Gear Patrol

Superior foul weather gear should provide warmth, shelter your skin from precipitation and be breathable to boot. The Eddie Bauer BC MicroTherm Down Jacket 2.0 does just that thanks to a double layered shell that’s waterproof while venting perspiration (and not losing warmth). Additionally, its micro-channel compartments, stuffed with 800-fill premium goose down, minimize weight…

John Glenn strapped a Heuer stopwatch to his wrist; Scott Carpenter wore a Breitling chronograph; and everyone knows the story of Omega’s Moonwatch. Now it’s Zenith’s turn to join the list of legendary space watches. When Felix Baumgartner stepped off that skateboard-sized platform this week and plummeted to Earth while millions watched, you may have…

While the helmet cam videos of man’s boldest quarrels with gravity will never get old, Split of a Second earns our nod of approval for offering a rare glimpse in to the mind of one of the sport’s most famous pioneers, Wingsuit World Champion Espen Fadness. As you might have guessed, successfully defying death is…

If you’re more inspired than awed (it’s ok to be both — we are) by our Jeremy Berger’s recent Ironman quest, we’ve got your shoe: the Salomon S-Lab Sense ($200). Developed through collaboration between designers and world-class trail runners, the Sense is laden with top performance features specifically designed to enable forefoot running: lightweight construction…

Biking in the city can be a wonderful experience, especially when the sun starts to fade and the world quiets down. Unfortunately, it can also be a deathtrap, overshadowing your pleasure with the fear of being made into road goulash by an oblivious suburban mom in an SUV the size of your 2nd grade classroom….

The BioLogic PostPump 2.0 Seatpost ($50) is a useful, high-capacity floor pump that’s been integrated into a seatpost, providing you with air stashed safely and efficiently… under your bum. The patented design has a flip-out foot stand, Presta/Schrader valve adapter and allows you to use the saddle for convenient pumping; it only takes around 40…

Who hasn’t found themselves looking across a pond, lake, river or ocean with a desire to explore but absent the means to do so? With the Oru folding kayak, a whole new world of paddling exploration just opened up. The brain-child of San Francisco designer Anton Willis, the Oru goes from a package the size…

Winter’s thrills are already starting to winnow their way into your thoughts — days of hitting the slopes and nights on the town après-ski. Columbia’s Lhotse Mountain II Interchange Jacket ($240) has you covered for both activities, pairing a waterproof, breatheable shell and an inner insulating layer that can also be worn separately. In the…

Editor’s Note: This series was predicated on the idea that Ironman has become a thing guys aspire to do — so we decided to dispatch our correspondent Jeremy Berger to do just that. Along the way we learned about avoiding injuries, eating right, training effectively, bonking, and the importance of appropriate gear. Hopefully you have…

If you were unable to secure funds in time to get your hands on that other two-wheeled unicorn we featured, breathe easy friends. German automotive component manufacturer UBC GmbH has taken time away from developing parts for Porsche, Bugatti and its Formula 1 team clients and plied its hand-made engineering efforts to a pair of…

Riding your bike in the dark on city streets is an activity best reserved for those with a death wish. The Monocle is an inexpensive and ingenious way to avoid becoming street pizza. You’ve spent plenty of money on your iPhone; why not use it as a bike light, too? The Monocle, which is made…

Professional cycling has been brought in to the limelight lately, and what’s being exposed isn’t pretty. With no shortage of content, Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle co-authored The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs ($17)….

Statistics don’t look good for male cyclists: 200,000 traumatic brain injuries are attributed to recreational accidents each year; two-thirds of cycling injuries involve damage to the noggin; and men are more than twice as likely to mangle their melons than women. A good helmet is an obvious must-have, but in absolute worst cases the ICEdot…

A solid pair of binoculars in the field is vital — and when you’re trying to avoid being run over by a fast-moving barge or spot a pal that’s gone overboard, they’re absolutely key. But in order to weather tough watersport conditions, they have to be rugged, too. Having supplied binoculars to the military for…

Two former World Cup Alpine skiers, Erik Schlopy and Brion Friedman, had an epiphany: In a world without snow, skiing doesn’t go over too well. So they set out to develop ski poles made from sustainable materials in a climate-friendly fashion. The results are Soul Poles ($99+), high-tech ski poles made from a decidedly low-tech…

Want a cycling game-changer? You’ve got it. The Cannondale CERV by Priority Designs is a concept bike that adapts to a constantly changing riding environment. Typically, the rider’s body has to compensate for such changes, but the CERV has a “dynamically adjustable headset” that moves both vertically and horizontally during riding. For example, in a…

Tired of pounding out local 5K charity runs? Well, you’ve still got a couple of weeks to register for the 2012 UVU Jungle Marathon, which starts October 4th in the Brazilian Amazon. As you can infer, this is no ordinary 26.2 mile slog. Runners get the (seemingly easy) choice of completing either a six-stage, 149-mile…

The barefoot running trend is now a well-worn path: by eliminating the corrective, cushioning components of traditional running shoes, humans can return to running the way we did eons ago while chasing down antelope on the savannah. Most barefoot running shoes are, by nature, minimalist in design and construction. But the SKORA Form ($185), while…

Copenhagen, like many congested metropolitan areas, has a strong bike traffic presence. It’s also a pretty dark place come winter. Add a few Danish problem solvers from Copenhagen Parts and the result is the Magnetic Bike Light — a simplistic, functionally driven version of your everyday bike torch. Each LED light attaches to the bike…

“Try, try again” is easier said than done when you’re racing against a massive, imposing canyon. That’s why we love watching South African ultra-marathoner Ryan Sandes attempt to master Namibia’s harsh 84-kilometer Fish River Canyon trail. In The Beauty of the Irrational, Sandes poignantly reflects on his unsuccessful record attempts in 2009 and 2010 before…

While WD-40 may be good enough for your squeaky hinges and removing grease, it’s also about the worst thing you can spray on your chain shy of white truffle oil. WD-40 Bike Lubricants aim to change that. Specially formulated over the last year, the new WD-40 Bike line up (available mid-November) is the result of…

Ah, it seems like only yesterday that your little tyke learned how to ride a bike. Wearing his huge helmet and knee pads, nervously pedaling and nearly in tears, what man wouldn’t swell with pride watching his tike tame the two-wheeler. But now he wants a new bike and all you can do is think…

The Australian electric bike company, Stealth, has a Mad Max penchant for design. Such is the case for their post-apocalyptic (but environmentally conscious) Stealth Bomber electric bike. Okay, so the name choice lacks some originality, but the design and practicality are nothing short of genius. Combined with your own leg strength, the Bomber uses 4.5kW…

Of all the sport cross-pollinations we could think of, tennis and skateboarding aren’t at the top of the list, but then again football players are doing yoga, so all bets are off. As an avid tennis player and fan of the sport, Nike Skateboarding team rider Gino Iannucci had always been inspired by the original…

Next time you’re on the mountain, count how many times you see “Burton” plastered across the slopes. There’s a good reason for that, and the Mystery Snowboard ($1,500) gives boarders every reason to keep on loving. The first flagship board out of Burton’s Craig R&D facility, the Mystery maintains the visual sexiness of the brand’s…

The idealism of commuting by bike meets reality in the upper latitudes, where induced wind chill can quickly turn digits into frostbitten pink popsicles. 45Nrth, denizens of the great white north (Minnesota), enshroud your feet in veritable toasters with their Wolvhammer Cycling Boots ($325), allowing you to hammer winter rides like a Minneapolis metal band….

Cycling helmets often look space-age goofy, but they’re also badass (they show you’re into hurtling down hills, don’t they?) and absolutely necessary to keep you alive. The POC Sports Tempor Helmet (~$570) incorporates incredible aerodynamics and ventilation for time trial cyclists while maintaining the utmost in safety — and a unique look to boot. We’ve…

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If the Mizuno Pro Limited Edition Glove ($500) proves anything, it’s that we’ve come a long way since Topps cards and home run derby — fond memories of insane break-in methods come to mind. And yes, while it still functions as a leather mitt to catch baseballs, the Mizuno Pro comes with a vast complement…

GEAR PATROL SPONSORED POST As running continues to grow in popularity both in the US and worldwide, so too do the variations on it. Marathons, ultra marathons, team relays, obstacle course races, and costumed 5ks are just a few examples. There truly is a run for anyone. One of the simplest and probably the oldest…