Biking
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This no-nonsense shoe is plenty stiff, has an aggressive tread, and sports a synthetic leather upper tough enough for the roughest trails. It performs as well as some cleats twice the price. bike.shimano.com…
At just nine ounces, the über-flashy S-Works is the lightest lid on the planet. Deep vents, Kevlar reinforcement, and an ingenious full-head fit system make it as sensible as it is light. specialized.com…
Somehow, Bontrager managed to squeeze all the features of a high-end shoe—heat-moldable insoles, carbon-reinforced soles, removable toe spikes—into this extremely well-priced model. Fits narrow and medium-width feet best. bontrager.com…
Cross-Country Comfort Though this aluminum cross-country racer doesn’t boast the exotic carbon fiber and secret build techniques of the bikes above it in the Spark line, it does have the same semirelaxed geometry and efficient 4.3-inch-travel design that have made those bikes popular endurance racers. “I know it’s a race…
Utility For Town or Country Need a tour-ready, highly walkable shoe that delivers stiffness and a grabby tread pattern—and is also pretty styling? Here you go. The tough leather upper took a beating and easily brushed clean, the roomy toe box was comfortable on long rides, and the reflective…
Afraid of screwing up your 'do by wearing a helmet, but don't want to crush your skull in a bicycle crash? Two Swedish industrial design students have the solution to your dilemma: an airbag collar. The Hvvding (English translation: the Chieftain) “springs into action within 0.1 seconds, covering the…
I recently picked up a Masi Speciale Commuter and love it for short rides, but after reading this month's issue, I've decided that I will try to give up my car for a month. This means a commute of around 30 miles. Since I'm going to be going to work and to campus, I'd like something that looks casual. Any suggestions? Charles Arlington, TX
By Stephen Regenold An available trailer hitch and two minutes of installation time is all you need to set up a bomber behind-the-car bike-toting system with the Kuat Alpha or the Thule 971xt rack. These similarly-designed systems affix to either the common…
By Stephen Regenold The Forerunner series of athletic-minded watches from Garmin Ltd. have gained a devotion with some athletes and exercisers that may only be described as cultish. But it is with good reason: Forerunner watches are top-shelf performers and they offer functions…
By Stephen Regenold The Forerunner series of athletic-minded watches from Garmin Ltd. have gained a devotion with some athletes and exercisers that may only be described as cultish. But it is with good reason: Forerunner watches are top-shelf performers and they offer functions…
I just dropped a bunch of bucks outfitting a used road bike I traded my mountain bike for. Rack, fenders, computer, lights, new helmet, bags. Whew! Now I need to know what to wear for my 18-mile commute in Seattle. I have a light rain jacket and padded bike shorts to get me started, but I want to buy a jacket, bike shorts, underwear (yikes, they’re $20 a pop), some kind of wool knickers for pants, and a couple of undershirts. Is that the right stuff? Lukas Seattle, WA
Some inventive British cycling enthusiasts created a bike with an ejector seat and flame throwers, the ϳԹ Blog reports. Named the BOND Bike (Built of Notorious Deterrents), the two-wheeled tank also boasts a caterpillar track…
By Stephen Regenold The annual Interbike Expo trade show, held last week, Sept. 22 to 24, in Las Vegas, is a gathering of cycling brands, dealers, designers, media and bike enthusiasts from around the globe. I traveled to Sin City for…
By Stephen Regenold Four days, a few miles of desert trail ridden, press meetings, casinos, a major cyclocross event, and a dozen bikes tested. . . the Gear Junkie crew is back from Las Vegas and the Interbike Expo, an annual…
Photo courtesy of Flickr. Hungary designers have created a bike that operates without a chain, dubbed the StringBike, Treehugger.com reports. The StringBike uses a symmetrical pulley system of polyethylene…
I have a very strong affinity for places lush and wet. I lived in Santa Fe for six years and, except for the snowy days, was always unsuccessfully fending off a sort of low-grade existential funk. Give me a dense green forest in the rain any day; my mood goes…
Used to be that if you wanted to buy Shimano’s best cross-country race components, you’d just look for the XTR label. Not anymore—not exactly, anyway. For 2011, Shimano has expanded the XTR name to cover a family of top-end components that allow buyers to choose between ubber-light Race components…
If you're looking for a little more flash or bling in your next ride, don't miss the 24-karat gold plated folding Brompton S2L, which was listed on eBay yesterday. The bike also sports a pool-ball stickshift, stop-cock hinge clamps, skateboard wheels for rollers (when…
Giro is entering the cycling-shoe market in 2011 with a shoe line that, at the top end, compares favorably in both fit and performance to any high-end shoes on the market. The company invited a few journalists to Livigno, Italy, last weekend, just before the start of the annual Eurobike…
Ryan Rzepecki's Social Bicycles System might be the most affordable way for cities to implement bike sharing networks, Shareable reports. The Social Bicycles System, or SoBi, allows commuters to “use their smartphones to locate,…
Why is it so hard to find cycling apparel that doesn't make me look like a boy? The Editors Santa Fe, NM
There has been a surge in anatomically-named fitness products lately. Cyclist Dave Zabriskie released his anti-chaffing cream, DZ Nuts (pronounced dees nuts) in 2008. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, developed in 2003, became the anti-chaffing product of…
Craptastic weather is well on the way. Are you and your bike engaged in a farewell fling in anxious anticipation of the fall day that you'll dismiss her to the garage or basement? I sure hope not. It's so much fun to ride year round. Once you're out there…
Tomorrow, the Copenhagen Wheel, a simple wheel attachment for your bicycle that gathers power as you brake, will compete against an international field of inventions for a shot at the 2010 James Dyson Award, reports Discovery News.
I'm looking for a new multi-use bag for graduate school. I'd like a bag I can use during the week for biking to school (I have a 17 inch laptop), and on the weekends for long day hikes with my dog. It'd also be nice if it was waterproof, and it doesn't need to be specifically for holding laptops since I have a sleeve. Liz Harvey Denver, Colorado
Technology giant, Apple, may be going after the cycling market next. The US Patent and Trademark office released Apple's plans to build a “Smart Bicycle System” on Friday, the Huffington Post reports. The bike would integrate iPhone and iPod technology, measuring speed,…
For 2011, Trek has gone back over virtually its entire mountain-bike line and, rather than introduce new models, has refined existing platforms. Weights are lighter, handling is stiffer, and suspension is more precisely tuned. In July, the company offered a peak of its 2011 offerings in the ski-resort town of…
By now, you’ve hit the trail a handful of times and you’ve noticed your mountain bike’s shifting seems tired, or is ghost shifting on you. Time to replace your drivetrain. Your timing is good because component manufacturer SRAM just revolutionized mountain-bike gearing with its new 2×10 system–two gears up…
THE ALL-NEW ROUBAIX As expected, the mystery bike Fabian Cancellara rode to victory over the brutal cobbles of Paris-Roubaix in April was a teaser for Specialized’s all-new S-Works Roubaix SL3. The company unveiled the bike—along with several other new models and accessories—for about international 100 journalists two weeks ago…
By Stephen Regenold It was more than 20 years ago when an enterprising endurance athlete stuffed a medical IV bag into a tube sock and sewed it onto his cycling jersey. CamelBak, the self-proclaimed inventor of the “hands-free hydration…
Trek gathered about 30 international cycling journalists in Rotterdam on Friday to introduce the 2011 Madone line of road bikes. Speaking in a meeting hall just off the route of Saturday’s Tour de France Prologue, Trek road product manager Tyler Pilger unveiled a Madone line that involves…
By Stephen Regenold A big backpack is an option. Many people bet on rack-mounted panniers. But to really haul a lot of cargo while on two wheels, bike trailers rule. Burley Design of Eugene, Oregon, (burley.com) debuted a smart new offering in the…
PRESS CAMP PART 2 Now in its second year, Press Camp is a four-day gathering of journalists and companies from the bike industry. Mornings are filled with one-on-one informational meetings, while the afternoons are reserved for product testing. This year Press Camp was…
PRESS CAMP PART 1Now in its second year, Press Camp is a four-day gathering of journalists and companies from the bike industry. Mornings are filled with one-on-one informational meetings, while the afternoons are reserved for product testing. This year Press Camp was…
By Stephen Regenold The Gear Junkie is also a bit of a bike junkie. As of this moment, my one-car city garage is crammed with six bikes, two pull-behind kid trailers, a tag-along attachment, and various child bike seats. Our van is parked on the street.
The One-Bike Quiver This is quite a bike. The 2011 Jekyll—a name that Cannondale has returned to its lineup after a seven-year hiatus—is a six-inch all-mountain bike with a rear shock that is literally two shocks in one. A handlebar-mounted remote toggles…
By Stephen Regenold Last July, when Greg Martin rolled across the finish line to win the 2009 Singlespeed World Championships bike race in Canmore, Alberta, one thing was missing from the rig he'd pedaled for 24 hours straight: a bike chain. Martin…
Your old Gary Fisher mountain bike might become even more of a collector's item. The legendary Fisher bike brand is simultaneously going away and expanding. That’s the word from Trek, which has owned the Fisher brand since 1996. Trek…
I sweat a lot when I mountain bike, and when I wear sunglasses they usually fog up, or the lens gets covered in dripping sweat. I've tried to wear a headband, but that doesn't work. Do you have a recommendation for sunglasses with lenses that won't fog up or get covered with beads of sweat?Todd Jenkintown, PA
Electra’s spirited exploration of the city/cruiser/commuter category continues with its new Ticino line of retro-styled city bikes. I spent the winter and spring commuting around Boulder, Colorado, on the top-of the line Ticino 20D and had a hard time giving it back. Though not always the…
Trek has announced a huge push into the exploding triathlon market with its new Speed Concept frame, which it calls “the fastest bike in the world.” Part of what makes the Speed Concept so fast, Trek CEO John Burke told a gathering of journalists and…
By Stephen Regenold A part of the mission of Cyclelogical, a small bike-products company based in Ogden, Utah, is to keep “the world we live in safe for bicycle commuting everywhere.” The company's Chopspokes cost just $7 and…
Today, a guest post from ϳԹ senior executive editor Michael Roberts. During a recent trip to Santa Fe, I got a chance to test a Jackal MC-1, a hardtail carbon-fiber mountain bike…
By Stephen Regenold “Climb efficiently, and descend like a champ.” That was the line from a Giant Bicycle sales rep when describing the theme of the company's Anthem line of mountain bikes. For the past few months, including three competitive events and hundreds of…
Stylish sport coat or performance cycling apparel? Actually, it’s both. I first rode around town in Rapha’s Tailored Jacket on a roasting summer day—and, believe it or not, was comfortable, unconstrained, and even cool. Rapha joined forces with famed London tailor Timothy Everest (no relation to that other one) for…
The new canvas for artistic expression? Bike racks. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, among other cities, have instituted design competitions for their sidewalk bike racks. And in New York this spring, workers will begin replacing 225 outdated parking meters with winning rack designs—which, presumably, will not look like parking…
Wired's Gadget Lab has a collection of six helmet cam videos, titled “Headfirst…
It's a great week for the cycling community. Trifuel.com has reported that the League of American Bicyclists recently awarded TriSports.com with a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Business (BGB) award. The League,which was created to promote more bike friendly businesses, is paving the…
What are your top choices for a commuter urban/city bike for NYC under $1,000? Also, the bike needs to handle long afternoon rides (50+ miles) through the city. I've looked at Cannondale, Swobo, Specialized, Marin, and others, need some help. Thanks!—JosephAstoria, NY
When spring showers make a mess of your favorite streets and trails, fight back.
We're entering the midway point of the ϳԹ bike-test week in Tucson, Arizona, and we've had a pretty special toy to play with during the first part of the week. The photos are below. It's not part of our test, but it probably offers a hint of what life will…
Sanyo has introduced the Eneloop hybrid bike to the U.S. market. It costs $2,300, weighs about 50 pounds, and has a lithium-ion battery and 250-watt motor activated by a button on the left handlebar, according to…
I'm convinced there's no objective info out there about bike wheels anymore. I want a set of lightweight aero road-bike wheels for racing, but do real people actually pay $2,000 bucks for carbon deep-dish wheels? In other words, are carbon wheels disposable, are budget carbon wheels worth a look, and would an aluminum clincher wheel really be just as good for crits and road races? What's an aspiring racer on a budget to do? John Lexington, KY
Nobody likes the numb, tingly feeling you sometimes get in your man-parts after a long bike ride. That is why I was really excited to try the Scratch Pro saddle ($150) from Prologo. And, hey, if 2008 Tour de…
The 2010 Vuelta a Espana route has been announced, Velo News reports. The race will begin with an evening stage in Seville on August 28. Riders will then cover over 3,300 km in the 21-stage race. This year's Vuelta includes only one time trial made…
Researchers are MIT have designed a bike wheel that saves the kinetic energy generated by braking and stores it for later use, when the rider needs a boost, The New York Times reports. The energy goes into a battery inside the wheel's hub, a sleek…
TheYakima Holdup bike carrier has a built-in bottle opener. Yeah, I know, sodo flip-flops these days, but still. Butfirst, why the hitch-mounted tray-style bike carrier? Hitch-mounted racks maketransporting bicycles easier because you don’t have to be Yao Ming or…
Lance Armstrong sold 7 of his old bikes at a Sotheby's auction on Sunday, raising about $1.3 million for his his foundation, LIVESTRONG, according to the examiner. Here's a list of the bikes and their auction sale price: Hirst Bike (ridden by Armstrong at…
Interesting story from CNN today about the booming market for electric bikes. There were 200,000 of them sold in the U.S. alone last year. We still haven't caught up to Europe, where e-bikes are reportedly the fastest selling category in bike shops, or China, where there are…
The athletic equipment that made the cut for our second annual celebration of the best in design and technology.
When I agreed to accompany my friend on an epic bicycle tripfrom Canada to Mexico on the popular Pacific Coast Route,my previous biking experience consisted of a 1.2 mile commute to work. Suddenly, I’d be goingfrom nada to 60-plus miles a day for almost two…
CARRY-ON Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic Courtesy of Ortlieb Like to haul bigger loads, like a laptop, on a rear rack? Get ORTLIEB's grab-and-go BACK-ROLLER CLASSIC (pair, $165; ortliebusa.com), one of the toughest, and best-looking, waterproof panniers available. Check out 2009's best commuter bikes and our bike…
The easiest way to build fun and adventure into every day? Lose the car keys and ride your bike to work—and everywhere else. Here's how to pull it off in style. Saddle up!
Is there one singular multi-sport, multi-purpose helmet out there? I like to participate in most outdoor sports, kayaking, biking, ski/snowboarding, climbing, etc. Are there any multi-sport helmets that would work for all those sports? Having four different helmets seems like a waste. Ad Hood River, OR
I still use cages on the pedals of my Bianchi. I find it easier to get in and out of the pedals than clips. However, I cannot find shoes that are designed for cages. Do such shoes exist? Andy St. Paul, MN
I enjoy riding my hybrid bike (Trek 7300), for fun and exercise, on both pavement and gravel/dirt/rocky surfaces. But I'd like something faster and more aggressive. My rides are usually about 20 miles and I'd like to go longer. Would you recommend a cyclocross or another hybrid? Tim Basking Ridge, NJ
My wife and I would like to take our 13-month-old daughter cycling with us. We will mostly be doing short trips around town, and we are having trouble deciding between a trailer and a child seat. Which one is safer, and how will they affect the handling of the bike? There are numerous options available in both categories, and we would like to know if you have any recommendations that won't break the bank. Noah West Lafayette, IN
What's going on inside a top-level MTB cleat? We dissected this $380 model to find out.
I've owned touring bikes for almost 25 years. When it was time to change my ride, I would automatically go for touring. But I must admit that I don't leave for extended periods as often (a way of saying I'm not touring anymore, actually—but that’s very hard to admit). I don't really need triple chainrings, but I like the possibility of installing racks to carry moderate loads (computer, lunch, extra clothes) when I commute to work. What are my options below 1,000$? Eric Quebec, QC
I just starting out on a bike and plan on cycling daily, both by the lake and around town. I was wondering how good Marin bikes are, particularly the Marin Kentfield FS? Is it comfortable for a woman, and what is the difference between 17 inch and 19 inch? Is this bike okay for a beginner? Thank you. Nancy Chicago, IL
1. FELT ZW1 BIKE It looks fast, it feels fast, and it is fasteven if you’re not. The oversize carbon-fiber tubes are dialed for female riders; they were never too stiff, never too soft. Shimano’s finest Dura-Ace components, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, gel grips, and Felt’s women’s carbon saddle…
1. MT. BORAH CUSTOM With seven-week turnarounds and minimum orders of just six pieces, Mt. Borah makes customcycling gear easier than ever. Jerseys from $83; mtborahcustom.com 2. VITTORIA OPEN CORSA EVO CX The handmade CX can handle pressures up to 200 psi and is…
Gear Guru- I'm looking for a bike rack that is easy to use and easy to put on the car and take off. I've been looking at the Thule Jaws rack, but on a recent trip to Moab, I noticed almost every car out there was equipped with a fork-lock rack. Do these people know something I don't? Chris Eau Claire, WI
