Why no winter helmets?

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:58:11 -0500, Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com>

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And a head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is
too wide for between my glasses and helmet.

The winter helmet would of course be insulated. With some sort of earflaps. And it could be lighter
than a motorcycle helmet.

Nobody rides in the ice.

Correction: nobody of commercial significance, enough to justify a production run of helmets (with
all the associated capital costs, tooling etc) rides in the ice.

Ergo, no winter helmets.

market forces are a [censored], arent' they?

-Luigi

www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

"Don Wiss" <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use.

Bell is coming out with a model called the "Metro". It's designed for commuters and casual riders,
but it has an available winter kit. It also has a neat optional mirror that folds into the visor,
and a clip on the back to which one can attach a blinkie. Seems like a good idea!

Don Wiss donwiss@no_spam.com said:

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And a head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is
too wide for between my glasses and helmet.

Quoted message said:

The winter helmet would of course be insulated. With some sort of earflaps. And it could be
lighter than a motorcycle helmet.

Lots of options: Wear a hat, cap, or thin liner (polypro beanie) under a larger bike helmet. Ditto
but under a BMX-style bike helmet (little or no venting). Wear a snowboarding or skiing helmet.
Lined, covers ears, on seasonal closeout at a shop near you right now.

In article <402c4d90$1@darkstar>,

Benjamin Weiner said:

Lots of options: Wear a hat, cap, or thin liner (polypro beanie) under a larger bike helmet. Ditto
but under a BMX-style bike helmet (little or no venting). Wear a snowboarding or skiing helmet.
Lined, covers ears, on seasonal closeout at a shop near you right now.

I just use one of those traditional old helmet covers that come with a neck flap. It can be a bit of
a struggle to fit it over the helmet & visor. When I finally do, it stops raining. When I take it
off, it starts raining again.

Just covering the vents with it gets the helmet interior plenty warm.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

"Don Wiss" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And

a

Quoted message said:

head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is too wide for between my
glasses and helmet.

The winter helmet would of course be insulated. With some sort of

earflaps.

Quoted message said:

And it could be lighter than a motorcycle helmet.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

Giro makes a snowboard helmet that they suggest is suitable for cold weather cycling. Detachable
earflaps, removable foam plugs for the vent holes, clip to keep goggles in place. Mine fits well
with a thin wool hat or balaclava underneath.
--
mark

Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And a head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is
too wide for between my glasses and helmet.

for the winter i wear an older briko helmet which can be adjusted by different sizes of pads. i've
removed most of these, so now i can wear an adequate stussy beanie underneath.

frank www.plitkorn.com

Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:24:42 -0500,
<[email hidden]>, Luigi de Guzman

Quoted message said:

www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

Please correct this statement: "One thing about those "gallon" paint cans: They aren't. A U.S.
Gallon is 4.3 L; these paint cans, cunningly, are less than that, in fact, they're actually
just 4 L."

One U.S. gallon = 3.785 litres. One Imperial gallon = 4.545 litres.
--
zk

Luigi de Guzman said:

Don Wiss donwiss@no_spam.com said:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And a head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is
too wide for between my glasses and helmet.

The winter helmet would of course be insulated. With some sort of earflaps. And it could be
lighter than a motorcycle helmet.

Nobody rides in the ice.

Correction: nobody of commercial significance, enough to justify a production run of helmets (with
all the associated capital costs, tooling etc) rides in the ice.

Ergo, no winter helmets.

market forces are a [censored], arent' they?

I guess you could try a ski/snowboard helmet...

Matt O.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 18:55:02 -0800, Zoot Katz <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:24:42 -0500, <[email hidden]>, Luigi de Guzman

Quoted message said:

www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

Please correct this statement: "One thing about those "gallon" paint cans: They aren't. A U.S.
Gallon is 4.3 L; these paint cans, cunningly, are less than that, in fact, they're actually
just 4 L."

One U.S. gallon = 3.785 litres. One Imperial gallon = 4.545 litres.

drat, you're right. Always count on ZK to zap me on conversions.

This is what I get for drinking all those UK pints of ale.

-Luigi www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

In article <[email hidden]>, donwiss@no_spam.com says...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm sure someone will pop out and point to one, but in the mainstream bike stores the helmets are
all designed for summer, keep the head cool, use. Sure you can cover them. Put a liner, but can't
be too thick, inside. And a head/earband to cover the ears, but the strap across the forehead is
too wide for between my glasses and helmet.

The winter helmet would of course be insulated. With some sort of earflaps. And it could be
lighter than a motorcycle helmet.

To be honest, I think this would be too hot for most winter conditions. I routinely ride in
temperatures down to about 20F with just a thin headband (PI) under my regular helmet to keep my
ears warm. When it gets down to about 0F, I put on a thin silk full face ski mask under the helmet,
and I have to take it easy or I'll get sweaty. I do have a thick head of hair, so that may make a
difference; someone with thinning (or no) hair may need more.

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

Heya Luigi !

So nice to see you back. You disappeared so abruptly after your accident. I was worried you'd
given up on us.

Congrats on graduating and all that. Are you still a Historian or have you moved into something more
commercial?

So, you back in the UK? Cambridge? London? Cycling?

Elisa Francesca Roselli Ile de France

Luigi de Guzman said:

This is what I get for drinking all those UK pints of ale.

-Luigi www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

Benjamin Weiner said:

Wear a hat, cap, or thin liner (polypro beanie) under a larger bike helmet.

Or over your existing helmet.
--
Rick Onanian

Luigi de Guzman said:

Nobody rides in the ice.

Correction: nobody of commercial significance, enough to justify a production run of helmets (with
all the associated capital costs, tooling etc) rides in the ice.

Ergo, no winter helmets.

market forces are a [censored], arent' they?

Perhaps. But a couple of manufacturers offer winter cycling shoes (even though most folks will use
booties or extra socks).

So while demand for a winter helmet might not be huge initially, I think enough winter riders would
buy them to make it profitable. Eventually, when folks see their friends wearing them, they might
want one too. There's all kinds of specialty items around for cycling these days. Winter helmets
don't seem too far fetched. OTOH, keeping toes and fingers warm is probably more of a challenge.

Art Harris

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 14:07:04 GMT, "Arthur Harris" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

So while demand for a winter helmet might not be huge initially, I think enough winter riders would
buy them to make it profitable. Eventually, when folks see their friends wearing them, they might
want one too. There's all kinds of specialty items around for cycling these days. Winter helmets
don't seem too far fetched. OTOH, keeping toes and fingers warm is probably more of a challenge.

Art Harris

Well, with my winter cycling cap(insulated, ear flaps) and a taped-over helmet, I'm good to a fairly
low temperature. Since a winter cap can be stored away and used for years with a variety of helmets,
I doubt I would ever need a separate winter helmet, short of riding for long periods of tie at well
below zero F.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two wheels...

Elisa Francesca Roselli said:

Heya Luigi !

So nice to see you back. You disappeared so abruptly after your accident. I was worried you'd given
up on us.

Congrats on graduating and all that. Are you still a Historian or have you moved into something
more commercial? So, you back in the UK? Cambridge? London? Cycling?

Life after the accident was hectic (though I still have a scar on my elbow, to remind me). Finishing
my dissertation, submitting it (with hours to spare: it was a wonder I didn't crash again on the way
to submit it, though), leaving the UK.

Got the degree in December, back Stateside now, looking to put the education to work.

Presently trying to get even remotely fit, so that, come summertime, I can actually do some nice
hilly rolling countryside that's not so far away from me.

Comment allez-vous? et le votre velo?

-Luigi Pessime loquitur lingua Franca...

www.livejournal.com/users/ouij photos, rants, raves

Does anyone still make "soft shell" helmets? Or, more to the point, the lycra covers that fit them?
Some of these were even coated for rain, and would nicely "winterize" an otherwise summer helmet.

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

From: ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net (David=A0Kerber)

Quoted message said:

To be honest, I think this would be too hot for most winter conditions. I routinely ride in
temperatures down to about 20F with just a thin headband (PI) under my regular helmet to keep my
ears warm. When it gets down to about 0F, I put on a thin silk full face ski mask under the helmet,
and I have to take it easy or I'll get sweaty. I do have a thick head of hair, so that may make a
difference; someone with thinning (or no) hair may need more.
--
Dave Kerber

Gee thanks for making the rest of us feel like wusses! LOL!!

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>,=20 [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

From: ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net (David=A0Kerber)

Quoted message said:

To be honest, I think this would be too hot for most winter conditions. I routinely ride in
temperatures down to about 20F with just a thin headband (PI) under my regular helmet to keep my
ears warm. When it gets down to about 0F, I put on a thin silk full face ski mask under the
helmet, and I have to take it easy or I'll get sweaty. I do have a thick head of hair, so that
may make a difference; someone with thinning (or no) hair may need more.
--
Dave Kerber

=20
Gee thanks for making the rest of us feel like wusses! LOL!!

Purely intentional, I assure you <G,D&R>!

--=20 Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

Curtis L. Russell said:

Well, with my winter cycling cap(insulated, ear flaps) and a taped-over helmet, I'm good to a
fairly low temperature.

Quoted message said:

I doubt I would ever need a separate winter helmet

What's need got to do with it? We're talking marketing!

Art Harris