by Mark Smiley | Apr 19, 2024 | Travel
by Mark Smiley
Lazer Urbanize MIPS: The Lazer Urbanize MIPS helmet has a panoramic lens that protects from debris and an LED taillight.
This publication has recently reviewed electric bicycles and it goes without saying how important a quality helmet is when riding these or any bike. Bicycle helmets are crucial safety gear designed to protect cyclists from head injuries in the event of a crash or impact. Some helmets feature MIPS technology (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), which is designed to reduce rotational forces on the brain during certain impacts.
With improvements in battery capacity and packaging, it isn’t surprising to see the rise in E-Bike popularity. Battery assisted bikes are now available in everything from high-performance carbon fiber bikes to urban cargo bikes. One challenge with E-Bikes is the fact that they typically have higher sustained speeds compared to standard bicycles.
The following four helmets are ones to consider when shopping for a helmet.
Lumos Ultra E-Bike Helmet
Lumos is known for its smart helmets designed for cyclists, featuring integrated lights and turn signals to enhance visibility and safety on the road. It also has an integrated eye shield which is a nice feature to protect you from debris on the road. The Lumos Ultra E-bike helmet retails for $199.95 and features additional impact absorbing EPS material and is certified to NTA-8776 standards. This means that while it still looks like a bicycle helmet, it protects against higher impact speeds and covers a larger part of the head.
“After researching smart helmets, I was sold on this particular helmet based on the ease of functionality and high level of safety it provides me,” said Ralph Meder. “I like the weight for long rides and the adjustability for a proper, secure fit as well as the added bonus of the flip visor for night rides. I highly recommend this helmet.”
This helmet not only protects, which is most important, it also keeps you visible to others on the road. The Lumos Ultra has a front-facing white light and two rear red lights that provide extra visibility in all directions. The lights are easily controlled using a Bluetooth remote control and can even be controlled with hand gestures from a device such as an Apple watch.
The Lumos Ultra also offers an optional automatic brake light feature, available with the Lumos Remote. This feature alerts drivers behind you when you slow down or stop, adding an extra layer of safety to your rides.
With all of the bells and whistles, one might ask about comfort. All of the components are balanced in a way where it is a comfortable piece to wear. With 22 vents to keep your head cool and wicking pads to prevent sweat build-up, it is one of the most comfortable helmets on the market.
Lumos Ultra has customizable lights, sleek design, long battery life (for the lights), and innovative features, making it a solid helmet for group rides, exercise rides, and night rides. For more information or to purchase, visit www.ridelumos.com/products/lumos-ultra-e-bike.
Sena R2X
Another helmet to consider
Sena R2X: The Sena R2X’s claim to fame is the built in Alexa feature and the capability to speak to other riders while in transit.
is the Sena R2X. Sena’s product range includes a variety of communication systems, Bluetooth intercoms, helmet accessories, and other related devices. The wheelhouse for this company is the commitment to innovation in the field of helmet communication technology.
This helmet features Alexa built in which is a unique concept. The integrated speakers and microphone allow users to use the R2X’s communication features and speak directly to Alexa. It also allows you to connect to your phone to listen to music and for phone calls. In addition, Sena’s Mesh Intercom allows riders to communicate hands-free with any other Mesh user (R2 EVO, R1 EVO, M1 EVO) within a half-mile range. Expect the battery to last eight to 12 hours. These electronics have a two year warranty.
The Sena R2X will also work with Google Assistant and Siri just like any other headset connected to your phone via Bluetooth. The Sena R2X has an aerodynamic design with 12 intake vents for cooling/airflow and three exhaust vents. The inside is well padded and the chinstrap has a pad that velcros over. A dial at the back of the helmet adjusts tightness and fit.
Speaking of the back of the helmet, this helmet also has an integrated rear light with three brightness settings.
For more on the Sena R2X, visit www.sena.com/product/r2x
Thousand Chapter
Thousand is a brand know
Thousand Chapter: The Chapter MIPS helmet is backed with a one-year warranty and has one of the most stylish designs on the market.
n for its stylish and safety-focused bike helmets, and MIPS. Thousand started in 2015 when they launched a Kickstarter campaign and have been shipping helmets ever since. The name came from a goal of helping to save 1,000 lives by making helmets people actually want to wear.
Chapter MIPS Helmet retails for $145 and, in our opinion, is worth the money. It includes a 30 lumen taillight that magnetically attaches to the helmet or multi-use adapter, premium visors to reduce glare and increase your field of vision, and one of the most unique features, a secret poplock.
The poplock has access to a hidden channel behind the logo mark. Simply thread your U-lock or chain lock through. If your helmet is ever stolen while locked to your bike, Thousand will replace it for free. Also, if you are involved in an accident and your helmet is damaged, Thousand will replace the helmet for free. In addition to added security, it has eight vents which we felt kept a cool and comfortable ride.
As commuter helmets go, the Chapter model checks all the boxes especially when it comes to safety. The light runtime is about what a standard commute would take. According to the company the taillight has a one-hour runtime on solid and two hours on flashing.
For more information, visit www.explore thousand.com/products/mips-helmet. Thousand offers a one-year limited warranty and accident replacement.
Lazer Urbanize MIPS
Lazer is a well-known brand that produces helmets for various activities, including cycling. One of the most stylish helmets we reviewed was the Lazer Urbanize MIPS helmet which retails for $169.99. It is an E-Bike rated helmet with eye-shielding panoramic lens.
Lazer Urbanize MIPS: The Lazer Urbanize MIPS helmet has a panoramic lens that protects from debris and an LED taillight.
The removable clear panoramic lens protects from debris on the road as well as wind chill. The lens attached using integrated magnets on the lens and the helmet itself, making it easy to remove or place in a flipped stowed position.
Additionally, a rechargeable LED taillight on the rear provides nighttime safety. Lazer has also made the rear taillight removable allowing the large vent hole where it mounts to be used to slide a lock through to secure the helmet. These features combined with the included winter kit that protects your ears from the cold, make the Urbanize a compelling helmet for commuters or E-Bike riders.
Lazer has also incorporated a MIPS liner inside the helmet which can reduce the chance of injury for certain impacts. The MIPS liner in the Urbanize is nearly a single uncut piece that wraps around the interior of the helmet.
The Urbanize includes a winter kit. With this kit you receive two ear covers and a foam vent blocker. Combined with the lens, the winter kit keeps you protected from cold wind chill while riding without the need for a beanie or additional headwear. For more information, visit www.lazersport.us/products/urbanizemips.
by Mark Smiley | Apr 19, 2024 | General Featured
Tickets For The Wednesday Evening Concert Series In June And July Are On Sale Now
by Mark Smiley
3eatles: The 3eatles perform the music of The Beatles the way it was intended to be heard — live, raucous, high-energy rock n’ roll. They perform at Four Mile Historic Park on June 12 as part of the Swallow Hill Summer Concert Series.
Swallow Hill Music returns to Four Mile Historic Park this summer with a concert series featuring tribute acts celebrating some of music’s most beloved artists.
Whether it is the classic rock sounds of The Beatles and the Grateful Dead, pop classics from Judy Garland, or the unmistakable hip-hop of the Beastie Boys, this summer’s lineup of tribute artists has a little something for everyone.
Music lovers are encouraged to pack a picnic dinner and spread out on the lawn to take in a night of music and memory-making in a family-friendly environment. Outside food and non-alcoholic drinks and coolers will be allowed, but outside alcohol is not permitted. An onsite bar will be available.
For more than two decades, Swallow Hill has filled the summer evenings with music at Four Mile Historic Park. Get your friends together and join us!
The Wednesday night concerts begin at 6:30 p.m., with Four Mile Historic Park opening at 5:30 p.m. Four Mile Historic Park is located at 715 S Forest Street in Denver. Tickets are $20 general admission ($15 for Swallow Hill Members, $10 for kids 4-12, children 3 and under are free). Visit www.swallowhillmusic.org/four-mile for more information or to purchase tickets.
Get the full lineup and complete details below.
June 5 — Traveling Wilburys Revue – Tribute to Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and more
June 12 — Starwood – Tribute to John Denver
June 19 — 3eatles – Tribute to The Beatles
June 26 — GET HAPPY! Celebrating 100 Years of Judy Garland
July 3 — Sabotage – Tribute to the Beastie Boys
July 10 — Sugar Britches – Tribute to John Prine
July 17 — Shakedown Street – Tribute to the Grateful Dead
Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill Music is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to build community through music performance, education, and outreach. SHM is a music school and performance venue that also produces community events throughout the Denver metro region. It is an SCFD Tier II organization with a $5 million annual budget. SHM is a nationally revered hub for concerts, classes, and community events. It is also a recipient of both the Mayor’s and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and an inductee of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and Folk Alliance International’s Business Lifetime Achievement awards. For more information visit www.swallowhillmusic.org
by Valley Gadfly | Apr 19, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Valley Gadfly
“It’s mad, it’s gay, a libelous display.” Yes, this ditty from the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot, written by Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe, celebrates the spring in our… steps!
New month, new day, new date, new chapter, new page, new wishes. The month of May is the essence of spring: Flowers are in full bloom, summer is near, making everyone motivated.
Come what “may,” here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment as we close out the first two quarters of the year and look forward to a long, and relaxing summer:
Sprint into the month by attending the Denver Mini Derby at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus May 4, beginning at 1 p.m. Kentucky Derby party has a mini horse race, live band, open bar, and a BBQ. Information: 303-656-9595.
Be certain to hear Yo-Yo-Ma perform Elgar’s Cello Concert with the Symphony playing at Boettcher Concert Hall May 5, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Enjoy Australian blues rock band The Teskey Brothers from Melbourne, as they entertain at the Mission Ballroom May 11, 8 p.m. Information: 720-577-6884.
See designers, local boutiques, national brands, hairstylist, makeup artists, and models during Denver Fashion Week May 11-19. Information: 303-888-5455.
For the Love of Spring, swing to Colorado Gold Mart at 1124 S. Colorado Blvd. to sell, or pawn items of value. Best prices for gold, jewelry, watches, diamonds, more! Cash you need at the best possible value. Information: 303-955-5821.
Spoil Mom, the kids, grandkids, and extended family at the Monaco Inn Restaurant on Mother’s Day. Full, regular menu, plus specials sure to please everyone! Serving from noon until 8 p.m. Information: 303-320-1104.
See the 18-year-old British musician George van den Broek, known as Yellow Days playing the Bluebird Theatre May 12, 8 p.m. Information: 303-377-1666.
Don’t miss “Bad to the Bone” singer George Thorogood and The Destroyers at the Paramount Theatre on May 14, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-0106.
Enjoy band playing Ellington, Goodman, and Count Basie swing music and beyond at the Arvada Center May 18, 7:30 p.m. Information: 720-898-7200.
Catch the Celtic Women’s 20th Anniversary Tour of traditional & modern music singiing at the Paramount Theatre May 26, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-0106.
Don’t miss the country duo of Brooks & Dunn as they play the Ball Arena with guest David Lee Murphy & Ernest, May 31, 7 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
For food, drinks and loads of great company, make plans to attend the Harm Reduction Action Center’s annual Spring Fundraiser at the Space Gallery 400 Santa Fe Dr., May 23, 5:30 p.m. Drug Policy Alliance’s Dr. Sheila P. Vakharia speaks. She also signs her new book, with proceeds going directly to the Harm Reduction Action Center. Staff and volunteers for HRAC have cleaned-up over 100 drug areas, and guided and assisted residents. Information: 303-572-7800.
May brightens the Cherry Creek Valley with its sunny skies and colorful flowers. Plus, the minute we can break out those spring clothes, makes us feel that we can conquer the world.
Spring is the season for getting lost in daydreams. How can anyone not expect to gaze longing out the window at the warm, welcoming weather? Spring has officially sprung.
All things seem possible in May. This month, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel totally alive. What did the tree say to heaven-sent spring? What a re-leaf.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Jessica Hughes | Apr 19, 2024 | Glendale City News
by Jessica Hughes
Ranching at Chico Basin Ranch. Photo credit: Ranchlands and Davey James Clark
Chico Basin Ranch. Photo credit: Ranchlands and Matt DeLorme
A recent decision by the Colorado Land Board to not renew a 25-year lease at Chico Basin Ranch has left a favorite Colorado family without a home for them or their cattle.
Located just southeast of Colorado Springs, the Chico Basin Ranch spans 86,000 acres of short-grass prairie and has been held in a trust for the good of Colorado’s K-12 schools. The land is leased and managed by Ranchlands, a family-ranching business run by Duke Phillips III and his children. They operate large-scale cattle and bison ranches in the American West and partner with conservation-minded owners to implement conservation programs that work alongside their ranching operations, all while preserving the ranching legacy.
The lease between the Colorado Land Board and the Phillips family business is due to expire at the end of this year. According to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, “to prepare for the expiration of the lease, the State Land Board evaluated different leasing scenarios that would achieve the goals of the School Trust to earn revenue and maintain exceptional stewardship.”
The Phillips Family: Duke Phillips IV, Madi Phillips, Duke Phillips III, and Tess Leach. Photo credit: Parker Fitzgerald and Ranchlands
To evaluate available options, the agency hosted 11 public meetings over 18 months and issued a competitive request for proposals. In November 2023, the Colorado Land Board decided to lease the land to another ranching operation that outbid Ranchlands by a hefty amount, despite Phillips and his family pleading with the board to consider more than just money for the new 10-year lease.
In this case, money spoke the loudest and the Phillips family was out-bid by a lot. Ranchlands offered 25% over asking and the new lessee offered 75% over.
“We offered a fair and consistent revenue for the renewed lease,” says Tess Leach, Duke’s daughter, and Head of Business Development at Ranchlands. “We thought that they would value our operations and the impact we had on the community over money.”
In this situation, it appears that money won, begging the question, what is the purpose of the Colorado State Land Board? As the second-largest landowner in Colorado, with 2.8 million surface acres and 4.0 million mineral estate acres, the board states its mission is “to produce reasonable and consistent income over time, and to provide sound stewardship of the state trust assets.”
Thus, the board has a mission to not accept the highest bid for a lease, which they just did, or accept profitable, yet damaging uses for the land it owns. State lands are leased for many different reasons, some of which Ranchlands won the bid for 24 years ago, including recreation, cattle grazing, and hospitality.
During their long-standing lease, Ranchlands was proud to provide a variety of educational programs, recreational activities, ranch stays, art shows, concerts, creative writing workshops, roping, and photography classes at Chico Basin Ranch for the community to enjoy. And to help the next generations of ranchers take hold, the Phillips also offered an apprenticeship program that helped train young ranchers with real-world experience, plus learn about ranching and conservation.
One of Ranchland’s most successful programs is the bird-banding station that they instituted — the oldest in Colorado. Because the Chico Basin Ranch is one of the largest uninterrupted stretches of prairie left in the United States, the ranch is known as one of the prime locations in Colorado for birding. In partnership with the Audubon Society and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, the ranch maintains a bird banding station where visiting biologists band hundreds of migratory birds and is open to the visiting public to help assist in this process.
However, these programs face an uncertain future as the lease nears its expiration. According to Phillips, the new lease agreement lacks any provisions for public recreational access, implying that the land will be off-limits to the community starting in 2025. This reality threatens to dismantle the programs and initiatives that Phillips and his family have painstakingly cultivated over the years.
Phillips describes this as a huge loss for the Front Range of Colorado. “We have always had an open gate policy for people to come in and look at the ranch and enjoy it with hiking, tours, and other activities,” says Phillips. “Our biggest legacy at the Chico, is the community we have built. This is what we are most sad to be leaving behind.”
“I don’t think the land board values the community component as much as they do about money,” says Duke. “If we continue to value money over community, ranching will become a thing of the past if we don’t recognize the importance of conservation and community.”
Despite this devastating loss, the Phillips family is determined to continue its efforts to bridge the divide between rural and city communities. “People are becoming more and more isolated from nature,” says Phillips. “It has become a focus for us to try and bridge the gap between urban and rural communities.” Because of this, Ranchlands has initiated The Collective, a new organization focusing on developing a model, that sees ranching as an alternative to large-scale conservation in the U.S. The first-of-its-kind, a Collective membership will grant those who join a deeper access to Ranchlands and their mission of perpetuating ranching into the future with exclusive events, conversations, and experiences on working landscapes.
“This will only happen if we do it together,” says Phillips. “We can’t do it alone as ranchers and we will all have to come together to make this happen.”
Art programs at Chico Basin Ranch. Photo credit: Ranchlands and Avery Sass
Phillips and his family are on a mission to create a grassroots movement where the short-term gain of money isn’t the objective, and the long-term vision for the land is. “The whole idea of land being treated as a commodity that is bought and sold, is a foreign concept to someone like me as someone who lives on it, tries to take care of it, and use it,” says Phillips. “We want to start a revolution with The Collective that protects the land through ranching and not money and transactions.”
The Phillips family will soon leave Colorado and make a new home at Paint Rock Canyon on the west side of the Bighorn Mountains, in Wyoming. But the biggest challenge right now is finding another ranch to which they can move their cattle. While the family’s challenges are far from over, they are hopeful for the next chapter and the continued ability to uphold and share the legacy of ranching with the next generation.
“Life gives you a lot of bends and turns in it. We’re going to take the lumps and move forward and see where we land,” says Phillips. “But we are looking at the other side of it all and are thankful to have lived there. We are very appreciative of our time at Chico Basin Ranch.”
For more information, visit them at Ranchlands.com.
