Archives for June 2020

Hedkayse Helmet Review

Now I am not shy in saying I am a firm believer in wearing a helmet whilst cycling. I am aware it is not a legal requirement, however, having had 3 separate instances where my helmet has saved my head I personally choose not to ride without a helmet. I do have a blog with more on this that you can read here.

When the guys from Headkayse got in touch about reviewing their helmet I will admit I had not heard of them before and having a look into them a little more I found their mission statement as follows:

‘We believe that our heads are worth protecting and have made it our mission to provide the safest head protection possible for cyclists. We want to be the drivers of head protection innovation and believe that by introducing our Enkayse™ liner material we have changed the face of cycle helmet technology forever.’

You may or may not agree but I felt the above was a bold statement and so of course I was intrigued!

The main features are as follows:

multi impact – can retain the integrity upon impact (to a certain degree of course mentioning small bumps and knocks)
multi fit (all helmets are one size)
foldable
fully customisable

Lets dig into the areas above in a little more detail:

multi impact – I don’t plan on crashing in epic style to find out if this works but knowing first hand the damage that can be done from coming off your bike I am not sure how comfortable or confident I would feel to continue using a helmet if I know it has suffered a knock? The helmet actually arrived in a material bag that was inside a brown envelope and no box – given how parcels and post get knocked around in transit this was not lost on me and I assume is to show how confident they are in their product that a box is unnecessary? This claim comes from their inner material called Enkayse. This lining they claim to be over 150 times safer than traditional helmets. To quote the company:

‘Unlike EPS Enkayse is designed to manage the energy of impacts whilst retaining its integrity. Enkayse dissipates energy rather than deforming on impact, it also cushions small bumps. Protection from small knock and bumps may also have long-term benefits as researchers believe the cumulative effect of small knocks contributes to brain disease over time. Enkayse shrugs off the bumps, knocks and everyday abuse, so you can be sure that Hedkayse | ONE will provide continuous protection.’

and

‘Hedkayse | ONE is not a fragile one-hit wonder, our unique Enkayse liner enables the helmet to pass EN1078 safety tests after multiple impacts and provide unrivalled protection time and time again.’

multi fit – one size fits all, which again I was a little unsure of as all helmets I have come across come in different sizes and wearing the correct size helmet, in the right position and fitted securely is key to its effectiveness. The helmet has a rear fastening strap, which will fit a size range of 49cm to 58.5cm. A check I complete to know if my helmet is secure is to adjust the fastenings and without having to do the strap up under the chin you should be able to lean forward and the helmet not fall off your head as per British Cycling – this does not work with the Hedkayse helmet and fell straight off when tested.
foldable – the helmet can fold down to 50% of its original size although I couldn’t get it to fold down to that. I would imagine for some commuters this may be a bonus as I know I try and carry as little as possible with me. I am lucky to have a secure bike lock space at my work office and locker so I can put my kit in there easily but maybe if I were commuting out and about the ability to fold this to put in a bag could be good – many people work on the go especially in cities and move from location to location. However, I must admit if I have been out and about with my helmet I will clip it on to my bag and it is no issue.
fully customisable – the team were super responsive and once they had my logo and checked what colour I would like they came back with designs ensuring they were totally happy with the finished product.

Lets dig a little deeper here and I will start with the weight as this was the first thing I noticed when I unpacked the helmet. It is heavy! Not like a bowling ball heavy obviously but compared to four helmets I have really very heavy and on wearing you can really notice this. I did a little comparison with some of my helmets as follows:

the Hedkayse helmet weighs 1.2lbs
my Kask Protone helmet with the classic polystyrene casing weighs 0.5lbs
my Endura Pro SL helmet with the Koroyd core casing weighs 0.5lbs

Now for comfort – there are 3 foam pads inside the helmet on the inner lining material, however, these are not that secure and on the second use had already come unstuck. The lining of the helmet (the special Enkayse material) is bulky and honestly not comfortable when on your head. I have been out before on my bike and touched my head to check if my helmet is on (sounds silly especially as I am such a pro helmet cyclist but it can happen) and I wouldn’t need to do that with this helmet as I would be aware at all times I was wearing it and that is not a positive. It also feels like the front is too far away from my head – I could easily fit a couple of fingers between the helmet and my forehead, which is not a confidence builder.

Lets talk sweat because the Enkayse lining does not feel breathable at all. We have had warm weather but this was noticeably moist when I took it off – I definitely would not want to take it off and put it back on again at a cake stop mid ride.

Instructions – there is a tag on the helmet although I also referred to the website where there is a video also on how to fit your helmet, which starts from its folded position. It just seemed to me over complicated for no reason. When you get a helmet even though you will only need to refer to it once do you really want to have to log online for further instructions?

Looks – I am firmly safety first but I will admit the shape is odd looking and does appear to sit on the head when you look at it. I would liken the shape to a helmet for another sport and not cycling, maybe horse riding or climbing although I cannot quite put my finger on it. It feels like it sits on top of your head, I noticed immediately it seems to sit away from my forehead and as I mentioned earlier I can easily fit a few fingers in between the front of the helmet and my head, which I don’t believe to be right and it felt not as protective as a normal cycling helmet feels. Whilst I get that appearance is not the top priority here it is a valid point and adjustments are needed when using a cycling cap under the helmet which I always do.

I also noticed on the website that the Hedkayse helmet has passed safety EN1078 safety certification, which passes for the UK and Europe but they are still waiting to achieve this for other countries/continents and as I often travel with my bike and not always in Europe this would be another blocker for me using this helmet.

Long and short is that this is not the helmet for me unfortunately. Helmets are personal preference and being in a cycling club I know first hand when you find the helmet you like you tend to stick to the same brand, especially if you have had a knock and needed it replaced as you know it has withstood the job it is intended for. So just because it is not for me does not mean it might not be for you, I am just not sure if this product is answering a question that is just not being asked in the market currently.

The helmets retail at £150 and if yo are interested you can use the code YK193LJ7 for a 10% discount. I was gifted the helmet, but all opinions are my own.

Category: Events

The Virtual Vatternrundan

The Vatternrundan is a bike ride that starts and finished in Motala in Sweden. The first Vatternrundan was in 1966 when the event started as a loop that followed the lake counter clockwise though the direction was reversed in 1974 when right handed driving was introduced in Sweden, and you will see on the course many veterans who have completed this ride for decades!

I have completed this ride twice before and I think it is my favourite cycling event to date. I love the roads, the people, the atmosphere, that you ride through the night and catch the sunset and sunrise and the scenery as you complete the route around the Lake Vattern.

I first completed the ride in 2017 with some friends and you can read more about that here. I then went back last year in 2019 and completed the ride with my husband as well as completing the Tjejvattern 100km and Halvattern 150km and I wrote a blog post on what the bike week is that you can read here.

This year the course changed and instead of being a 300km loop it had increased slightly to 315km and I was looking forward to seeing the changes and completing this for the third time with hopes of bagging myself a PB.

Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled, as is the case for most, due to COVID-19. As disappointing as this was I was expecting the announcement and it is the right decision with the safety of staff and participants in mind.

As I mentioned above the cancellation of events has been widespread regardless of sporting discipline and one interesting outcome is how brands/companies have handled this. I have seen some that have given no offer of deferring or refunds and others that have offered both. Although I was gifted my place to the Vatternrundan I was pleased when I was offered the chance to defer to 2021 (hell yes I will be there next year) and also the opportunity to complete the mileage virtually and be sent my medal.

When we take part in the event the mileage is in one go but for the virtual event or as they have called it Minvatternrundan (which means My Vatternrundan) you are given the option to complete either out on the road or on the turbo and either in one go or across multiple rides within the time period from 5 to 13 June.

Typical British weather meant that in the run up to this we had glorious sunshine and then for the start weekend it was wind and rain and so it continued. This meant we have had a mix of outdoor rides and turbo sessions to complete the mileage (the actual breakdown was 85km outside and 237.74km inside, which was not the plan – the plan was outside riding but nevermind). The main downside overall to completing the challenge from the UK was the lack of blueberry soup – if you know you know!

For the turbo I changed my avatar to be wearing my Vatternrundan kit (obviously) that I earned during some of the training rides that were hosted on Zwift in the run up to when the event was scheduled for. This was open to all but there were many people talking on the rides who were signed up and the structure built on distance as the weeks went by to assist with training.

It was also a great way to keep up with training and stay motivated as events are cancelled, seeing others on social media who were also completing the challenge at the same time and I look forward to receiving my medal in the post and planning my trip for 2021!

If you are interested in taking part in the ride next year I cannot recommend it enough. The registration process is different to most and you need to complete a series of steps as follows:

step 1 – head to the Vatternrundan website and create a profile
step 2 – register interest for the event next year (this is not yet open but is usually online before the end of June)
step 3 – you will then receive an email with instructions on dates for registration
step 4 – if you are successful you will then receive details on how to complete the process and make payment – get in quick to avoid disappointment (this is usually around October time)

You need to complete the above in sequence to sign up ie if you don’t register interest you can’t then sign up at a later date so don’t miss out! If you do sign up I also wrote a blog post about training for an endurance event like this that you can read here.

Hopefully I will see you there next year and will share my medal on my socials when I receive it!

Category: Product Reviews

Book Review – Gears for Queers

At a time when we are in COVID-19 Lockdown, self-isolation, lots of turbo bike miles and my company have said we cannot carry over holiday entitlement to the new holiday year I found myself with two weeks leave (should have been cycling in Sweden, Denmark and Norway but lets not dwell on that) and the offer of a book review – perfect timing!

So the above was how I came about the book Gears for Queers. Now I will admit when I first got the book I saw the title and thought eek, will that offend anyone? Well the book is written by Abi and Lili who are a couple and refer to themselves as queer. The book quotes:

‘to queer something is to trouble boundaries, to question the division into binaries, success/failure, commuter/cyclist, made/sane, travel/migrate, leave/remain’

The book documents the couples journey of bike touring from Amsterdam to Spain. Lili is from Cambridge and having cycled there myself I know it is flat albeit very windy at times, not Lanzarote windy but windy nonetheless. I did a 100 mile cycling sportive in Cambridge with two girlfriends and we practically flew for the first 50 miles and then turned and battled wind for the remainder of the ride! Lots of people cycle in Cambridge and Lili is one of those very people. Abi, however, had not cycled more than 20 minutes as part of her commute before agreeing to take on this trip!

Both Lili and Abi had second hand steel framed bikes for this bike tour, one of which cost only £40, and these were the bikes they cycled in Amsterdam, through The Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland as part of this tour. Two steel framed bikes, a printed route from Google Maps, many pannier bags filled with all sorts (I have 2 items they took that my firm favourites but I won’t give away what they were), leaving technology behind and they were set for an epic adventure!

There was so much in this book I could relate to as a cyclist including aching legs, saddle sore, grimacing at hills as you approach them, navigating busy roads and traffic, trying to understanding signage in different languages when cycling abroad and much more.

Both Lili and Abi are vegan and so a bike tour of this nature is made even harder when trying to find vegan friendly places to eat and buy food – I know this first hand as my husband is plant based and we have cycled in many countries abroad and the concept in some countries is just not known as much so you need to adapt and be creative at mealtimes.

The book is an honest account of their journey, including periods, hormones and the moods that go with that. It is a refreshing account including warts and all and not just the good fun stuff that went to plan but all the bits that didn’t too. It shows the kindness and generosity of people who are perfect strangers. I learned about Warmshowers, a non-profit organisation that is a community of like minded people who bike tour around the world and host other people bike touring – I didn’t even know this existed before reading this book and love that there is something like this out there.

Oh and there are cats! Not cycling with them obviously! Camping, wild camping, interesting hosts along the way and lots of chickpeas!

I loved this book and finished it in two sessions. I struggled to start with the gender neutral pronouns used as Lili is non-binary but only briefly at the start and then it naturally flowed as I read more and more.

Bravo to Lili and Abi for completing approximately 2,000km over a two month period – what a way to see different countries than by your own speed and power on a bike. I am completely envious of such an experience and hopefully one day will experience something similar.