Archive for the 'Product Reviews' Category

BTB is a new brand of sunglasses which was started in part to fund the BTB Foundation, a 501C non-profit whose mission is to fight childhood obesity. A percentage of all web sales goes directly to the foundation.

In addition to the deserving charitable aspect, what attracted me to BTB was the price of their sunglasses. The 110 model I tested retail for just $40. As much as I love expensive sunglasses, they all eventually get scratched, broken or lost, and so I feel a lot better using value priced sunglasses on a daily basis.

The BTB 110 sunglasses are designed for a small to medium face, and they’re light and comfortable. If black frames and yellow lenses aren’t your thing, there are seven other options in the 100 series alone, and plenty of other designs as well. Looking around the website, it seems that all BTB sunglasses fall in the $40 to $50 range.

If I had to level one criticism against the 110 design it would be that the material at the nose bridge seems to stick out a bit far beyond the lenses. Although it’s not very noticeable while riding, when I first put them on I felt as though they might be outfitted with an Opti Grab. Thankfully, that was not the case.

Brad pointed out that the 110′s look like shooting glasses, and coincidentally they have been tested for against a 12-gauge shotgun.

Check out www.btbsunglasses.com

For the past couple of months I’ve been running Kenda Kwick Tendril tires on my polo bike, giving them a pretty abusive run through in the process. I was on the hunt for a larger volume tire with minimal tread and good flat protection that was also available for a 26″ wheel and wasn’t going to break the bank—the $35 Kwick Tendril met the bill. It is not the cheapest tire you can purchase, but one shouldn’t expect a folding bead and effective flat protection for much less. I tend to go through rear tires on my polo bike pretty regularly and these from Kenda were no different as I managed to skid through them in 3 or 4 weeks time on a rough surface heavy on the rear brake. I wouldn’t say the tires were any more prone to wear than usual, just not particularly long lived under the abusive circumstances. More representatively, the front tire has remained unchanged for some time and show no particular signs of premature wear. Even when riding through the ‘hood and on glass strew courts I’ve managed to stay flat-free for months, always a welcome part of a tire review. Overall I’m pleased with them, and would recommend these tires as everyday city tires in a second. They’re not performance tires and neither are they meant to be, I wouldn’t go putting these on your road bike hoping for the next speed record or a supple ride. Available in 26 x 1.5 and 1.75 for mountain bike commuter conversions and 700 x 25-38 from most any shop around, see www.kendausa.com for the complete commuter line.

Klean Kanteen is well known for making stainless steel water bottles that are free from BPA, a harmful chemical that’s commonly used in drinking vessels. Their design ensures that the bottle’s contents touch no surfaces other than food-grade 18/8 stainless steel, including the inside of the cap.

Kleen Kanteen offers a co-branding program, so the clothing company Horny Toad had them create The Toad Traveler. Based on the 40 oz Wide model, The Toad Traveler features 22 cocktail recipes printed around the exterior of the bottle. The recipes are grouped by spirit—whiskey, gin, rum, tequila and vodka. And while I’ve personally only used my bottle for water (I tend to drink my whiskey neat) I have to admit I’m a bit intrigued by more than a few of the cocktail recipes.

The bottle itself features a 2.125″ diameter opening that’s not only easy to clean or slip ice cubes into, the threading is designed to fit common backcountry water purification systems. And for the urbanite, it’s good to know the bottle is dishwasher safe. It should be noted that Kleen Kanteen products are not designed to be frozen (doing so will void the one-year warranty) nor are they to be used with hot liquids.

The Toad Traveler retails for $29.95. Check out www.kleankanteen.com

Chrome has been at this messenger bag game for more than a minute or two, and in that time their Citizen buckle bag has become a classic. Best known for its iconic seatbelt buckle and bombproof construction, there are countless original Citizen bags in use around the world.

In the past year Chrome introduced the Citizen Night, a murdered out version of their venerable Citizen with an added twist—large reflective panels that are indistinguishable by daylight. Add to that the flat black version of their original seat belt buckle, and you’ve got one cool looking messenger bag. Not to mention one that seriously enhances nighttime safety.

Like the original, the Citizen Night measures 22” wide, 13” high, 7” deep and is made from 1000 denier nylon with an 18 oz truck tarp liner. The strap features EVA padding and there are enough pockets and organizing slots to keep your life in order. My one nit to pick is that I don’t like the way the cross strap comes up so high, feeling more like it’s in my armpit than across my ribs. But I deal with that just fine.

The Citizen Night is made in Chico, CA and retails for $160. Check out www.chromebagsstore.com

The Timbuk2 Especial Tres is one of the most well thought out backpacks I’ve ever used. And it seems like I keep discovering another feature, benefit or reason to give this bag two thumbs up.

First off, it’s a pretty good sized bag—large enough to be my only bag, but not so big that it’s unwieldy. It’s noticeably well constructed, and features a molded back pad that provides comfort and ventilation. The bag takes advantage of Cordura’s 500D fabric, which is 35% lighter than their stalwart 1000D, yet is nearly as strong and durable. So even at 14″ wide x 20″ tall x 6″ deep, the bag only weighs 4.3 lbs.

The bag features a rolltop closure for the main compartment, which is great for keeping things water tight, but it’s not the most convenient entry point. Thankfully this bag features a full length waterproof zipper down the side, so you can sling the bag around for easy access. The bag also has some nice sized exterior pockets that are even more convenient, albeit not completely waterproof like the main compartment. Inside the bag there’s even more organizational pockets, including a vinyl laptop compartment that’s guaranteed waterproof.

The bag features zippered gussets that allow for a moderate amount of expansion, and compression straps to keep the bag compact when it’s not full. The compression straps are also set up to be used for attaching things to the outside of the bag, like wheels or odd sized packages. The shoulder straps are padded, of course, and they feature routing for headphones and/or a hydration system.

Then there are the little touches… The compression straps feature Velcro tabs to keep things neat and orderly (I always find it annoying when a bag has tons of excess nylon straps flapping about). There’s a side pocket that’s just right for a U-lock or a water bottle. The sternum strap is not only removable, but it features a little bit of elastic to allow for additional comfort. The waist strap is also removable, though not quite as easily re-attached as the sternum strap. And there are plenty of tabs for hanging tail lights.

On the bike, the Especial Tres feels like a smaller backpack in that it’s comfortable and non-obstructive. Even when it’s fully loaded, it feels well-balanced and stable. I really put the bag to the test this Spring when I organized an alleycat, and I carried 50 t-shirts, plus all of the spoke cards, manifests and more in just one bag.

And, lest we forget, there’s a bottle opener on the shoulder strap!

The Especial Tres retails for $209. Check out www.timbuk2.com.

An aluminum take on the classic, and sadly out of production Campagnolo peanut butter wrench, and nothing more. I’ve been carrying around this VeloSolo wrench for a few months now—overall I prefer having a 15mm wrench on me that doesn’t have any bells and whistles besides leverage. The box-end wrench doesn’t feature a bottle opener or chainwhip, but is available in black, silver, gold, red or blue to match your rims. The size can interfere with certain dropouts or rack/fender combinations, but there are always going to be times where a given tool doesn’t fit a job. The wrench is noticeably lighter than common steel versions at just 75 g, and it makes people coo when they first see it. I like it, and while I wouldn’t recommend an aluminum wrench for everyday shop use, it seems no worse for wear after a few months in my repair kit. Available for $24 including shipping from VeloSolo.

Keen first entered the cycling shoe market with an SPD compatible version of their popular sandals. The Springwater II is Keen’s second generation closed-toe SPD compatible cycling shoe. The major changes over the original version are improved fit and a lower price point, but many of the features remain unchanged. They feature a three-strap Velcro closure system, a full-length support plate, moisture-wicking lining, a non-marking rubber outsole and uppers made from synthetic materials.

What interested me in these shoes was the desire for a slightly more performance oriented shoe for city riding, as well as a slightly more casual shoe for mountain biking. Because as much as I appreciate the styling of my urban SPD shoes, there are reasons that high-performance cycling shoes don’t have shoelaces. And as much as I appreciate my carbon fiber soled mountain bike shoes, if the whole point of riding is to end up at a bar or restaurant, it’s nice to be able to walk across a tile floor without sounding like a bad imitation of Gregory Hines. Besides, there are many rides that involve time off the bike, whether it be in the city or elsewhere. In those situations, these shoes excel, yet they’re still stiff enough to put power to the pedals and resist “hot spots” associated with riding in soft shoes. Continue reading ‘Keen Springwater II Cycling Shoes’

There’s no shortage of people repurposing and recycling bicycle parts. And that’s a good thing. Not only does it bode well for our environment, it says something positive about cyclists—that there’s a lot of good, creative people in our community. One of those people is Tom Hellmann of Tallahassee, FL. Tom is a firefighter and an avid cyclist, and one day he made himself a belt out of a used tire. He made a few more and now he’s set up an online shop.

The belts are made from a variety of tires—road, cross, commuter, mountain—and come in widths ranging from 1 to 1.5″. He makes all of his belts “one size fits all” at 50″ in length with holes punched punched for 31″ to 36″ waists. Customers can trim the belt down to size and punch additional holes as needed.

Tom typically uses the printed portion of the sidewall (aka the hot patch) for the loop, which is a nice finishing touch. The tire bead gives the loop additional rigidity which makes it easy to get the belt on and off. The construction and craftsmanship seem spot on, and I can’t really imagine a better material for a belt. I mean, if you consider the abuse a bicycle tire is designed to withstand, it’s quite likely that this belt will last a lifetime.

Belts retail for $25 including free shipping in the US. Custom belts are also available. Check out www.bicyclebelts.com.