Hello!

[gocard]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm eagerly waiting for the bike to come in - it's not a color that they normally stock and one of the salespeople was also wondering why they didn't carry that color (navy/white/turquoise). I'm sure several people would say that fit and comfort is more important than color, but the way I see it, the better it looks, the happier I'll be!

I was torn between the 105 or the Apex, but seeing as how the 105s were nearly $300 more and not a full 105 groupset, I went with the Apex. The 2013 model will change to Tiagra, which I didn't like as much.

So excited!

[Megustalaplaya]

Welcome to TE!

Congrats on your new bike. The color scheme is very pretty! Be sure to post pics of your new baby when it comes in.

[Catrin]

Welcome to TE, and to cycling! Fit is, of course, paramount, but if you can find something that both fits you properly AND is a color you like then that is the best of both worlds

[gocard]

Thanks guys! I have a helmet that I won one year at a bike to work event, but it's a bit loose even though it's a women's small. It's a Giro Eclipse. Is there any place to get some thicker padding to put inside the helmet? It's the older design so it doesn't have that awesome wheel tightening mechanism that I find the modern helmets now have.

[Catrin]

Thanks guys! I have a helmet that I won one year at a bike to work event, but it's a bit loose even though it's a women's small. It's a Giro Eclipse. Is there any place to get some thicker padding to put inside the helmet? It's the older design so it doesn't have that awesome wheel tightening mechanism that I find the modern helmets now have.

How old is the helmet? If it is more than 5 years or so then please consider replacing the helmet. They do have a "shelf life" and will degrade over time. This isn't something that you can see with your eyes Don't put your noggin at risk and get a new helmet - there are less expensive helmets available if that is a concern.

The cost of the helmet isn't related to the safety side of things, in the US at least they all have to meet current safety standards, but more expensive helmets typically have more vents (are cooler), and can be lighter in weight.

[pll]

Thanks guys! I have a helmet that I won one year at a bike to work event, but it's a bit loose even though it's a women's small. It's a Giro Eclipse. Is there any place to get some thicker padding to put inside the helmet? It's the older design so it doesn't have that awesome wheel tightening mechanism that I find the modern helmets now have.

Get a new one! All helmets you see in a bike shop pass some minimum performance standards. The pricier ones use lighter material and are more ventilated, but safety-wise are comparable to the cheapest one. So, please get a helmet that fits properly.

[gocard]

Thanks Catrin and pll, it's about 4 years old and hasn't been used much at all.

[barrelgal]

You want it to fit correctly for sure, but the Eclipse (if I remember correctly) does have a way to tighten the back, just different then the new style. There should be two large 'tabs' that can be pushed towards eachother to tighten the helmet. For some reason I remember this always working better when the helmet was on my head rather than off (you should always tighten the helmet once on, but I seem to remember that the eclipse was difficult to even play with the tightening when it was off my noggin.)