Well, it’s been about three months since I bought my MEC Hold Steady so it’s time for a review.
My route is a combination of pathway and roads, flats and hills, and at this time of year means riding on some roads covered in winter gravel. It also means that on my rides I’m alternatively being buffeted by insane winds, bashed by ice pellets, soaked with rain or scorched by the sun.
When I bought a Kona Dew Plus late last year as a cheapy backup commuting bike, I didn’t plan on making any changes to it.
Then, something strange happened – the Kona started to become my daily ride. The cheapest, ugliest bike I’ve ever bought became my (almost) favourite bike.
It’s the perfect commuter bike — it’s inexpensive (I paid about $400 new), has front and rear disc brakes, 700mm road wheels and being painted a rather metallic minty green, it’s hardly a theft magnet.
For the past month or so, I’ve been using the Deuter Dry Shield Bike 18 backpack on my daily rides to work.
For years, I’ve been searching for a good waterproof backpack that will keep my stuff dry during the nasty wet Calgary winters. While a good drybag, or even a garbage bag, can usually keep things dry inside a regular pack, the pack itself will still end up soggy and smelly, and it’s a pain to dump everything into a drybag.
The Dry Shield line from Deuter is a waterproof line, which includes a cycling-specific pack — the DS Bike 18.
It’s that time of year again when I start digging through my boxes of bike stuff to find my lights…
For the past several years I’ve tried a number of lights and light combinations to make sure I’m nicely visible. Two of the lights I’ve tried are xenon strobe lights, which are much brighter than traditional LED lights.
If you’re the kind of person who values warmth and doesn’t care about fashion, the Outdoor Research (OR) Windstopper Gorilla balaclava will make an excellent addition to your outdoor gear wardrobe.
Most of the time I wear this, it’s underneath my bike helmet when I’m cycling in cold weather. Not just any ol’ cold weather — really cold weather. -25C cold, usually with nasty cold wind on top of that…
This review is kind of a weird one… I’m not really sure if this should be a Gear Review or a Design review, which is why it’s going to appear in both categories. 
As a gadget / tool / thingamajigie nut, I always oogle cool looking wallets with neat features (tiny pens, small knifes or screwdrivers, lots of pockets, etc.) This time, however, I took the “simple is better” approach and bought an ALL-ETT, “the world’s thinnest wallet”.
Even after transferring everything I had in my previous wallet, the ALL-ETT is still thinner than the now-empty old one. It’s also significantly more comfortable, and the simple design makes it very easy to organize and access cards and cash.
I have to admit, when I opened the (very thin) envelope it arrived it, my first impression was, “ewww…” After a few days, however, I came to appreciate its simplicity and comfort. Now, I can’t imagine carrying around a big bulky wallet.
Right now, I have 15 cards in it, several receipts and (as usual) no cash. With all of that, it measures in at just under 1/4″ thick. My old wallet was easily pushing 3/4″ thick.
Check them out at: http://www.all-ett.com/
Yay! There’s finally a local source for Boeshield T9 — a metal lubricant and protector developed by Boeing for airplane parts.
While I don’t really have room in the driveway for an airplane, I do have a number of bikes. T9 works extremely well as a long lasting and multi-weather lubricant for bike chains.
According to the Boeshield folks, “Road cyclists can get about 300+ miles (500Km) per application. In wet weather riding reapply after half that distance. For off road riding reapply after one quarter that distance, more frequently if conditions require. For best performance, ‘apply tonight, ride tomorrow’. ”
Lee Valley now carries the Boeshield T9 in both a bottle and aerosol can. The bottles are great, as they don’t take up much room in your pack, and a little goes a long way.
I’m looking forward to trying this lubricant in the winter, as Boeing states the T9 lubricant excels in damp environments.
For more info, visit the Boeshield Canada site, or Lee Valley Tools’ site.
If you’re looking for a good pair of cycling shoes for riding in cold snowy conditions, you don’t have many options. I chose a pair of Lake MXZ300 winter shoes and this will be my third winter riding in them.
These shoes are comfy! The neoprene internal liner is a nice snug fit, without being too tight or constricting. You should get a pair that are a size or size and half larger than you would usually wear. This will let you wear a pair (or two) of thick warm socks. Trying to cram your foot into a shoe that’s too tight will work against you by constricting the blood flow to your foot. Less blood flow means colder feet.
A couple of months ago, I reviewed the Nite-Hawk Digital Emitter bike light. And at that time, I questioned the light’s quality and durability. Well, on my ride in today, that question was answered.
As I was riding along a stretch of hard-packed snow, the light suddenly leapt off my handlebars, bounced along the ground and rolled down a steep hill / cliff. (Do I blame Nite-Hawk, Murphy or Newton for that?)
I spent the next 15 minutes carefully leaping from bush to shrub on the icy hill as I searched for the light. Luckily, I’d had the light turned on, so eventually I noticed the flash and was able to rescue it.
My first thought was that the quick release had simply released, but no — that was still attached to the bike. The connection between the battery pack and the quick release insert had broken. From what I can see, it looks like this connection was simply (and only partially) glued. This only reinforces my theory that NightHawk quickly rushed this light to market without much thought on its quality or usability.
Next step — fire off a snarky note to Nite-Hawk and see what their response is.
I have to admit, it’s rare that I come across a product that I’m completely satisfied with.
Usually, there are at least a couple of things I’d have done differently or that I think could be improved upon.
So, imagine my delight when I came across a backpack that seemed to have been designed specifically for cyclists. I also have a feeling it was designed, not by the marketing department, but by people who actually USE a backpack when cycling. Gadzooks!
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