My helmet.

After riding around yesterday on quiet residential streets (for the first time in YEARS, which felt GREAT) I realised I felt plain naked without a helmet. I'm used to having one on my head when bicycling.

I dug my old helmet out and it had a crack in the external casing and was in pretty rough shape generally. Despite not having money to burn, I decided to buy a new one. I'll pay off the credit cards, eventually, but I *don't* want a traumatic brain injury.

I *briefly* researched helmets at the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) website. Great site, btw: one of those precious few cases where *literally* a few minutes can save you *years* of trouble down the road.

Consumer Reports gave "superiour" ratings only to the Bell "Citi" and "Slant" helmets in 2006, based on actual crash tests, and gave them both a "best buy" rating. So I went back to Fat Tire Cycles today determined to get one of those two helmets, even if they *did* cost fifteen dollars more than the basic models.

They had several to chose from, in both lines. In this case I knew *way* more than salesperson did. He was freindly and all, but once I mentioned "Consumer Reports" he backed up and let me have my space. (If his bosses are reading, don't fire him for that. I respect it.)

The "Slant" model had better ventillation, but in truth, I've intuitively known this all along: more vent holes mean more places that your head is *not* protected in a crash. (Not an issue now that I've got a shaved head and a quick wipe with a handkerchief will do, as far as helmet hair's concerned.) It's also got some slick designing for design's sake going on -- what with nifty, slick ærodynamic points coming off the back (for no reason), which I'm sure look great in wind tunnel tests, but pose real danger in terms of getting "snagged" in things while actually riding and (presumably) falling off onto a car's hood or into the bushes.

The "Citi" model's two bucks cheaper and they have one in bright yellow (which besides being visible, happens to match my bike, like I'd planned it). It's also got reflective tape, tastefully applied, on all sides (unlike the pastel colours otherwise available in the same model). It's *not* a hard decision. A hat's a fashion statement, but a helmet's not a hat.

My old helmet, a "Specialized" model of some sort or another, has one decidedly superiour satety feature that I'll miss. The sun visor breaks off almost instantly: it kinda "pinches" the helmet and the least bit of force gets it out of the way, super fast. The Bell helmet, which I otherwise like better, has its visor connected by two strong, sturdy snaps, one on either side of the helmet. Barring accidents, the Specialized visor is something you can snap on or off *while* riding. the Bell visor is something you have to stop to line up, and in the end, it has to be pulled out from *both* sides simultaneously to snap off in an accident.

Thanks to Sheldon Brown for his *amazing* website which led me to BHSI and Consumer Reports in the first place.

Thanks also to the football players who suffer, economically, more than any other population from concussion injuries. You guys are driving the research.