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The other day the strap on my helmet snapped. It's not the main strap but the one that sits across the back of you head and has a tightening dial. So the helmet doesn't fall off but it also doesn't stay still anymore when moving my head around.

It's now effectivly useless as it rattles around on my head getting in the way and obstructing my view, etc. I'm considering fixing using gaffer tape (the old mountaineering adage that if you can't fix somehting using gaffer tape, you likely need to use more gaffer tape)?

Is this a good idea or should I discard it an get a new one?

Here's the model, it's a DMM brand:

enter image description here

The broken strap isn't quite visible on that photo.

Here's a similar helmet, see the plastic strap with the dial on it. That's what's broken. Notice it doesn't actually anchor anything in place, the main straps attach to the helmet itself:

enter image description here

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    I've definitely used tape to patch that strap before. It held ok, but it's not a permanent fix.
    – ShemSeger
    Aug 26, 2016 at 15:50

2 Answers 2

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The concern here would be if the helmet could move far enough that it doesn't protect your skull adequately. If you can move it significantly I'd want to sort it - remember in an emergency it could take a good hit.

Personally, I'd replace the entire strap set at this point, as I'd not be convinced any repairs would be strong enough at strap ends etc. I definitely wouldn't rely on gaffer tape...

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  • The strap itself is fine. There retention clip on the back (dial to adjust head size) is a seperate plastic section and this has snapped. Your right though, right now it's not safe. If I look up the helmet slides backwards so my forehead is exposed. It's also a toal pain in the a*se...
    – user2766
    Aug 26, 2016 at 8:21
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    @Liam even if your fix would be safe enough for 99.9% of the cases, and you don't need a functioning helmet for 99.9% of the trips, the consequences of the one-in-a-million situation where your helmet fails unnecessarily would be too severe just to safe 50 bucks.
    – Peter1807
    Aug 27, 2016 at 11:55
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You can probably fix it with Sugru. If you're not familiar, it's a moldable silicone based clay like material that hardens to a hard rubber consistency with exposure to air over 24 hours. It sticks very well to most materials and makes it relativity easy to make lasting repairs.

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