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cleaning and removing the stickers is a great first step. hope it will look a bit different to tm's build and all the other hhsbs.

I don't really like to be conventional, so hopefully something of my character will show in the bike. I have a couple of ideas that aren't mainstream HHSB.
Besides, I mostly have the track in mind for this build, although it will inevitably find its way onto the road, mashing through traffic.

Cinelli integralter?

Chinese crabonz?

What I'm after is:

1&1/8 threadless

Black and black

Drop at least 70mm, not 'anatomic'
A plain regular bend looks nicer and is more comfortable.

Max width 40cm ctc, 38 preferred.
I ride 38cm drops most of the time and want to match what I'm very happy with. I'm afraid this bit might be tricky.

Stem angle 75 degrees or less.
Stems that point upwards look shit. Should be horizontal or downwards. Especially with a horizontal or downwards angled top tube, as in this case.

Not decided on length yet, probably 110mm.

No carbon and no chromoly.
Sort of feel I want to leave out carbon on this build; a lot of it is quite pricey and alloy is stronger. Chromoly is too heavy, obviously. That said, the rims may end up carbon.

Less than £100 each.

No clamp diameter preference, just a combination to fit above specs.

43mm of steerer to hold onto.

Ideas?

deep and black is where you want to go.

Yes, black is the way to go with a bright yellow frame-set, without question. Don't want to go shallow, but not super deep either; 40 to 50 mil-ish I think.

Strange how you go from ridiculous helmets to nice frames.

I've been saving up.

Hope you used Johnsons.

No Johnsons. Muc-Off

TM's old one?

It took a while to get those bloody slave stickers off, but now the thing is looking fresh.

Thinking about a stem bar combo first.

My intention was to build this up and then it be a nice surprise at the track/bicycle tag/beers, as well as epic fun for me, however in looking for parts I am struggling to find/decide exactly what I want, so, I here reveal to you what I have very recently got myself, in the hope that you will offer me (helpful) suggestions and recommendations for bits.

When the Beast got to mine I found it healthy, but a little grimey, so first thing's first:

Bathtime

Class 37's sound like tractors, class 20's sound like helicopters (really) and they're big and blue and go quite slowly so you can't miss them.

In Vienna, trains make interesting sounds
.

I'm going to run some rides to nuclear power stations this summer!

In.

That bike looks fun, whatok.
What gear do you have on it?
The colour scheme reminds me of this.

Delete

Old:

North end of south section of Parkland Walk

New:

Photograph of a sphere

+1 for TM

• 1000archangels +1
  
• 1894mk2
  
• 313 - Nice wheels. Easy transaction. Thanks, start of the new build.
  
• 36x18 - brilliant service, really quick wheel build turn around :) +2
  
• 606 - Bought a Langster off him, rides sweetly, he even threw in a 3rd tyre, mtb grips and straight handlebars and some road bike shifters
  -Aches & Pains -- good delivery and super cheap!
  -adman--did more web research on current price of bits between dibbing and picking them up and dropped price completely unprompted. + 2 very smooth transaction
  
• Adroit- Great seller, honest prices. +2
  
• Adscan- bought a PSP of the man, better than well chuffed. package arrived via matter transfer.
  
• Aidy40 - bought a frame off him, nice frame, nice guy, nice delivery, well packaged. Very happy.
  
• ALDI
  
• amey
  
• andyfallsoff +2
  
• Andypancake +5 Absolute gent... and some nice goodies. Ta fella.
  
• Andy.W +2 (top trader - collected and posted a bike for me a long time ago)
  
• AngelD + 9: sold me some SRAM Omniums for a good price, and dealt with the shipping etc very well. They came polished to a shine and packed really safely in a proper chainset box. Nice one!
  
• apolloxl +21 met within 20 minutes of dibbing item, great guy!/ excellent sale /
  
• Arantrek - lovely wheels, run v nicely, v pleased & nice bloke
  
• Archie's Grobags +4
  
• Aroogah +2
  
• Arup +2
  
• Ascari - nice helpful guy, came to the station to meet me
  
• b4b - Good communication, deal was pretty good. Thanks!
  
• babydinotrackboy
  
• BareNecessaties - Held me a stem for a few weeks untill I got paid, and gave me at a very reasonable price. Very helpful and sorted seller!
  
• belgiangoth - sorted me out a nice cheap replacement wheel in double-quick time for polo
  
• Benjybars +5
  
• benottomadmax - Got a saddle and a couple of sprokets off Oscar - no messing around, good lad!
  
• Berniebike +1 great communication, frame packed brilliantly, next day delivery ace
  
• Bespokebicycle - exactly as the label on the tin. Many thanks.
  
• bicicletta6655, frame sent outside ebay, even made an effort to include a seat post!
  
• Bigben
  
• Bikejunk
  
• B'jammin - super helpful, thanks for the rims! +2
  
• Björn - They say good service only shows when something goes wrong; in this case inept couriers ;)
  
• Black Rainbow Project. +1 Brought from Scott twice now....A Top Bloke....Cheers.
  
• Bluerip00 easy transaction
  
• Bobbycutters
  
• Booba - Thanks, easy pickup, great communication.
  
• Brig7 - Bike arrived in perfect condition and well packed in about 3 days from Holland + 1 - pleasure dealing with
  
• broken_777 +7 Excellent speedy wheel builds at a great price and mega strong; always good work
  
• Buddha Fingaz +1
  -c4shr +1 amazing response time and description of product, met up the very next day with the option of a couple times, good directions, honest description of product, fair price, good advice, top guy, 10/10 all round!!!
  
• Cake - Item as described and pleasure to deal with!
  
• Carl
  
• CasaSteve - Stuff came in a Wiggle box and it was so well packed I actually thought I'd forgotten - about a wiggle order! Plus a good guy.
  
• catfood - bargain wheels and even brought them to Souths for me +1
  
• Chalfie - fuck yeah
  
• Chegas - Worked out a good deal, answered all my questions, stayed in touch etc etc.
  
• Cheesecake_intl - great packaging of frame and very easy to deal with +1
  
• Chompy - Nice wheels as promised, friendly Pm's, and delivery was swift. Cheers ears. +3
  
• ChrisMGS +1
  
• chokalateboywonder
  
• cipolinni +2 Well packaged, missing bit followed shortly afterwards
  
• Citron +1 Very friendly trader!
  
• Colm +4 Shiny Dura Ace by post at good prices, prompt delivery
  
• Cohen - great international transaction
  
• cornelius blackfoot - thanks for the wheels
  
• colnago_costa +27
  
• Crows +1
  
• D- Generate - The guy is an absolute don. Thanks for the light, and best of luck with the babe!
  
• Dalester
  
• 'Dan
  
• Danb - kept me up to date, well packaged and pretty speedy all things considered. +1
  
• darstachy (spent £300+ in one go, did exactly as he said he would)+1
  
• Darwin - fast and cheap
  
• Daz A - Fast postage, pleasant to deal with and offered to pay for return postage if I wasn't happy. +1
  
• Dazzling - Pleasure to deal with, good comms ;-)
  
• Deegee - Bought some campag crank bolts - very fast delivery, top notch bloke
  
• DFP (bought dropbars, quick delivery, considerately packed, good contact)
  
• Dirty Harry +2 (and his brother)
  
• dmczone +4 (very professional and good service)
  
• doglog - Quick post and good comms
  
• Dogsballs wheel builds -alarmingly quick but good wheel builds) +2
  
• Doktor P. Although I suspect he's not really a doctor ;-)
  
• Domwarman - Nice easy transaction and good communication.
  
• Doosh - Quick, lots of communication.
  
• Dootroy - Bought some forks- great wrapping with kodak film paper! nice
  
• Downlo - Quicker than Wiggle.
  
• dr fast
  
• Dr Chan
  
• drunk - great contact, fast shipment
  
• Dumps, v. helpful seller.
  
• East End Images +6 very cheap and very quick, a lovely chap
  
• EdScoble - delivered a wheel to my work when I was in need. helpful and friendly, thanks.
  
• Eightball– great comms and quick post. Excellent deal on bag
  
• Erikfox, Erik supplied me with a lovely Gazelle frame with thanks +3
  
• eyebrows - Cannot BELIEVE he's not on this list yet! - agreed, the man is a legend - ta henry - super, cannot recommend enough, super cool! +5
  
• F34Rthefixed
  
• Fahrgestell - top bloke. joker! and good bit of banter when doing our deal.
  
• Faso
  
• fasteddy – recently purchased a fairly expensive wheelset from me and certainly deserves a bit of recognition for it!
  -firyjack
  
• Fisk - Lovely frame, great price, good communication and REALLY safely packaged.
  
• Fixado
  
• Flowmont
  
• Forms
  
• Fox +5
  
• Fruit (Just one of the most helpful people) +1
  
• furious tiles - Well packaged, good communication thoughout and Free Towels!!
  
• Germaneddie - bought lots of stuff from him at jumbles and other places. very helpful and good prices +2
  
• Goldbuddha +1 for making things simple and sorting out extra new bolts.
  
• Hammo +1 Posted despite saying pick up only and then didn't charge any extra for it. Great guy....This is also for the Condor Pista frame
  
• harlsden - good chap and experienced tourer with lots of stories - straight and honest
  
• Harry Major +1
  
• harv4130 - not only did he post me a cog for free/gratis/nada, he then sorted me a nice stem out for super cheap.
  
• Heythropbikepolosoc - all good
  
• Hilarystone (of course-he's like the lfgss Tesco, but better) +17
  
• Hilly Ben, good gear, good prices, speedy dispatch
  
• heavisides really nice guy, met me at euston, great bike and even better deal.
  
• Hobo - Great seller, kindly posted and in super quick time too!
  
• horatio +1
  
• Howard - Easy comms and good postage times!
  
• iamdavid - very quick delivery/postage, perfect as described
  
• i am john - great packing
  
• IAmNotARobot - Made a big diversion to meet me, then gave me stuff for free when I had no change.
  
• IDOnothing
  
• igloo69
  
• jambon - +4, packaging was first rate
  
• Jammy - Top guy, was willing to hold seatpost while funds arrived! And it's the busniz! +1
  
• JB - Top seller, great prices.
  
• Janet Jackson
  
• JD - bought a frame to be sent to australia, ultra smooth transaction, good communication, all round stand up guy. Frame arrived packed excellent, cant wait to deal again.
  
• JC Chapi - Bought a frame. Very well packed. Great communication.
  
• Jed - brought the item to me to make my life easier. Lovely bloke.
  
• Jermaine Jackson
  
• Jessberry, nextday delivery
  
• Jimalex - +3 Honest and trustworthy fella, posted before i paid!
  
• jimjamosullivan- incredible effort. +2 never fails to respond to pm's, even if you are incredibly naggy! great seller
  
• JIMMEH (very quickly delivered.) +2
  
• jinjrich - friendly, informative PMs, posted a lock to me nice and quickly
  
• Joe1983 +3
  
• joelipol Thanks for the lovely red retro jersey....a star!
  
• jonny +1
  
• jontizzle91 - good price on Garmin speed sensor (new in box!) and fast post. Cheers
  
• kal_yxo
  
• Kay nice group set ad fast delivery from Belgium!
  
• kid_scruff quick delivery + quality sale
  
• Kingcutter +50[and more besides]
  jenbrad123 fab wheels great service thanks.
  
• King Saxlingham
  
• kkkkkkkk - Goldtech brake lever. Good comms and fast post.
  
• KLM - genuinely nice guy, I rate him
  
• knowthejo +1
  
• kucharz66 fast delivery and brilliant price!
  
• lae- +1 Good seller, polite, and offered me a drink! Honest too , wheels are just what i needed, thanks
  
• leotandph12 - Thank you for the snipe sir. Good man.
  
• leozon - Great international transaction. thanks. +1
  
• Lew_redd - fast delivery, well packaged and even got insurance on the posting of the frame
  
• loafheads - everything went nice and smooth. thanks for the deal!
  
• longman1971- fast, simple and brilliant deal. Well pleased.
  
• Maelstrom
  
• Mantovelo - Sent wheels nicely packaged and great to deal with.
  
• Markairsy1 - Not just good trader but good guy, went to the trouble of bringing some bars over from Spain with him to save me some postage - A+++ would reccommend
  
• Markyboy: nice and quick handling!
  
• Marxist_fixie - + 1 Pleasure to deal with, Got what i wanted the next morning!
  
• mashergirl +2 Prompt, well packaged and all done through bank transfer and trust.
  
• MatP - Received a few parts in lovely condition, quite literally as new. safely packed and swiftly delivered. spot on!
  
• maxcrowe (traded seatpost + bought some sweet S75's)
  
• mdcc_tester +4 - Good Comms and very pleasant
  
• Mechamorgan - Great comms and pleasure to deal with!
  
• Mechanical_Vandal - good comms and quick postage. Items exactly as described.
  
• Meds
  
• Meetthebadger - Replies almost instantly, payment prompt! A+
  
• Michael Jackson
  
• miro_0 - Reliable, great price and super quick delivey. 531.
  
• Mr Bump - nice guy!
  
• Mr Cow - +1 Needed rear wheel today, picked up today, great comms, what a gent.
  
• MrLemon - really helpful and well priced, worked around my schedule to meet
  
• Mr Lunch - Be confident that whatever you buy off him it'll be packaged so damn well it could likely survive a nuclear apocalypse - or worse - the cack-handedness of a courier.
  
• Munky + 1 - Had the bars in my hand half an hour after dibsing. Champ.
  
• nefarious
  
• Nickyboy
  
• Nigel182 - Bought from and Sold to - smooth transaction both times.
  
• No1 - Bought a few bits of him on several occasions. Pleasure to deal with. Great guy! Thx;)
  
• ntc
  
• number6 - +6 quickest postage in the land! and good guy to boot.
  
• Nuknow +5
  
• NurseHolliday - went well out of his way to deliver me a part, top chap
  
• Nuts - very helpful in posting a cheap frame that I wasn't able to collect
  
• Oswald - a gent a & beyond generous. Thankyou.
  
• Orko42 +2 (Quality trader, did everything to make me as happy as possible, top man!)
  
• pajamas - Overdue Anyway, great build, great bike, fair price/top bloke/great wheels. +3
  
• Paramounted +2 (Dealt with 3 times, top bloke!)
  
• papercrate
  
• PeterV +14 (extremely helpful, extremely friendly and sends a well-packed bike fast)
  
• Philosovril
  
• PhilS - Items well packaged and good communication. Decent chap!
  
• Philxthomas +1
  
• Pifko +2
  
• Pistanator +1
  
• Pistoffski +16 (super polite & straight up, delivered just as promised) A true Gent.
  
• Platini
  
• PortsmouthFixedGear - Had to go to portsmouth to trade frames but was worth it - chucked in some very nice parts too
  
• pricey
  
• primitive robot
  
• Prince
  
• ProMarker
  
• rhb
  
• Rawrrr - only a small sale but very helpful and friendly
  
• rbh0riz0n - Quick communication, posted asap, & pedals smoother than expected. Bam.
  
• Readview - Sold me a nice frame. Posted next day. Friendly too. Thanks.
  
• Re-cycled +1
  
• Red-biff. Nice guy, easy to deal with, great frame!
  
• Rega
  
• Reginald (bought bars months ago - v helpful)
  
• RetroDiCorsa +16 He is the Man!
  
• Roberto (example to follow) +2
  
• rocksteady
  
• richoking - great communication, friendly to deal with and a great price.
  
• RIH (bought bike very well packed from Holland) +14. MF says you a good man
  
• Rik +5
  
• Robertoegg
  
• Rodolfo
  
• roowilliams - picked up some forks - no fuss
  
• Roy_Airs - absolutely chuffed with the saddle, friendly and honest chap. Thanks! +1
  
• RPM
  
• Sacredhart - Lovely bike, good price, good trader. Would recommend
  
• Sainsburys Ed - Quick postage and good vibes
  
• samdaniel +1 winner of best packaged frame award - and best packaged wheels award
  
• samson + 1, great swap made bloody easy, much appreciated.
  
• sash +4 Very nice, sat and had a cuppa and a free camera to boot!
  
• Sharkstar - went out of his way
  
• Schnitter - 2 good transactions
  
• Scilly Suffolk - great items, pleasure to deal with
  
• Scrafton - Good lad, bought a groupset (inc wheels) good price, good natured when there were a couple of payment glitches, excellent packaging.
  
• Sheathy
  
• shinkuu kiss +2
  
• Shuai - Good transaction, fast shipping, great packaging.
  
• Simplex NL +18 (extremely nice and an excellent bike packer, great bike, perfect condition, great price. excellent communication and good delivery)
  
• Singspeed - punctual. friendly, and good guy. +3
  
• Sirf - couple of things weren't originally perfect and he fixed it up! great guy.
  
• skelator - +1 good price, well packaged and just as described. sorted thanks!
  
• Skully
  
• Smallbrownbike (Matt) - Fast shipping, nice guy to deal with. Cheers.
  
• snowyagain
  
• socialamnesia +7 (very Excellent - total dude- more than helpful. cannot fault.)
  
• Snoops - nice bloke, easy to deal with
  
• Solarider
  
• spaghettihoops +2
  
• Sparky - Cheers for the cateye!
  
• Spinto - bought some well used Ksyriums at a good price, friendly chap and didn't mind my getting caught in traffic and turning up late...
  
• spin2win
  
• Spotter - +4. I generally like him =))
  
• Stedlocks - nice bike, super condition, great price, lovely guy. Safe.+1 gave up his violet hip pouch for me!
  
• Steelarts +1 This guy sure knows how to pack a bike.
  
• Sumo - +2 Bought forks and headset, lovely job, simple as.
  
• supersonik-zlad - thanks for Les
  
• sushigeezer - bought half link chain and hurley laptop bag today - almost brand new for £20, thanks dude : )
  -swedeee Fast, simple transaction!
  
• teenslain +2 top sowf london geezer
  
• Tee Tee +1
  
• Tel +22 - friendly, fast and fantastic packaging.
  
• Temper_Temper
  
• Tenderloin - thanks!
  
• The Bonk +4
  
• The_BMX-KId
  
• TheBrick(Tommy)
  
• The Caped Crusader - Quick delivery, 2 days from Lisboa! well packaged, kosher.
  
• TheCrane +2
  
• The devils falcon - +4 Really nice guy and he goes the extra mile with requests
  
• Tilover +3 prompt delivery, and reserved an item for me for a very long time, cheers!
  
• Tito Jackson +1
  
• TM/Malaysian +6 - send me a saddle as good as new, before even having paid, at very reasonable price. cheers / excellent communication, very helpful, well packed frame
  
• ToeByeErs
  
• tolokobcn, easy transaction and fast shipping!
  
• Tombardo- good comms, bike as described, great price
  
• tomd - reliable, very quick postage, items always as promised
  
• tommmmmmm +3
  
• tomsvoboda - bought a saddle, excellent condition and top bloke
  
• Tonydiamond
  
• tsou +1
  
• Twatith
  
• twiltshire
  
• Unit lost +1 - Nice chap in Lithuania, helpful and prompt.
  
• umop3pisdn +1 - Quick shipping, good communication! Thanks
  
• Upstart - top bloke, I know I'm not the only one.
  
• Varno +9 (Five brilliant transactions, good seller)
  
• velocipede65
  
• Vince +1
  
• VintageBikeCave - found some obscure parts for me then sorted me out with new bits when I found some of the old stuff was worn. Graham & Betty, legends.
  
• Virgil +3 Great price and well packaged - cheers!
  
• wblenkin - +2 > 2 deals, one sale, one buy, both good
  
• weaselyone - pleasure to do business with
  
• Weslito - stand up guy, really nice & easy to deal with
  
• Wharry - Cheers for the setup, well packaged and in pretty much mint condition!
  
• whatok was very easy to contact and meet up with, and friendly once I got there. And gave me what - I wanted for free.
  
• Wicksie
  -Willem
  
• WjPrince
  
• Xander - Excellent guy.
  
• XMAN
  
• Yap
  
• yeahnerdz +5 - Good Comms, and a speedy delivery too... Top Bloke. And give out free nuts!
  
• YesNoGame
  
• Yetidamo - good deal! +1 a pleasure to do business with.
  
• yogicabbage
  
• Yorkiefix: great deal, came real quick
  
• zieleman +3
  
• zygowski
  

The material (vinyl?) of the stickers is thin enough that it follows the shape of the dimples.

Yeah, but in al the pictures I've seen including that one, it never does properly, also the height of the edge of the sticker looks at least the same as the depth of the dimples. That can't be good.

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/technology/can-dimpled-aerodynamic-surfaces-reduce-drag/

Re. hexagonal dimples. Yes, that's it.

and:

http://niltinco.soup.io/post/255375229/Harikake-kabuto-a-type-of-kawari-kabuto

whoa. papier-mâché porn.

Huh?
What?

Pics wearing it?

Doesn't fit properly. I'm not sure if this is completely due to shrinkage or just hair growth.

Those ZIPP wheels puzzle me. They come up with this sophisticated surface to control airflow and then cover it up with huge smooth stickers!
I read somewhere recently that the chaps at ZIPP reckon the most effective shape for dimples is hexagonal, however their fabrication process can't make the corners sharp enough to make it worthwhile.
This sounds interesting to me.

I never bothered to attempt any tests to see what sort of effect the imperfect surface of my helmet has on the flow. I feel tempted to bother now and after that, to experiment with different surfaces.
I can imagine so many variables and I have a suspicion that many have not been looked into.

just stumbled on this while googling

Love it!

More clue please.

What happened to the driver I don't know. What I do know is that a few days after I spoke to the claims company, he called me personally.
I told him that that wasn't really appropriate. He was surprised I had made a claim and was a little concerned about his job, because he did not inform his employer of the incident. I imagine he ended up in more trouble for not reporting a serious accident than actually having one.

I do not want this thread to degenerate into the not so great helmet debate, so I will not discuss whether what I did is right or wrong. I will admit however, that I could have picked a less manic road to ride on.
I wonder if I had had an eleven tooth sprocket and aero bars, what would have been different. Would I have got to the other side of the car, or would I have been in front of it.

I have removed the two years of dust and here is how the helmet looks today:

Things I would do differently:

I think the sides should have extended down more to cover the rather disruptive shape that is the ear and direct the flow around the shoulders.
Perhaps incorporate the visor from the beginning.
The visor should have a soft edge. Not having one resulted in skin off of my nose.

I tried it on and it seems to have shrunk, or I just need a hair cut.

Before I made the helmet I made this little test aerofoil to see how the material worked, if I could make the shapes I wanted etc.

I didn't really need to, but I also made a little test just to observe some airflow over this kind if shape. Using an incense stick to generate smoke and a candle below that to increase the speed of the smoke I held the test object in the flow of smoke and observed the difference between the circular section and the tailed section.
Later this piece provided a base for a paint test.

I knew before the test that the shape worked, but it was very satisfying to see so in my own 'laboratory'.

Following the enthustiastic respose to what I have shared with you, I think it is probably time to dust it off and either actually get into time trialing or raffle it off or donate it to a poor time trialist with the same shape head as me.

This project involved a few firsts for me. It was the first time I made something out of papier-mâché (I probably did something in primary school, but I don't remember it), it was the first time I did any spray painting and it was the first time I made a personal injury claim. The papier-mâché I was pretty pleased with, the painting I am extremely pleased with and the claim although I would rather have not had to learn about this was succesful. Before I started this thread I thought any second helmet would be made in a similar way, but with fibre-glass. I haven't used that before and fancy having a go. However this would be even more of a problem than the spray painting; I don't fancy having resin fumes and glass dust in the same room as my bed. One suggestion I think quite sensible is vacuum forming, probably using ABS plastic. I have no doubt of the effecacy of the helmet and I believe this to be the result of four main things: the sheer length of the tail, the absense of any vents, the enclosed underside and not having any padding and thus a frontal profile not much wider than the head.

Although I didn't build into the helmet any saftey aspect I like to think that in those moments when I was in the air I was thinking 'Oh no, my helmet. After all that time and effort...' and that somehow this made me do something to protect the helmet and thus my head.

I couldn't resist having a go any longer. I peeled of the masking tape, got into my kit, clipped in and set off.

For the first run I didn't plan any special route, I just went for a ride around.
My initial thoughts of the helmet were that it was comfortable, stable, visibility was good and that it felt like it was doing its job. After a little while I also realised that my head was getting pretty warm. The lack of ventilation might be an issue on longer runs, but essentially the project was successful. I was pleased.

A bit further down the road I was spinning along in top gear (53x12), thoroughly enjoying the speed. I was flying along the road and suddenly I took off and was flying through the air.

Literally.

A man from the forum's favourite team of bad drivers had decided to turn right, right across my path, but he misjudged my speed and did not get past in time. I had a fraction of a second to react. I don't think I eased off at all and I certainly didn't apply the brakes. Straight into the side of the black people carrier I went. At full speed. This launched the bike, helmet and I right over the top. I remember next, lying on the ground on my back looking up at the bystanders starting to stand around me and say things like 'Oh my god, are you ok?', 'Don't try and move'. Mostly I was thinking, ffs, this is rather annoying. Amazingly the helmet was still on my head and was pretty much unscathed just the tail having been clipped. I distinctly remember taking it off at that point and putting it down by my side so I could lay my head back on the ground in exasperation.

When the driver walked up I knew it was him before he said anything. That look they have: thirty something, tired, unshaven and wearing a cheap suit. I said to him 'You're the last person I want to see right now'. After some moments of contemplation and assessing my condition I decided to get up and I asked after my bike. I hobbled over to the pavement and sat down to have a look at my bike. There was no way I could ride it home. A friendly lady put her arm around me whilst I got over the shock, one gentlemen handed me his card, saying 'If you need a witness' and the driver offered to give me a lift home. As we were about to go a paramedic arrived on a motorbike. My nature is such that, if I'm not gushing blood or don't have a bone sticking out of a limb I don't like to trouble emergency ambulances, so I said no thanks.

After I got home I decided that I probably should get the once over from a medic after all. My right knuckle in particular was not in a very good state. In anticipation of the usual wait in A&E I got changed. I left the crippled bike and the helmet at home and rode the trusty steel bike to the hospital. By the time I was seen I was finding it quite difficult to walk. They checked me over and told me that luckily I had, aside from some surface wounds, only some bad sprains and strains.

By the time I left the hospital all the adrenaline that must have flooded my body upon impact with the car and had enabled me to ride to A&E had completely dissipated. Every step was extremely difficult and I could only walk at snail's pace. I managed to get on my bike and pedalling very lightly I made some progress home. This was much faster than shuffling along on foot, but I had to stop after a while because although I could roll along ok, going over the slightest of bumps was agony and I couldn't lift off of the saddle. I continued home on foot and eventually I heard a black cab approaching and managed to hail it.

Since then, proof of concept having been achieved, the helmet has sat on a table in the corner of my room collecting dust.

^Pretty close.

As far as I can remember, I applied two or three coats of primer, at least five coats of paint, probably seven and at least three coats of lacquer.
The colour I went for is metallic black. I decided to splash out on the paint and use enamel for a better, harder finish. This, plus all the sheets of wet and dry, bumped up the cost of materials somewhat.

After each coat I would wait at least 24 hours for it to harden before sanding it, then wiping it, then waiting for it to dry, then applying the next coat when conditions were right. I used increasingly fine paper after each coat, to 2500 grade silicon carbide by the final coats. The rubbing down, as well as giving the next coat something to hold onto also, ever so slightly diminished some of the the ripples still present, with more of the peaks being removed than the troughs.

These pictures of the helmet are the last I have of it from that time. Here it is near enough finished; I think I had just a bit of sealing to do inside.
The sign says wet and it looks wet but I think when I took these pictures it had dried, such was the glossy finish I managed to achieve.

I couldn't resist having a go any longer. I peeled of the masking tape, got into my kit, clipped in and set off.

Tomorrow I will tell the story of the helmet's dramatic first run...

After the final coating of PVA the helmet was ready for use if only used in the dry. The fit was such that it stayed in place very well without any straps. However I wanted to do as complete a job of it as I could. It should be usable in inclement weather as well as fair, so it would need sealing. It had crossed my mind to put just a lacquer over it to seal it and still show off its paper construction, but I decided that it was unusual enough and I wanted to see just what level of finish I could achieve. I would paint it and leave the inside sealed but unpainted.

The painting stage of the project was by far the longest. Not having any proper studio/workshop/shed to work in and to leave my work I had to do all the spraying outside, in front of the house where I live. This meant I always had to wait for the right conditions (adequate daylight, very little or no wind, no rain). This was quite tiresome.

When I was shopping for paint a surprisingly helpful lady recommended that, considering the material I wanted to paint onto, I use plastic primer.

By this point I thought I had done enough to get the shape right / I didn't want to spend any longer on it.
Next, in an attempt to get the surface very smooth I decided to balance the helmet tail down at the edge of my desk and pour the PVA right over it (avoiding the visor).

The idea was that the surface it would leave as it settled and stiffened up would be as smooth as liquid flowing and it would blur out any minor imperfections remaining. The excess dripped off of the end and back into the bottle.

great progress so far, next step, preparing for uci approval?

Obviously you're not serious and obviously the UCI would never approved something like this. But from what I gather, it would be permitted in UK time-trialling.
Anyone to confirm this?

How do you plan to seal it from the rain?

all will be revealed.

.

Anyone have a headset remover?

+

Not at all.

This thread is definitely providing some good ideas for future projects. All ideas are welcome.