Head Cases

(UVEX Urban Bicycle Helmet)

(Giro Me2 Infant Bike Helmet)

First things first: The Giro Me2 Infant Bike Helmet is AAA (adorable, adjustable, & affordable).

Sounds good, right? Well, it sucks! It pulls clumps of the baby's hair out.

I had bought her one last year when we got the buggy trailer. I loved the way it looked and it actually fit because there is an adjustable dial thingy in the back. It was love at first sight. The love faded after wearing the helmet the second or third time. The baby hated it and would scream, I don't blame her, the hook and loop inside holding the cool adjustable dial thingy (YES! The only thing hold the shell to the case is Vel-Cro!) was pulling her hair out in clumps!!
Of course, I returned it to the sporting goods mega store I had purchased it from, without my receipt and reluctantly they exchanged it. Everybody's reasoning, including myself, was this was just a bad seed Giro Me2 Helmet and the company is supposed to have a quality product. ( I read some reviews).
This spring we broke out the replacement helmet and guess what? SAME THING! Yes, second or third time, clumps of hair, baby hates it, etc.

It's really unfortunate, because $29.99 for a helmet that can not be worn is not affordable.

UVEX Urban Bicycle Helmet

I picked this helmet up on the REI outlet website. The option to ship to our local store and pick up for free was very appealing to me. It is comfortable, and was affordable at it's discounted price.
A little piece of cushioned fabric is between the strap and my chin for a little extra bit of comfort. And the simple shape fits my always growing dreaded head.

My biggest complaint thus far is that while checking out at the store the cashier suckered me into buying a membership for 20 bucks, therefore bringing the price of the helmet up to full price.

Locked & Loaded

Pinhead Component Locking System
4Pack Lock Set

Includes:

• Front and rear wheel locking skewers.
• Seat lock.
• Headset lock.
• Unique multi combination key.

Austin has high bike crime. We are averaging about one bike per year being stolen at our place. That said, I want to deter a thief the best I can.

Per Rick's suggestion I bought the Pinhead 4 pack to lock up my bike's components (seat post, headset, and front/rear wheels).

Installation was a piece of cake... I did all of it with a 2 year old crawling on me and the bike. The most difficult part was attaching the buggy. The Pinhead rear rod was just long enough to fit the buggy as long as I didn't use the washer that came with the skewer.

The manufacture recommends "a professional bicycle dealer trim off excess Rod length". They did come with a little rubber piece to put over the excess; however, I have a pretty gnarly bruise on my leg from the seat post lock's excess and want it removed ASAP.

I ordered the 4 pack because by doing so all the component locks use one universal key. The key double as a niffty bottle opener, too!

Tool Time

Park Tool Co. MT-1 Rescue Wrench/ Multi-tool

I picked this little guy up last night at REI while picking up my safety helmet (don't worry, you'll hear about that later). It was between the MT-1 and a couple of the bigger multi-tools, but with me being the thrifter that I am I opted for the cheap.

It's Park Tool Co.'s crudest option as far as multis go- packing a punch with:

• 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 8mm hex wrenches
• 8mm, 9mm, and 10mm socket wrenches
• straight blade screwdriver

My biggest complaint thus far (I got a good bit of use out of this guy last night), while using the 6mm hex to replace my saddle, the 3mm scratched my seat post.

" uncomplicated, easy to use, and effective", parktool.com
Biking with a toddler in tow? Uncomplicated is the way to go. It's small enough to slip into my back pocket making my load a little lighter.