Buying Speed... And Piece of Mind.
I'll be honest. I'm a bit spooked.
Steve Tilford's accident has given me a little to think about. Given my current circumstances, I have a lot of time to obsess about those little things.
Nope, I ain't gonna stop riding. Yeah, I wear a helmet pretty much every time I climb in the saddle (feels weird if I don't).
Instead, I was reflecting that if I was going to continue to ride, I might want to make sure that the piece of styrofoam and plastic that protects what marbles I have left rattling around my skull is the best and most protective piece of styrofoam plastic I can afford.
I don't want to go through what Steve is going through. I don't want to put my family through it. I don't want another TBI even on the level of my last one. I'd prefer to avoid repeating that sort of thing altogether.
Last winter I bought a new ski helmet, because (like an idiot) I left mine at home and had to coach in 30 minutes. I ran into the local ski shop, looked at what they had, picked a model that I liked and was comfortable in, paid the inflated on-hill price, and left to lead my little group of speed demons around the mountain. It wasn't until a week or so later that I saw the MIPS sticker. I figured it was some marketing-inspired nonsense, but I looked it up. MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, which is a leading slip-plane technology inside the helmet designed to reduce rotational forces that can result from certain impacts. Neat. I've rung my bell a few times on the snow, so anything that might lessen the severity of an impact is worth investigating. Not everyone is convinced MIPS works, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I already owned the helmet, and wasn't anxious to test to see if it does what it's supposed to do.
Now I'm seeing MIPS in road helmets. I'm also reading all sorts of wind tunnel tests that say my current aero race helmet is less aerodynamic than a 4'x8' sheet of plywood and I'm better off wearing a normal road helmet. Go figure.
So, I started looking around for an aero road helmet that was known for safety and tested well in the wind tunnel. I read everything I could find on the interwebs (again, lots of free time) and ended up getting...
A Kask Bambino. That's a TT helmet, not an aero road helmet. Somewhere along the line I diverged and started looking at TT helmets, because mine has a long tail and I have a tendency to put my head down, turning aero into shark fin- which kinda defeats the purpose. I've been wanting a stubby helmet for a while, but wasn't wanting to pay retail. Then I came across one for 1/3 retail, in the size/color I wanted. I jumped, because I have no self restraint when it comes to following meaningless attacks and buying more bike stuff.
So, now I have a really nice TT helmet, but still haven't chosen a new aero road lid. I have my search narrowed down to a few, but I really need to try them on first. After all, comfort is a primary consideration when you're wearing something for hours on end. I'd rather give up a tiny bit of aero to be more comfortable, but that's just me getting old.
So, at the very least, I'll kill some time sifting through the various options. That alone is worth the price of admission.
Steve Tilford's accident has given me a little to think about. Given my current circumstances, I have a lot of time to obsess about those little things.
Nope, I ain't gonna stop riding. Yeah, I wear a helmet pretty much every time I climb in the saddle (feels weird if I don't).
Instead, I was reflecting that if I was going to continue to ride, I might want to make sure that the piece of styrofoam and plastic that protects what marbles I have left rattling around my skull is the best and most protective piece of styrofoam plastic I can afford.
I don't want to go through what Steve is going through. I don't want to put my family through it. I don't want another TBI even on the level of my last one. I'd prefer to avoid repeating that sort of thing altogether.
Last winter I bought a new ski helmet, because (like an idiot) I left mine at home and had to coach in 30 minutes. I ran into the local ski shop, looked at what they had, picked a model that I liked and was comfortable in, paid the inflated on-hill price, and left to lead my little group of speed demons around the mountain. It wasn't until a week or so later that I saw the MIPS sticker. I figured it was some marketing-inspired nonsense, but I looked it up. MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, which is a leading slip-plane technology inside the helmet designed to reduce rotational forces that can result from certain impacts. Neat. I've rung my bell a few times on the snow, so anything that might lessen the severity of an impact is worth investigating. Not everyone is convinced MIPS works, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I already owned the helmet, and wasn't anxious to test to see if it does what it's supposed to do.
Now I'm seeing MIPS in road helmets. I'm also reading all sorts of wind tunnel tests that say my current aero race helmet is less aerodynamic than a 4'x8' sheet of plywood and I'm better off wearing a normal road helmet. Go figure.
So, I started looking around for an aero road helmet that was known for safety and tested well in the wind tunnel. I read everything I could find on the interwebs (again, lots of free time) and ended up getting...
A Kask Bambino. That's a TT helmet, not an aero road helmet. Somewhere along the line I diverged and started looking at TT helmets, because mine has a long tail and I have a tendency to put my head down, turning aero into shark fin- which kinda defeats the purpose. I've been wanting a stubby helmet for a while, but wasn't wanting to pay retail. Then I came across one for 1/3 retail, in the size/color I wanted. I jumped, because I have no self restraint when it comes to following meaningless attacks and buying more bike stuff.
So, now I have a really nice TT helmet, but still haven't chosen a new aero road lid. I have my search narrowed down to a few, but I really need to try them on first. After all, comfort is a primary consideration when you're wearing something for hours on end. I'd rather give up a tiny bit of aero to be more comfortable, but that's just me getting old.
So, at the very least, I'll kill some time sifting through the various options. That alone is worth the price of admission.
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