UKC

I'm about to get a hybrid bike for commuting and family rides (my first bike for nearly 20 years) and have bought a helmet from a local cycle shop who seem to be well respected. The two helmets that fitted and were suitable, one of which I decided to buy, have manufacturing dates marked inside in 2022, 3-3.5 years ago. The guy in the shop said this wasn't a problem and they don't really suffer degradation if unused, you just need to worry after any impact. At work we replace our helmets after 3 years I think. Granted though, these bike helmets have been stored inside and unused.

What is the received wisdom on this for bike helmets, does it matter? The one I've bought is a Bell Spark 2 MIPS if it makes any difference. Google suggests it is a polycarbonate outer shell bonded to the expanded polystyrene foam inner.

Thanks 

I was told on my MTB Guide Training that if I turned up to my assessment with a helmet with a manuf date more than 3* years ago then it was an automatic fail.

Which is utterly stupid.

* Might have been 5, but pretty sure it was 3

From https://www.bellhelmets.com/customer-service/product-faq.html

How Often Should a Helmet Be Replaced?

Bell has a general recommendation of replacing your helmet every three (3) years.

From that I take it to mean 3 years of use, not from manufacture date. 

Last time I had to replace a helmet (it did its job successfully at 12 years old) I found this article when reading up: https://www.helmets.org/replace.htm

Thanks all, sounds like nothing much to worry about then.

I should probably replace my helmet then, its about 15 years old and has been dropped a few times.

and upgrade to something with MIPS ideally.

dropping a helmet on the ground is unlikely to damage it unless its got a head or similar weight strapped inside it. Can you remember if your head was in it when the helmet was dropped?