GORE Bike Wear Countdown AS Jacket Review

I have been using the GORE Bike Wear Countdown AS jacket through this winter, and it has been a highly functional unit, with excellent wind stoppage and comfort, high breathability, water resistant, and has some great features, such as detachable sleeves and full front zipper, a tall collar and long back, and Velcro adjustable cuffs.

Countdown AS Jacket
The Countdown AS jacket, uses GORE's WINDSTOPPER Active Shell, which offers windproofness, breathability and water resistance. It's a 2-layer construction, in which the WINDSTOPPER membrane is bonded to the outer abrasion-resistant polyester fabric, and is finished with a loose inner mesh. The windproofness rids the cooling consequences of the wind and weather from robbing the body of warmth, while the breathability allows water vapor to escape, keeping down elevated body temperatures and profuse sweat, as the latter can also create chilling effects from dampness. The AS uses a lightweight fabric that is packable and very comfortable, and has good water resistance, shedding snow and light rain, and then drying quickly.

Pacenti Neo-Moto 650B 2.3 Review

I have really enjoyed my several months of test time on the Pacenti Neo-Moto 650B 2.3 tires, as they have good acceleration, cornering and traction, and excellent braking. The tire was designed by Mr. 650B himself, Kirk Pacenti, who in addition to being a strong advocate of the 650B attributes, was also an early proponent of the 29er. The Neo-Moto is a 2.3 inch wide tire, meant for multiple types of conditions, from Cross Country to All Mountain riding, and has an Aramid bead, 66 TPI casing and is made in Japan by Panaracer. Kirk had sent me a set of the tires to review back in Sept of 2009, so I have been extremely remiss in completing a review, although my major delay was caused by a lack of 650B wheels. Fortunately, through happenstance, Kirk graciously lent me a pair of his wheels for a couple of months this winter.

Caveat: Running a 650B wheel on a 26 inch designed fork will void its warranty, and manufacturers have lawyer double speak warnings, which all end with "causing serious bodily injury or death".

Bar Mitts Review

Bar Mitts are neoprene hand covers for cold weather riding, that attach to your handlebars, and provide enough protection and warmth, that a lighter glove can be worn. I was intrigued by the Bar Mitts idea, since it reminded me of my Kayak Pogies, which allowed you to have direct hand contact with the paddle shaft, yet still provided adequate warmth in cold water. Having the additional dexterity that thinner gloves provide is an excellent feature, and gives one a better tactile feel for more precise control of braking, shifting and gripping of the bars.

Magura Marta FR Review

When I first saw the Magura Marta FR at 2010 Interbike, I thought that they were a re-designed version of the Marta series, but in reality, it's just a cosmetic change of the normal Marta, which is fine, since the line has an incredible pedigree. The new changes are the Grunge Green color scheme, white hydraulic lines, and a gray aluminum lever, otherwise it's the same excellent product. Magura revamped the Marta line in 2009, and upgrades included a redesigned caliper and reservoir body, a better lever pivot, the use of the larger Louise pads and the new bleeding system (EBT). This year they added the Storm and Storm SL rotors, which are miles ahead of their predecessor's, with lighter weight, and better power and modulation.

Warm Fuzzy for the Day

I recently wrote an article on ZYM Electrolyte Tablets for MTBR.com and GramsLightBikes. ZYM is flavored electrolyte sports drink, that is a tablet based, and I found it to be a fine product that has great athletic benefits. I received a nice compliment on the article over on MTBR.com, which was most welcome, though it's sort of extremely rare, since most comments from readers are criticisms and critiques. Here is the comment from the article:

"Gram, you are one prolific mofo. Don't know how you even pretend to care about some salt-tabs. Never mind manage to write a 'review'. Well done. I hope you were well paid. It's like that handlebar one. How much do they cost, what do they weight, will they take my weight for my riding style, do they come in black? That's it. But you managed to write an amazing amount. And with multiple photos. You'd have thought that seeing one black alu tube w white markings was like seeing them all. But your efforts are impressive. I love the little forays into wikipedia for chemistry and stuff. Great. Don't know how you do it. If someone came to me to sell compressed salt for a massive markup as some kind of useful addition to our kit, I just couldn't get motivated. I'd feel like I was encouraging innocent people to waste money on useless consumables that they could get elsewhere for nothing thereby reducing the amount they have to spend on more important things."



I had to respond myself, since it was such a warm fuzzy:

"J, thanks for the acknowledgment and Kudos, in fact, I am not paid at all, just a guest reviewer, and I do it because I am passionate about things. My additional research and in depth analysis of things, means it takes considerably longer to create the final output, so you’ll rarely get a typical 1-2 paragraph review. I try to make the reviews interesting, thought provoking, technical and entertaining? Thanks again, you made my day!"

GoPro LCD BacPac for HD HERO camera

GoPro­® Launches the LCD BacPac™

Detachable LCD Screen for 1080p HD HERO^® Camera- The first of several removable expansion modules for industry leading HD HERO camera.

February 1, 2011 - Half Moon Bay, Calif. - GoPro, the world's leading wearable and gear mountable camera company, today announced the availability of the LCD BacPac, a detachable LCD screen for the company's HD HERO camera. The LCD BacPac represents the first in a line of expansion modules to be released for the HD HERO camera. Available for order today at GoPro.com and subsequently shipping to retailers around the world, the LCD BacPac has an MSRP of $79.99. The LCD BacPac is a detachable LCD screen for the 1080p HD HERO camera. It attaches to the camera via the HERO Port™ - a small expansion port located on the back of the camera. As a removable accessory, the LCD BacPac keeps the HD HERO camera as small and light as possible, yet provides the convenience of an LCD screen when attached.

Club Ride Apparel Roxbury Review

I first met Mike Herlinger, the founder and designer of Club Ride Apparel, at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Bike Festival, and was highly intrigued by his unique and eye catching product line. It's interesting bike apparel, that encompass men's and women's (new to 2011) jerseys and shorts, that are functional, and have enough fashion to allow you to wear it in a normal environment, meaning you won’t look like a bike geek. The jerseys are pretty cool looking, with a sort of bowling shirt meets western flair, combined together in a nifty package.

The functional features include great bicycling performance enhancements, like high tech fabrics with good moisture management properties, venting and mesh materials in proper spots, and zippered pockets that are accessible and useful.