Category: Apparel

If you are not a big fan of Lycra or you tend toward more casual options, then technical clothing like this Adventure line from Bontrager falls into the gap between hucking and crits. This approach of a snug fitting short, not loose like a full baggie, and good looking enough to wear around town, when combined with casual looking jerseys or shirts in high tech fabrics…well it reminds me a lot of what was called ‘Touring Clothing’ in days gone by.

DZR S240 Shoes: Quick Review – by Guitar Ted The thing about gravel riding that is getting glossed over by most of the cycling industry…

Castelli Perfetto Ros Gilet and Warmers: Quick Review – by Grannygear If there is anything more versatile in cycling related clothing than the combo of…

The RX8 does what a gravel bike does. It takes what was a road thing, for smooth paved surfaces, and it makes it into a rough road, dirt road thing. Gravel riding is not mountain biking, (despite the cross-over at some points), and the demands of road riding are a bit closer related to what we do on gravel “roads” than what people need to have for single track. Therefore; it is my opinion that a slightly modified road shoe is what will do the job best, and Shimano has knocked it out of the park with the RX8

When the label says “When performance is a priority and water fastness isn’t”, you know they are speaking my language. In So Cal, from fall into winter, we can get rain of course, but mostly we get cold winds. So having a layer that is wind blocking is key to happy riding.

Concussions are all too common. We try to be careful, yet all of us have lapses of attention and moments of poor judgment. We wear helmets, but standard helmets and even slip-lined helmets are only partially effective. Fortunately, fatalism and stiff upper lips are no longer our only remaining options. A new cellular-lined helmet may be far better at preventing concussion.

Hello there gravel riding folks and anyone else out there that loves a bit of off-pavement adventure. The time of year when gift giving is on our minds is right around the corner. We have a list here of items which might make you happy to unwrap, or you know……..to give to someone else who rides gravel like you. To those ends, here our some good ideas for gifts that might make the gravel traveler happy.

The socks I wore most often were the Mini-Crew ones as that’s the length I most prefer for cycling. I have to admit that I am not a fan of the No Show Tab size, as that size shows nothing above the shoe line and rocks, dust, and debris are easily allowed entry into my shoes.

As is often said, the best apparel and components simply “disappear” while riding, leaving you to enjoy the ride. The RX8 shoes from Shimano are the definition of such an apparel item. While either walking a gnarly, muddy dirt road or riding up and down hill and vale, the RX8 just got out of my way and let me do my thing.

It’s Castelli, and this is a race type jersey, so the cut is slim and I upped things to an XL just to make sure I could wear it with some of my pride intact. The fit for me was very good unless I zipped the jersey all the way up, then it felt odd and tugged across the front of the jersey. Even unzipping a little bit made that go away.