Spring time is bike time.

[sara]

We had a nice sunny afternoon today, so I was happy to get out on the tandem to pick my daughter up at school. We stopped in at the bookstore, then came over the river and went to one of our local bike shops to buy chain lube (wow, a tandem goes through a lot of chain lube) and scope out new helmets for me.

I'd done my research (previously mentioned here) and knew I was looking for something light colored, preferably with reflective stuff on it, and with a rounded rather than a pointed back. And I was not particularly interested in something pink with flowers and butterflies on it, though I did try on a couple of those (to the great delight of my child).

I came home with a Bell Citi in the yellow, my choices having been yellow and black. It is much, much easier to adjust than the old helmet was, and noticeably more comfortable. And it's got a bit built into the back for a light, which is a nice feature. Admittedly, in the yellow it's maybe not the most fashion-forward choice (my daughter has already developed a mocking song that goes, "Please, cars, don't hit me, don't hit me!" which she sings when I put it on -- ah, parenthood) but it does match my panniers, so hey.

The old helmet? The bike shop guy didn't actually need to use the baby sledge he pulled out to break it up -- he just stepped on it and it came apart. Er. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best personal safety choice I've ever made, there.

Home along the bike path, an errand or two along the way, and then up the hill for a nice carbohydrate-laden dinner and beer (for me, not the kid) -- good end to a long week!

Comments

[aedifica]

I'm considering a new helmet for this year. I bought a new one just last spring, but I bought it in too much of a hurry (it was on sale) and I have to have the dial at the largest point for it to fit me. Depending on how I have my hair braided, sometimes it's a little tight. And yet, it's only a year old and has all these vents... I think I'll wait a little longer at least.

[sara]

Well, my last one was twelve years old, so I feel like I got plenty of wear out of it.

I like the spinny dial on the back of the new one, though -- in winter I have a hat I made out of baby alpaca that's really, really warm but not too heavy, and it is MUCH easier to fit the new helmet over that than it was to deal with adjusting the old one back and forth over the hat.

[aedifica]

Yes, twelve years is certainly a long and useful life for a helmet! My previous helmet was about six years old and visually still fine, but it'd been bumped around over the years and I just wasn't certain about it anymore.

The dials are handy!

[sara]

Yeah, that nonprofit bike helmet evaluation org I linked to a couple of weeks ago recommends five years or so; Bell says three, but I think that's because they want to sell helmets. I kept meaning to get a replacement and not doing it, but after knocking my head on the house, it seemed like it was time.

Okay, it was really time in about, um, 2002, but hey.

It is just like adjusting my hard hat! Gotta like that. Speaking of which, I wonder what the use-life of hard hats is? I should look into that. But I don't want to replace my hard hat; it has all my old project stickers on it....

[darkemeralds]

It sounds like a lovely bike day. It was gorgeous here, too, and as much as I love riding in the sunshine, I have to say: too many pedestrians on the multi-use path through the park! Now there is a hazard!

Your new helmet is great. And your daughter is lucky to have such a cool tandem-riding mom.

[sara]

Ha, I remember explaining to out-of-town friends while taking a walk down by the river that no, they can't walk all the way across the bike paths here, because they are regularly used by cyclists traveling at 10-15 mph. The idea that a bike path is not a sidewalk hasn't quite sunk in for some folks!

And thanks. We have fun on our bike.