The Bicycling thread

[QUOTE=Lee;1209930]My tool finally arrived today.
Several places it measures .25 and other spots it measure halfway between .25 and .50[/QUOTE]

On a chain with 5000 miles? That is crazy: I've now measured 4 new chains (Shimano Ultegra 11s) and they all start out at about .25. I have a road chain with 2000 miles that is at .5. Our two gravel chains were at 1.0 with about 1700 miles on them.

What is your maintenance method? You clean with the park tool and then put on that Finish Line Pro lube? Have you been doing that for all of the miles? How often do you lube? I would love to get 5k miles out of a chain!

I try to keep grime off the chain but with MTB and gravel, that is pretty tough.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1210003]On a chain with 5000 miles? That is crazy: I've now measured 4 new chains (Shimano Ultegra 11s) and they all start out at about .25. I have a road chain with 2000 miles that is at .5. Our two gravel chains were at 1.0 with about 1700 miles on them.

What is your maintenance method? You clean with the park tool and then put on that Finish Line Pro lube? Have you been doing that for all of the miles? How often do you lube? I would love to get 5k miles out of a chain!

I try to keep grime off the chain but I with MTB and gravel, that is pretty tough.[/QUOTE]

Another important factor in chain wear, besides cleaning regime, is terrain (topography). Because of the hills I ride in, the loads cause chains to wear more quickly. If Lee primarily rides on paved flattish terrain, with gentler rolling hills rather than the steep short ones I encounter, he would experience much longer chain life than someone like me.

I have the double whammy of topography and mixed-surface use, as well. I really should clean/lube my chain more often than I do to remove the grit from crushed gravel paths.

.

Some photos of yesterday's ride to Fair Haven, a little village on the shores of Lake Ontario.

First we were excited to see a turtle as we began our ride. So I took a picture to add to the theme on this thread.

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And about 10 miles later, I saw another one. It was moving before I disturbed it.

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Then we hit a trail for a number of miles and we ran into this guy:

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Wow, it was a 3 turtle day!

The trail we were on was pretty muddy in spots and pretty chewed up by ATVs. For years (before they allowed ATVs) we would ride this trail on our mountain bikes and would struggle getting though all of the blow down. So the trail didn't get a lot of use (because cyclists are unlikely to have a chainsaw on them). Because of the lack of use, the town decided to allow ATVs. The ATV people clear the trail well - but the ATVs damage the trail to the point where riding a bicycle isn't fun for the casual rider. So the trail still doesn't get much bicycle traffic. We were riding it on 30mm road tires and it was a challenge. I didn't take pictures of the tough sections because I was just trying to make it through.

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There is a state park with a beach at Fair Haven. We stopped for a snack and a drink. And pictures of the 'sea':

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We rode out to the end of a breakwall for the harbor (Fair Haven is actually on a protected bay - although it looks calm today, Ontario can get pretty rough). At the end of the breakwall was an osprey nest - the bird was home so we didn't get any closer. Looks like the ocean, no?

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[QUOTE=vark;1210004]Another important factor in chain wear, besides cleaning regime, is terrain (topography). Because of the hills I ride in, the loads cause chains to wear more quickly. If Lee primarily rides on paved flattish terrain, with gentler rolling hills rather than the steep short ones I encounter, he would experience much longer chain life than someone like me.

I have the double whammy of topography and mixed-surface use, as well. I really should clean/lube my chain more often than I do to remove the grit from crushed gravel paths.

.[/QUOTE]

Good points. I'm pretty sure it is the dust from the Erie Canal trail that kills my gravel chains. Even though that trail is flat, we then go and ride hills with those bikes and bed that grit right into the rollers.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1210008]Good points. I'm pretty sure it is the dust from the Erie Canal trail that kills my gravel chains. Even though that trail is flat, we then go and ride hills with those bikes and bed that grit right into the rollers.[/QUOTE]

Pretty much exactly my scenario, too, except it’s the C&O tow path instead of the Eerie.

That was a nice ride to Lake Ontario you took yesterday. Beautiful waters. I see a fair number of tortoises and turtles down this way, too, along the tow path. Plus plenty of snakes.

I don't see too many snakes - but yesterday I ran over one. My handling skill aren't what they once were - plus I did the thing that we as motorcyclists know NOT to do: I looked at the snake - and ran right over it. Should have kept my eyes on the trail.

The other day I gave a chipmunk's tail a trim with a tire. I was going pretty fast (> 25mph) and it decided to reverse course when it was out of harms way. I looked straight ahead and hoped for the best. Michelle saw it escape into the brush. It really bums me out to kill anything with a vehicle - but I don't swerve. It would bum me out more to kill me.

Off to enjoy a ride on the first day of summer. Have to make the most of that 93 days, 15 hours and 46 minutes. Whatever form of two wheels you prefer, get out there while you can.

Ha! Yeah, dodging small animals (including snakes) is a common practice here, especially on the paved W&OD rail trail. (I’ve even had many too close calls with deer.) Once, I ran right over a grey squirrel - - right smack over it’s mid-torso with BOTH tires. I felt horrible and stopped, thinking the least I could do is remove its crushed body from the trail. I looked back only to see it spring right back up and run away!

But you’re right, generally best not to swerve.

Enjoy your summer. It lasts a lot longer down here so I don’t feel any pressure.

[QUOTE=vark;1210004]Another important factor in chain wear, besides cleaning regime, is terrain (topography). Because of the hills I ride in, the loads cause chains to wear more quickly. If Lee primarily rides on paved flattish terrain, with gentler rolling hills rather than the steep short ones I encounter, he would experience much longer chain life than someone like me.

I have the double whammy of topography and mixed-surface use, as well. I really should clean/lube my chain more often than I do to remove the grit from crushed gravel paths.

.[/QUOTE]

The first 4,500 miles were mostly flat paved trails, maybe 700 hilly RAGBRAI miles. I've ridden about 1,000 miles this year and 2/3 of my route is hilly.
Maybe my leg are too wimpy to stretch a chain :)
Very few rain miles.
I use the Park Tool for cleaning and Finish line lube.
I don't keep track of how often I clean and Lube.
Latter in the year when I start going back to trails in the Des Moines area I'll stop at the shop and have them look at the chain.
I'll also have them check my chain tool.

[QUOTE=vark;1210018] I ran right over a grey squirrel - - right smack over it’s mid-torso with BOTH tires. .[/QUOTE]

I've run over a few squirrels. They're hard to avoid because the darn things won't make up their mind which way they want to go.
On my local ride it's not unusual to have deer run across the trail in the state park. I worry that one of theses days one will come out of the brush and plow me over.
I also see turkeys from time to time and last week saw a Bald Eagle.

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Thanx for the updates on yer riding etc. I finally finished the OCR bitza bike. Came out nice. 2008 frame, parts only dura ace crank from two donors, dura derailers, 7800 stuff all, new cheap Shimano wheels, used tires, mid reach shimano calipers, old 600s don’t reach, new seat, new Conex chain, 3T bars $13, $15 Taiwan post, Easton stem, beat up 105 shifters and a nice dura cassette 11-23. The cranks are 175s which I like. Gots pics but other things constrain my posting now, if ever.

[QUOTE=8ninety8;1210031]Thanx for the updates on yer riding etc. I finally finished the OCR bitza bike. Came out nice. 2008 frame, parts only dura ace crank from two donors, dura derailers, 7800 stuff all, new cheap Shimano wheels, used tires, mid reach shimano calipers, old 600s don’t reach, new seat, new Conex chain, 3T bars $13, $15 Taiwan post, Easton stem, beat up 105 shifters and a nice dura cassette 11-23. The cranks are 175s which I like. Gots pics but other things constrain my posting now, if ever.[/QUOTE]

Just learned a very frustrating thing about the 7800 rear hub. The 7800 freehub is unique: the splines are taller than any other shimano hub and it is not interchangeable with ones with lower profile splines. I'm trying to convert Michelle's folding bike from 10 speed to 11 speed and ran into this issue. I bought an HG800 cassette (an 11 speed 11/34 cassette that will fit on 9/10 speed hubs EXCEPT 7800) and it fits on all of my old 9 speed wheels but not on the one I want it to fit. Now I have to get a new wheel built. How the hell was I supposed to know this?

Please show pics!

The city of Syracuse is located on the south end of Onondaga Lake. There are two creeks that feed the lake, Onondaga creek and 9-mile creek, and the outlet is into the Seneca River. You would think that a beautiful small lake near an urban area would be high-demand real estate, but no. When I moved into the area 30 years ago, the rumor was that Onondaga Lake was, at one time, the most polluted lake in the country. The industrial revolution was not kind to our habitat - and it was particularly cruel to Onondaga Lake.

There has been an ongoing effort to clean up the lake through dredging and shoreline beautification - and it is working pretty well. Some wetland habitat has been created, there is a beautiful park with a great paved trail that covers well over half of the shoreline. A new ampitheater attracts national acts and it is really spectacular. The bike path goes right through the seating area! They close the path during concerts :).

I tend to avoid the park. For one, there are a lot of people there - especially on the weekends. And secondly, the parkway was on my daily bicycle commute for many years (>20). I don't think there is any stretch of road that I've ridden more than that bike path. I always found it pleasant and considered myself lucky to have a third of my commute go through a park along a lake - but enough is enough.

Today we just wanted to tool around so we explored the park. They are adding to the trail on the southwest side of the lake and it will be great if they can get the trail to go all the way around. Here is a picture from the new section of trail. The buildings you can barely see in the distance ARE the city of Syracuse! 30 years ago, the shoreline you see was covered with giant oil tanks. We called it oil city. It is now a fairly fancy mall with a trail along the creek and upscale condos along the 'inner harbor'. What a difference in 30 years.

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And here is looking in the other direction along the new path:

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And we ran into a little snag just down the path. But maybe we don't follow the rules.

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The wheels I got were 501s, IIRC, with hubs, the old dura cassette slid on with a thin silver spacer, all shimano. $33 Cassette came from Florida, used, but titanium and fine for my use, ten speed. 11 speed is outside of my needs and I think there’s a problem fitting 11 to early 10 hubs.

It’s like everything I have, old scion, bmws, house, bicycles, guess I’m just a re-cycler. Drove 240 bricks since my first 140s. Had to retire that marvelous line as the brake lines bit the dust, along with the fuel lines etc. etc. including the differential, sigh. Now I spin around in a ‘06 Xb toaster. Again a marvelous car, if you can find one untouched. Off topic but WTH, it’s Sunday.

[QUOTE=8ninety8;1210044]The wheels I got were 501s, IIRC, with hubs, the old dura cassette slid on with a thin silver spacer, all shimano. $33 Cassette came from Florida, used, but titanium and fine for my use, ten speed. 11 speed is outside of my needs and I think there’s a problem fitting 11 to early 10 hubs.

It’s like everything I have, old scion, bmws, house, bicycles, guess I’m just a re-cycler. Drove 240 bricks since my first 140s. Had to retire that marvelous line as the brake lines bit the dust, along with the fuel lines etc. etc. including the differential, sigh. Now I spin around in a ‘06 Xb toaster. Again a marvelous car, if you can find one untouched. Off topic but WTH, it’s Sunday.[/QUOTE]

I think a 7800 (titanium) cassette will work on all 9/10/11 speed hubs (but you need a spacer with 11 speed hubs). But no other cassette will work with 7800 hubs! If that is what you mean by 'early 10 hubs': I think it is only Shimano and they changed back with 7850.

So, if you have 'low profile' spline 10 speed hubs, an HG800 (or HG700) cassette WILL work to convert your 10 speed wheels to 11 speed but there are some caveats. HG800 is Ultegra level but is only available as 11-34. That 34 is pretty big for a road gearing and it makes the jumps pretty wide. The reason that they only do it with that large of a cog is that they machine the inner carrier so the outer cog actually 'overhangs' the hub. With smaller cogs, Shimano was afraid that the chain could interfere with the spokes on some wheels. I'm just glad that I have the option to reuse some of my old wheels with 11 speed.

I have a couple of bikes that still run 9 speed and it works fine BUT parts are getting hard to source. I recently replaced a bottom bracket on one of the bikes - the only part I could find was equivalent to 105. I couldn't find a direct Ultegra replacement for the one I had. I understand parts like shifter hoods are particularly hard to find and you will probably end up getting NOS from ebay, if you are lucky.

Also, 11 speed solves some gearing issues that I was starting to have. At age 50, I was starting to avoid certain routes because a 39x25 was not friendly to my knees. I love the new compact and semi-compact gearing. I also like the ergonomics of 11 speed over the older groupos. With semi-compact 11s I have a lower low, higher high, and smaller jumps than my old 9 speed. I haven't ridden 10 speed, though.

To me, the old silver groupsets look a lot nicer than the Darth Vader offerings of today, though. Remember when motorcycles started coming in flat black? That is what the new bicycle aesthetic looks like to me: and I am not a fan of either. But function trumps form so my bikes have that flat carbon look.

Recycle with pride! If I lived somewhere fairly flat, I would still be rocking 20 year old 9 speed!

I googled the 501 wheelset. I didn't find a definitive answer but I THINK they have the low profile splines. The 7800 was a shiny machined aluminum hub.

[QUOTE=vark;1210018]H

Enjoy your summer. It lasts a lot longer down here so I don’t feel any pressure.[/QUOTE]

Well, you get the same 93 days and 15 hours as me. You just have nicer weather during the other seasons :brad

[QUOTE=Lee;1210025]The first 4,500 miles were mostly flat paved trails, maybe 700 hilly RAGBRAI miles. I've ridden about 1,000 miles this year and 2/3 of my route is hilly.
Maybe my leg are too wimpy to stretch a chain :)
Very few rain miles.
I use the Park Tool for cleaning and Finish line lube.
I don't keep track of how often I clean and Lube.
Latter in the year when I start going back to trails in the Des Moines area I'll stop at the shop and have them look at the chain.
I'll also have them check my chain tool.[/QUOTE]

Lee, if your drivetrain is quiet after lubing and has crisp shifting, your chain is probably fine. That Park tool just gives you some data as to WHY your drivetrain isn't working great anymore. For me, it will stop me from trying to fix other parts of the system before replacing the chain.

I tend to over complicate repairs. Michelle was complaining of creaking while she applied power to the pedals. I could hear it. I removed her bottom bracket, lubed it, torqued it, also cleaned and adjusted the chain. Put it back together and she STILL complained of a creak. I rode along side her trying to listen for the creak - it seemed to be coming from the rear derailleur. I had her pull over. I tightened her rear wheel quick release. Noise gone. What a waste of effort!!

But then two weeks later MY bike started creaking. I thought it was the seat post. I lubed the seat, the seat post, installed a new seatpost clamp. On a test ride it creaked even worse! I stopped and tightened the seatpost clamp. I glanced at the rear wheel... nah... But I tightened the thru-axle (disk brake bike). No more creak. Are you kidding me? Can't I learn? :laugh

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1210064]Well, you get the same 93 days and 15 hours as me. You just have nicer weather during the other seasons :brad[/QUOTE]

I ttend to ignore the astronomical definitions of the seasons, and use the climatological ones.:thumb

Hey, since we’re on a discussion of parts and maintenance...

I just went down to the LBS for the first time since pandemic. They had a good arrangement where folks waited outside in a line and they brought you in to the shop as soon as customer departed and they had staff to serve you one-on-one. Good set-up for getting in and out quickly.

I needed brake pads (surprise) and am due for chain/cassette. They had the pads and chain, but not my preferred 12-30 cassette.

While in the shop I asked how they’d been doing. (I have heard that bike sales boomed during lockdown.) They said that spring bike sales were up 600% over last year!!

That was the good news. Then they shared the bad news: They only had one (yes, ONE) new bike in stock. Their floor space that normally displays 100 or more newly built-up bikes was empty. Their inventory is completely depleted, as is the inventory in their supply chain warehouses. They have been told it will be minimum 3+ months before any replenishment, due to closure and slowdowns at manufacturers.

They are also now beginning to have difficulty getting parts and components. Certain groupsets are especially pinched. They seemed pretty worried.

I ended up buying two complete sets of brake pads. It would not be much fun to go without brakes!

Got back out on the Mtn bike today, funny just as I was starting my ride 3 roadies blew by me going the other way. I have never seen any roadies around here and last week 3 ladies out for a scenic ride rode by and I chatted with them for a bit. Strange as there are almost no riders around here.

Anyway I went to try to find a trail a friend took me on at least 5, 6, 7 years ago. I was going in the opposite direction and all I could remember was how to get on from that end. It is a big loop between 2 towns that bypasses the town in between where I live. I rode down 2 branches that brought me nowhere so I turned around and went home the way I came in. It's all 4 wheeler 2 track but at least all of the hill sections are super rocky and technical to keep it interesting going up or down. Despite my route fail it was 2 hours out pedalling and that felt good!


I'm up high on the barrens looking at the ocean I'm trying to get back to to no avail. You can see the quad tracks I get to play with and both of these branches took me nowhere.
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Way to go skibum. It's like riding a bicycle...

:ha

[QUOTE=skibum69;1210085]Strange as there are almost no riders around here.

[/QUOTE]

Locally I've seen a lot of people riding I didn't know owned bicycles.

Not around here, they all ride around on their quads and for some unknown reason Newfoundlanders cal their quads bikes.

I’m back :wave

Drove a rental VW to NC to pick up a new to me low mile GSA and been riding it the long way home the past week or so.
Kept up fitness with hiking opportunities and deserted town square walkabouts. More in camping thread later... maybe:whistle

First pedal was yesterday and solo, Felt fine until last five miles and two climbs before house...into the wind... ouch! Two weeks of no rides changed things! A few more and I’ll be back in sync, but not today!

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Please stay there

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Deer have been very active , that was fifth in line by time I got phone ready

I saw two other duos on the road today. Not the norm, and who are these folks!?!

Welcome back!

Another bike, huh? :)

I'm normally a craigslist hound but I can't justify browsing when I haven't even put 100 miles on motorcycles this year. Unless it involves packing a tent, I'll just ride the bicycle. I have just shy of 2000 bicycle miles since the 'stay-at-home' thing started. Less than 100 on cars and motorcycles. Drove the car to go hiking at a local park last week - and was constantly under the speed limit. Everything was going by so fast!

I would like a GS or GSA, though. Did you post pictures someplace?

This time I’ll sell my 09 GSA as the newer model will take its place.

I’ll post a pic in Hex/Camheads as it is a Camhead. Old school:laugh
Said if I found a low mile model I would pick it up...I did and found it in Marketplace!

Storms in area for a few days so no riding in any form and I’m good with that. I camped coming back across the country and had only a few closures or limited use cause issues. The clear liquid in the Mason Jars was a different story in the SC mountains:bolt

Longest ride of the year today. We rode around Skaneateles Lake from our house. 82 miles, 5100ft of elevation gain. 15mph wind, 80 degrees.

The ride around Skaneateles lake is one that we've done often over the years. It is a great ride - both on bicycle and motorcycle. The weather and foliage conspired against good pictures but I took a few.

First the map, the little pictures are, of course, where the other pictures were taken.

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Here is a cool place along '9 mile creek' in Marcellus Falls.

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The southern part of the lake is dramatic because of the terrain. There are cliffs along the shoreline. From this point, we head up - it would be the second 'big' blip on the elevation map. As a 'workout', I was attempting to hold my 'functional threshold power' (FTP) up the two main climbs. My current FTP is 240 watts. I was successful: 242 watts for 18:02 on the first climb and 250 watts for 13:50 on the second climb. That half hour made the rest of the 5 hour ride pretty tough and I'm pretty beat right now. I think Michelle feels the same.

Southern lake view:

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Michelle taking the above photo. She is modeling her awesome new Diadora Vortex Pro shoes and the Camelbaks we are using to keep us hydrated without needing to stop. 50oz camelbak and two large water bottles were JUST enough for me today. Normally I would just stop at convenience stores but I'm still avoiding people, if possible.

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And here is a picture of the Skaneateles Country Club (and Yacht Club) just outside the village. Was lucky enough to go to a wedding there 25 years ago - pretty swank!

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That is some spectacular scenery, and solid riding. You live in a very scenic location that seems ideal for riding (during summer months!)

[QUOTE=henzilla;1210256]
I’ll post a pic in Hex/Camheads as it is a Camhead. [/QUOTE]

Waiting :)

[QUOTE=vark;1210534]That is some spectacular scenery, and solid riding. You live in a very scenic location that seems ideal for riding (during summer months!)[/QUOTE]

It is a great place for riding from late May through early October. 5 months. That leaves a lot of time to think about riding :). To stay sane here, you need to adopt a winter sport or two. Same applies to riding motorcycles. The obvious choice for motorcycle enthusiasts is snowmobile. Unfortunately our typically consistent snowfall hasn't been so consistent over the past few years.

Each year the cities in upstate NY vie for the Golden Snowball award, most snow recorded in a season. There is a wikipedia page that I stole the following graphic from. Syracuse has 'won' 22 of the last 30 years (the years I've lived here). Here is a comparison of the last 10 years (amounts are in inches). There is an area about 30 miles north of Syracuse that gets double this number, though. That is where the snow machines flock.

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So last year we got 87 inches. Didn't even seem like I had to clear the driveway that often. It did snow the day before Mother's day.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1210656]...Here is a comparison of the last 10 years (amounts are in inches). There is an area about 30 miles north of Syracuse that gets double this number, though. That is where the snow machines flock.[/QUOTE]

That is a lot of snow - - not great for winter riding.

You must be refering to Watertown area. I have often wondered why they didn’t call it “Snowtown” instead.

Those are some impressive snowfalls Kurt. No doubt a result of the area's high relative humidity and (relatively :) ) moderate winter temperatures.

[QUOTE=vark;1210666]
You must be refering to Watertown area. I have often wondered why they didn’t call it “Snowtown” instead.[/QUOTE]

I went to State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 60 miles east of Watertown. That area got a ton of snow and it was even colder than New Hampshire.
We usually needed snowshoes when we had outside classes. Surveying classes required a lot of digging to set up a instrument.
I liked all the snow :)

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Greetings,
I've been a member here about a year and have enjoyed the magazine.

I'm in my third season as a "returning rider." Thirty years ago I rode a Bultaco dirt bike and shared a Triumph 250, along with being with a gang of guys who rode Harleys, Honda Gold Wings, Kawasakis, & 650 BSA. I got to test drive all kinds of bikes.

But, that fall of 1973, we guys were all at the motorcycle show in Boston. I happened to wander through the BMW exhibit and said to myself, "What manner of machines could these be?" It had a blue tank with chrome badges on each side surrounded by some black plastic. Years later I learned it was the "toaster" tank.

The salesman said, "throw a leg over." And then I heard the voices of angels. He pushed the bike forward off the stand and I was amazed how light it felt as I rocked it from side to side. It had the feel of a bike designed for a rider. But those cyclinder jugs! That would take some time to get used to!

When I made my return to motor cycling, I wanted an R series, even if it needed work or a basket case. But the F650CS and that family of bikes looked like it might a good starter bike, and get me riding again, which was more important than getting buried in a rebuild project. And that has rung true, and as i go through each season I am more confident, and respectful of the machine.

I cannot stress the benefits of excercize and in particluar that of cycling. I had always had cycling as a part of my summer activities, but I remember the day I was lining up a putt on a green next to a road when about a dozen cycliists rolled by. A voice said, "You're not really enjoying yourself, are you?" I answered, "No." And that was the last round of golf I ever played, as I shifted my time and attention to cycling.

Cycling strengthens your body like no other sport. And so, I ride both a mountain and road bike. I ride the mountain bike all year long even in snow. In spring, I train on the mountain bike on the street and in the woods. Switching to the road bike takes a bit of adjustmentz, but I have lots of great road near wherea I live. I should mention I also swim 3 or 4 times a week year round.

Now some say, "You know, after a while you're gonna start thinkin' about upgrading out of that F650."
And I say, "Don't worry, I've already started thinkin' about it."

Happy cycling, and happy motoradding ..

Bruce
(I live in southern New Hamphire -US)

In the toy corral:
BMW 2005 F650CS "Dual Spark"
TREK 820 - 21-speed
Specialized S-Works Frame 55cm.
(I'm looking for a 10-speed Shimano Shift set .. the works .. brakes, shifters cassettes ..
I built this bike, the frame I bought on Ebay, and robbed parts off my 2001 Lemond-57cm)

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Nice first post, welcome from Newfoundland. I too ride road and offroad but sadly not much. Also sadly I totalled my second Element last year, I bought my first one in '04. Love those things! You didn't say where you live?
[IMG]https://photos.smugmug.com/Home/My-new-house-is-here/i-WcgGWb2/0/1946d1cd/L/IMG_1139-L.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Peggotty;1210724]Greetings,
I've been a member here about a year and have enjoyed the magazine.

[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the site.
The nice thing about a Element is it's tall enough to put bicycles in the back standing up instead of laying them down.

I've been enjoying this thread. I've been looking at new bike helmets recently, and have been reading about MIPS (also saw [URL="https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?97733-So-you-make-a-great-helmet-why-not-make-it-better-by-adding-MIPS"]this thread on the subject for MC helmets[/URL]). I ended up buying a [URL="https://www.bikebarn.com/product/bontrager-solstice-mips-bike-helmet-367250-1.htm?variations=368968,368873&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3Nv3BRC8ARIsAPh8hgLS3h-LFCEOD_c4UQ4_41eAzmKGxB86GdDuc9wtG_vj7AN505pSgKkaApfrEALw_wcB#.Xvdp9C-ZOog"]Bontrager Solstice MIPS helmet[/URL] yesterday. Pretty nice fit and I like the magnetic clasp on the chin strap. Only $20 more expensive than the non-MIPS helmet, so a pretty good value, I think. Looking forward to getting some bike time as the summer unfolds!
:beer

[QUOTE=jad01;1210766] I ended up buying a [URL="https://www.bikebarn.com/product/bontrager-solstice-mips-bike-helmet-367250-1.htm?variations=368968,368873&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3Nv3BRC8ARIsAPh8hgLS3h-LFCEOD_c4UQ4_41eAzmKGxB86GdDuc9wtG_vj7AN505pSgKkaApfrEALw_wcB#.Xvdp9C-ZOog"]Bontrager Solstice MIPS helmet[/URL] yesterday.
:beer[/QUOTE]

Bontrager's WaveCel helmets look interesting.

[url]https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/bike-accessories/bike-helmets/bontrager-wavecel-helmets/c/E399/[/url]

[QUOTE=Lee;1210767]Bontrager's WaveCel helmets look interesting.

[url]https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/bike-accessories/bike-helmets/bontrager-wavecel-helmets/c/E399/[/url][/QUOTE]

My brother just bought one of their WaveCell helmets, a Bontrager Starvos. He shared a [URL="https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html"]ratings comparison from Virginia Tech[/URL] that include several WaveCell and MIPS helmets. The WaveCell helmets rate highly, although there are some models that are apparently no longer available and some (like mine) that aren't included in the comparison.