My bicycle helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment I own. The helmet not only offers critical head protection, but a platform for 5 additional components that add to its effectiveness and increased safety value.
Visor: The helmet I use is manufactured by Bell. On either side of the front edge of the helmet are two snaps for the purpose of attaching a visor. Some of the reasons for having a visor are that it shields the eyes when riding into the sun, keeps water out of the eyes when in a light rain, and it can block some of the headlight glare of oncoming traffic when riding after dark.
Rear Mirror: Rear mirrors come in different shapes and methods of attachment. My choice is a rectangular mirror that can be attached to a helmet visor. To keep it in place I’ve drilled two 1/8 inch holes into the left side of the visor and then secured the mirror to the visor using thin, short-length zip ties. I know some people think rear mirrors look silly. Maybe, but who cares if it keeps you safe. I’m more comfortable knowing what’s coming up on me from behind and a mirror is a handy low cost lightweight way to accomplish that. Some drivers don’t give as much room to cyclists as they should or could, and I think it’s better to know what’s approaching rather than be startled unexpectedly, especially when the vehicle is a logging truck.
Reflective Tape: Reflective tape is sold in packages of 3 or 4 adhesive-backed twelve inch strips. I use strips manufactured by Peterson that are approved by the United States Department of Transportation. Designed for use on trucks and other heavy equipment these reflective strips can be cut into custom shapes then applied to areas on the top of the visor or front-facing plane of the mirror. Peterson reflective strips can be purchased at any automotive supply shop.
Front Lamp: The lamp I use is a Petzl e+lite®. This Petzel model is a compact LED lamp that rotates 360º on a ball and joint with three settings for white or red lighting in a high, low, or blinking mode. The Petzl runs on two Lithium CR2032 batteries and complements the main headlamp mounted on the bicycle as an emergency backup. It’s also very useful when it’s necessary to change a flat or perform other mechanical repairs that requires having both hands free. The Petzl is securely attached to the front of the helmet with zip ties.
Rear Lamp: Like the front lamp the rear facing red blinking tail light can be attached to the rear of the helmet using a zip tie. For the longest time my tail light was attached to the seat post. That became problematic when a tool bag was attached to the saddle rails, blocking the lamp. I then clipped the lamp to the back of the tool bag, but then it tended to point down toward the road instead of straight back and so wasn’t as bright as it could be. The rear of the helmet has turned out to be a good place to mount it for two reasons. a) It’s much easier to turn on or off while riding b) When I roll in after a ride and remove the helmet I never forget to turn the light off; not so when the light was mounted on the bike itself.
