WINTER GEAR GUIDE - GEAR

Shimano GRX 12-speed group

It’s not news to talk about the explosion of the gravel category. It’s newsworthy though for Shimano to introduce a gravel specific group. Shimano had been experimenting with bringing it’s MTB technology over into the road group, with products like the Ultegra RX derailleur, employing Shimano’s clutch technology, which seeks to quiet chain slap. I was also pleased to see that Shimano gave us a 2x option. Maybe it’s the roadie in me, but I prefer the smooth gear transitions provided by 2X drivetrains. I want all the gears. I like to pedal on descents and not run out of gears. I also love spinning up climbs in the proper gear, all of which I was able to do with this GRX drivetrain. Also worth noting is the ergonomics of the levers. The just feel good in the hands. Shifting was never awkward and braking was never compromised. In short, it just works and provides miles of trouble free cycling, which is exactly what I want from a drivetrain. We’ll be building an All City Cosmic Stallion for Tori soon and you know we’ll be building it with GRX. We appreciate Shimano’s dedication to reliability and affordability. Bravo Shimano.

Elite Direto XR Smart Trainer

The Elite Direto XR marks our third foray into the world of smart trainers. Elite’s Drivo got high marks for ease of set up and use, with some dings for slow response when changing from one level of effort to another. Elite’s claim to fame is that they’re the only home trainer that measures your power with an Integrated Power Meter. That simply means it’s incredibly accurate. It also claims to be one of the most compatible trainers on the market, meaning you can attach your road or mountain bike and it plays with 9, 10, 11, and 12 speed drivetrains. The XR also boasts an update flywheel, which gives up to 24 percent slope simulation. Just remove your rear wheel, plug in the power cord, connect to your Trainer Road or Zwift app, and start training. I’m a recent convert to indoor training. It has made a ton of sense with Covid lockdowns and is just a great alternative to riding in awful weather, or when you just want to knock out a good hour of training. It’s impossible to match the efficiency of riding indoors. You really do make the most of your training time.

Fizik Terra Artica X2

I’ve ridden and loved plenty of Fizik saddles in my day, but this is my first time trying their footwear, and I have to say I’m impressed. Anyone that’s done what it takes to ride throughout a Portland winter will know it takes all kinds of experimentation and some days, you just end up with cold, wet feet. These boots (and they are boots, not shoes) are exactly what Fizik claims them to be: a waterproof/breathable boot with insulated construction designed to provide pedaling efficiency and flexibility thanks to the compressed EVA midsole and the Vibram Megagrip sole. I love that Megagrip sole! This is what I’ve been asking for in MTB shoes: essentially a flat sole, with proper grip and a well recessed SPD cleat, so I don’t clack and slip around when off the bike on uneven terrain. For being an insulated boot, they’re decently light all things considered. Anyone that knows clothing membranes will tell you EVENT is one of the best for waterproof/breathable membranes, perhaps even superior to GORE-TEX. And finally, that neoprene cuff fits snug enough to keep junk out. Yes, it’s a bit of a struggle to get these boots on due to the narrow zipped opening, but once you’re in the fit is snug while still leaving me room for warm hiking weight socks. Finally, kudos to Fizik for offering half sizes. I’m a bit of a BOA hater in general, but I have to say they did a great job engineering a single BOA dial to cinch up the boot properly. If you’re in the market for warm winter riding boots, give the Terra Arctica X2s a spin. I’m a big fan.

Tubolito Ultralight Spare Tubes

When Tubolito first came on the market we scrambled to find some. What an ingenious product! Let’s be honest, with tubeless mountain bike tires and full suspension bikes being as capable as they are, flats and punctures are so much less common than years ago. Spares are really just that - something that takes up room in your bag and adds bulk to your emergency kit, which is why I want my spares to be as light and tiny as possible. This is especially true for bikepacking. You should really bring two spares on any long-distance outing and traditional tubes take up a good deal of pack space. But why buy an expensive spare like Tubolito? Well, in the event that you do use them, they should improve your tire’s performance over traditional tubes, being lighter and thinner. I’m especially excited about their S-Tubo tubes, where the valve extension tube is removable, so it takes up even less space in your pack. They now offer tubes for all sizes of road, gravel tires as well as 26, 27.5, and 29er tires, with plus sizes for each of those wheel sizes. The Flix kit is simply a very compact repair kit to repair Tubolito tubes and comes with 5 patches. Tubolito is one of the most cost-effective ways to save pack weight and whatever kind of riding you do, they have you covered. We love Tubolito!

Dynaplug Racer Carbon and Pill (Micro Pro)

There are lots of tubeless repair tools on the market today, but Dynaplug is hands down our favorite. It comes down to the lightweight package (The Carbon Racer is only 14 grams) and metal tipped plugs made of high quality viscoelastic impregnated rubber. I just don’t trust bacon strips, and when you have a potentially ride-ending flat, the last thing I want to do is fiddle around with feeding strips of rubber into a needle. I love that Dynaplug offers three different sizes of plugs. They know that punctures can be caused by anything as small as a staple and as large as a lava rock. The Pill is considerably larger than the Carbon Racer, but gives you much more storage space for extra plugs and gives you a tool to plug your puncture while you prepare your plug. Additionally the Pill comes with a blade to trim the excess rubber that sticks out after you insert the plug. This is important because excess rubber can tug on the repair and jeopardize your repair. Sure, Dynaplug cost a bit more, but their really well made in the USA and they just work.

Dynaplug Pro Racer

I’m not sure what we did to get our hands on one of these. I don’t think this one is even released yet, but we were already fans of the Dynaplug Racer (the carbon version being a lighter upgrade to that model) but pay attention here, and especially multiday riders, since the Pro racer allows you to carry four plugs at a time - one larger plug and 3 smaller plugs. To do this, the Pro Racer has a double sided plug where both ends can screw into the body of the tool. So, you still get the fantastically small tool and with this model you get twice the plugging ability on trail! Win-win! Thank you for continuing to push the product development Dynaplug. Essential product for bikepackers!

Topeak Alien X Multi tool

Wow. The Alien is back and lighter than ever! What we love about the Alien is that it has 34 tool functions and the two sides separate from each other for ease of use. Bikes have evolved and so should our multi tools. 11 and 12 speed drivetrains connect with master links, so having a tool that repairs those is essential. Here is a full list of the tools that the Alien X covers: 1.5-L / 2-L / 2.5 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 8 mm Allen wrenches, 10 hex socket
T10 / T15 / T20 / T25 Torx® wrenches, T30 Torx® socket, 14G / 15G / Mavic M7 / Shimano® 4.5mm spoke wrenches
CrMo steel chain tool*, chain hook, CrMo steel master link pliers, Super hard anodized tire lever, #2 Phillips sockets, serrated knife / saw, Presta valve core tool, engineering grade polymer disc spacer, Secondary chain link fence, chain pin breaker, chain pin compartment, master link storage compartment, two piece design, extendable for leverage, self-tightening tools, and protective knife cover

Modern Medicinals CBD Lotion, CBD Oil, CBD for Pets

We keep including Modern Medicinals in our gear guide because we trust it. We just started using their brand new CBD lotion and I’ve been impressed. You could use the CBD Oil topically, but the lotion is just absorbs much better. The lotion is made of aloe vera, coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter…and of course bioavailable CBD oil. Bioavialable simply means that your body can use it right away for faster absorption. As we have said before it’s made in small batches right here in NE Portland. What are the benefits of CBD oil? Well, pain relief and anxiety relief. Interestingly many CBD companies make a big deal about “full spectrum” and “whole plant.” Modern Medicinals calls BS on those terms, stating that purity and bioavailability are what we should be concerned with. Our 13 year old dog gets daily doses and she absolutely loves it. She’s relaxed and recovers from her long walks. We’re believers and will keep using Modern Medicinals. Find a brand you trust and stick with them.

Trail Butter Spiced Chai

We love highlighting quality local companies and Trail Butter is both of those things. High quality nut butter blends made right here in Portland. What we love most is that Trail Butter is endurance food and it’s perfect for winter fueling. It’s high in fat, high in proteinm calorie dense, and delicious. I mean, I’m an almond/peanut butter lover, but Trail Butter just knocks it out of the park. Since we’ve last mentioned TB in these pages they’ve added this ridiculously good Spiced Chai flavor, which used to be limited edition, and is now part of the TB lineup in a permanent capacity. Also, I have to say that a little goes a long way. It’s so flavor dense, that I just add a heaping spoon of it to my morning oatmeal and it adds this amazing flavor complexity. The new 16 oz. jar size and the 1.15 oz. lil’ sqeeze packs are new as well. I love the large jar for the pantry, and I love the little squeeze packs in my pack for day long adventures. We’re huge fans of Trail Butter. Give them a try

Elite Byasi

Elite are know for their bottles. Pro teams around the globe appreciate them for their simplicity and lightweight. Imagin our delight to see the same bottle makers introduce a product called “Byasi”It’s simply a bottle like container that’s intended for gear storage in your water bottle cage. It comes with an smart little separator, if you need to carry some small bits that need to stay separate from the larger bits. The whole kit comes in at just 100 grams and fits a standard water bottle cage. Sometimes you need to carry a bit more stuff, and you don’t need that second bottle. Throw the Byasi in your second bottle cage, and don’t worry about putting more luggage on your bike.