Over the years, I’ve been through lots of sunglasses. Sometimes they get lost somewhere, other times they become the victim of an utimely “death by squashing”, while other times the kids get ahold of them and scratch them to bits.  Luckily, some of the better sunglasses make it through the daily grind relatively unscathed. The bottom line with sunglasses is you want a nice pair that’s functional for all your intended activities (cycling, hiking, driving a car, boating, etc.), looks good and doesn’t cost too much (see above).  Ryders Eyewear out of Vancouver, B.C., is built on that philosophy. Their sunglasses are built to function well, look good and not break the bank.  I’ve had...
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Athletic tee shirt designs have come a long way from the old cotton shirts we all used to wear. Wet and soggy is now replaced by dry and comfortable.  Thanks to advances in both synthetic and natural fibers, there are no longer excuses for wearing that old tee shirt while mountain biking, trail running, backpacking or hiking. Arc’Teryx is one of the premiere manufacturers of outdoor apparel and equipment.  They have a wide variety of base layers, mid layers and outerwear for just about any active outdoor pursuit. Committed to the core outdoor enthusiast, Arc’Teryx knows how to make a great product. I got my hands on the new Arc’Teryx Velox Comp Crew shirt...
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As suspension fork designs have evolved over the years, the sweet spot over the past 2-3 seasons has been in the “all-mountain” category. While dual-crown forks have been mostly relegated to DH-only duty, the long-travel single-crown fork has become the staple for freeriders and all-mountain riders alike. Initially, Manitou thought it had found the ticket when the 1.5-inch steerer tube was introduced. Single-crown forks were finally supposed to be burly and light enough to withstand roof-droping punishment without deforming your head tube.  While the 1.5-inch head tube has provided some great benefits, the misleading marketing hype was that 1 1/8-inch head tubes weren’t burly enough to handle a long-travel single-crown fork. That argument has since been...
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I still remember the very first Rocky Mountain bike I ever saw. It was the URT Pipeline at a local bike shop back in 1999. At that time, the purple-colored Pipeline was the lightest and burliest all-mountain/freeride bike on the market–I wanted one! So, in 2000, I began my love affair with Rocky Mountain as I bought my first full-suspension bike–a Rocky Mountain Element Race. After getting my feet wet, I then upgraded to the first-generation Rocky Mountain Slayer in 2001. That bike got me hooked on more travel and was the beginning of my big bike movement in 2002-2004 before I began settling in on the current crop of lightweight all-mountain bike...
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One of the unsung heroes of mountain biking, tire options are as plentiful as flavors of ice cream. Whether you like skinny and slick or wide and knobby, there are enough choices to fill your every need. Over the years, I’ve gone from riding 2.1’s up to 2.7’s, and have now settled in on the current crop of 2.35-ish all-mountain tires. My favorites have been the High Roller and Minion tires from Maxxis and the Kenda Nevegal–all in 2.35 widths.  But, I have yet to ride many bikes equipped with WTB tires, until the Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 70 that I’ve currently got for testing. How does the WTB Prowler XT 2.3...
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When it comes to carrying your bikes on your car, you’ve got three options: 1) on your roof and 2) on your trunk lid or 3) on a hitch rack.  While my preferred carrying method is on a hitch rack (because everyone has a roof rack horror story), that’s not always a feasible option. So, if you’re going to go for a new roof rack, consider your options and I’d suggest looking long and hard at the Yakima King Cobra upright bike rack.  There are other great options, but this rack is one of the easiest to use and should be tops on your list if you must carry your bikes on top....
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Iron Horse is truly one of the sleeper bike brands in the industry. Though their low-end bikes are more at home at big box sports superstores, their high-end bikes are in high demand by mountain bike connoisseurs–mostly due to the amazing ride quality provided by the DW-Link suspension design. With World Cup champion, Sam Hill as their ambassador, Iron Horse has gained a huge following in the DH crowd. The use of this suspension design has been a home run for Iron Horse as they have utilized it on the DH-specific Sunday, the freeride 7Point, long-travel trail 6Point, MKIII trailbike and the Azure XC racer. Active, efficient, smooth and seemingly-bottomless are all adjectives used...
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With hundreds of hiking boot choices on the market, it becomes difficult to determine which one is just right for your hiking activities, foot size and terrain. Drop on top of that the Gore-Tex, eVent or unlined dilemma and your head starts spinning. While most folks don’t need a heavy mountaineering-style or burly backpacking boot, the majority of us can make do with a lightweight and supportive hiking shoe or boot. There’s no need to slog around your local trails in a 2 lb. 8 oz. pair of Garmont Dakotas when a pair of Keen Voyageur Mid’s will do at a scant 1 lb. 1 oz. After beating around some local trails, I’m ready...
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A tee shirt is a tee shirt, right? I mean, that old, worn out tee shirt works just as well as a brand new one, right? Come on… how technical and how improved could a new shirt be over an old, broken-in and comfortable one? The answer to that question is a lot! With all the new fibers combined with tried-and-true merino wool these days, the fit, comfort and function of the classic tee shirt has changed. Outdoor Research is leading the charge with their simple and functional Sequence Tee shirt. With a perfect blend of merino wool and polyester in a standard tee shirt, you can’t go wrong. Let...
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Hydration packs are definitely one of the best inventions of the past 10 years. I remember the first hydration pack I purchased. The bladder was thin and awkward to fill and insert/remove from the pack itself. The pack was pretty basic, but functional. Mountain biking and hiking adventures got much more enjoyable without the need of carrying several awkwardly-sized water bottles in a pack or on my bike frame. As full suspension frames have changed over the years, the standard water bottle mounts have been either removed or placed in unusable locations like underneath the downtube. Luckily, there are many hydration packs to choose from at many price points. One of those option...
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