A new lid

There's one more consequence from my big blunder in Rangeley. I ended up having to acquire a new bicycle helmet. While my close encounter was only a slight head brush with the hard gravel surface, it was the second one with this particular lid. So a replacement was in order.

Actually, the standard advice is to replace a helmet after any crash, even if there is no visible evidence of damage. Also, it is recommended to obtain a new one every five years — even if no mishap has occurred. This is because a helmet's components break down over time, thus losing their durability.

It's important to protect one's noggin.

Just like the scarcity of bicycles — and the parts to fix them — it seems like helmets are on the endangered species list. Or at least the kind I wanted, which was a Bontrager Circuit model with WaveCel technology. Trek operates three warehouses in the United States — one in California, one in Wisconsin, one in New Jersey — so I'd been on the lookout for this type for a long period of time. Finally, 50 showed up at their West Coast location, so I grabbed one.

There's a reason for my pickiness in selecting a helmet. I prefer to place both my front and rear flashing lights on my helmet, and Trek's choices are rather limited when comes to providing a magnetic mount system on its models. Circuit, among their road bike versions, is about the only one with this setup, which I find is a little shortsighted on the bicycle company's part.

Anyway, I've got the new lid, with its vibrant color ... viper red. The last three or four helmets I have purchased were black, so I felt like a change.

I might just add, writing on this topic gives me the opportunity to say this: If you don't wear a helmet, please consider doing so. Yes, an impact on your noggin of any kind is highly unlikely, but you never want to take that chance. The slogan on the Bontrager box says, "You only get one brain." So use your head ... and think about it. As I've said in the past, I feel "naked" without a helmet. So I never go for a ride without one. Stay safe!

'Thought for the day'

"I learned the old school of cycling, where the more it hurts, the better." — Jorg Muller, retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Switzerland

From "Words To Ride By ... Thoughts on Bicycling" by Michael Carabetta (Chronicle Books, 2017)