How often should one replace a helmet?

I have had my UVEX XP-100 helmet for about five years now. I bought it off EBay in 2007. It was a cheaper display model. But the seller told me that it was barely used and the only reason he sold it for cheaper was because it did not come in the original packaging. As I have posted before, I have retrofitted the XP-100 to meet my needs.

For the colder months, I do have the Nutcase helmet, which is great for skating, but it does not have enough vents in it, for regular use during the pretty warm days of North Texas, which is a lot of days in a year.

From time to time, I do see some article about replacing one's helmet every so often. I don't think I ever committed that statistic to my memory. I have also heard some say that one should replace a helmet, if they crashed in it. I have crashed once with this helmet on. I did not crash on my head, but I did hit my head on the asphalt a bit.

So, I have been thinking about getting a new helmet. I do not want to buy any other brand other than UVEX. And, in particular, I would like to get a UVEX XP CC (pictured below).

UVEX helmets fit very well and they are not heavy (at least before I retrofit them). In particular, the XP CC has some great features. I just have to find it at the optimal price point :)

So, my dear reader, tell me: How often do you replace your helmet?

Paz :)

What is the magic number?

Today was an interesting commute day. Yes, it really was!

I don't write about ignorant drivers all the time, although I see a fair share of them in this fair city, but never as many as five/six in one day. Today, was one of those days.

I counted five/six weird behaviors:

1. Honked at twice, once in the AM and once in the PM, while lawfully operating my bicycle
2. Yelled at, at Royal & MacArthur: something akin to "get off the road, you moron"
3. Passed on the left, by a large SUV. A close call!
4. Passed on the right within the lane and cutoff
5. Almost got ran over in a 3 lane road, while riding lawfully in the right lane

#3 and #4 happened very close to my home, on a relatively calm road, with one lane in each direction. There is a parking lane on this road. I guess some of these auto drivers are expecting me to drive in the parking lane, cut in and out, as need be. But, I will not do that. It is illegal to do that and furthermore, it only further obfuscates my intention to the other drivers.

I just don't get it :(


 

Hope all is swell in your neck of the woods!

Paz :)

How to Wear a Helmet - Unveiled

Seen last Sunday in Valley Ranch! I am hypothesizing that the person behind the veil is a woman.That's no cycling science!

But, what caught my attention was how the person wore the helmet. It wasn't properly worn (look closely), possibly affected by the wearing of the veil.

Helmets are supposed to sit level on the head AND low on the forehead, but that was not the case in this case.

If you sport a helmet like I do, please make sure you know how to wear it properly. Believe me, I didn't always know how to wear a helmet the right way. There are many resources with this information. Here is such a link.

Be safe out there and have fun driving your bike!

Paz :)

Guess who else uses a helmet? :)

Apparently, I am not the only one using a helmet when driving my bicycle. My elder brother sent me the picture below, from a billboard in Tiruchi-India, where I did my undergraduate studies.

If it is good for Ganesha, it is good for me. Need I say more? :)

Have a Great Week!

Paz :)

PS. Apparently Ganesha likes Bell helmet. Whoda thunked?
PPS. For the overly analytical, I know the helmet pictured looks more like a motorcycle helmet.

Shoe Review: Salomon XT Wings 2 GTX PLUS Five Ten Tennie Talk!

Salomon makes trail-running shoes with GORE-TEX, which makes them shoes waterproof. These shoes can usually be found in Salomon's trail-running shoe line and are denoted by the "GTX" in the name. I buy the trail-running kind simply because they provide great support and I like having the GTX feature. These shoes ain't cheap!


I bought my very first pair of Salomon trail-running shoes with GORE-TEX (I can not remember which model it was) sometime in 2004. That pair lasted me close to 6 years. In Fall of 2010, I found that the old pair was not waterproof anymore. If I rode in the rain, my feet got soaking wet. Plus, the support had worn away.

By the way, I only use my running shoes for a) use on the treadmill, b) Table Tennis, c) general purpose walking and d) cycle commuting. I am not a runner!
 
After the old pair died in Fall of 2010, I bought a new pair of Salomon XT Wings 2 GTX sneakers, in late December of 2010. The new pair provided the same great support as did my old pair. They were stylish. People line-up by the boat loads to see me stylin' etc, but they were not waterproof for even one year. Last week, when I rode back home in the rain, I found my feet were in puddles of water inside my GTX shoes. What a shame! Again, let me remind you: These shoes ain't cheap!

Heartbroken, I contacted Salomon through Email and described my problem and asked them if they would replace them through their Warranty Program. Within a few hours, I got a reply from Salomon, directing me to contact their Customer Service by phone and I did.


To my surprise, the Customer Service people listened to my problem, asked me for a few numbers from the inside of the shoe and told me that they would replace them for me free-of-charge. Next, they helped me select a comparable pair of shoes from their current line-up. In fact, the shoe I picked was not even on their website yet. It was "that new"! I was delighted.


I wasn't expecting the replacement pair to show-up for a couple of weeks, but they did show-up at my door on Monday this week. What a pleasant surprise! Thank you, Salomon!!

Pictured below are my brand new X Ultra GTX shoes. They fit and feel very comfy.

They have a different tread pattern on the soles. But still I haven't tested them in the rain.


Well, guess what? It is supposed to rain on Friday and possibly even on the weekend. I will be testing these puppies to see how waterproof they really are!

While on the topic of shoes, I found this Five Ten Tennie pair on sale at Zappos.

Five Ten uses a special compound called "Stealth Rubber" to line their soles. Stealth Rubber is super grippy! Hence, they make a great pair of shoes for riding your bike, especially if you use platform pedals like me. I have had a pair of Five Ten Impact Low shoes before and they were virtually indestructible.

I plan to use this Five Ten pair for Table Tennis as well, especially given that we play on a wooden floor at the new Cimmaron location of the DFW Table Tennis club.

I will post more about the new Salomon pair and how it fares as I test them more.

Paz :)

It IS my cup of tea!

Two Saturdays ag, I rode the Americano around DFW, on one of my 25 mile routes, again. Below are some photos from the ride.

I did three things differently on this trip.

1. I listened to music on my iPhone, as I ran out of juice on my Sansa Clip+. My bad: I didn't charge the Sansa!

2. As it wasn't totally toasty out, I carried some Masala Chai with me. It was refreshing to drink it during a break. This was the second thing that I did differently. Usually, I only drink water if the distance is short, unless the purpose of the ride is to go to a cup of java.

3. The third thing I did differently was that I pushed myself to go faster. I seldom do it on my weekend rides, as I feel it takes the fun away. But, on this particular day, I managed to shave off roughly 33% from the usual ride time for this particular route. In a way, it felt good to know that I wasn't completely out of shape.

I am not sure going faster is my forte, but riding my bicycle IS my cuppa tea :)

Have a Great Week!

Paz :)

Sock Review: Col d'Lizard Darn Tough Socks

I first came across Col d'Lizard socks back in 2006, when I started riding all through the year, in St. Louis. I might have gotten to know them through the IceBike website. Back then I bought a pair of their Merino Wool Skiing socks and their PolarTec tights. Both the socks and the tights saved my butt on many a cold day.

Since I was so good in 2011, Santa brought me a bunch of Col d'Lizard Socks for Christmas and I was delighted that I got them.

Just like the name says, Darn Tough they are! Worth every penny!!

I have used Col d'Lizard's products for a few years now. In fact, I still have the original pair of socks I bought back in 2006 and the tights. They are still in great shape. I use the Darn Tough Skiing socks (not pictured in this post), when the temperature drops below 25 degrees F. They still keep my toes nice and toasty.

If you are in the market for a good pair of sock, give the Col d'Lizard socks a try. I would recommend them to anyone, wholeheartedly, because they are so Darn Tough!

Paz :)

PS. Next post: Salomon XT Wings 2 GTX Shoes

Interesting Bike Commute Trends in the USA!

Via the LAB, I came across a rather detailed article containing some very interesting statistics on Bicycle Commuting Trends in the US.

Click here to read the stats!

How are the stats from your city/state looking?

Austin-TX's statistics look pretty decent, but I say, DFW's are rather dismal :(
Hopefully, this will improve in the future.

In the meantime, I am going to do everything I can to ride as many days as I can :)

Paz :)

Green Pride

I started highlighting, in florescent green, days I commuted by bike on my wall calendar last July. The calendar looked reasonably colorful at the end of the year.

Here is my new calendar for 2012! I have added a dark green check-mark to bicycle commute days, as you can see. I hope to make it a green calendar by Christmas.

I don't display a lot of stuff at work: no photographs, no chachkis, nada. But, I am proud to display my bicycle commute statistics.

How do you display your Green Pride? :)

Paz :)

PS. TC = Telecommute, D = Drove an automobile to work

Review: Buff Headgear

I bought a wool buff and a couple of classic buffs this fall. Since then, the buffs have pretty much replaced my headbands (which I use on warmer days and during Table Tennis) and my "lost" Outdoor Research balaclava (which I use on colder days). On very cold and windy days, I use a combination of the the wool buff and the heavier-duty balaclava I have.

Here is my secret to layering. Layer one: Wool buff!


Ask anyone from colder climates and they will tell you it is best to layer clothing. I think the same is true for winter headgear as well. Layers keep you warmer!

Layer 2: Balaclava on top of the wool buff!

With the helmet on, I am ready to rock and roll!

Buffs can be used in different configurations around one's head and neck. I have so far found them extremely useful.

Here are some benefits:

1. Keep one's head warm during cold days
2. Use as a sweat band
3. Use as a head cover, more like a bandana
4. Use as a scarf around the neck
5. Use as a hairband, if you have a ponytail
6. Buff is great for all seasons

Buffs come in plain colors and attractive designs. I have one with drawings of bicycles on it. Need I say more?

Here is a picture of my other buff! Worn on the way to the Cycling Savvy class this summer.

Hope you are having a good week!

Paz :)