Thank you sir, may I have another?

Yeah, it was that wet...

The email went out Friday. The ride rolls out from the cobbles at seven AM sharp. It was supposed to be wet. 100% chance of rain wet. I was up early and checked the radar map. The map wasn’t green; it was yellow. It was raining hard. We usually think there is fine line between stupid and epic, there was no line today; this ride would be both.

As I was gathering my stuff for the ride I spotted my camera. “Not today, it’s too wet” I said out loud. On the drive to the rendezvous, I plucked a pair of toe warmers out of the glove box. I game them a kiss before opening the pack and sticking them to my socks. The rain was slapping my windshield as I drove.

We gave each other fist bumps like most morons do just prior to all manner of foolish undertakings. It was raining pretty hard. Like solders following orders we rolled out with minimal emotion.

We stopped for a moment whilst Sam made a brief clothing adjustment. As I was stopped, a drop of water from a power line fell as if aimed by a sniper, and went down the back of my neck and chilled my whole body. A cold rain continued to fall.

I looked out across Lake Washington. It was so dark and grey it looked like a black and white photograph. The ride was going to be so epic, the story should have been told in monochrome.

As we crossed I-90 there were whitecaps and the wind was blowing. For the first time in two years I closed the pit zips on my rain jacket. Dave kept going off the front. We three chasers; El Hefe, Hardman, and Evo spent the early miles trying to catch him. It seemed to be raining harder now.

The rain was unrelenting and we found ourselves crashing through puddles the way one does the last lap of a cross race. We seemed to have a mindset of, “I’m already soaked, and it’s almost over.” The only problem was; we were not nearly done; we had just started.

We were in Medina when Dave needed to take a natural break. Considering the neighborhood, we stopped at a gas station. While Dave was using the bathroom, Hardman bought a cup of cocoa, to show some patronage while El Hefe hung out in the walk in beer cooler to try and warm up. He passed the cocoa around and we all savored a sip or two.

Dave contemplated taking a bus back home and his body language revealed how cold he was. He mentioned how his feet were soaked. The store clerk, I’ll call her Marge because I could believe she was a Marge, offered Dave her socks. She said they were men’s socks and that her feet were clean when she put them on before her shift. Even with all of the sarcasm I have, I can’t say anything except that was among the nicest things I’ve seen in a long time. It was bombing rain outside.

Dave did take her up on her offer of two plastic bags which he promptly inserted between his shoes and his failing Pearl Izumi Cyclone Shoe covers. We scarfed food in hopes of stoking a fire in our bodies and warming up. With our bellies full we again set out.

The road was being resurfaced, so it was as rough as the cobbles we had started on. We kept the pace conversational and asked about each other’s gloves and shoe covers. Today was the test for all of our gear. I opened and closed my hand. My (waterproof) gloves were soaked. The temperature was in the upper thirties. The rain wasn’t ever going to end.

We climbed out of Kirkland and my glasses fogged up. My feet were now cold. My core was still good. Our bikes were covered with road mung. They looked like they had just finished a Cyclocross race. Mud on the chain stays and seat stays and down tubes.

We stopped in Kenmore for a second natural break. Would the bathroom have hand dryers that blew warm air? No such luck. For a moment I thought the rain had stopped. It hadn’t.

As we pointed south for the return to Capital Hill we were greeted with a stiff headwind. We had the weather trifecta; cold, wet, and windy. We plodded toward home. We were on the home stretch and each of us suffering quietly. I took some solace that there would only be thirty-nine more days and thirty-nine more nights of this biblical storm.

Dave kept popping off the front, not so much because he was aggressive, but because he was trying to warm up. After passing through the University of Washington we began to climb. Standing on the pedals only served to stir the water in my shoes and pump the warm water that had been close to my pruned skin away, and draw the colder water close to my skin.

“Guys,” Dave offered in a tone that concerned us. He sounded like he was about to confess something serious. “I’m just going to go straight home and sit in my hot tub.” We continued to climb and as we neared Dave’s house he bid us farewell. I don’t know if Dave changed his clothes or just dropped his bike and stepped into his hot tub in full kit. Either way, I respect him.

Hardman, El Hefe and I stopped at Fuel and started to acknowledge reality. I wrung out my waterproof gloves and then winced at the resulting puddle. I searched in vain for my second cleat cover and had to concede I had lost it somewhere along the way. It was still raining.

We were all soaked. What was the best part of the ride? The end was the best part. We all knew exactly what we were getting into when we started. It was as rough as expected. We didn’t whine and our bravado was all tongue in cheek. The warm coffee was good, but we were so cold we knew the path to warmth involved a shower, and so our respite was brief.

I didn’t even think about putting on my soaking gloves, I just wedged them into a back pocket and rode the half-mile back to the war wagon with bare hands. At the car I plopped my wet clothes in a pile and climbed in.

I drove home sitting on a towel. Once back I had to do the full Post-Cyclocross Race routine. I hosed my clothes off and washed everything. I hosed off the black gunk that coated my rims.

The shower was welcomed and the washing machine did its job as well. My boot dryer was called to service and my shoes are there right now.

I think I’ll get up early tomorrow and do it again.

Saddle Summary

*** Cell phone picture ***
My mom had a knee replacement this past September. As part of her rehab she rode Hottie's old mountain bike on a trainer. She did make one small modification. I guess this just confirms that saddle preferences are subject to personal taste.

Product Review Black Diamond Rock Bottoms

While I might give you the shirt off my back, I'm keeping these pants

I bought a pair of climbing pants back in the last millennium. They were supposed to be tough. I did in fact wear them climbing, I also wore them causally around the house. They are super comfortable. They are great for dog walking in cooler weather and anytime I want something more comfy than jeans. They became my after work pants several evenings each week. I did the math the other day and I estimate I have worn them over 1,500 times. I recently found them online and it says they are made of Nylon with a small percentage of Spandex. I had a pair of North Face pants made of Nylon that just sucked. Those quickly became painting pants.

These are the real deal. I rarely pay retail and I have no idea what I paid for these. Whatever it was, it was worth it. They dry fast, still look okay, keep their shape and don't seem to stain. Five of five for these.

Squirt wax-based chain lube product review

Clean is beautiful !!

Eleven years ago I tried White Lightening chain lube. It went on clean looked to be the real deal. After just a few minutes of riding my drive train looked like I had ridden through an ocean of volcanic ash. I cleaned and re-applied and had the same result. To keep this brief I will simply tell you the same bottle is sitting in my garage at this moment. I quickly stopped using it.

Maintenance Prophet Lennard Zinn has proclaimed ProLink Gold to be the magic stuff and my limited testing of alternatives has given me no cause to doubt his proclamation. I have used it and turned on numerous friends to the wonderful liquid. I’ve tried Tri-flow, assorted lubes from Pedro’s, and the Rock and Roll stuff. For super wet conditions I may use some Pedro’s synthetic, otherwise I’m sticking with ProLink Gold.

At a cross race last season my teammate Kevin, with whom I share occasional tool and bike porn, pointed to a clean chain and told me of a new wonder lube. It is called “Squirt” and is made in South Africa. His chain looked clean compared to his rear cassette and I was curious. He said it was a wax based lube and I was predictably doubtful. Kevin has proven time and again to be knowledgeable, so I decided I would try it.

A few weeks later I obtained a small bottle and after dutifully cleaning my chain, cassette and rings, I gave it a try. Following the instructions I shook the bottle like crazy before applying, and dutifully dripped some on each link.

I reapplied the wax lube after a wet ride and had not yet formed an opinion. My next ride was long and wet and after I returned I decided to remove the chain so I could floss the cassette with a clean rag without the chain in the way.

The chain was gooey as if it had been lubed with bacon fat. Specifically it looked like bacon fat with dirt seasoning. The chain looked filthy and felt stiff. I didn’t have any frozen links, but it felt like the chain I pulled off a 1974 old Schwinn LeTour that sat idle for thirty years.

I cleaned the chain and put on some ProLink Gold. Then I repeated this process because it still looked dirty. Finally satisfied, I turned to the cassette. I flossed and flossed. I scrubbed with a brush and citrus degreaser. It still looked dirty. More flossing.

Nine years ago I regularly got schooled on rides by a guy named Felix. He road Campy equipped Italian bike with an eight speed cassette that was always black and dirty. I vowed never to let any bike get that dirty. My cassette was “Felix dirty.”

I pulled the wheel off and kept at it. I knew the cassette was silver in color and was determined to work until I saw that color again. Floss, brush, douse with degreaser, floss and repeat and repeat. Then on to the chainrings..

I’ve got half a bottle of Squirt you can have for cheap. And I’ll throw in the White Lightening as a bonus. If someone is reading this and can share some positive words about wax-based lubes, please tell me what I’m missing. Really.

Boot Dryer DIY

UGLY, but fully functional
For almost nothing I made a boot dryer. I bought a bathroom ceiling fan for $13 and used wood from a drawer. I cut off the cord from something that went into the trash and found some PVC pipe and I was in business.

This is the fan unit. I mounted it to a two by four and mounted that into the drawer.

Then I drilled the holes for the PVC and glued them in place with gorilla glue

Tux made sure I did a quality job....
Then I used some bathroom caulk and sealed around the PVC.
I used wood from the bottom of another drawer and sealed it off.
After last week's SSCXWC, it got put to the test.

What is good about this is there is NO heat, so you can leave it on overnight and not cook anything. It was cheap, it is quiet enough and by plugging, or opening the tops, you can dry one to five pairs of boots/gloves, etc..

Gluing Tubulars for Cyclocross the DAVO way

I am doing nothing more here than passing bits of knowledge that have come to me on to benefit others. The best way to glue tubulars for Cyclocross comes from Stu Thorne and can be found here Stu An alternative can be found here if you can’t find any Belgium tape CX Mag . Lennard Zinn has a treatise on the subject here Zinn .

My confession de jour is that when I glue, I am sloppy. So I have learned the following and it serves me well. Start by putting electrical tape on your braking surface all the way around. Do this on both sides. Electrical tape is perfect because it stretches enough that it won’t wrinkle and you can protect the surface from errant glue. Then just because I am a slob, I put blue painters tape on the remaining rim surface. If you have way cool carbon rims, why make them ugly with glue? Yeah, nobody plans on getting glue on the carbon, it just happens. It just happens unless you cover the rim with blue tape. If you get really good you can just put in on one side, and on that side just on the half opposite the valve stem. If you follow anyone’s gluing method, you will understand why the blue tape can go just in that one place.

Then when you are applying glue to your rim in a wheel stand, you can make sure everything is covered. I use a lot of glue. My wheels stay on. I am not planning on changing anything. Got it ? Good.

Another precaution I take is I have my box of blue gloves handy and change gloves often during the process.

After all appears good (like in 24 hours), then put in some sealant, Evo prefers CaffeeLatex if you must know. And if you have expensive sidewalls, don’t forget the Aquaseal.

Davis Double Century Equipment Observations

Don't call me "Spot" The name is TUX !

This is my fourth post on the DDC TOC trilogy. Kind of like how there were five films in the ROCKY trilogy. For those readers who kept close track, there was actually a sixth Rocky movie, and since Stalone is still alive, we need to leave that door open.

Giro Pneumo helmet
Perfect. I am sad they have discontinued the Pneumo. It vents my hot head like nothing else.

Jawbone glasses
Perfect. I used dark lenses and had no problem in the pre sunrise light, and they were great when the brutal sun was beating me down…

Descente Liner sleeveless shirt
Liner shirt in hot weather hard to tell as there was no control group. I was hot, and I was kept dry. Would no shirt have kept me cooler? I don’t know. This mesh Descente liner is a great garment and I didn’t bake. On a side note, I do know that I rode this weekend in a Patagonia Cold weather “CRAFT-like” liner and it felt cold and clammy. Once I got cold in the coffee shop I didn’t warm up until I was home and stripped it off. Descente 1, Patagonia 0. I have been buying Patagonia stuff since 1977 and this is the first Patagonia garment to let me down.

Giro Monaco gloves
The padding was fine, and the ventilation was good as well. I was disappointed the black color seemed to bleed unto the heel of may palms, and the edges of my jersey pockets were likewise showing black stains which I attribute to the gloves.

Pactimo “Hank” Bibs
My first impression when I rode these was that the chammy pad felt like I had four slices of swiss cheese under each cheek. The pad is thick, and I am a thin pad kind of guy. With that said- I had twelve hours of happiness in these. The pad seemed to disappear when I was pedaling. It is between these and my Giordana Red bibs as to which is my best. I guess since I wore these, they win the prize.

Sidi Shoes
My feet felt sore on the bottoms from the road vibration and I feel like I am spilling over the side (suponating) of my left one. So I can’t give these five stars. I will try and put a new insert or similar treatment and see how they do.

Aliante Saddle
I can recall on centuries standing up and reaching back and squeezing my saddle to see if there was any padding, or if my saddle had somehow turned to stone. The Aliante was perfect, no hot spots, no friction, and total happiness.

Brave Soldier chammy goo
This is different stuff. You put it on you and let it dry (sort of) and then bib up. I supplement this with some Belgium Butter and was so happy. The logic is this. When you ride, if your skin is moist it is more likely to chafe and have unhappiness. This is kind of like petroleum jelly, but it isn’t therefore it won’t kill your chammy. It helps the skin be…..tough. Not sure how to describe it. When I supplement with a traditional chammy cream like Assos, that stuff provides the lubrication and the Brave Soldier keep my skin happy.

Belgium Budder Chamois Cream
This is my new favorite. While Assos is perhaps the “thinnest” of the chammy creams and DZ nuts is thicker, the Belgium Butter is thicker still. Still slippery, but I think this stays in place better. Sorry for the extensive diatribe, but to us cyclists, this is important stuff.

Sustained Energy
I had some the other day just to see if it was my error, or if I wasn’t meant to use this stuff. It was my bad. The stuff works and if you keep it fresh it tastes like a cross between toothpaste foam and pancake batter. If it starts tasting like bread dough, spit it out.

Nuun
This is the best stuff. They supported our team and it was appreciated in every way.

Little camera
I have a little Cannon Powershot that I keep in my jersey pocket. It is a great machine and I am glad I brought it along.

Hincapie low cut socks
I wore some low cut socks by Hincapie. They were fine. A little more padding on the bottom might have helped.

DeFeet Kneekers and Hincapie knee warmers Review

I’ll tell you what I like about both and why.

DeFeet Kneekers
I love these. They are very reasonably priced, which is very important. They are black and a mix of cool max and who knows what. I believe they also make ones that are wool (or a wool blend) and I am sure they are absolute wonderfulness as well. The Kneekers are knit and that helps them breath very well. There is a lighter open weave in the back and a denser weave up front where you can use some wind protection. They have an amazing temperature range and stuff fairly well. They are okay for moderate rain, but the open weave holds water and holds mud such that I would never consider wearing these for a ‘cross race. They can be worn low, almost like leg warmers, or high like the knee warmers they are. They are extremely comfy on the skin and my legs have never felt clammy or sweaty in these. While a warming day sometimes beckons you to remove a piece of clothing by getting uncomfortable, these have never raised a voice of protest. Because they are knit there is a bit of a three dimensional aspect to these so they don’t stuff as tiny as a Lycra model. One last bit of trivia. I have some leg warmers that are slippery lycra and the hem of my bibs sometimes slides up because the fabric is so smooth (and the elastic on my bibs is so old). These Kneekers have enough texture that I get no ride up of my bibs with these. This is a great performing product, and at the price a must have.



Hincapie Roubaix Knee warmers
I love these as well. I bought them off eBay so they weren’t too expensive in this instance. Sadly I had to modify them right out of the gate because the calf elastic was too loose. I will point out that I am not some pencil legged rider who has to look to the ends of the earth to find clothing that fits. My legs curve in all the right places and within range of all the right amounts. The rest of the knee warmer fit me just swell. The fabric is nice and these are great if it is raining or likely to do so. They don’t hold water and have a reasonable temperature range. They stay up which some don’t. In my mind, any knee, leg or arm warmers that don’t stay up are giveaway items no matter how much they cost or what logos are on them. I get a little bib creep with the smooth fabric, but that is acceptable. The elastic at the top and bottom is high quality and they are well constructed. When I did the Solvang double I wore these the whole day and they held up their end of the bargain. They roll up and stash well. When it is cool and especially if it is likely to be wet, these can make the difference between comfort and misery.

Ode to Joy Fizik Aliante interm preliminary review

One thing, just ONE thing can make such a difference

More miles on the new saddle. I wish I could invoke trumpets to signal how much joy it brings to me. I was sad to bid goodbye to the Koobi. It did a good job, but without getting to personal, it kind of got too personal for me. Everyone said the Arione was the shizzle. I should have known better then to drink the kool aid on that one. Since the part of my body that goes on the saddle isn't flat, why would I think it would be comfortable on a flat saddle?

First impressions Fizik Aliante

My loyal followers will note that I usually wear something out before I feel I can provide an adequate product review of said item. Those of you foolish enough to check this space often are aware I am searching for a new saddle. I concluded the Arione was not for me and I tried an Antares. While drastically different than the Arione, my initial impression was that (like the Arione) it must be an acquired taste. I was resigned to the fact that my search would be long and painful.

When I plopped my backside on the Aliante today, I wondered if some Italian elves had secretly made a plaster cast of my butt and then built the Aliante, because the saddle felt wonderful. I may not be out of the woods yet, but I am hopeful. Perhaps there is cause for joy in Mudville tonight. If this does work, and I think it will be the one, I will give a full review when I have a several hundred more miles on it.

Crank Bros Eggbeaters Review

Evo's pedal of choice. Not a wasted gram of material anywhere !

In a cross race at Fort Flagler a few years ago there was a sand pit the full width of the course that was forty to sixty feet in length. There was solid grass before and after the pit. Turns before the pit drained all your speed on the approach. As you hit solid ground after the pit you had a short steep uphill and a sharp right hand turn to the finishing line. Some people rode the sand, some ran it, and many stalled part way through. A good run was as fast as a good ride. It was one of those beautiful Cyclocross spots where desire made the difference. On the last lap a rider I had been battling the whole race nosed ahead of me and I hung on his wheel approaching the pit. I moved next to him as we hit the sand. I dismounted and ran for all I was worth and remounted ahead of him. I churned up the hill and beat him across the line.

A few weeks before I had not been as lucky when remounting after a muddy Northwest run up. I jumped on and stomped on my pedal. There was no click. I tried the other side without success. My pedals looked like scoops of chocolate ice cream and my shoes were no doubt also caked with thick sticky mud. I scraped my shoe against my pedal to clear it and finally clipped in. In the time it took me to get clipped, I had lost several places. I fought hard and passed back some, but not all, of the riders who had passed me. After the race I was upset and swore I would replace my SPD pedals with Eggbeaters. By the next race I had installed the Eggbeaters and I have never looked back.

There are a lot of races where pedal selection doesn’t matter. Grassy courses, or ones that are dusty. Dry sand can be ridden with most any pedal. Soupy mud is amazingly easy on different pedal types. The thick cloddy, sticky stuff is where the pedals that contend and the ones that pretend part ways. I can’t speak to all the options out there; I can only say the Eggbeaters are outstanding.

Pedals are supposed to do three things, be easy to clip into, keep you in when you ride, allow you to exit predictably. Durability, serviceability, etc, are required for all components, so I don’t see them as specific to pedals. Exiting the Eggbeaters is as predictable as the sunrise. I’ve never had an unhappy ending in my years of Cyclocross with these.

This past summer I read how to service them, and accordingly removed the dust caps and lubed them. Frankly they had thrived even with total maintenance neglect. They are stout, simple and function great. In use, they shed mud because there is nothing for it to cling to. If you get mud in it, your cleat will push it out because unlike other pedals, there is nothing blocking the mud being pushed out. They release exactly when you expect and I don’t feel any flex.

These excel in Reliability, Simplicity, Predictability, and Performance. If there is something else you want a pedal to do, I can’t think of it. Five stars

Saddle up. It's 2010

Now that I realize Jonathan Page checks my blog every day just before eating his Nutella slathered Waffle breakfast, I feel driven to maintain a more flowing dialogue in 2010.

Like an addict that must be compelled to admit he has a problem, I feel I must step up to the front of the room and tell you all, that although I don’t have anything against him, I’m not actually a friend of Bill W’s. I will, however, also say that my name is Evo and while I could continue ride on a Fizik Arione if I had to, I just don’t want to. Thus I find myself re-entering the scary world of saddle hunters. My spin instructor swears by his Selle An-Atomica, but I’m not ready to drink that Kool Aid yet. 500 plus grams is staggering for a saddle no matter how comfortable it may be, and from what I have read, like every other saddle, it works for some and not for others. In 2009 I went with the tide of popular opinion and tried the Fizik Arione. I tried and tried, and for a while even convinced myself it was okay, but for me, in fact, it is not. The saddle is so unique that I am amazed it has the fan base that it does. Maybe everyone else is as susceptible to the marketing hype as I was. In the final analysis it was very much like riding on the top tube.

I was looking at my riding companions last Sunday (we had a dozen brave souls do the Mercer loop this past weekend) and the saddles were as different as the people that went on them. I am listening to my friends and begin my journey with an open mind and fresh cheeks.

I will keep you updated on my hunt.

Curtlo CX frame review

Proud Evo with the orange machine

I was assessing my season and had come to the realization that my bike handling skills had gone from a D to a B. It was a long time coming. Then reluctantly I realized it wasn’t me, it was the bike.

In 2009 I was fortunate enough to upgrade to a Curtlo Steel CX frame. For a completely custom frame it was very affordable and it was built by a true veteran frame builder residing in the wilderness Nirvana of Winthrop, Washington.

My past CX riding had been on three different aluminum frames. I started on a Specialized CX frame with a Campy drive train. I later sold that frame and went to a Kona Jake the Snake. I added a carbon fork and although I painted the Jake and loved the way it looked, I was forever washing out the front wheel and it just didn’t seem to want to hook up when the terrain was rough. I picked up a spare Ibex CX frame which I built into a single speed, and despite the anonymity of the Ibex bike name, that frame (to me) handled the best of the three aluminum frames. The Ibex later evolved into a commuter bike for me.

My hope was that a custom steel bike would fit me better and provide a more compliant platform. I could not imagine being any happier with the results. I wanted a more upright riding position to improve handling and a slightly sloping top tube to give some clearance without looking like a step through frame. I was able to pick my color and discussed my desired ride characteristics at length with Doug Curtiss (The “Curt” in Curtlo).

I am big for a cyclist, but I am usually able to find a decent fit at the top end of most stock frame sizes. Lucky for me, I am not tall or wide enough that I need to shop for clothing in special stores. About the only real oddity is that I run 180 cranks when I can find them, and for my cross bike I haven’t found them.

When I first saw my CX frame, it was proud to be in my team color of “Eddy” orange and sported a tall head tube, which I had said was okay. The sizing was perfect and it made going from my road bike to my cross bike painless. I had asked for the holy grail of bike building, a compliant back end for traction and comfort, and stiff front triangle so when I applied the power it went into forward progress rather than frame flex. Once again, the Curtlo frame delivered. The elegant tubes were shaped to provide the stiffness I wanted and the seat stays are gently curved to enhance the compliance. The joints are beautiful and the simple lines give the bike a timeless look that speaks class.

I had won some SRAM swag at a race a while back and had set up my commuter with SRAM Rival controls and drive train. My oldest was riding that and when I was tuning it for him I was so impressed with the ergonomics I stripped off my Campagnolo Record right shifter (and Chubby left hand brake lever) and installed the SRAM shifters. They work like a dream with my Campy Chorus back end. I picked up a Dura Ace crankset (175) with worn out rings and painted it black and coupled that with a Chris King BB to complete my Rodney King (Can’t we all just get along?”) build.

The frame is able to handle the stiff crankset, yet I can stand up for anything loose without losing traction. I still have to keep it planted to maintain grip on slippery mud uphill’s. I can roll through corners faster and with much more control than any aluminum frame. I also haven’t washed out my front end once all year. It is light and agile and the angles are perfect for cross.

A few seasons ago the guy I always found myself battling in the final lap was a fellow named Steve. I would power past him on climbs and long straights only to have him squirt past me on technical sections. I was all muscle and he had the bike handling skills. Although I haven’t seen Steve for a couple years, this season I was the one with the bike handling skills and when I combined that with the power that I still have, I was pleased with the results. Part way through the season I also made the leap to tubular tires and that was also a huge improvement. Based on the time I rode on clinchers, I am convinced the frame was fully half the equation.

Evo flying atop the Orange flash !

There is more than a little Karma packed into the frame from its builder Doug Curtiss. While some proudly point to their carbon steeds that were made far away in smelly factories by people wearing (I hope) hairnets, goggles and breathing apparatus. I feel an eerie power from the Zen that went into metal tubes that were measured, cut, ground, shaped and welded by a man whom I have met and talked with. I know the bike was made in a place where the air is fresh and the snow piles high in winter. I am honored to ride the handiwork of the artisan who crafted my bike with the same skill that he used built bikes that were ridden in the Olympics and in races around the world.

This is an awesome ride !

My Underhanded Glove Reviews

Each fall, as the air gets crisp, I dig deeper into my suitcase of gloves and promote them to my cycling tub for more frequent use. Then I seem to take most of the next three months to remember what works best for the given conditions. As a permanent note to me, and perhaps to any pathetic soul who might meander to my blog; here I go…..

PI AMFib Gloves

I know they make a lobster version, but I have the five finger model and it keeps me warm.  Awesome Mike has the lobster version and he still has all his digits. This is a serious cold weather glove. This is great for temps below forty degrees and when I have worn them below freezing, they have protected me. The downside of this armored car protection is that if you elect to take them off to don some lighter gloves, they take up a ton of jersey pocket space. You trap heat with bulk and so unless you get creative (read on) you have to accept some tradeoffs.  When I ride in the depths of winter with my team, gloves are a “hot” topic with many of us looking like cartoon characters with skinny arms and huge gloves.

GORE Glove

This is a reasonably warm glove and it keeps your hands dry for a long time in epic wet conditions. I like these because they don’t have a lot of bulk, so you don’t have to take them off for everything. I was able to take my camera from my jersey pocket and snap photos without having to remove either glove. They are good from about forty to fifty five degrees. While they do keep the water out, they can get sweaty and so if it is going to warm up, or if is dry, I’ll opt for the PI Full Finger Gloves instead. If I am going on a long ride, or one where rain is certain, these are hard to beat. These also are the most Darth Vadar like of the bunch.

PI Full Finger Gel Glove

This is a great glove that seems to rarely be too hot and has a big temperature range.  The padding is spot on and I was sad to see the improvements they have since made to this glove. I have tried on the new ones in stores, but they don’t seem to fit as well or have the quality of padding that the older style had. This is a good glove for temps in the mid 40’s to the 60’s.

SWIX (unknown model) Gloves

I don’t know the model of these, but they are designed for cross country skiing, I wore them with some polypro liners in 33 degree weather and they were perfect. I don’t use that word often, so you should know I was impressed. These have a leather palm and just enough padding on the palm for a good ride and more padding on the back of the hand and fingers so they are warm without making me look like I’m wearing catcher mitts on my hands.

Creative Gloves

Pull on some shell gloves or mittens over your existing gloves. Then throw a heat pack inside and enjoy the warmth. Remember, you won’t need much insulation on the palms, (but padding is nice) so if you are in the market for winter gloves, look for ones with the bulk of the insulation on the back of the hand.