Giro Selector Aero Helmet

My Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet never really felt quite right.  It was always tight.  I'd have to pry it over my ears and be uncomfortable until they finally found their place behind the thick flap of plastic that comprises the ear covers.  I used it with some success, I think.  I found, through my own riding that the Advantage 2 reduced my time on a 7.5 mile ride by about 30 seconds.  So, I'm a believer but I wanted more.  More comfort and more speed.

The Advantage 2 comes in three sizes, small, medium and large.  I had bought a size small Advantage 2.  My head measures 21 3/4 inches (55.245cm) at the hat band area.  That's right at the limit for a small.

Giro helmet sizing chart

The Giro Advantage 2 has 3 size options

With all the strain on the ear flaps my Advantage 2 formed a crack on both sides.  It was time to replace it!  I decided on the Giro Selector for several reasons; 1) it has an integrated vision 2) it has 2 "aerodynamic lower" options, and 3) the cost wasn't prohibitively high.  I bought mine through Amazon for less than $200.

The Giro Selector has 2 size options

I ordered the small/medium Selector.  My head was safely within the sizes listed on the Giro website.  When the helmet arrived it came with the items below.

What the helmet comes with

The Selector helmet comes with 2 back plate options, and instruction booklet, a cloth bag, an extra set of pads, a red "G" sticker and an emergency contact information sticker.

Fastener tabs for the padded second aerodynamic lower attachment

Snaps on the back plate and the visor connect to snap baskets on the helmet

A closer view of one of the tabs on the aerodynamic lower

The Roc Loc TT fit system

One of three snaps used to attach the visor to the helmet

The Selector has no large vent holes like the Advantage 2.  It's a possibility that overheating could be a problem.  That's one of the reasons I chose white and silver for my colors.

The center visor nipple with vent holes on either side

The pads in place inside the helmet

A side view of the helmet

A side view of the second optional back plate

A closer view of the vented visor

The helmet on the head

I decided to adjust the Roc Loc TT fit system back one space to the last snap basket.  To do that I removed the Roc Loc bracket. Make sure that you look closely at the two pictures below.  The bracket has 2 snaps and 2 curved legs.  The snaps keep the bracket securely forward and the feet of the legs under the snap basket frame.

The Roc Loc TT fit system snap brackets with the bracket removed

The Roc Loc TT fit system bracket with 2 curved legs and 2 snaps

I used a shish-kabob skewer to ream out a place in the foam one space back for the legs to go into.

A shish-kabob skewer

You can just barely see the modified snap basket frame below.

The Roc Loc TT fit system snap basket with a second set of holes cleared

I re-installed the Roc Loc bracket and that was it.  I tried the newly adjusted helmet again and it fit much better.  The ear flaps still look to be a bit tight but I'm sure that I'll get used to putting in on more quickly over time.

The Roc Loc TT fit system bracket re-installed

I wore it for the first time on Saturday during a 19 mile 23 average MPH ride with 4 other guys and a subsequent 30 mile ride with 2 other guys at 21.8 MPH.  I found that my ears are still an issue.  I think a dab of BodyGlide on the ear tab pads should help them find their proper place in the confinement of the straps and foam.  The field of view is freakin' awesome.  There are no obstructions at all although looking to the side to see who's riding behind is a strain.  The air temperature was 70-degrees.  I didn't find that the limited venting was an issue.  The flow of sweat was allowed to move unobstructed.  I find with sunglasses that the sweat seems to pool around the lenses.  There was no lens fogging.  Bugs smacking into my face at 30-mph should be a thing of the past too.  That's a good thing!  The ability to hear is reduced, as I'd expect.  The ambient noise inside the Selector helmet is probably lower than my Advantage 2.  The only negative is that the interior of the helmet is not well padded.  It's like wearing a can on your head.

Well, that's about it!  Just a lot of pictures of my new helmet.

Thanks for reading.

Bhojanic Restaurant

On Sunday evening, as storm clouds invaded Atlanta once again, Susan and I, along with our friends Jim and Mary Ann Macie headed to Buckhead for another meeting of the Hoochie Map Dancers.  The HMD is a group of friends that like good food and wine and enjoy trying diverse Atlanta restaurants.  Many members of the group have been dining together for years and others are new to the group.

Hoochie Map Dancers

For this trip we decided on dinner at Bhojanic Fusion Homestyle Indian Tapas restaurant at Around Lenox in Buckhead. Before a restaurant is chosen it has to been recommended and then someone will try it out to see if it's a fit for the group, if they haven't done so already.  Jim and Mary Ann did the reconnaissance work for Bhojanic.  In addition to having good food, the restaurant has to be able to accommodate a large group and allow for us to bring our own wines.  Members try to bring wines that 1) they like and, 2) will go well with the food.

They usually meet at restaurants that serve foods from all over the world. The theme is pretty much anything but American style cuisine. The restaurant is located at 3400 Around Lenox Road, Suite 201, Atlanta, GA 30324 and their website is www.bhojanic.com.

Here are a few pictures of our delicious food.

Alu Tiki chole

Chicken 65

Shrimp Bhojanic

Goat Curry

Chicken tikka masala

Saag paneer

The food was great, albeit a bit spicy.  If you like spicy, which you have to expect from Indian food, then you really like what Bhojanic has to offer.  The service was great too, even for our large party.

Jim Macie prepared a quiz for our group that consisted of the following questions:

1) What is the primary religion in India?
2) What is the most popular spectator sport in India?
3) In what city did Sister Teresa perform her good works?
4) What herb or spice is used to provide Indian food its yellowish color?
5 and 6) What two other countries where created following India's independence?
6) What is the name of the current Indian Prime Minister?
Tie breaker) In what year did India gain its independence from Britain ?
 * see the answers below.

In what would surprise anyone who knows me, in a cliff-hanger of a challenge, I won the quiz.  Three of us got 5 out of 7.  The prize was bottle of  Indian wine.

The surprise winner of the quiz - Me!

Thanks for reading.

Answers:
1) Hinduism
2) Cricket
3) Calcutta
4) Turmeric (I guessed Saffron)
5 and 6) Bangladesh and Pakistan
7) Manmohan Singh (I had no idea)
Tie-Breaker) 1947

More pictures on Picasa.  Just follow the link below.

Bhojanic Restaurant