Cycling Reviews

When IceBiker groused that he couldn’t find any decent rain pants, Foxwear took him seriously and made a pair of rain pants that met all his specs.

Now they’re public and you can have some too. IceBiker knows whereof he speaks. So these pants are right. The Durastretch Cycling Rain Pants born of all this grousing have:

• Adjustable cuffs
• Legs big enough to slip on over cycling shoes or small boots
• Secure Pockets, away from your hips, where you’ll be bent over riding
• A rugged, snag-proof, non-cling fabric with a reinforced seat

They’re stretchable, breathable and all around good. To hear more about it, check out IceBiker’s grouse.

Don’t look at me. I’m just repeating what I’ve heard. In the cold, blustery, hideous weather of winter – even in the rain and snow – some cyclists (who shall remain unnamed) prefer to wear sandals.
Here’s their thinking. If you wear a cycling shoe, your feet will freeze. Cram as many socks as you can fit inside the shoe, zip on booties, tuck in a little crystallized synthetic heating pack or whatever — your feet are still going to freeze.
Sandals, like the Lake LXSDL, give you plenty of room to turn the high technology and innovation of cycling socks to your advantage. Inside these big, bulky sandals, you can wear several layers of winter socks and top them off with something rainproof – Gore-Tex oversocks, SealSkinz waterproofs, or neoprene booties, for example.
I hate to say it, but it makes a certain sense. If you don’t mind a little Frankenstein action going on, you might give it a try!
The important thing in winter is to keep your feet as warm and dry and possible. Some cyclists choose to do that by more conventional means, with mixed results. Others opt for winter sandal alternatives. Others throw fashion to the wind and pull thick, wool hiking socks on over their boots and cover everything in a plastic bag with a rubber band on top. And others join the gym and stay inside where it’s warm.
If you’re determined to get out in all kinds of weather, IceBike has even more alternatives. You know that people riding on the ice in snow drifts like the ones on this site have figured out how to stay warm on the ride!

You’ve seen the small lake that starts to form beneath your indoor trainer when you ride? A lot of those same buckets of perspiration pour off you when you’re on the road too. Perspiration is aggressive and can corrode your bike.

CycleOps Bike Thong is made to handle that. Hook it up between your handlebar and seatpost to catch the sweat – if not on your racer, at least on the trainer inside. Your paint job will thank you for it.

Recharging, high-powered LEDs with Opticube lens technology give off the beam-of-choice for night riding. The CatEye Double Shot is made of a tough die-cast aluminum, that’s not only virtually indestructible, but fully compatible with CatEye wireless devices. You’ll run for 5 hours, then recharge in 3. Good to have on the road.

OK, first, the CatEye Game Bike isn’t a game bike. It’s a tiny, little piece of tech that will let you control your moves on a Playstation with your bike, as you ride. Put this dial beneath your wheel and you’re in the game – steering with your handlebars, pedaling for speed. Never gonna work for hardcore training, it’s just something you oughta know.

If your bike is for racing and training 100% of the time, you can stop reading now. This has nothing to do with you. Only those who’ve got a little kid to tote along on your ride to keep you company, watch you strut your stuff or fill with love of cycling, should keep reading.

Consider the trailer bike. A handy way to let the little kid in your life tag along, while you’re doing that cool cycling thing you do.

The Adventure F1 Trailer Bike has a durable steel frame, easy storage, single-speed gearing and a three-piece crank and a lightweight aluminum alloy wheel, not to mention a nifty safety flag. It’s just one more way to build in quality time, while you’re racking up the miles.

You’ve seen them on the road – cyclists leaning on extra armrests at the top of their bars. Some look as appealing as the Inquisition. But check out these Air Stryke Aerobars.  They’re great when you want them and, when you don’t, the spring-loaded arm brackets lift them out of your way. They’ve also got armrest padding and a custom fit – the two elements that make the difference between a nice place to lean and a little everyday torture. 

Limo makes one of the best child seats available. Their Co-Pilot Child Seat has a Blackburn EX1 rack fits all adult bikes and it transforms into a regular pannier when you don’t have a child along. It’s comfortable, with washable plush, gel padding and a safety harness. With a foot rest and grab bar, your child feel secure enough to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. 

To keep your muscles working at an optimal level when you ride for over an hour, it’s essential to maintain your hydration and your glycogen stores. Otherwise, you can’t access the power or endurance your muscles actually have – no matter how hard you’ve trained in the past. You’ll tire more quickly and seriously increase your risk of bonking.
Hydration can be maintained easily enough. Drink a sports bottle an hour on the ride – maybe more, if the weather’s extreme in either direction – and you’ll be fine. Fueling requires a little more attention.
If you fuel up in a casual, “I’ll just grab whatever’s around” kinda way, your muscles will respond in exactly the same way – making use of whatever glycogen’s around, but not giving you the strong, consistent performance you want. On a long ride, “garbage in, garbage out” will leave you short every time.
You want quality results? You’ve got to do it right.
The first principle is to eat before you ride. But it’s not as simple as that. Eat a burger and chips as you’re going out the door and you’ll be sorry before your legs get warmed up.
Ideally, your last meal should be eaten 4 hours before you ride. And it should be 60-75% carbs for you to burn, with only a moderate amount of protein and fat. If you’re going on a long ride or an early morning ride, be sure to eat a high carb meal the night before to fill up your glycogen stores.
Two hours before your ride eat or drink a high carb snack that’s easy to digest. Gels, energy drinks and power bars are great for this. But some people bake cookies with the right combination of ingredients for fuel, then eat them before and during a ride. Other people prefer fruit, juice, cola, chocolate, etc. If you don’t have trouble digesting these on the ride, go right ahead!
Fresh carbs in your system will launch you more easily. So be sure to choose whatever can be turned to fuel quickly. Solid food in the last two hours can hamper your performance. And cheap calories, like those in soda and candy, ultimately undermine your health, which is something to consider.
Just before you head out, drink enough liquid to fill your stomach – about 200 to 400 ml, depending on the stomach.
Don’t overdose on fluid as you ride. Your body can’t absorb more than 600 ml per hour. But you should take in regular infusions of fluid with carb. Considering you’re burning 5 gm of carb or more per minute, it only makes sense.
Rule of thumb? Drink 400 ml an hour and replace 1 gm of carb for every 1 kg of body weight per hour.
 

That said, not all days are created equal. Some rides, for no reason you’re aware of, you need more fuel or more hydration – before, during and/or after a ride. One day, little nanites in your bloodstream may be able to tell you exactly why, but for now, just listen to your body. It’s got the score.

If you’re wondering about whether or not to wear a helmet when you ride, think about this. Wearing a helmet is a lot cheaper and less of a hassle than being laid up in a hospital with a skull fracture. Maybe it won’t come to that, but how would you know?

Helmets reduce serious head injuries by as much as 85%.Get a helmet. And wear it every time.

Styling
Your basic categories are road, sport and mountain bike helmets. All of them will protect your head and offer a well-ventilated design. All will come in pretty colors. After that, the differences break out like this:

• Sports helmets. Sports helmets are made for “fitness enthusiasts,” who are looking for a bargain.
• Road bike helmets. Road bike helmets are aerodynamic and light. Some are made especially sleek for time trials.
• Mountain bike helmets. Mountain bike helmets are equipped with visors and extended covered on the back of your head. They usually have extra firm retention systems too, to hold the helmet on your head if anything happens. Because in mountain biking, anything does.

Sizing
By law, all the helmets sold in America must comply with the safety standards set out by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC). But a helmet will not protect you if it doesn’t fit right.
Getting a helmet that fits is key. Most helmets adjust to fit a range of head sizes. They can be made to fit more tightly or loosely with their sizing pads and adjustable straps. Still, not every helmet is right for your odd and strangely shaped head.
Here’s the test to see if the helmet fits:

1. Is it snug?
   The right helmet will sit level on top of your head, coming down to about two fingers’ width above your eyebrows. It should already fit your snugly, before you tighten or adjust anything.
2. Does it shift?
   Before you buckle the straps, check to make sure the helmet doesn’t shift. If you can move it from side-to-side, put in the pads that come with the helmet and make that stop.
3. Will it tighten?
   Then buckle the strap under your chin. This should make the helmet tighten against your forehead. If it doesn’t, it’s still too loose. Make the strap tighter or readjust the pads till it does.

Some helmet strap system are extremely uncomfortable. If you come across this problem, keep looking. Not all systems are like that. You can fine on that’s comfortable enough that you don’t mind having it tight against your chin — that’s also easy to buckle and unbuckle.
After that, you’re free to go for whichever one looks cool.