#235 - Reboot

See the dial at the back? It's very good for one-hand fit adjustment.
... and it keeps it's setting

Ignore sweaty model and look at the nice profile of the GUB Mark helmet.

I'm back! ... and no, I didn't quit cycling to go back

to driving remote control cars :) I think I may have

fallen victim to the 'Curse of the Local Bloggers'.

I have been cycling on the same trails over and over

for the past four years. Many times in a trail ride

I slow down to take a picture only to remember that I

should not be where I am (you know those places *wink*)

or that within a split-second I decided that taking that

particular picture is not worth stopping my trail ride.

Now I understand other local bloggers (like Anvil)

when he says that we should all go to neighboring

countries where the trail riding is much more diverse

instead of taking pictures of the same places over and

over again.  

Anyway! That's it for my mini rant. I have been doing

a lot of things so that I could go on for longer rides and

hopefully join even just one of the many jamborees in

Malaysia. One thing that I did was to get this roadie

helmet GUB Mark.

CrestPursuit Owen brought three models of helmets

recently. As I mentioned above, the GUB Mark is the

roadie helmet and the other that caught my eye is an

AM helmet, the Laplace Q3. I don't have a picture of

the Laplace Q3 but everybody will find it familiar

as it resembles another AM helmet made by this

famous company whose name rhymes with BOX

*wink *wink.

I got the GUB Mark roadie helmet as I have been

looking for an airy helmet with adjustments that can

be done using one hand (e.g. by using a dial) ... and

lastly, said helmet must not require that I sell one

of my kidneys. That last requirement basically rules

out the delectable helmet selection offered by Tay

Junction Bukit Timah.

The GUB Mark helmet did not disappoint. Lots of

cooling holes in front and even lots of exhaust ports

at the back. It even has channels that divert airflow

from the front to the back of your head. It also comes

with extra pads. Lastly, the medium size fits my head

(55cm). The fit can be micro-managed using a dial

at the back of the head. The straps plus the dial cradles

your head snugly.

I have had this helmet for two or three weeks now

and I have used it for slow evening climbs at Mt. Faber

and hot twelve noon climbs in Hell Climb at Mandai.

All the holes in this helmet make sure you will be as

cool as the current environment would allow.

What would give you a maniacal grin is the coolness

in your head when you are going downhill in the 

evening at Mt. Faber. Definitely on a different level

that my other helmets (i.e. Fox Flux and Striker).

Ok, now you the question I ask myself at the end

of each review. What would I change about this

helmet? At this price level? Nothing. The helmet

serves my purposes perfectly.

... and as evidence that I am still doing my trail

rides, see pictures below  ... and hopefully

I have other stuff to update you with :-)

Lake at Hell Climb

She's come for the second straight week! Is she back
for good?

Fast riding at T15



Spyder Jett Helmet

Ok, another helmet review :-)

I got the Spyder Jett helmet from Ross' at Cartimar for

800PHP. At the current exchange rate of 34.90PHP = 1 SGD,

that makes this helmet SGD22.92 !

Keeping that price in mind, I didn't bother weighing

the helmet. Not that it is heavy. It's just that at this

price I don't think I should be expecting much from this

helmet except that it should do what it was designed to

do ... that is to protect your head.

Fit is very good. Unlike other cheaper models of other

'branded' helmets (e.g. Giro), this helmet comes in different

sizes. So you will be able to find a size to suit your head.

Fit adjustment is via a dial at the back of the head and

foam paddings are also provided.

The Jett comes in various colors (yellow, green and blue).

I only chose yellow so that my riding buddies would see me

if ever I crash inside the forest.

As for cooling, it is comparable to all other helmets that

I have ... this is subjective anyway.

So, those are the good points. For the bad : At this price? NONE!



Fox Striker Helmet



Left - Fox Flux 349gr, Right Fox Striker 298 gr



Fox has finally decided to create a supposedly improved version

of the ubiquitous Flux helmet. However, the Fox Striker did not

replace the Flux which still has numerous 2011 versions. I think

the Fox Striker is aimed at people who think that the Flux is a tad

bit too All-Mountain.

The Fox Striker helmet is supposedly 100grams lighter than

the Fox Flux. This alone should appeal to guys who ride more

XC than AM. It also lost the 'go-fast' fin behind the helmet

and now it has 22 vents instead of the 20 vents that the Flux has.

The 2 biggest vents are at the back and they are supported

by some honeycomb-structured plastic.

The visor is also smaller than the Flux's and even the back

strap is now padded.

When I saw the Fox Striker @CineLeisure, my eyes widened

and I looked at my wife. She asked me : 'You want that?'.

I said 'Yeahhhhh...'. Then she asked : 'What's the difference

between that and the other one (Flux)?'. I said 'uhhhhh a lot...

it has this, it has that, blah blah'. Then she said 'Whatever,

just go and get it before I change my mind!'.

Hehehehehe success !

Anyway, I used the Fox Striker for my ride today and

it does really feel airy and light. The thing is you will just

have to take my word for it because the fit and perceived airiness

of a helmet is subjective.

However, it is not 100grams lighter and I submit above

photo as evidence.

Broken Helmet

We thought it was just a few scratches on the shell.




Upon going home, closer inspection reveals a huge crack.

-

-

'NoLights' Louie took a spill last Thursday in Mt. Faber (through no fault of hers, mind you).

Her altercation with the pavement resulted in a nasty roadrash on the left arm and a few pockmarks on the helmet ... or so we thought. When she reached home and inspected the helmet more closely, she discovered a huge crack behind the pockmarked plastic shell.

-

She's now off to the bikeshop where she bought the helmet to see if the warranty card that came with her Limar helmet is any good. I'll update this post whether Limar honors the warranty or not.

-

One thing we learned though. There is no such thing as a tame ride. Always wear a helmet. All of us in that group who went with her last Thursday now cringes at the thought of what might have happened if she was not wearing a helmet.

-

Update 16 Sept 2010 :

'NoLights' Louie went to LnT @Tampines where she bought her Limar helmet armed with the warranty card she kept exactly for this occasion. The bikeshop said that the warranty is only valid in Italy !!!!! So, be warned, all these crash warranties that you see in magazines do not apply to Singapore ... or at least to helmets bought from LnT.