Category: Long Review

The evolution of the ‘gravel bike’ has been impressive of late, and one of the companies pushing the envelope is Lauf Cycling. First known for their distinctive leaf-spring short travel suspension forks and Icelandic origin, today Lauf is based in the U.S., and their new Seigla is redefining the capabilities of the gravel race bike.

State Bicycle Co. did a good job making the 6061 Black Label All Road look more expensive than it is. I frequently got asked about it when I’d roll up to group rides, and almost universally, folks were shocked when I told them it was a $1,400 bike. I’d have to agree. I frequently caught myself staring into the depths of the woodland green paint.

While it’s true everyone has different needs in a saddle, I’ve found the Terra Argo X.3 to be remarkably comfortable and smooth-riding. It also offers a generous fit range, so it can meet the needs of a wide variety of riders’ needs.

For some cyclists, the threat of rain is suitable cause to postpone or cancel a ride. For the rest of us, there’s rain gear. And while for a lot of folks, cycling-specific waterproof outerwear is a good option, I often prefer the more flexible fit and increased versatility of a hiking/backpacking jacket.

The hits were definitely big here though. The standouts being the Gravel Shorts and the Orkaan Leisure Hoody. By the way, that Orkaan fabric does a great job of beading up and shedding water in misty conditions.

My thought is that a recovery product like Kyoku is a great way to not only reach your cycling goals faster, but it is just a better, cleaner way to eat for better health. In these times, going in this direction is understandably desirable, but leaving that behind, I felt the Kyoku product can be used as a daily enhancement to life as a cyclist.

“… if all I ever did was fun, adventure based, shorter rides, I would take a pass, most likely, on these Endura shorts. But I will tell you this: If a long ride in hot weather with a lot of gravel is on my radar to tackle, these will be the first shorts out of my drawer to ride in.”

It’s amazing how good gravel tires are today, and these new Continental tires are great examples of the progress we’ve made. They’re not much heavier than a road tire, yet are true 40c semi-knobbies that can confidently be ridden in nearly any gravel conditions.

Keeping a chain lubed and clean is a huge step towards an efficient and long lasting drive train. And it seems relatively straight forward to lube a chain, does it not? But the devil is in the details and many compounds that would keep a chain slippery are also an unholy mess that gets over all everything and actually attracts dirt like a magnet. That mess also gets all over you. Know what a chainring tattoo is? Inside, right calf muscle.