SUMMER GEAR GUIDE 2021
Fizik Gravita Versor shoe
While I’ve ridden plenty of Fizik saddles, this is only my second pair of Fizik shoes and I must say I’m impressed. The Fizik Gravita Versor ticks almost all of the boxes in a trail shoe for me. First and foremost is overall comfort. Do they disappear when I’m riding? - meaning are they free of hot spots or tension points. Do they have flat soles that allow me to walk easily off the bike? Definitely. I feel like the Gravita Versor soles, if anything, tend towards the super durable side of the spectrum. The soles are decently stiff and feel like they’ll last several seasons. Lastly, do they look good? I think they’re cool with their laces and Italian take on sneaker styling. I think Fizik has great industrial design. I appreciate the toe bumper. So far, they’re handled every knock with ease. They clean up pretty well, too. Only some dirt and dust seem to stay in the upper fabric. The offset tongue is just right - firm enough to feel protective, while flexible enough to be comfortable. These shoes are good enough that they’ve become my go-to footwear for either DH-oriented laps, or longish XC miles on rough trails. They’re neither ultralight nor heavy, just a reasonable middle ground. The weight is similar to a Shimano ME-5. They’re slightly lighter than the 5-10/Adidas Kestrel Pros, which were the last MTB shoes I fell in love with. I was a bike skeptical about laces. I was never a fan of the Giro lace-ups that everyone rode for gravel at some point. But I actually prefer these to BOA and they work well, with a bit of fiddling to tuck the extra lace away before riding. So, I’d say they strike a great balance between ruggedness and performance and that they’re very versatile. I’m excited to see what Fizik comes up with next for shoes. For now, I’m very happy with my Gravita Versors. If you’re looking for something even more DH-rugged, check out their Gravita Tensor, which features a taller collar and an extra strap.
Fizik Terra Alpaca X5 Saddle
Finding a comfortable saddle can be a struggle. I tend to stick with one model that works…until it doesn’t. Take my Fizik Gobi for example. That was a fantastic saddle, and then one day it seemed too flexy and I looked down and it had split down the middle. Alas, it was time to try a new saddle. I landed on Fizik’s Terra Alpaca X5 saddle, and I’m glad I did. Right now, I’m either doing a few laps at Yacolt Burn or Sandy Ridge…or going full XC loop with something like Tarbell. For whatever reason, I haven’t been bikepacking much or loading on the miles. I’ve just felt the value of energy conservation, I guess. Life has been stressful enough. Right now, I just want my bike miles to be relatively stress-free and focused on smiles. All of that to say, that I’m imagining the Terra Alpaca to be an ideal choice for the kind of riding I’ve been doing. I don’t know that it would be my top choice for all-day miles. I might look to an Ergon. I have one on my city bike and it’s exceptionally comfortable. For now, the Terra Alpaca is perfect and I think it nicely updates the look of my trail bike.
Wolf Tooth Teklite Rolltop Bag
Man! Wolf Tooth keep rolling out the hits, one after another. This time it’s a smart little 1 liter ultralight bag that can mount to your bike in a multitude of different ways. The B-RAD system, simply provides a secure platform to attach at your bottle mounts. Alternatively, the bag can act as a small saddle bag, or simply mount wherever you have space on your frame. My first instincts were tiny saddle bag, since the strap width makes it ultra secure. My second thought was to mount on the bottom of the downtube. I’ll be able to keep a decent amount of gear separate, but handy for a mechanical or I could easily keep ultra packable jackeet and rain pants for a rainy day. Their copy says the bag isn’t entirely waterproof, as in dunkable, but it will keep rain and grime out from spray. For the price, I’m assuming Teklite is a slightly more affordable version of Dyneema. The three silicone grippers are a nice touch - they guarantee the bag won’t slip if you decide to mount it to the frame without the B-RAD system. Not much else to say here. Great little bag option for $45. Wolftooth is mastering the tiny accessories world and keeping us well organized.
Fenix TK16 V2.0 Tactical flashlight
There is a lot of trickle-down when it comes to finding the right gear for bikepacking or night riding. I look at what folks like Kurt Refsnider use for their Arizona Trail efforts. You know, those mind-numbing rides where they ride through the night on technical terrain. Anyway, I think that’s how I heard about Fenix as a bike light in the past. They chose models like the BT20 because the unit is lightweight and is powered by fairly light rechargeable batteries and you can carry enough spares to get you through a 5-7 day race. What caught my eye with the TK16 is that it offers a whopping 3100 lumens. It’s cool to know I could do a full 2.5-hour ride on full power, or I could get 8 hours of 350-lumen power, or 19 hours at 150 lumens. All of that power is provided by a single USB-C rechargeable 21700 battery. The cool thing, too is that spare batteries are only $25, so it would be easy to carry a spare battery or two without taking up too much space or extra weight. The unit, like all Fenix products, are built solidly and I’m confident that it will stand up to plenty of adventures and always be ready when I need it. My only gripe with Fenix is that the brand seems very oriented towards military and tactical applications, and perhaps not putting as much energy into their dedicated bike products. But, it’s cool to know that I can use this light on my bars with my mount from my Exposure Diablo. I’m excited about a 3100-lumen bike light in such a small package and relative lightweight. It’s fun to see what micro LED lights and battery technology are headed. It’s a bright new world.
Otter Box Venture 45 cooler
My last trail work party convinced me that it was finally time to invest in a better cooler. But how good a cooler do you need? Well I borrowed a Yeti 45 and my food all stayed cool, with only ice packs in the cooler (instead of bags of ice) I suppose Yeti is the best known brand for high end coolers - popular with anglers and hunters wanting to carry their meat home. For whatever reason, I landed on the Otter Box Venture 45. The 45 size is perfect for a long weekend. Their copy says the Venture will keep ice for 14 days! I have no way to dispute that. I’ve only done short trips with it so far, but the ice retention (that’s what fancy review sites call it) is incredible. My old cooler would only keep ice for two days maximum, so if I can invest $300 towards having my food stay safe over a three day weekend, I’d say that’s a good investment. I do like the Otter Box aesthetic over the Yeti style. It’s unique. The only complaint I have is that it’s a bit heavy, but all of these high end ultra durable week-long ice retention coolers are heavy like that. Let’s talk about what I love. I’ve already mentioned the fact that it keeps my food cool for days on end, next is packabilty and organization. The Otter Box comes with three brilliant additions that change the game for packing the cooler. The first is a cutting board that nests nicely in the top of the cooler, the next is a bin for small items that nests in the other half of the cooler. That bin keeps your smaller things from getting lost in the bottom of the cooler. It’s one of those things that you didn’t realize you needed. So simple, so smart. And finally, the interior of the cooler has three vertical notches that accept a divider that lets you group things inside your cooler. That works nicely for the stacking part of your cooler packing. It sounds like a small thing, but when you load it completely as you do for a three-day weekend, inevitably you end up using every bit of space. The final accessory worth noting is a drink tray that doubles as a cutting board holder. It’s a bit bulky for me, but for those that entertain and or do lots of drinking, this will be essential. It’s a cool way to extend your meal prep area and have an extra work surface. Finally, I wish the handles folded away. They take up a bit of extra space inside the car, but it’s a small gripe since they’re easy to grab and make toting a breeze if you use the buddy system. Fully loaded, these super coolers become a two-person job. Overall, I just wish I’d made the investment sooner. A good cooler makes all the difference. Coming back to camp after a day of doing dusty tread work, there’s nothing better than an ice-cold beverage. The Otterbox Venture 45 makes that dream a reality. One final interesting note is that these are made in Detroit! Those that believe in supporting American-made products will be happy to put their hard-earned money towards a high-end cooler like the Venture 45.
Scarpa Terra GTX Boots
Originally when we planned this guide we wanted to have a section dedicated to trail work. We wanted to highlight a few products that would make trail work days more fun, more comfortable. Your foundation for a good day on trail, especially as someone who spends much more time pedaling than hiking, is a good pair of comfortable leather boots. If I’m just hiking with water, some extra clothes, and some emergency items, I’ll stick with something like Vasque’s Breeze LT GTX, which we reviewed in the past. It’s light and sneaker-like, while still providing ankle protection. But for trail work, and carrying heavy packs and tools, you want the protection of full leather boots. I know thru hikers have almost all landed on trail running shoes and lighter packs, but that’s just not possible for trail work. After on long 7 mile hike with a chainsaw and a heavy pack, my feet felt broken. I asked myself at the end of the day how I would do another day like this. I just couldn’t. So, I started looking at what forest fire crews used, but those were overkill. Much too stiff and heavy, but that led me to look at Scarpa. My old trusty leather boots were Italian made Vasque Sundowners that I had found at a garage sale for 5 bucks. That simplicity and Italian quality are what I was seeking. I’m confident that the Terra GTX will be the sweet spot for out-of-the-box comfort and hopefully years of durability. All I can say about trail work is that you’ll likely hike more miles than you’re used to, and you’ll only be up for it if you have a good pair of boots that fit you and have some good traction.
Ergon GA2 FAT grips
Grips are a bit like saddles. It’s very personal, but also very important to comfort on the bike. More than just comfort, control is really key. Before trying Ergons I was playing with the fat versions of the ESI grips and those did me well, but I felt like maybe they were too squishy and I was giving up some control. Ergon was kind enough to send me a handful of grips to try and after trying several different styles, it became clear that I favored a larger diameter grip. The GA2 FAT grips were my favorite. They’re not squishy and they’re not overly firm. They’re just right. I like the ergonomic shape. They remind me a bit of the old Ritchey grips that had the raised part in the middle, though in reality the shape isn’t like that at all. They’re just similar in trying to shape the grip to what your hand does on the bars. I like how easily they mount, and once I found the “UP” indication on the outer ring of the grip, it was simple to orient them on the bars. They lock down with an Allen bolt and they stay put without any adhesives or anything to mess up my nice carbon bars. I’d say recommended, but rather I’ll just encourage you to find the grips that work for your hands. In my case, it was the Ergon GA2 FAT.
Colorado Aromatics Springtide Gold Face Cream
You might find it ridiculous that I’m reviewing a face cream in a gear guide that’s aimed at riding bikes and doing trail work, but on the contrary, self-care is where it’s at. I just mean you work hard on the bike or on the trail, why not take care of yourself in the evening, so you can recharge and wake up and do it all again. Truthfully, I was feeling a bit old and weather-worn after so many days of getting too much sun on my face. I’m not sure how I became aware of Colorado Aromatics face cream, but I’m glad I did. I’m a bit of a DIY-er with my skin balms and so far I haven’t ventured into the world of face creams. But this blend is something that feels like what I would want to make. I won’t dig into the science to dispute or confirm the value of peptides, but let’s just say that my skin seems to do well with this blend. It’s hydrating and it minimizes the lines around my eyes. I’m way past caring or trying to look young, but at some point, you just want to take care of yourself and look as good as you can. Track this stuff down, it really works.