My 2003 Giro Venus II helmet finally gave up the ghost. I was hoping to hold out until spring because Interbike yielded some cool helmets on the horizon, like the Giro Reverb and Nutcase Metroride. The boys want me to get a Nutcase 8 Ball, too, but I tried on a Nutcase on a few days ago and discovered I’m the one person in the world who looks funny in them.

Dutch Bike Co carries Bern helmets and I tried on the Bern Berkeley in gloss white and was sold. I’m happy to have a visor again, both for sun and rain, but I’m not sure how well the white fabric will hold up. I should start an office pool on how soon it’ll be covered in little peanut butter fingerprints and pretend puppy gnaw marks. At the shop, they told me the story of a guy who had just been in to replace his Bern–he’d left it on his bike and mounted them on the bus rack (unintentionally, I’m guessing). It fell off and was dragged under the bus tires for two blocks before it exploded. Strong stuff!

The second picture is just to commemorate that it’s mitten and underhat season. I always start out neglecting to bring my own gloves for a couple weeks while I get adjusted to the change in seasons.

Today’s miles: 13.5 miles
October cumulative: 38.4 miles
Days missed: 1