The Hiplok Z LOK COMBO ($24.99) is a zip tie on steroids—except that it’s made with an 8mm reinforced steel core and a three-digit combination lock system. To be clear, I know of no bike lock that is 100% theft-proof. Once, in Amsterdam, I watched a local thug saw through two solid, heavy Dutch-style security […]
hiplokThe North St. Route Seven pannier ($130) is a durable, waterproof pannier that is made in the U.S. It has a fast and simple rack mounting system that securely attaches the pannier to the rack. It’s lightweight, very well made and is an outstanding price to value option for the bike commuter. Ahhh…bike commuting. I […]
North St.The North St. Gladstone Grocery Pannier ($55) is a US-made pannier that is literally designed to carry a sack of groceries. There are so many benefits to parking the car and running errands on a bike. It’s healthier. Cheaper. Cooler. Less soul-sucking. You also get a better parking spot. I could go on and […]
North StreetAH, the Smartwool Corbet 120 ($200). Just feeling the words roll off my tongue makes me warm. Wool, as you know, is the original tech fabric. Humans were summiting 8,000-meter peaks and tending goats in January on the Steppes of Mongolia while wearing wool long before any lab-born textiles were a even a remote idea in […]
smartwoolThe Sugoi Alpha Hybrid ($180) is a highly-breathable cold-weather active jacket with a high warmth to weight ratio. Here in the frigid upper Midwest of Minnesota, it’s kind of what we look for. Ideally, I look for a jacket that can keep me comfortable in temperatures around -15 with windchill (when the temps plunge to -16 […]
SugoiThe 174Hudson ($79.99) is a budget-friendly pannier that converts to a backpack. There is a symbiosis with this design that, on one hand, appeals to me. Converting from pannier to pack gives you carry options. But on the other hand visions of marble cake come to mind. Yes, marble cake. Vanilla, chocolate, make up your mind! Pick […]
174HudsonNothing says love during the holidays better than some sweet upgrades for the cyclist in your life. These simple and fun (and sure to be appreciated) stocking stuffers from TIME, Wolf Tooth, Effetto Mariposa, Spur Cycle, HIPLOK, Gore and Pearl Izumi are essentials for anyone that rides on two wheels (and will ensure your Christmas […]
A friend who works for Patagonia has been banging on about this jacket for months, so I was really excited to get the sample jacket. It’s not like I have any shortage of jackets after doing this gig for 12 years now, but new stuff is new stuff. Last year, despondent over the change in […]
insulation, jackets, Patagonia
Showers Pass knows rain and inclement weather and they have taken protection from those elements to a new level this fall with the Showers Pass Refuge jacket ($279). What makes this jacket so impressive is its versatility. It’s a rain jacket for cycling and hiking. It’s a windbreaker. The Showers Pass Refuge jacket might just […]
Showers Pass
Here we are, readers, the Geargals alive and kicking after a massive hack that took down the site and left me despondent, unable to repair it on my own. But, thanks to Codeable we were back up and running in two days. Well, three months and two days, because it took me three months to […]
insulation, jackets, Patagonia, The North Face, versus