Riding in style
Sure, you could argue the obnoxious styles of most biking apparel lines makes you more noticeable to vehicles on the road, but who cares about safety if you’re riding in clothes you wouldn’t be caught dead in? A new brand Search and State is challenging the notion of what cycling gear should look like with [...]
Bella bicicletta
Bring some sprezzatura (that’s essentially Italian for inner-swagger) to the peloton in the next Gran Fondo astride Bianchi’s Impulso Ultegra road bike. This cool Italian entry-level racer matches less expensive Shimano 105 and Tiagra components with Shimano’s second-tier Ultegra where it really counts — the shifters and a 10-speed rear derailleur. Its elegant aluminum frame [...]
Safe and secure
There are quite a few cyclists in our crew here at Gear Patrol, and amongst us, there’s always grumblings around the watercooler about the best way to strap our two-wheeled rides onto their four-wheeled cousins. Standard mounts make it nearly impossible to access anything in the back of our vehicles, and swing-away versions tend to [...]
Look, Ma! No skills!
One thing we know about the individual(s) who handles Audi’s bicycle line is, he’s got time on his hands. For the Wörthersee tour in Austria, Audi will reveal an incredible twist on the bicycle in Austria with their E-Bike Wörthersee, and it’s really not exactly what you’d think. Rather than simply an eco-conscious two-wheeler, the [...]
Flash of genius
Bicycle enthusiasts the world over are unanimous on the subject. Apart from a sturdy helmet, the best tool against road rash is not more protection, it’s prevention. Many accidents involving cyclists occur due to lack of visibility, and this problem only gets worse as the sun goes down. Luckily, Brooklyn-based
Pick up your shift
When you want to hammer a sprint like a Norse god (think Hushovd, not some mythical comic book hero), whether for the finish line, a money prime or the next road sign, the last thing you need is a slow or missed shift. Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting brings faster, effortless shifts at the touch [...]
Fancy Fixie Fixer
The urban cyclists are always in danger of a sudden flat or magically appearing pothole. There are a lot of multifunction bicycle tools to choose from these days, but that doesn’t mean carrying them has become any easier, and when out for a leisurely weekend ride, the last thing you want is to bog yourself [...]
Brooklyn's new main squeeze
Spurcycle GripRings ($20+) are the best thing to happen to handlebars since sparkle streamers. The 17mm pliable silicone rings slip on individually, fit snuggly on grips of all sizes, and include locking end plugs to ensure a slip-free hold. Currently the company has started a project on Kickstarter to ramp up production so that 12 [...]
Who needs traction control?
Perhaps you already drive a Bimmer and want to add the same brand name to your two-wheeled man-powered vehicle. Your choice would clearly be the 2012 BMW Mountain Bike Enduro. With a fully updated design and material upgrades, the Enduro uses an all-aluminum frame for lightness and rigidity, full Fox suspension and Shimano XT and [...]
Welcome to hell
The so-called Grand Tours of cycling, the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, get all the attention from casual cycling fans. They’re colorful pageants in the warm days of summer, usually won by a photogenic skinny guy who goes up mountains like a spandex festooned goat. But the Spring Classic [...]
A global passion celebrated in print
Print media’s golden years may be in the rear-view, but no matter how digitized the world becomes, a few magazines will always have a home on our desks. The Ride Journal is a boutique publication we recently stumbled upon that any cycling fan will fawn over. One look at its clean approach to photography and [...]
Dos Caminos
The right, lightweight, technical jacket can solve a lot of needs for a cyclist. Combine construction from sustainable materials and a sharply tailored sihouette and you’ve got all the trappings of a perfect storm-fighter. The Nau Dose ($275) may not star George Clooney as its model, but this Spring cycling essential hits pretty close to [...]
Ride in style, all year long
Testing cycling gear during a Minneapolis winter is not the most appealing proposition, even on the most unseasonably warm days. As if navigating ice patches, potholes and salty streets aren’t enough, the cojones-shrinking wind-chill will make even the toughest rider consider joining a spin class at the gym. But as the well known adage goes, [...]
Cool Beans
All of the stylish leather bike carriers in the world don’t amount to a hill of beans when the weather turns foul. The Coffee Bag by Detours ($24), on the other hand, is a versatile dry bike bag designed in the shape of, well, a coffee bag. Based in Seattle since 2005, Detours created this [...]
Thinking Ahead
No matter what the law dictates in your particular state, not wearing a helmet while riding is one of the dumbest things you can do. That doesn’t mean lugging around a bulky dome guard is any fun for commuters. The Overade aims to make riding slightly more convenient and just as safe. Designed in France [...]
