Mountain Cycle Fury Frame Review

Mountain Cycle is not new to the bike industry. For newer riders, this may be the first you have heard of Mountain Cycle, but for those of us that have been around since the late 80’s/early 90’s…Mountain Cycle used to be a household name that graced the cover of magazines worldwide. Mountain Cycle was known for its aggressive designs and burly construction during a time when manufacturers were not paying any attention to the AM/DH market.

More On Mountain Cycle

From the Mountain Cycle website:

Mountain Cycle can best be described as a “Micro-National”  in the sense that, we operate on a truly worldwide level, with offices and staff spread around the globe.  But we are a small team,  just seven full-time staff, who between look after all the operational aspects of the company.

A commitment that we have made, is to be one of the most approachable, best value for money, most rider owned, and most Serious Fun of bike brands.
Mountain Cycle was started in 1988 by Robert Reissinger, a man many claim to be the true father of the modern mountain bike.

In an era when MTB’s were still very road bike influenced; rigid steel frames and cantilever brakes - the bike Robert built was nothing short of revolutionary.

The San Andreas was launched with little fuss - but it’s radical, motocross inspired looks, long travel suspension and disk brakes (used for the very first time on a MTB!) grabbed peoples attention and desire.

It is the only bike to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art as a shining example of modern design. As a company MC fared less well, eventually Robert transferred ownership to Kinesis (the Taiwanese frame factory) but this marriage too was short lived.

Finally in 2006/7 - Mountain Cycle found a new home, after being bought by large Taiwanese company Ideation Industrial.

With experienced, passionate staff again running the brand, the History Continues…

Mountain Cycle’s current line consists of the Rumble (HT), Fury (5″ Travel), Battery (5″ Travel Slopestyle) and Shockwave (9.5″ Travel). As you can see by their lineup, they are very AM/DH oriented in their approach to the mountain biking industry.

The Mountain Cycle Fury

The Mountain Cycle Fury is the 5″ travel cross country/all mountain bike out of the MC stable.

From the MC website:

• Tube/monocoque mainframe with full monocoque swingarm
• Super-stiff full monocoque Swingarm
• 5 inches of tunable, progressive travel
• Optimized pivot location for exceptional pedaling and sprinting
• Dropped Top Tube for reduced standover height and increased maneuverability
• Continuous cable routing
• MSRP - est. $960.00 US

As you can already see by the photos, this bike has a very unique look. The tube/monocoque frame design is unlike anything else on the market. It can be shipped with several different flavors of rear shocks ranging from Fox Racing to Marzocchi.

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What Ya Got There?
Let’s be honest here, as human beings, it’s pretty easy to dismiss anything that doesn’t conform to the masses. In the case of Marin bicycles, and more specifically the Wolf Ridge 6.7 tested here, the uniqueness in question stems from none other than the Jon Whyte designed Quad-Link suspension platform. We’ll come right out and admit it; in this day of minimalist-looking linkages coupled to swoopy and curved frame spars, the complex and busy looking Marin earned its shares of gawkers, rubber-necks, and naysayers. The downtube features a nice bend as per the current trend and the swingarm is gorgeously arced and formed leaving only the Quad-Link 2.0 as the prime suspect for the prying eyes. If there’s one thing the crew of MBT can relate to, it’s the old saying that one should never judge a book by its cover. In that line of thinking, it’s equally foolish to judge a mountain bike by its linkage.

Specs
Our Wolf Ridge reads like a typical trail ensemble with a slight lean toward the aggressive side of things. Squish duties were handled by a RockShox Pike air sprung fork (U-Turn equipped) in the front and a Fox Racing Shox RP23 in the rear. Travel numbers came in at 5 and a ½ inches on both sides. Drivetrain components were a hodgepodge of various bits: Shimano LX group shifters and XT derailleur, SRAM PG-970 Cassette, and FSA Gap MegaExo cranks. Syncross DP25 Double Wall rims came wrapped in Kenda Nevegal (2.35”) rubber. Brakes and levers are all Hayes Stroker Trail series.

All told our aluminum size medium bike weighed in at 35.1 pounds (with pedals) and would set an interested buyer back $2950.

The Walk Around
Even before the complexity of the Quad-Link 2.0 cluster enters the equation, Marin bikes have a unique and easily identifiable style all their own. The Wolf Ridge is no exception and the black and white motif example that we rode was living proof.

As far as the linkage itself is concerned, don’t be intimidated by what is essentially a four-bar design with a little added ingenuity applied for good measure. Let us try to cut through the technical mumbo-jumbo the dealer likes to spread on thick in effort to express the system in simple English. As the wheel encounters terrain imperfections (small rocks, sticks, roots, etc.) the Quad-Link 2.0 is designed to allow for backward motion of the wheel as it slips into its travel. Now think about that for a moment. Not only does the real wheel move up in response but backward as well. Of course, if chains were made of silly putty instead of metal links, the ideal situation would be to allow the wheel to continue on rearward to remove any sense of a square edge hit or smack associated with clawing over an obstruction.

But this is the real world and eventually a rearward moving wheel is going to run out of slack due to chain tension. In the case of the Wolf Ridge, this happens about a third of the way through its travel. Here the linkage takes over by shifting the path of the wheel back onto one in which the bike’s wheelbase is no longer affected (in other words: no further chain growth). But what about the initial tension already caused by the motion in the first place? We’re glad you asked. This tension works to the bikes advantage by slowing down movement of the shock since, after all, to pass through a third of the available travel most likely means a big hit. Now, at the steeper part of the curve, the amount of shock travel to wheel movement increases. Say what? This keeps you from blowing through the entire stroke the way you clearly swallowed up your first 1/3. Think stiffer as you progress/ stiffest just before bottoming out. See, we told you it was simple!

The Ride
From the saddle, the Wolf Ridge feels a bit more downhill in orientation than it does XC or even all mountain. How so? A slack head angle (66.5 degrees) mated to a short (50mm) stem makes the bike feel rather stretched out with the rider sitting fairly upright. Getting a leg up on the pedals, however, assures the rider that this rig is far lighter than a true shuttle-runner with steady building acceleration. The Wolf Ridge works best under a rider who builds momentum into a steady-head of steam (no XC spurt-on power here). Once the speeds start increasing (be it either due to leg power or gravity’s assistance on a descent) the Wolf Ridge begins to demonstrate its true personality. We found the bike flowed really well in these situations thanks mostly to that slack head angle we mentioned above. The Wolf Ridge rider doesn’t snap the bike around corners or switchbacks so much as he suggests its lines through steady leverage at the bars.

Don’t worry about the rutted chop that doesn’t appear until half way around the switchback, the Pike (especially in full travel mode) and RP23 work quite harmoniously with the chassis to keep the Marin planted firmly in its line. We expected some clatter (or at least some clunking) out of the Quad-Link 2.0 setup but never did any such annoyance reveal itself, even in the rock gardens!

Braking from the Hayes Stroker Trail units was quite up to the task as well on the flats and certainly on the trails. However, their smooth modulation and firm grip tends to loosen up a bit on really steep descents or high-speed sections (when some would say you need them most). We learned fairly early on to brake a few seconds earlier than we’re accustomed on similarly spec’ed bikes.

Complaint Department
As much as we would liked to have been able to sweet talk our way all the way through this report, the truth is the Marin Wolf Ridge exhibited a few issues during our short time spent with the bike. The first of which comes in the form of the dreaded “b-word”. Hard sprints, out of the saddle efforts, any road riding, and aggressive climbing will cause some pedal bob. Keep in mind this is far from the bob of yesteryear whereby pedal power was sucked up on its way to the real wheel- this is more like rhythmic movement. The good news is that it can be cured by activating the little ProPedal lever on the RP23 to firm things up back there. Yes we know we’ve been spoiled by linkage designs that do their best to obsolete the shock’s own platform damping circuit of late.

Which leads directly to our second complaint: The rather obtrusive shock cradle does make simple tuning of the shock’s plethora of switches, knobs, and levers much more difficult than it has to be. On the Marin, reaching down to flip ProPedal lever off is not an in-saddle affair but rather a come to a complete stop, dismount, and take an interior stab situation.

Finally, and again relating to the linkage configuration, have your knee pads handy even if you don’t consider yourself the type of rider who requires them. Two of our testers came back with skinned knees thanks to the linkage bolts.

Conclusion
It’s easy to get into the line of thinking that the Marin Wolf Ridge is not a do-it-all bike for just about any type of rider, but then again nobody ever said it was supposed to be. Instead what Marin has created is a confident descender that is only a few component swaps away from being able to hang with true downhill-specific hardware. But unlike the sap on the downhill rig, a ski lift isn’t mandatory to get this bike back up the mountain.

Review provided by your friends at:

Fifteen Set to Compete in Hoogerheide after First Round of Nominations

Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 23, 2008) -USA Cycling has announced the first round of nominations to the United States National Team for the 2009 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

Five athletes were named to each of the elite women’s, U23 men’s and junior men’s squads based on competitive performances over the course of the last year.

After capturing her fifth consecutive USA Cycling Cylco-cross National title, Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike) received an automatic nomination and will lead the elite women’s squad. Compton is currently ranked third in the world behind Dutchwoman Daphny van den Brand and World Cup leader Hanka Kupfernagel (GER). After her silver-medal-performance at the World Championships in 2006, with two World Cup victories and a trio of top-three finishes already this season, Compton is not only an automatic qualifier to the squad, but looks to be a favorite in Hoogerheide.

Winning the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar, Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) is another automatic qualifier for the elite women’s squad. After finishing second at the recent USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships and third in the sixth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series in France on Dec. 21, the Olympic mountain biker also looks to be a serious contender on the cyclo-cross world stage.

Discretionary nominations to the elite women’s team went to Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif./Proman-Paradigm), Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./C3-Sollay) and Sue Butler (Portland, Ore./Monavie-Cannondale.com).

In the U23 men’s division, Nick Weighall (Millcreek, Wash./Rad Racing) earned the only automatic nomination to the team with his victory at the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships.

Discretionary selections to the men’s U23 team went to Nicholas Keough (Sandwich, Mass./Jittery Joe’s-Sonic Cyclo-cross), the 2006 world championship silver medalist in the junior men’s category Daniel Summerhill (Englewood, Colo./Clif Bar), as well as last year’s national champion Bjorn Selander (Hudson, Wis./Ridley Factory Team) and Will Dugan (Burlington, Vt./RGM Watches).

With a fifth-place finish in the junior race at the Pijnacker (NED) World Cup, Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass./CL Noonan) earned one of two automatic nominations to the junior men’s team. Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Classic Cycles) earned the other after narrowly defeating Keough at the 2008 USA Cycling Cylco-cross National Championships in Kansas City.

Gavin Mannion (Dedham, Mass./Hot Tubes), Eric Emsky (Fall City, Wash./Rad Racing) and Chris Wallace (Shawnee, Kan./KCCX-Verge) all earned discretionary nominations and will make up the remainder of the junior men’s squad.

The elite men’s nominations will be announced on Jan. 14 following the next round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Belgium.

2009 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships
Hoogerheide, Netherlands
Jan.31-Feb.1

U.S. Team:

Elite Women
Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo.)
Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif.)
Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa.)
Sue Butler (Portland, Ore.)

U23 Men
Nick Weighall (Millcreek, Wash.)
Nicholas Keough (Sandwich, Mass.)
Daniel Summerhill (Englewood, Colo.)
Bjorn Selander (Hudson, Wis.)
Will Dugan (Burlington, Vt.)

Junior Men
Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass.)
Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)
Gavin Mannion (Dedham, Mass.)
Eric Emsky (Fall City, Wash.)
Chris Wallace (Shawnee, Kan.)

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams.

source: Smith, Andrea
www.usacycling.org

Trimble Outdoors helps users plan, navigate and get the most out of their outdoor adventures

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Alltel Wireless customers going over the river and through the woods can now also go wireless. Outdoor enthusiasts can now take full advantage of advanced GPS features directly on their GPS-capable phones with the Trimble Outdoors application from Alltel Wireless, America’s largest wireless network. The Trimble Outdoors application turns a wide range of Alltel GPS-enabled handsets into a versatile, off-road navigation and journaling tool for hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, hunting and many other outdoor activities.

The application, available for a daily rate of $1.99, allows customers to review and plan trips online. It also enhances user safety and navigation by sending trekking routes, maps and waypoints wirelessly to the phone for use as a guide during trips. Customers can track their current and previous routes with a GPS “bread crumb trail,” mark and edit waypoints during their journey, and utilize a built-in digital compass to display coordinates, speed and heading. Maps generated by Trimble Outdoors can be accessed in topographic, street and aerial views.

“Without any additional equipment to carry around, Alltel customers can enjoy the freedom to explore new and exciting parts of the country, said Kristi Crum, director of data and content services at Alltel Wireless. “With our new Trimble Outdoor application, customers can have more fun while staying safe and connected to friends and family who want to share in the adventures.”

Trimble Outdoors also captures photos, audio and video, which allows for GPS-tagged online journaling at trimbleoutdoors.com or for sharing recreational pursuits with other outdoors enthusiasts. Additionally, users can browse an online library of professional and user-generated trekking tips and customize trips done by others.

The Trimble Outdoors application is available to Alltel customers for $39.99 per year, $5.99 per month or $1.99 per day. The application is compatible with the Motorola V3A, V3C, V3M, V9M and K1M, the Samsung Muse, LG AX656 and AX8600, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and the BlackBerry Pearl 8110. The application can be downloaded from the Navigation folder of the phone’s Alltel/Axcess Shop or by visiting alltel.com.

About Alltel Wireless

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has nearly 14 million customers.  For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Trimble has a worldwide presence with more than 3,800 employees in over 18 countries. For more information, visit www.trimble.com.

source: Laurie Duffy

Experience Costa Rica up close! Explore Costa Rica’s northern volcanic range and enchanting blue waters
of Tenorio Volcano. This trip combines riding near Poás, Arenal, Miravalles and Tenorio volcanoes with
stays in comfortable smaller hotels and visits to quiet rural towns. Over the nine days of the trip you will
enjoy epic climbs and fun descents. At the end of most days you will also take advantage of four different
hot springs. Best of all, our guides will take good care of you with our seasoned hospitality and cold local
brews after each ride.

This trip is rated expert-level. Riding each day is a guaranteed solid 5 hours at a good pace. Although we
will have van support, this is not to be expected as the van will not be with the group during the day, only
at the beginning and end of the ride. Since riding is self-supported, riders need to be self-sufficient with
hydration and snacks. Use of a hydration bladder is expected and required if you want to finish the ride. If
you are concerned about fitness and stamina this ride is not for you.

Day 1 - Arrival
We will be meeting at the Bekuo Hostel in the Los Yoses Neighborhood of San José. Depending on your
arrival time, you may explore downtown San José or chill out before the group gets together for BBQ that
night. We will be getting to know each other and discussing the week’s activities. Dinner is included.
Lodging is at the Hostal Bekuo (www.hostelbekuo.com) or similar.
No riding today.

Day 2 – Poás Volcano
On your first day of adventure we shuttle to Doka Estate coffee farm where we have a delicious breakfast
to fuel up for the ride on pavement up to Poás Volcano National Park. After visiting this active volcano,
we ride on dirt and singletrack to Grecia, a small town on the foothills of the volcano. In Grecia we have a
late lunch and then shuttle to our quaint nearby lodging at Mimosa B&B (www.mimosa.co.cr).
Ride distance: 33 miles approx.

Day 3 – Fortuna
Today we shuttle to Las Juntas de Abangares near the Continental Divide and from there we ride down to
Lake Arenal and then west to Fortuna. This ride has great climbs, awesome views…all through authentic
Costa Rican countryside. Once we get to the lake there are awesome scenic views of active and smokin’
Arenal Volcano in the distance. Lodging is at Hotel San Bosco (http://www.hotelsanbosco.com) or
similar. If we make it in time (we better!), we can visit the Ecotermales, a family-run by-appointment-only
hot springs.
Ride distance: 45 miles approx.

Day 4 – Lake Arenal
On this yet another epic day we ride from the hostel to Nuevo Arenal on the shores of its namesake lake.
On the paved road it is a short 30 miler, but we take the back way…the fun way up and down the
mountains north of the lake. We always bring plenty of water, munchies and a buck or two for beers
along the way. Lodging is at El Establo, home of GREAT food (http://www.thestablearenal.com/).
Ride distance: 55 miles approx.

Day 5 – Tierras Morenas
After an early breakfast we leave the shores of Arenal Lake and head in-land toward Tenorio Volcano. We
will ride past world famous Tierras Morenas Wind Farm (a wind energy project that supplies electricity to
thousands of Costa Rican homes). Following the volcanic mountain range along doubletrack and dirt
roads, we will arrive at our destination near Bagaces and next to Miravalles Volcano. Our hotel has
thermal pools and probably the hottest springs that you can have without losing some skin. Did we
mention the coldest beer too? Lodging is at Aguas Termales Yoko (www.yokotermales.com) or similar.
Ride distance: 30 miles appox.

Day 6 – Up and around Miravalles V. to Tenorio V.
OK, so today is the best ride that we know in Costa Rica: we leave the hotel and ride around Miravalles
Volcano all the way to La Carolina Lodge, our favorite spot inland Costa Rica. First the ride, great climbs,
small towns where everyone says hello, waterfalls, flowers, tucans, monkeys…pizza and cold beer for
lunch! The best part is the destination, a working ranch that we consider our home away from home.
Lodging is at La Carolina (www.lacarolinalodge.com).
Ride distance: 40 miles approx.

Day 7 – La Carolina Lodge at Volcán Tenorio
Today we spend enjoying La Carolina Lodge’s rustic luxury and visiting Tenorio Volcano National Park, a
short and sweet but tough one-hour ride away. Inside Tenorio you will marvel at Río Celeste with its
cobalt blue water, natural hot springs (skinny-dipping optional) and pristine forests. Then we will get
pampered with a second night at La Carolina and it wood-fired hot tub.
Ride distance: two 9 miles round trip with plenty of elevation gain. Inside the park a three hour hike.

Day 8 – Cabanga!
Cabanga is actually the name of the town that we ride to in order to get back to Nuevo Arenal for our last
day of riding. We leave La Carolina and ride past papaya and pineapple farms to Guatuso and from there
it is a tough climb up to the pass that brings us back into Nuevo Arenal. Lodging is at El Establo again.
Ride distance: 36 miles approx.

Day 9 – Shuttle back to Airport
Fun’s over. Today we leave early in order to catch mid-day flight back home.

Cost
Cost is $1499 per person double occupancy.

www.lava-tours.com

source: Carlos J. Cardona

Mtbr Lights Shootout Main Page | Mtbr Lights Reviews | Mtbr Lights Forum

Princeton Tec Switchback 2

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Switchback 2 is a 2-LED light and the Switchback 3 is a 3-LED system. Both light heads are encased in big aluminum housings with a big yellow switch  on top. The construction is top-notch and it looks to have ample cooling available.

The battery for each model is a big 5-hour battery in a hard plastic case with a rubber top to rest on the bike frame. The connectors are slotted and lock on to the battery.

The packaging is unbelievable. There is so much attention to detail to all the boxes, spacers, accessories included in the box. Everything is in here and stuffed neatly in these cube-shaped boxes.

PHOTOS: Switchback 2 w/ Battery | Switchback 2 Box | Switchback 3 w/ Battery | Switchback 3 Box | Battery Connector:

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Light and Motion Seca Race $549.00

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Light and Motion Seca 700 Race features a big and wide light head with 6 LEDs. Three lights are on top and three on the bottom of the front face of the light. the switch is a big metal triangle-shaped button that sits on top of the light. Behind the switch is a huge red heat sink that keeps the light quite cool even at high power.

To turn the light on, one simply has to tap the big switch. To turn it off, the illuminated switch needs to be pressed for two seconds. We are happy to report that this is one of the easiest LED lights to turn on and off. Simple as it sounds, it seems most manufacturers are afraid of accidental ‘turn ons’ fearing  that the light may cause a fire if the light is in a bag for example. Thus, other lights require a double-click or a two-second depress of  a small switch to turn it on. Light and Motion had no such fears, perhaps because of the cool operation of their light and they chose to optimize for ease of use.

Light head close ups

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Light On! 900 - $475

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Brian Engelen of Light On! didn’t come from the same school of thought as the other Light makers out there. He hails from Oregon where the weather is bad and commuting is the target market for his light. Thus his light is unique compared to the rest of the crowd.

For starters, he has a rotary switch mounted on the battery. This is designed to be weatherproof, foolproof and easy to operate while wearing gloves.

The other diversion is he’s using removable lithium ion batteries. The batteries are removed from the case and charged on separte chargers.

Light Head and Battery Close ups:

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Main Page - Helmet List - Photos

Helmet Shootout?  Well, unfortunately not exactly.  I started this project with a ‘who’s best’ focus, but after getting these helmets in I realized a ‘who’s best focus’ only helps me, not you.   So this has changed to more of guide.  The write up on each helmet focuses more on the facts, the fit, helmet similarities or difference.  So if you’ve tried on that $375 TLD, loved the fit and feel, but can’t shell out that much, use this to see what other helmets might be best for you and what their features are.  Don’t worry though, I’m not going to sugar coat anything, if a helmet really has a flaw, I will point it out.

All these helmets got 4 to 5 days of ride minimum ride time from me and some other riders.  I tried different sized goggles out, washed and examined all this helmets, and written my reports for these helmets.  I have also done my best to describe how the helmet fits.

If you have questions about a detail I might have left out, or if something isn’t totally clear, please write a question in the comment section. Words, as we all know, are not always as clear as we’d like them to be.  Let me be a resource to help you find a helmet.  Ask questions and make comments on your own experiences if you’ve got them. It helps everybody out in the long run.

I’d like to thank the companies who have sent in a helmet/s to get this guide going.  If you’d like to send in a helmet for this guide please send me an email.

Index (Quick links)

- Observations
- How to pick a helmet
- What is a Helmet Made From
- Safety Ratings
- My Head
- Helmet List
- Characteristics Chart
- Similarity Chart
- Photos
- More helmet resources

Observations

This is a quick little section of things I’ve come to realize about the differences in helmets.  Some observations are obvious to most people who’ve worn several different full face helmets before, but others might not be so familiar.

* More manufacturers need to include a sizing pad fit kit in with the helmet.  TLD has got the obvious cornered on this one.  Others….??? Hello?

* Different helmets meet different rider needs.

* Weight vs. Safety Rating:  A DOT/Snell or DOT helmet with current technology is going to weigh more than a helmet with a CSPC, ASTM F-2032-00/1952-00, and CE ratings, most of the time.

* Price vs. Weight:  The more a helmet cost, the lighter weight it will probably be, relative to the safety rating.

* A thick, soft, all encompassing EPS liner is going to be better at saving you brain from internal damage than a thinner, less encompassing, lots of vents, EPS liner. (Please see the safety rating section for more explanation.)

* A thicker EPS liner will lead to a more ‘Jack-in-the-Box’, or larger helmet profile.  Especially on the sides.

* DOT/Snell helmets don’t typically vent as well as a helmet with lots of vents and lower safety ratings.

* Some helmets don’t fit large goggles well.

* Different helmets give different levels of room for your ears.

* Floating padded liner allows a wider verity of head shapes to fit the same helmet.

How to pick a helmet

There are only a few things you really need to think about when picking a helmet.

Fit - The helmet should fit snug around your head.  What does snug mean?  Snug means it should fit like your shoes fit your feet.  Not too tight to be uncomfortable, not so loose it has a lot of play. There should not be a lot of room on the inside as if you had on a pair of shoes several sizes larger than your feet.  There should be as little left to right (side to side) play as possible.  As well, forwards to back play should be as little as possible.  The helmet should be level and stable when you shake your head around.  Where I noticed most of the side to side play in helmets was just above the ears there tends to be a gap in the contact space between the helmet and my head.  Any side to side movement there should be reduced as much as possible with extra fit pads or by finding a helmet with a better fit.  Front to back movement should also be reduced.  You don’t want your helmet sliding forward and down your face covering your eyes after you’ve Canadian head bobbed a landing.  You want something that will stay just where it should at all times.

Your Needs - What are you looking for in a helmet?  Are you looking for the lightest weight helmet out there?  Are you looking to get the safest helmet you can find?  Does ventilation matter most?  What are your needs?  These are questions you are going to have to ask yourself.  For example, lets say you live in a hot climate so you want a helmet that vents really well but you also want a helmet with a high safety rating, like a DOT safety rating.  You’ll have to balance out the DOT vs. venting vs. weight conflicts.  The Dainese D-Raptor has huge vents and air flows though it like it isn’t even on, but, it doesn’t have DOT safety rating.  Will you compromise the safety rating for better ventilation or will you want to know what best meets your needs?  Figure this stuff out, look for a helmet that will fit those needs, buy it, wear it, be safe.

What is a Helmet Made From

There are two main parts to the helmet, the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam shell on the inside that handles most of the energy management from a crash, and the external shell which can vary in material from plastic to carbon fiber and fiber glass.

Quickly speaking, the EPS liner doesn’t absorb the energy in a crash but rather transfers it into heat.  This process is referred to as impact management.  Helmet manufacturers design and custom tune the EPS physical design and density to manage the energy from a crash.  Below are two images which show different g-force ratings over time.  One with a helmet and one without.  You can see the one with is much softer and the peak is moved further along in time as apposed to the helmet less impact where the peak of the spike is un-managed.

Helmet On

Helmet Off

(Images from Helmets.org)

There are several different types of foam liner used for energy management, but most manufacturers use the EPS foam.  Also some foam liners can vary in density relative to what the manufacturer believes is best.  Generally speaking, once a helmet has been hit hard enough in a certain spot all the managing ability of the EPS liner has been used up and the helmet (or liner if you can) should be replaced.  A second impact to the same location will offer very little protection.

The shell can deflect some of the impact energy to helmet manage as well, but mainly it is there to keep something from penetrating the EPS shell which is must softer in comparison.  As well, it gives manufacturers something to color on.

Safety Ratings

There are a lot of different safety ratings for helmets. DOT (FMVSS 218), Snell, CSPC, ASTM F-2032-00, ASTM F-1952-00, CE EN1087 (British version), UN ECE 22.05, and the list goes on.  If you are interested in reading the standards just click the name of the rating for more information.

Most helmet safety articles focus on motor bike helmets.  This doesn’t mean there is nothing to learn.  There is a fantastic but long article from Jim Brown you should absolutely read.  Seriously, read this article. It is mainly concerned with DOT vs. Snell safety ratings, but in that it explains a lot about EPS liner g-force ratings and why they matter.  Along with a lot of other great information about helmets.  Helmets.org also has a very robust list with info and more links on bicycle helmet safety standards.

These safety ratings are mostly concerned with two things, making sure the g-force ratings of the EPS liner don’t go over a certain amount and making sure the chin strap stays on.

Do yourself a favor, find the safety standard that regulates the strength of the helmet chin guard.  I bet you’ll be surprised to find which ones don’t have it.

Also poke around on Helmets.org and find out about helmet recalls and other interesting things like the Danish Cycling Federation’s fear of the CE standard becoming the lowest common denominator in helmet safety standards.

My Head and What I Look for in a Helmet

You should know a bit about the shape of my head so you can keep that in mind when reading about a helmet’s fit.  When I say certain things like, the helmet feels more ’round than oval’, or it has a greater ’side to side play’ for me than other helmets.  You will have a great understanding as to what that means.

Imagine putting a dot about an inch above the eyes in the middle of the forehead as a reference point. My head measured around from that point and back is 59cm round.  From level with that point but from ear over the top to the other ear is 26cm.  Again from that point on the forehead to the same point on the back of the head measure to 31cm.  The distance from the point on the forehead to the measuring point of the ears is 16.5cm. That would mean from that point above the ear to the equal point on the back of my head is 13cm.  My head shape is more oval than perfectly round.  So helmets with a more oval shape will fit my head best. I also don’t have a lot of hair.  A full head mind you, but only about an inch long at this point and not lusciously thick either.

Measure your head and find your headform shape.

I’ll tell you now a couple of things.  Every helmet I tried had a max size larger than 59cm.  The max size range was from 60-63cm.  Helmets with a larger max size that also had a rounder shape had more side to side play for me.  The helmet that fit me (note this is ‘fit’ not ‘I liked’) best  was the TD D2 Carbon after I put the extra sizing padded in.

What I look for in a helmet is light weight, a solid visor adjust screw, ability to fit large goggles, good ventilation, covers the jaw and lower back of the head well, something that feels like a helmet.

Helmet Resources

Helmets.org
Motorcycle Helmet Performance: Blowing the Lid Off
DOT (FMVSS 218)
Snell
Consumer Safety Product Council
Google search

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BR Lights C2-K $399.00

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

This won’t be a long review. The BR Lights C2-K looks exactly the same and works exactly the same as their C2.1 H that we reviewed last year. There are three differences:

• the price changed from $329 to  $399
• the run time dropped from about 4 hours to 2.25 hours.
• And most important, the light got a heck of a lot brighter. It went from 410 Lumens to 1000 lumens. Our Lux measurement jumped from 28 Lux to a whopping 65 Lux. The beam pattern improved too with a much bigger hot spot and a much wider beam.

Light Head Close ups:

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