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.
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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…
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Where do old toothbrushes go when they die at our house? Down to my workshop and into my bike-cleaning arsenal. However, there’s a new “special brush” in my collection now.
While toothbrushes are great for scrubbing the smaller, fiddly areas on a bike, even the “hard” brushes aren’t really up to scrubbing off months of grease and road gunk.
As I stood and stared at my road-schlop-encrusted mountain bike this weekend, I started to mentally prepare myself for the task. I had my bottles of environmentally-friendly degreaser to my left, my shop-grade paper towels to my right and my legions of splayed old toothbrushes behind me.
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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.
First impression
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.
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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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