suggest contacting Bell and getting their input…but, due to liability reasons, don’t be surprised if they say “yeah, you should really replace that.”
My $.02…ear flaps are primarily about aerodynamics, not protection, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that area. The topical wear on the higher part of the helmet is also not likely a safety concern…at least not yet.
Really, the question you should be asking is “how many watts am I losing by using this helmet?”
At the end of the day, there is nothing worse than riding around in gear you are unsure of…so if you can’t get those thoughts out of your head, replace it.
If the structure of the actually helmet part is fine and it is only the plastic cover then from a safety point of you it is fine…back in the day TT helmets were only about aerodynamics and had no crash protection at all -they were hollow!
Not that I’m advocating that the helmet is still safe to use but if I glued my helmet in that area I wouldn’t use super glue or gorilla glue. Mainly because that area needs to flex to get the helmet on (at least that’s the case for the flaps on my TT helmet). I’d try some silicone that instead that has some give or some rubber patch like shoe goo to see if they would work.
In the end if that happened to my helmet I’d just be new helmet shopping honestly. Mine is old and I would prefer and aero road type helmet instead for more ventilation. I end up getting way too hot in a traditional TT helmet. For reference I have the old school Giro Advantage 2.
