Headlamp: Suitable for vehicle repair, as well as hiking, camping, canoes

First: Replace the helmet. NEVER reuse a bike helmet that's been involved in a crash - virtually none of them are certified for multiple impacts.

As for the computer: Just get whatever Cateye computer. Hell, a cheapo Bell from WalMart probably does everything you need for like $12. I figure start with a whatever cheap one, maybe upgrade later to something with an heart rate measurement, then much much later maybe to one with full ANT+ network for the power meter, cadence, and GPS. Now that I think about it, a smartphone mount with a bluetooth speed sensor might be a good option (because Strava can be fun) too.

 

Helmet thing is correct.

 

Love the 'sharecropper' line!
I'll remember that the next time I plant a garden.

@ GTMO, excellent point.
I was 'deployed' TO, rather than incarcerated IN GTMO.
Frankly....in 03/04 this was a distinction without much of a difference, excepting that my people typically lost weight and 'others' gained weight.
I wore green, while the detainees famously wore a different color.
I wasn't involved in detainee ops, since that was an Army gig....

The thing about GTMO is that (back then) everything on the base had to be delivered by a dot.gov contractor.
Also.....99.44 percent of the people who leave the base do so by air which means that bulky things are usually abandoned in place or (more traditionally) handed down to the person who relieves you.
Thusly...I was gifted with a $100 Walmart bike, along with a mandatory helmet, and reflective vest.....green in color, since you want to be VERY careful about wearing an orange one on an island where the US Army uses guard dogs and the US Navy uses Marines to guard prisoners clad in orange jumpsuits.
The Army is older.....so they got to pick first.

In the year that I was @ GTMO I probably logged over 1,000 miles on the bike, since one of my favorite activities to 'get away from it all' would be to take the ferry to the leeward (western) side of the island and spend the day riding, sunbathing, and being away from it all.
Since the base is bisected by THE Guantanamo Bay it was the closest thing to a 'real' getaway that didn't involve getting orders off the island.
Even though you're reachable by tactical call phone on the leeward side, you're still a ferry ride away which means that you might as well be on the other side of the planet if somebody has an "urgent" problem.
I spent as much time on the Leeward side as my conscience would allow, since everything BAD happens on the Windward side (aptly named!!)

@ bicycle helmet
Concur....but this is a dragon that I will slay after builders trials. I'm an ATGATT rider on motorcycles....meaning All The Gear, All The Time. Thusly, my dinged helmet will be replaced by a another one as soon as time allows.
The helmet I have now will serve as an applique to keep some busybody from sneering at me for being an apostate, and to serve as a good example for the kids (those under 50) in the neighborhood.

@ PC
Also concur.
Since I already have a cell phone and a fitness tracker, getting a cycling computer that's priced in the "Kris' flashlight" range would be swinging after the bell.
Fortunately.....many cyclists are convinced that wired=uncool when it comes to sensors, and thus some very highly rated and durable cycling computers (Sigma & Cateye) have that "flip phone" vibe and been relegated to the bargain bins.

Update.....post "database error" storm.

Bike arrived today.
Sourcing a (#$%@*!!) Presta to Schrader converter.
I also found out that one of the bicycle 'puters I was interested in actually calculates a "carbon offset."

*sigh*....

 

"if I am supposed to be protecting her, or she is protecting me" This is 'and' not 'or'. Wolf pack.

 

Got one of these:
Seca 1800 Bike Light - Light & Motion

You need light? On a bike or anywhere else? That'll do. Cars flash their lights to make me dim the thing when it's used on the handlebars, it is that bright. It also fits on a helmet, but have never used it that way. Comes with a very nice hardshell zippered case. Light In Motion makes higher lumen versions too. Crazy stuff.

I also use a 70 lumen Petzl headlight for getting in the house if the wife doesn't turn the back porch light on (I work nights). And around the house as well. The red light in it is perfect if I'm doing a night shoot (photography), or just get up in the middle of the night and need to pee and I don't want to burn out my eyeballs with the normal white ceiling lighting in the hallway or bathroom. The Petzl might be the best purchase I ever made as it gets used daily. I have rechargeable AAA's in it.

 

"Petzl might be the best purchase I ever made..." @28. Transmit your enthusiasm to the company because mfrs. need words from the street - but not posted here in internet backwater.

What an interesting and distractive topic though - what for any of you was best purchase?

 

As per the title of this thread...
Headlamp: Suitable for vehicle repair, as well as hiking, camping, canoes

The suggestion I made in post #4 is the last one you will ever need...short of losing one. Buy 2 of those specific batteries and the D2 charger if your needs are less demanding...but you always need a back-up battery. Folks, get what you like/want, but "most" of those being discussed here are consumer grade junk for about the same price.

Just saying...we've tried them all...and we depend on ours to make a living.

 

My yearly subscription to PC?

 

You pay to suffer these web site database outages??

 

Relax, he got 99% off the advertised cost for his year's subscription up front!

 

It's cheaper than my cell phone.....and it's up most of the time.

 

My phone is up most of the time but I would say Prius Chat is not.

 

First poster situation is resolved but in case others are shopping. This seems to be a lot of lumens per $spent

UltraBright 500-Lumen Tactical Military Flashlight: 2-Pack | Popular Science Shop

although with only one AA battery they might not persist. No personal experience with popsci shopping or this mfr.