Helmet(s)
Vega Helmets – Warrior Half Helmet
This is the helmet I use most often. The thing I like the most about this helmet is the fit-adjustment dial. It’s something commonly found on street-bike helmets where you can adjust the fit perfectly for your noggin. Another plus with this helmet is that the visor flips down over my glasses so I don’t have to wear contacts! It’s great for warm riding and figure it’ll be good up until winter. The side straps are generously big so I hope they’ll act like earmuff.
Vega makes different shells for all the sizes they offer, so it’s not like other brands where the XL shell shell is used for both XL and L helmets. In doing this it prevents your head from looking bulbous.
Westt Rover – Three-Quarter Helmet
This was my first departure from regular bicycle helmets. This is an open-face helmet with a drop down visor and two air vents on the top of the helmet. I really like this helmet aside from the fogging of the visor which I thought impossible since it’s an open-face design.
I switch to this in the winter because it encapsulates my noggin and prevents me from getting a head-cold. Things I disliked about this helmet was that it was uncomfortable to ride with glasses or earbuds. Earbuds would get shoved deep into my ear canal which made it uncomfortable for long rides.
Nutcase Street Bike Helmet
This was the brain-bucket I got myself when I first started commuting. Not too much to say other than the design is super-cool and that it is a very reputable helmet manufacturer. It has the adjust-to-fit dial on the back and many venting holes to cool my head and dissipate sweat.
This helmet definitely stands out in a crowd, so you can call it a cry for attention, but I like to think it improves my visibility just a hair.
Misc
First Aid Kit – Travel Size
So this isn’t really “protective gear” but I wasn’t sure where else to put it.
This is an invaluable piece of kit to carry with you. It’s pretty self explanatory: you can bandage you or someone else up road-side with this kit. How big of a first aid kit depends on what you think COULD happen on a ride. Start with a basic kit and then build it out as you get more familiar with types of injuries you see on a ride (hopefully none, but best it’s good to have something rather than nothing at all).
Hi-Visibility Harness
I only pull this out in the fall when the time changes. The retro-reflective strips on this vest/harness give me a slightly better chance of being seen before getting ran over.