I am a traditionalist when it comes to cycling apparel. Tight pants. Slim-fitting jerseys. No body armor. But of course, you wouldn’t expect any less from a wimpy cross-country guy.

I know that time has passed me by. All the guys I used to ride with are into monster travel and fewer chain rings. They are into having more body armor than a medieval knight going to a jousting event. And they are into full-face helmets and riding rigs that are basically motocross motorcycles without the engines. Not me — I am a moderate, even a conservative, when it comes to my riding. Anyway, that’s why the Pearl Izumi Focus jersey works for me. Does it look dorky? Sure. Does it look like something from 1994? You bet. But is it comfortable to ride in? For me, absolutely.

The Pearl Izumi Focus bike jersey is a lightweight material with venting material under the arms. The main panels of fabric are thick enough to give solid blocking from winds and even light rain. But the black meshing that is sewn throughout really cools you off when the breeze hits you right. Also, the bright yellow I bought it in is never going to let me go unseen by motorists. It also has the traditional 3-pocket design on the back. (more…)

Ahh the inevitable… a flat on the trail. Well, actually, since I swapped to larger 2.35 tires, I can’t remember the last time I got a flat tire. But, nothing is worse than getting a flat just when the going is getting good… that twisty, turny and rock-strewn downhill that you love so much. And, nothing is worse than having a pump that either doesn’t work, or takes a LONG time to pump your knobbies back into shape after a trailside tube replacement or repair.

For mountain bikers, long gone is the day when we slapped a pump onto our frame–thank goodness! Though most pumps still come with a water bottle mounting bracket, I can’t remember the last time I actually strapped my pump to my mountain bike. With hydration packs, there’s no need to carry that stuff on your frame where branches and rocks can knock them loose. Packed safely and zipped inside my DaKine Drafter hydration pack is the trusty Blackburn Shorty bike pump.

The Shorty should be called the Stouty because it looks beefy and is a much larger diameter than most pumps. It’s larger diameter compensates for its shorter length, proving that length is not the most important thing when it comes to the size of your pump.

I’ve used the Blackburn Shorty hundreds of times. It always latches onto my schraeder or presta valves the first time and rapidly inflates my tires. I’ve used the Shorty for a wide array of tire widths (2.10 – 2.70) and never once did I feel it took an extraordinarily long time. Like I said, the girth makes up for its shortness.

What I Like About the Blackburn Shorty:

• Compact size takes up little room in my hydration pack
• Pumps up all tires quickly and with little effort
• The comfortable rubber grip makes for easy pumping
• The clamp attaches to both schraeder and presta valves with aplomb (manual adjustment)

The Bottom Line

Blackburn makes some awesome mountain and road bike accessories, and the Blackburn Shorty mountain bike pump will be my pump of choice for years to come. It’s small, lightweight and works like a champ. And, at only $24.99, it’s a great value. The Shorty looks to be discontinued, but the Mammoth 2Stage is equally small and a better pump.

BUY NOW: Buy the Blackburn Mammoth 2Stage Bike Pump

Yes, I am a working stiff who spends waaaay too much time each day on the computer. And since I travel a fair amount, I was recently in the market for a new laptop bag. Now, I do like to do a little bike commuting when I can make it happen…but the messenger bag I was looking for needed to double as a briefcase.

You would think that would be a simple thing to find, but frankly I looked at Timbuk2 messenger bags and several other brands, but nothing was exactly hitting it. That’s when I found the Cannondale Urbapod messenger bag and it seemed ideal. It was large and roomy, had an easy-to-access velcro over-flap, an eye-catching but understated look, and a very reasonable price. (more…)

You know, I will admit that I can be faulted for spraying about Smith Optics too much. I once had some Arnette goggles and sunglasses, but that phase passed and for 8 years I’ve been back to my old favorites, Smith Optics. My latest shades of choice are the Smith District II slider series sunglasses.

I have a small nose, so for me the problem with most sunglasses is that they are built for someone with a Steve Carrell nose. A cheese wedge nose. As a result, most sunglasses either slide off the end of my nose or they let the wind whistle through the extra space above the bridge of my nose and directly into my eyes. The Smith District II definitely doesn’t do either. It sits right on the bridge and the nose pads aren’t spread so far apart that they dig into my tear ducts like other shades.

I also like the square shape of the frames — it isn’t so Spiderman-ish, so you can wear them even when you are just hanging out and they don’t look out of place…like you should be cycling up the Ventoux right then with Tyler Hamilton. However just in case you get called in to sub for Tyler on the Tour de France, the Smith District II is lightweight and has tacky rubber on the nose pads and the ear pieces so it doesn’t slip when you get sweaty. The arms of the District II also don’t give me “temple-press” like other sunglasses — that soreness on the side of your head from arms that are either too narrow or have non-smooth ear-pieces that create hotspots on the side of your scalp and ears. The District II blocks UV rays, of course, which is good because it is believed that exposure to UV rays is one of the top causes of macular degeneration (blindness or impaired vision) as you age. So keep your District II’s glued to your head and you’ll be able to actually watch your grandkids play someday.

The other thing I like are the three shades of lenses you get with the Smith District II, just as with all Smith Slider Series sunglasses. You get a set of dark brown lenses, orange (for the early morning rides), and yellow (for when it’s super-cloudy or when you just want to fry your retinas).

Want a little history of Smith Optics Slider sunglasses, including the District? Check out this vid (which also mentions the Smith Interlock sunglasses system, to be reviewed at a future date):

The one complaint I have is that after a year or so of using them (read: abusing them), some of the shading or coating around the rims of the lenses appears to crack when you’re swapping them out. Not the actual lenses themselves — which have retained their integrity — just the coating on the lenses.

Buy Now: Search for Smith Sunglasses

Are you a Flahute? Most of us will only aspire. If you have no idea what I’m referring to and what it has to do with cycling socks, it’s time for a little lesson in cycling history with a bit of lore.

Lion Of Flanders, A History

The Lion of Flanders is the Flemish coat of arms symbol, adopted in the 12th century. Since then it has come to represent a few different individuals but in the world of cycling it represents one man above all – Johan Museeuw, who was likely the greatest one-day cycling racer of all time. Graham Jones wrote: (more…)