Spring Riding Gear
Spring is in full force, and with it comes a lot of mixed feelings. I'm pretty stoked to see some warmer weather, but I would almost rather ride on dry roads in 15 degree weather than head out in the cold rain. Fortunately, the right gear can make just about any weather bearable, if not enjoyable, so here are my gear picks for rainy day rides.
TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.
1. Showers Pass Double Century Jacket: I bought this jacket just over a month ago, and it's my new favorite piece of rain gear. It's lightweight, easily packs into a jersey pocket when the clouds break, and features a back and pit vents to keep condensation inside the jacket at bay. Showers Pass has this jacket on closeout right now for $65, which is a crazy good deal.
2. Avid BB7 Road Disc Brakes: I'm sold on disc brakes when it comes to road riding. They are slowly becoming common place on touring bikes, and provide excellent stopping power in all conditions. The BB7s are Avid's mechanical disc brakes, so you don't get the smooth actuation you get from hydraulic discs, but they are super easy to setup and maintain.
3. Freedom Ryder Tire: I've been trying out some new tires over the past few years, and I have really been impressed with the Freedom Ryder for durability and grip in all conditions. When the ground is wet, you get more debris sticking to your tire, which increases the chances of something sharp working it's way through your tire casing. The Freedom Ryder handles puncture protection well, and has a good tread pattern to roll well when it's dry, yet channel water when it's wet. At $25/tire, these are a really good deal.
4. Lizard Skins DSP Dual Color Tape: I know I've written about Lizard Skins DSP tape before, so I apologize if you're getting sick of this, but dang ... I love this stuff. In dry or wet weather, it provides incredible grip on the bars, and holds up better than cork tape. I wrapped some of their green colored tape to our door handles at Adventure Cycling last year, and it's still looking good now. The dual colored tape adds a little extra character to your bike, and doesn't require buying two rolls of tape to pull off the look.
5. SKS Race Blade XL: SKS fenders have always treated me well, and I like how the SKS Race Blades can be mounted to just about any bike (you may have trouble with bladed forks, or cables that run down the seat tubes). The XL version of the Race Blades will fit up to 700x32 tires, and will keep dirty water off your backside. They pop on and off in seconds, so whether or not you want to set out with them can be a game time decision.
--
TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/spring-riding-gear.html