Holiday Gift Ideas for Cyclists-Part 2

Now that the holidays are almost here, I have put together a list of some more cycling products that are sure to please the cyclist on your list.  Some of these items are new while others have been around for a while.

45NRTH Wölvhammer Boots

$325

45NRTH's Wölvhammer Winter Cycling Boot is standard equipment for many fatbikers and winter cyclists.  Their latest offering is completely redesigned and can be used with platform pedals or two-bolt clipless pedals.  Made of a full grain leather and ballistic nylon shell with 200g Primaloft ECO Gold insulation and aerogel in the footbed, this boot will keep your feet warm and dry on those chilly winter rides.  Available in full sizes 38-50 (no size 49) at Penn Cycle and other 45NRTH Dealers.

True North Basecamp Gift Certificate
$99

True North Basecamp is now offering Gift Certificates for two nights camping at their brand new lodging facility in the heart of Cuyuna.  Bike right from your campsite to the world class mountain bike trails of the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.  Campsite amenities include fire ring, picnic table, wi-fi, bike rack and bike wash.  There is a locker room available nearby with showers, changing areas and bathrooms too.  Gift certificates are personalized and shipped anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.

Bontrager Flare R Tail Light

$60

The Bontrager Flare R Tail Light was designed for cyclists to be more visible during daylight hours.  It's a powerful CREE LED 65 lumen light with balanced optics and 270 degrees of visibility that can be seen up to 2 Km away.  The two day-time (day steady-4.25hrs./day flash-5.75hrs.) and night-time modes (night steady-21hrs./night flash-23hrs.) are sure to get you seen by motorists no matter what time of the day you ride.  Comes with the Sync bracket, seat stay bracket and USB cable.  Available at Penn Cycle and other fine bike shops.

Park Tool PCS-10 Repair Stand

$206

Park Tool's PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand is a great gift for any cyclist that likes to work on their bikes.  It features a cam-type clamp that allows single action clamping of tubes 7/8" to 3" and has 360-degree rotation.  Height of the repair stand can be quick-release adjusted from 39" to 57" and when your done working it can be folded down to 41" and stored away.   Available from Penn Cycle and other fine bike shops.

Oliver Flask Cage/Stanley Flask 

$44

Image Credit: Swift Industries

Winter cycling and a little whiskey warmer go hand in hand.  You've seen other flask/cage combos before, but why not get the cyclist on your list the best one.  Swift Industries has the Oliver Flask Cage that fits the 8 oz. Stanley Flask perfectly.  Available as cage only or combination cage and flask.  Great for taking a little nip out on the winter singletrack.

IMBA Membership
$30-$1000

Still don't know what to get the mountain biker on your shopping list?   Why not purchase them a new or renewal IMBA Local Chapter membership?  Membership dues support their local chapter and nationwide IMBA efforts.  Individual and Family memberships are available in a variety of different support levels for Minnesota's eleven area chapters.  "Joining your local IMBA chapter is the most effective way for you to build and maintain the amazing trails you love to ride."

Interbike 2015 Cool Bike Gear-Part 3

After spending five days in Las Vegas for Interbike and the Outdoor Demo, I came across a lot of cool new bike stuff that I wanted to share with my readers.  These are products that are now available or in the case of some of them, will be available soon from your local bike shop.  This is the final installment of a three part series where I will highlight some of the items that caught my attention.

 Serfas Orion Blast Tail Light

Coming soon from Serfas is the Orion Blast Tail Light.  This light will be one of the brightest tail lights on the market and is sure to scream out “hey bike right here!” during the dark months commuters encounter when Daylight Saving Time ends.  The Orion Blast is designed with 70 micro LED's in red and amber and its internal Lithium-Polymer batteries are micro USB rechargeable.  Solid mode (85, 50 and 25 Lumens) flashes Red with a battery life of between 1 and 4 hours.  The five Flash/Pulse modes (150/70  Pulse Red/Amber, 70/35 Alt Red/Amber, 150 High Flash Red, 60 Low Flash Red, 70 High Flash Amber) give it battery run times of 1.25 to 10.5 hours.

This light also has the new Serfas Blast Audible Warning System that will emit an 85 decibel signal when there is only 10 minutes battery life remaining in that particular mode.  This allows the user to switch to a lower mode and restarts the battery low alert thus extending the battery life.

The Orion Blast Tail Light weighs only 55 grams.  It will be available in three colors (Red, Black and White) and comes with a new Aero-Bracket to fit any seatpost or application on a bike.  Retail price is $90 but no word yet on when it will be available at your local bike shop.

 Upstand

The Upstand was first introduced through a successful  Kickstarter campaign by Garrett Blake back in late 2013.  It is a lightweight, high tech kickstand for your road bike. Made of carbon fiber tubes with a shock cord, this device connects to a metal attachment tab that mounts on your skewer inside the the quick release.  The carbon fiber tubing has a rubber cap on one end and a magnet on the other to secure it to the metal attachment tab.

The metal magnet attachment tab only adds 15 grams to the bike while the stand itself a mere 25 grams.  Installation takes only 30 seconds and when the Upstand is not needed, slide it off and fold it in half for storage in seat bag, jersey pocket or attach it to the bike using the optional Upclip. 

The folding Upstand is available in standard (26"/700 wheels), 20" and 29" wheels with the option of adding the Upclip or an extra tab at a discount.  Purchase direct from the Upstanding Bicycle Company on their website.

 SRAM Red eTap

SRAM displayed their first electronic shifting groupset at Interbike, the Red eTap Wireless.  While SRAM is late with this offering to the electronic drivetrain market, they did what their competitors (Shimano, Campagnolo) haven't done yet and that is to make their system wireless.  SRAM uses a wireless proprietary protocol called Airea instead of using others protocols like Ant+ or Bluetooth.

Both the front and rear shifters have their own battery and wireless transmitter making them self-contained.  Batteries charge in only 45 minutes and SRAM promises 1000 km of life per charge.  For time trial and triathlon bikes with aero bars, the system can be paired with eTap Blip satellite shifters for remote placement using the eTap BlipBox.

Unlike the Shimano and Campagnolo electronic shift logic that is identical to their mechanical groups, SRAM's Red eTap is entirely different.  With only one shift paddle per shifter, shifting mistakes are almost eliminated.  Shift with the left shifter paddle to an easier gear on the cassette, shift with the right shifter paddle to a harder gear on the cassette and shift both at the same time to shift the front derailleur.  What could be more simple?

The SRAM Red eTap Road and TT Groupset will be available in the Spring of 2016.  The complete Red eTap Road Groupset will list at $2758 and the complete Red eTap TT Groupset for $2835.  It will also be standard equipment on high-end 2016 complete bikes next Spring from brands like Trek, Giant, Specialized and others.

SKS Fatboard Fender Set

SKS introduced their new Fatboard Fender Set at the Outdoor Demo and Interbike.  This two-piece fender set will cover tires up to 5" wide and weighs 353 grams.  The rear fender attaches to the seat post with a quick release clamp and has a two-hinge arm to adjust for any frame geometry or bikes with dropper posts.  It provides 20" of horizontal coverage keeping the rider clean and dry.

The front fender attaches to the downtube using high performance straps and works with all types of fatbike forks.  This design allows it to secure easily to any frame including irregular shaped or round tubes and also provides 20" of coverage.

 The Fatboard Fender set will be available at local bike shops in January, 2016 for a retail price of $54.99.

Swiftwick Vision Team

Swiftwick was at Interbike with a wide variety of cycling compression socks.  New this year are the Swiftwick Vision Team socks.  This sock is available "in designs that sync with any team’s colors".  Featuring Swiftick's signature Managed Compression and antimicrobial moisture wicking technologies, these socks will provide blister-free comfort, improve circulation and keep feet dry.

Vision Team comes in an 8" cuff length, twelve color combinations in sizes S, M, L, XL from the Swiftwick website and Swiftwick retailers for $17.99/pair.  

My Favorite Fatbike Accessories-Part Three

Winter is here and to quote Guitar Ted, "White is the new dirt".  Cold weather brings on a whole different experience and there are a lot of fatbike accessories to make riding a little more comfortable and easier to carry the gear needed for those longer rides.  Below are some of my favorite items that I use regularly throughout the Winter.

Lighting

A good lighting set up is a must if you plan on doing any riding after dark.  I run a two-light combination that works great for singletrack in the dark early evenings that Winter brings.  The Light & Motion Stella 500 is a very compact headlight that has the versatility of being mounted on handlebars or a helmet.  This is my choice for a helmet-mounted light because of its small size and focused beam that follows my line of sight as I ride through switchbacks and turns.  It has a separate 2 cell Li-ion battery pack that is easily tucked into a jersey or jacket pocket when helmet-mounted or can be attached to a bike frame for handlebar use.  Long run times are another reason I like this light.  With a battery life of 2½ to 6 hours, depending on the setting used (Hi or Med), I don't have to worry about it running out in the middle of a ride.

For a bar mounted light, I like the the Light & Motion Taz.  I have the Taz 1000 which is no longer available from the manufacturer but two newer models come in 1200 and 1500 lumens.  The Taz is a compact light that is bright as a motorcycle headlamp with run times of 1½ to 6 hours (High to Low).  The light beam is powered by three high power LED's configured to throw a pattern out ahead and down in front of  the the rider giving a good field of view in very dark conditions.  It is MicroUSB rechargeable, water-resistant and durable. 

Bottle Cage Coozie

Winter cycling requires a rider to hydrate just as much as during warm weather rides, so slushy or frozen water bottles can be a nuisance.  To help extend the amount of time it takes to freeze up a water bottle, Gup Gum Gear handcrafts the newly redesigned Bottle Cage Coozie right here in the Twin Cites.  This product is fashioned to fit around standard water bottle cages and uses 3/8" thick closed cell foam for insulation to significantly extend the time it takes water to freeze.  Each Coozie has a heavyweight nylon exterior and medium weight nylon interior with holes for bottle boss bolts.  These coozies will let you ride longer without your water bottles freezing up as quickly.

Hydrapack SoftFlask

Another way to stay hydrated in freezing conditions without the hassle of frozen water bottles is by using the Hydrapack SoftFlask. SoftFlasks work great when stored in the back pockets of a cycling jacket.  The warmth of the perspiration vapor that passes through the jacket seems to be enough to keep them from freezing.  I have biked for hours in all types of below freezing temperatures with filled SoftFlasks in my jacket pockets and have not had any of them begin to freeze up.  In extreme cold, I have had the water in the bite valve freeze, but that was remedied by biting the valve crushing the ice thus restoring water flow.

One of my favorite features of the SoftFlask is the way they collapse as you drink from them.  As they are emptied they crumple up into a very small size that is easily stored in a pocket or bag.

ColdAvenger Pro Softshell

I first heard of ColdAvenger from my friend and ColdAvenger Athlete Bonnie Moebeck, who raved about its performance in the coldest of weather.  She really put it to the test at one of the world's toughest ultra-endurance races, the Arrowhead 135, that takes place each year in the "Icebox of the Nation", International Falls, MN.  Bonnie tells me she couldn't compete having asthma without the protection that the ColdAvenger mask provides for her lungs.

I use the Pro Softshell Half Face Mask.  This model allows me to choose the proper head covering for the temperature.  I will wear a beanie or skullcap for just the right amount of insulation to stay warm without overheating.  The ColdAvenger warms inhaled air making it much easier to breathe, especially during rigorous activity.  Its soft fleece material that covers the face, neck and ears is very well insulating and cuts the wind entirely.  The protection it provides has made it possible for me to ride longer in the extreme cold conditions that Minnesota is known for.