Today (13th December, 2023) I got for myself a greyish white Met helmet from Rito's. They offered it at 5K against the MRP of 9K because it was lying around for a long time and had gathered some dust - nothing that didn't go with some isopropyl alcohol.
Along with it, I also bought a cheap full sleeve jersey in saffron and a rear view mirror. The mirror is from a Taiwan company named Guee.
Being used to driving cars and motorcycles, I am very used to a rear view mirror on my right hand side. Subconsciously the eye goes in that direction even when walking. Also vehicles in Calcutta come very close to you and often cross you with hardly any space in between. Mezda was knocked down by a motorcycle a few months ago when it's protruding bag brushed against him. Luckily there was no other speeding vehicle coming from behind to crush him.
I keep looking behind by turning the head. It's a good exercise for the spine and neck and I am quite good at it for my age. Another issue in Calcutta is the larger commercial vehicles often make so much noise that you think it is about to knock you down. Then you turn around and find it is nothing but a rickety truck, carrying construction rubbish to some dump and quite far off. The ones that do a close pass are almost always silent.
So the mirror would help. Now on to the helmet.
My other go to helmet, the Merida black and green, is now 8K old. In summer the nylon strap becomes clammy and I need to wash it frequently. A spare helmet would help. I did buy a second Merida a couple of years ago. But it turned out to be an extremely cheap and painful helmet. The inner foam cushion has come off and it hurts. I guess I will give it away to the NGO that works with poor children and gives them cycles and teaches rugby etc.
I loved the fit of this helmet and the colour. Apparently it comes with Mips technology. I have to study what it means. But it is some enhanced safety feature. I shall test it soon and give a feedback. As of now it fits fine. Have to see how airy it is. But given how chilly the mornings are now I have half a mind to ride in the morning with the warm woolen cap.
Mirror Comment - The mirror is pretty useless for me. A. the image is too small for me to see. B. If you can comfortably turn your head while cycling, this is totally unnecessary. In a nutshell, this is useless.
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