dead helmet donation?

[d_douglas]

So, I just found that my old helmet is cracked. I am not sure how, as I have sustained no accidents (OK, some minor MTB wipeouts), but I think it might have been packing error in our car sometime during our holiday. I am happy to get a new helmet (it was a cheapish Bell that has served me well) but I am wondering about what to do with it. It is a small crack that I easily could have ridden with for a year or two more without noticing it, but nevertheless, a crack.

It is law in British Columbia to wear a helmet on a bike. There are quite a few homeless/disadvantaged people cruising around on bikes without helmets. In some ways I feel that donating a helmet to someone serves them better than going without a helmet, but my conscience is saying (quite rightly) 'if I won't use this helmet, why do I expect that a homeless person would want it?'

It feels weird, but should I just toss this in a garbage bag and call it a day?

[ColnagoFan]

So, I just found that my old helmet is cracked. I am not sure how, as I have sustained no accidents (OK, some minor MTB wipeouts), but I think it might have been packing error in our car sometime during our holiday. I am happy to get a new helmet (it was a cheapish Bell that has served me well) but I am wondering about what to do with it. It is a small crack that I easily could have ridden with for a year or two more without noticing it, but nevertheless, a crack.

It is law in British Columbia to wear a helmet on a bike. There are quite a few homeless/disadvantaged people cruising around on bikes without helmets. In some ways I feel that donating a helmet to someone serves them better than going without a helmet, but my conscience is saying (quite rightly) 'if I won't use this helmet, why do I expect that a homeless person would want it?'

It feels weird, but should I just toss this in a garbage bag and call it a day?

If it's cracked, it's useless to anyone. Some places will recycle the foam, grind it up for other uses, but don't let someone wear it.

[makoti]

my old helmet is cracked. toss this in a garbage bag and call it a day

Fixed. ;)

[LouDeeter]

I used to keep cracked helmets so that when beginning cyclists would ask me about cycling, I would always show them the helmet so that they would understand it isn't "if" but "when" they'll need it. I have told people that I would prefer them to take my cracked helmet and use it until they could buy a new one, if for nothing else, to check the fit and for them to check what it is like to ride with a helmet. In the cases that happened, all returned the helmet within a week and had purchased a new helmet. While I understand that a cracked helmet isn't going to offer the protection of a new one, it is better than nothing.

[Idris Icabod]

So, I just found that my old helmet is cracked. I am not sure how, as I have sustained no accidents (OK, some minor MTB wipeouts), but I think it might have been packing error in our car sometime during our holiday. I am happy to get a new helmet (it was a cheapish Bell that has served me well) but I am wondering about what to do with it. It is a small crack that I easily could have ridden with for a year or two more without noticing it, but nevertheless, a crack.

It is law in British Columbia to wear a helmet on a bike. There are quite a few homeless/disadvantaged people cruising around on bikes without helmets. In some ways I feel that donating a helmet to someone serves them better than going without a helmet, but my conscience is saying (quite rightly) 'if I won't use this helmet, why do I expect that a homeless person would want it?'

It feels weird, but should I just toss this in a garbage bag and call it a day?

I think Bell has a crash replacement program, might want to check with them prior to tossing it in the trash.

If not Excel has been having a helmet sale all week.

[rwsaunders]

I think Bell has a crash replacement program, might want to check with them prior to tossing it in the trash.

If not Excel has been having a helmet sale all week.

If I recall it's like 30% off retail which most retailers already offer...at least.

[Avincent52]

This puts me in mind of a story.

A friend of mine bought a new couch.
Now he's an older guy, he's married, has a nice house in the Md suburbs, and is also a very serious guitar collector.
He calls Goodwill to donate his old couch, which had been in his living room days earlier, upon which he sat to play his vintage Martins.

They wouldn't take it.
It didn't pass their "dignity" test.
I have to say, I sat on that couch and never thought my dignity was compromised. It was a little out of style, might have had a small tear or a stain, but it wasn't some urine soaked horror.

Good enough for him, but not good enough to be donated.

That said, I do think that a helmet is fundamentally different thing. It's not about pretty, but about safe, and a cracked helmet may actually be worse than none at all. (It's called "compensatory behavior.")

But your heart is in the right place though.

[Tony T]

…should I just toss this in a garbage bag and call it a day?

Yes.

[yngpunk]

This puts me in mind of a story.

A friend of mine bought a new couch.
Now he's an older guy, he's married, has a nice house in the Md suburbs, and is also a very serious guitar collector.
He calls Goodwill to donate his old couch, which had been in his living room days earlier, upon which he sat to play his vintage Martins.

They wouldn't take it.
It didn't pass their "dignity" test.
I have to say, I sat on that couch and never thought my dignity was compromised. It was a little out of style, might have had a small tear or a stain, but it wasn't some urine soaked horror.

Good enough for him, but not good enough to be donated.

That said, I do think that a helmet is fundamentally different thing. It's not about pretty, but about safe, and a cracked helmet may actually be worse than none at all. (It's called "compensatory behavior.")

But your heart is in the right place though.

One would think that Goodwill/Salvation Army and such would take almost anything, but remember that they ultimately have to sell the thing and it costs them time and money to come pick up the couch and it occupies floor space while its for sale...probably through their years of experience, they realize what sells and what doesn't and whether they can at least re-coup their costs of accepting the donation.

Depending on where you live, your friend could always leave it at the curb, or place an "ad" in the Craigslist free section.

[jmoore]

1. Break/cut it in half
2. Basura
3. Beer