Tag: bikes

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Bern Major MIPS Bike Helmet

I got a new helmet. My old helmet (as seen here) was probably 17 years old and when I asked how often a helmet should be replaced people told me every 3 to 5 years! (And yes, I do know that if you are in a crash and your helmet sustains any impact it should be replaced.)

So yay, new helmet! I was looking at the Bern helmets because a friend of mine used to have one and I remember a nice brim on the front. Since I ride early in the morning I occasionally get blinded by the rising sun, and I typically just tilt my head way down and stare at the road, but I figured trying a helmet with a brim might be a good idea.

The photo above shows the brim flipped down. It’s really easy to flip it up or down with one hand while riding.

I head read about this MIPS thing for helmets and it seemed like a good feature, and this Bern Major helmet has it, so hooray for extra safety.

I was a bit unsure about size… I should note I did not try this on at a LBS but did order it online directly from Bern. My head measurement came in just at the top end of Medium, so I ended up going with Large just to be safe. I don’t know if this was the best option but I went for it.

So when I got the helmet the fit was okay, but I just felt like it should have been a little more snug. I didn’t want to return it and get a Medium (though Bern does have a really nice return policy) but instead I grabbed a foam pad kit from Amazon for $8. I added two strips along the sides and the fit is much better.

The Bern Major MIPS helmet was listed on their site as a “Barn Deal” and was $65 USD. I got a discount as a first time customer knocking it down to $55.25 USD and then with shipping added in it went back up to $67.25. (So the discount pretty much covered the shipping cost.)

Update: I just checked the price in May 2025 and it’s at $97.50. Is it because of tariffs? Who knows!?

Update: I just checked the price in October 2025 and it’s back to $65.00. Pricing is nuts in 2025.

I’m pleased with the helmet. It did take a few days to get used to it compared to the one I had over a decade (oops!) but next time I’ll probably visit a local shop and try a few options. I really do like the visor though, so we’ll see if I still do in a few years or if there are other good options.

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I would bike 500 miles…

Yeah, I would bike 500 miles… and I did! I started biking (outdoors) February 2024 and it is now November 1st 2024 and here’s a quick report. You may remember I used to walk a lot and I’ve done a bit of riding my bike indoors the past few years when I was recovering from injuries that prevented me from walking, but this year I got the bike fixed up and hit the road.

I’ve been using the Apple Fitness app on my phone & watch to track rides, but the stats are not easy to get to. Matt suggested RunGap which can import data from Apple Fitness and give a better view of the data.

Here’s the year 2024 filtered for Cycling and showing 506.30 miles. I actually hit 500 miles on October 31st, 2024, which was also Halloween. Spooky!

I can also see I spent 50 hours riding outside this year. I had attempted to get the 50 hours and the 500 miles on the same day, but weather and work commitments threw things off by a day.

My average speed so far this year is around 10 miles per hour. I’ve had rides recently that are 11 or 12 mph but I’m also fine with 10. I don’t have this craving for speed, but 12 is a good goal for me. I got into this cycling because I need regular exercise, and the walking got scuttled by injuries. So far I’ve avoided any biking injuries beyond some scrapes and chafes.

Breaking it down by month you’ll notice June and July had very little riding. Between work, travel, illness, and it being just too damn hot, I didn’t get out there much. October just got over the 90 miles mark, so 100 miles seems like a 2025 goal.

Yeah, I know, some people ride 100 miles in a day! I don’t think I ever want to do that. Again, this is a form of “casual daily exercise” for me. No races, no marathons, maybe some occasional group rides, but I’m here mainly to get my body moving.

I was certainly walking more than I am cycling, and that 8 hours a month should probably be 10 or more but there were some days I just did not feel well enough to get on the bike, and being alert and feeling okay are not things to compromise on when riding, so I skipped days here and there. Still, I look forward to what I can do in 2025!

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Cold Weather Cycling Headgear

It was 37° F last week one morning as I headed out for my 7am bike ride. That’s a bit cold! I have a friend who said he won’t ride when it drops below 40° F but I actually prefer the colder weather. In fact, I barely rode in June and July because it was just too hot for me. (To be fair, my “too hot” is anything above 70° F.)

So back in February I would ride with a long sleeve hooded shirt and just sort of put the hood up and then put my helmet on. It mostly worked to keep my ears warm while the cold wind rushed by me, but it wasn’t ideal. I know there are all sorts of little hats/beanies/whatever that can go under your helmet, but in our winter drawer at home I found this Bula balaclava and it’s perfect.

I honestly do not know where it came from. I think someone bought a two-pack and then gave me one of them. (Maybe my sister?) Whoever it was, thanks! It’s a tight fit (so no bunching up under the helmet) and it covers the ears well. I can also pull it up over my chin or even the lower half of my face if needed.

Yeah, I know… it looks super cool! (Kidding) But if it works, it works. I try not to just run out and buy cycling gear, and I try to just make things work and I’m okay with that.

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I changed a bike tire!

Hey, I changed a flat tire! I got a flat about six weeks ago and I ended up taking the bike into the shop and they got it all fixed up the same day and I grabbed an extra tube in case it happened again… well, it happened again. I figured I should (re)learn how to change a bike tire, so that’s what I did.

It’s been, oh, probably 30 years since I changed a bike tire, and that was on my Dumpster Bike, so I did a quick search, ignored the AI results, and found this Removing Rear Wheels Is Easy! post from a bike shop in London. Cheers!

My main concern was that I know how to change a tire (as in, remove the tires, replace inner tube, put tire back on) but the “removing rear wheel from bike” part was where I was a little rusty.

Anyway I got the wheel off, got the tire off, put some air in the old tube, confirmed a leak, then inspected the tire to see if there was any visible damage, any bits of metal, etc. The last time I got a flat I could definitely see a large metal staple. This time, upon close inspection… I found nothing. Some tiny rocks embedded in the tire, but nothing that poked through. Also, the hole in the tube was pretty tiny, so maybe it was just a failed tube?

(Note: The photo of the stangely distorted tube may be the result of messing with trying to fill it on the previous day and having it pop out between the rim and tire. Don’t ask.)

I got it all back together, filled the tube, and did a test ride in the alley. Oh, notice anything? In my haste to test it I forgot to reconnect my rear brake! Argh! Anyway, I got that back in place and all was well. It took about 20 minutes total including the test ride and fixing the rear brakes. Not bad for my first attempt.

The one pain in the ass was doing it all without a bike stand. So I thought to myself “Hey, could I build one from PCV pipe?” mainly because I have a shit-ton of PVC pipe connectors from a past project. Well, it looks like people have made PVC bike stands, so I’ve added making one to my list of things to do.

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Bike Lock Mount Spacer

I have a bike lock that mounts to the seat stay by clamping around the tube and it’s never quite fit right. I can tighten it all I want but the plastic on metal doesn’t really prevent it from rotating slightly. It’s not a huge deal but it’s enough to bother me.

In the past I had a GPS handlebar mount and it came with a little piece of rubber to help shim it tight and grip the bar which prevented it from rotating. I didn’t have any random pieces of rubber around, but I do have flexible filament! TPU (or Thermoplastic PolyUrethane) is 3D printing filament that is sort of soft and flexible, so I loaded it up in the Prusa MINI+ and designed a piece in OpenSCAD.

When I say “designed” there is barely a design, as it’s just a hollowed cylinder with a slit down the side. While 3D printed parts can be complex, they can also be really simple. (I once printed a shim!)

Again, for me it’s all about solving problems. I could have hunted around for a piece of rubber, or ordered some, but I had the filament on-hand, I can design things quickly, and they can print while I do more important work.