Not every review I write starts with a shout-out to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. I have never been there and probably won’t ever set foot on campus. Not sure what they do or even what a “polytechnic” is (sounds cool, though).
I am keenly aware of something that is about to happen in my life, though. I am going to go biking soon. The weather is starting to show signs of loosening up a bit, hitting the 40s today. March is fast approaching, a month when it is not unheard of to experience a day or two in the 50s although it will then snow for a week after that.
I’m an avid cyclist, and I am counting down the days until I can test out a new helmet from Specialized called the Mode. According to the aforementioned institution with the impressive name, the Mode has a 5-star rating for crash protection. I can only imagine what sort of tests they do, ramming the helmet into a brick wall perhaps.
I know it looks cool. Most bike helmets look like an over-sized version of something a toddler would wear, but the Mode looks more modern, as though they understand some of us commute to work and ride around in trendy areas (in my case, Minneapolis). The helmet also passes an electric bike standard (called the NTA8776 if you must know) and has some cool reflective stickers. The point here: it’s a really safe helmet.
The Mode comes in two different versions, one called Classic SBC headform and one called Round Fit headform. You know what to do, right? Depending on the style you like and maybe the shape of your head, one will fit a bit better than the other.
Fortunately, before winter hit, I did get a chance to bike with the Mode and noticed the venting is just about right. It’s not too insulated to the point where you will feel like your head can’t get enough air, but also offers enough protection that, on a cold fall day, I was quite warm. (It helped that, inside of the bike helmet, I wore an extra cap.) I like how easy it is to adjust the strap, especially since my normal bike helmet is not so quick in how you adjust it.
More than anything, I like how the helmet looks. It has a modern look that fits in perfectly with my surroundings, not like I am in a bike race but fitting in with what I am actually doing — riding around on bike paths and occasionally zipping along the side of the road.
