21 September 2022

Helmets -- Time for a New One: Wavecell, MIPS, or none-of-the-above? Giro, Bontrager, Giant, Basecamp, Limar

When I find equipment that works for me, I like to stick with it -- Fizik Arione saddles, Sapim CX Ray spokes, SP Dynamo hubs, Shimano mtb shoes and SPD pedals, Q36.5 bib shorts, Rain Legs, and on and on. These are all gear or parts I have bought multiple times and used for many years.

The helmet equivalent for me was the Giros Atmos helmet circa 2005-2011. At one point it was Giro's "top of the line" road helmet, replacing the Pneumo, and eventually replaced by the even more expensive Ionos. It was relatively light (~300 grams), and it fit my head perfectly so I would barely notice it was there. I owned two of them. One was discarded long ago, but the second was still on my closet shelf, and often on my head, until quite recently. 

I rotated that long-time favorite with various others I bought and tried, none of which has worked quite as well for me -- too heavy, feel weighted toward the front (or rear), not wide enough (or too wide), too tight for a winter cap/liner, not as secure as the Atmos, not as good coverage in event of an impact -- none have been as "just right," as the Atmos was. And over time higher-end helmets got ridiculously expensive, to the point where I always looked for one on sale, a mid-range model that offered most of the performance of the ones that cost twice as much. (Maybe that was why I no longer found one that was "just right?")

But I have read that you should not use a helmet for more than 5 years, nor after it suffers a serious impact. My remaining Atmos had passed at least a decade, and it had had a few impacts, though I suspect it has suffered more impact damage from getting banged up in transit when I travel than actually while protecting my head. In any event, there are visible cracks in the styrofoam, and so I finally discarded it, far after I should have.



The replacement? A relatively inexpensive (63 Euros at Bike24, so around $65 and well under JPY10,000, less than half the ~JPY20,000 price in Japan) Bontrager Specter Wavecell helmet.  




This is not a high end, and not particularly light (~360 grams), nor particularly aero helmet. But it fits my head, it looks as if it offers excellent protection, And the "Wavecell" system is said to dramatically reduce the risk of a concussion or other brain injury in a crash ("up to" 48 times lower risk--more like 3 to 12 times lower risk--by one peer-reviewed study ,,, that I think I read included the inventor of the system, who no doubt profits financially from licensing it to Trek/Bontrager). (Trek/Bontrager no longer use the "up to 48" phrasing in their marketing, as they have been sued in a class action, I believe.) 

This will be my "go to" helmet for riding in town. And if I like it enough i may take it out on the road as well at times despite the few extra grams. It is a nice compromise. I could only find it on sale in a dark blue/black color. So I have added some reflector strips to both sides and the rear, as well as mounting a small rear flasher light.

What is Wavecell? It is a system of a kind of moveable crush-zone on the inside of the helmet that supposedly reduces the movement of the brain in the head in a crash. This is similar to, but much stronger than, the claims made by MIPS. MIPS helmets also include a kind of second, internal head "harness" inside of the helmet that is designed to reduce harm to the brain from strong rotational force in bicycle crashes. Then again, Virginia Tech publishes an annual ranking of helmets based upon its own safety tests. The Bontrager Specter Wavecell scores very well and gets 5 stars. While it was #1 in 2019, now it is only #22 out of #167 on the list (still listed as 5 stars). Many MIPS and even some non-MIPS helmets now rank slightly higher overall on Virginia Tech's metrics.  So while Wavecell's marketing claims ("up to 48 times the protection") are extreme, the actual effectiveness as measured by Virginia Tech seems to be good, and similar to MIPS. 

I have a Giant Pursuit MIPS helmet as well, bought in Fall 2021 on sale online (Euro 139?). It is designed to be more aerodynamic than one such as the Bontrager Specter, with vents on front and rear but not top nor sides. But it feels a bit unbalanced on my head at times -- protruding further at front and rear than a "normal" road helmet. It is around 350 grams in the L size. And its matte white finish was quickly (and, seemingly permanently) dirtied by my riding style and/or grimy hands. Maybe the easily dirtied color explains why it was available on sale?

New

Actual -- dirtied.

Big front (and rear) vents. No dirty air on top or sides.

MIPS system.

Perhaps my most "aero" helmet, however, is not the Giant Pursuit, but a simple JPY3100 (<$25) Basecamp Shinmax, with integrated visor (attached with magnets). This weighs around 280 grams and is ideal for use with the Pelso since its aero properties are not so heavily dependent on having one's head at the "correct" angle, as I suspect is the case with the Giant Pursuit. No fancy MIPS or Wavecell protection, however, and not on the Virginia Tech list.



I also have a Limar Ultralight helmet acquired on a trip to Europe in 2015. It offers, I am afraid, less protection on the sides and rear, and is a bit narrow/tight for use with winter gear. but it is great for travel, noticeably smaller than others to take attached to a carry-on or stuffed in a duffel, and only a bit over 200 grams in the L size. Upon release, it was marketed as the lightest in the world that meets the EU's safety standards. But I do wonder how good its protection is? Limar helmets do not appear on the Virginia Tech list. Here are some comparison shots with the Bontrager that show the difference in volume. What about the "5 year rule"? Well, it has not been used nearly as much as some others, so for the time being I will keep it in my inventory.




There are lots of other major helmet brands out there -- Kask, MET, Lazer, to start. All of them have candidates that are not outrageously expensive, incorporate MIPS, and look like they MIGHT be my next Atmos ... but a bit less expensive and more aero. We shall see ... within a few years.

03 September 2022

Into Gunma

On my last ride before a trip to the US in mid/late August, I wanted to get Voyage Voyage (the Ti Travel bike) rebuilt and working like new so I could take it with me in the box ... this time leaving it with family in the US so that it would be there for subsequent trips over the next six months.

I rebuilt the rear wheel, replaced the rear derailleur, adjusted everything else, and was pretty much good to go. Except ... once I put on the chain and tried to shift, it was clear that the derailleur hanger, integrated into the Paragon dropout, was bent far to the inside, to the point where the bike would not shift properly on the inner 2-3 cassette cogs, and was not as smooth or crisp as it should be on the rest of the gears.

So I paid a visit to GS Astuto and Tim Smith. Tim produced this frame back in 2012, and he has the tools and knowledge to properly align the hanger and "cold work" the Ti dropout back into place without causing so much metal fatigue as to make it into a piece of junk. 

I took an early shinkansen to Takasaki, then a local to Matsuida, a few kilometers from his home/shop/cafe - GS Astuto Matsuida Base. It was already hot as I rode to the station in Tokyo ... but Gunma air felt fresh, a breeze and while it was going to warm up it was still tolerable. The renovation work on his home/shop/cafe has advanced dramatically since my last visit, the finish line in sight.

My bike bag has the Matsuida train station parking lot to itself!

Fortunately, Ti is a lot more resilient and less subject to fatigue than aluminum alloys, and the Paragon dropout is beefy to begin with. So Tim was able to get it properly aligned.

Tim puts his shoulder into undoing the damage from the pickup truck.


Back in alignment.

Visible damage to the dropout from the pickup truck crash in Washington State.
... but the dropout has enough extra material so it still functions.

The master, Tim Smith, with the fully repaired Voyage Voyage

The repair was done and now I had a bike that was rideable, and a glorious day in Gunma to ride it.

Where to go? As already reported on Strava, ....

My initial thought was to head back to Tokyo (Plan A).  
I headed ESE from Matsuida

I've been through here before ... on the way to Tomioka/Fujioka

Some welcome shade as I pass Higashi Tomioka Station
As I rode, I decided to go via Chichibu (Plan B).  
Looking out over the Oni-ishi (鬼石) area of Fujioka, and toward the Saitama/Chichibu border.
But then I thought ... I am already at the entrance to route 462 and nice areas of southern Gunma mountains, so maybe I can go into Kanna and over Tsuchisaka Pass (Plan C). 
I took a detour on the south side of the big reservoir in Kanna (Plan D).
I had a good feeling about the detour -- very very low traffic volumes!

Left side Saitama, right side Gunma!

Small solar farms on the hillside just above Route 462.

Viewpoint above the dam.

The sound of the water and a bit of mist gave welcome cooling on a climb.

The road on the South shore of the lake ... was fine with my very grippy Panaracer Agilest tires.

Big suicide prevention hotline sign at the entrance to a bridge over the lake. ... I wonder why here?

When I finally got to the entrance to the Tsuchisaka climb and saw that the road was closed. So I continued toward Shigasaka Pass and thought, perhaps I would do the rindo between Shigasaka and the Mitsumine entrance area (Plan E).  I decided that would be too long a trip home. 
Maybe just Shigasaka and Route 299 then Yamabushi and on to Oume (Plan F). 


Men fishing for Ayu in the Kanna-gawa

But I did not want to do the crowded slog up Route 299 to the tunnel entrance, and thought ... if I just go West, I can go over Jukkoku and down to Saku, and hop the Shinkansen home. Nice route, cooler weather, and someplace I do not get to as much as I would like. Fast train. ... (Plan G).  
But as I got to the west end of Uenomura, the weather forecast showed thunderstorms over Yatsugatake and heading toward Jukkoku. I got stuck up there once when the weather turned on me, alone, and that was one of the scarier circumstances of my rides in Japan all these years. A bit of PTSD?  

I am the blue dot at the right edge. ... would go toward the storms if over Jukkoku.

I stopped at my favorite Kawa-no-eki in Uenomura to figure out my plan.
Back of display cabinet in the window at Kawa-no-Eki









The valley toward Budoh Pass.

Anyway, I would go through the tunnel out of Uenomura to the North to Nanmoku, as in my Tyler Hamilton commemorative ride, and down to Shimonita and take the train from there. (Plan H).
  ... except that I missed the train and instead rode to Takasaki (Plan I) rather than wait 40 minutes for the next very slow, local train. 
It was a glorious day on the bicycle ... until my tubeless setup failed me between Shimonita and Takasaki, necessitating repeated stops and attempts to pump up first the rear, then the front tires. The rear held air once I added a bit more sealant and tightened the valve ... but the front, which first lost air aboug 15kms from Takasaki Station, was hopeless. I made it on average 2-3kms between pumpings -- just far enough so that it was not worth removing the valves and putting in tubes. (Of course, once I was home and had a proper pump to mount tubeless tires, it was no problem getting it working again.)
Rear tire lost air here ... Nanmoku.

Front tire lost air near here, about 15kms from Takasaki

Shimonita has its Konnyaku Park ... so the town down the road has a Mentai Park.
I thought mentai was from the sea ... fish roe?!

In the end, my Plan I ride looked like this: