Archive for the 'Product Reviews' Category

The Full Windsor QuickFix fender (yes, I know, the British call them mudguards) is a cleverly designed product. Cut from simple 1.2 mm polypropylene sheeting, the QuickFix is scored and ready to be folded into shape. It features three simple snaps (like you might find on your winter jacket) which hold the fender in place, yet allows it to be quickly and easily removed.

And that’s the point of this product—it’s a temporary fender. For many people, fenders just don’t seem cool, but their value is unmistakable. With the QuickFix, you can literally keep it in your bag for a rainy day. When the opportunity to use it arises, you’ll be glad you had it with you.

At first it takes a tiny bit of “faffing” to get the fender to sit just right, and in some ways it never seems to stay exactly where you would want it to, but that seems to be part and parcel when it comes to removable fenders. In any case, once you’ve used it a few times you’ll be able to slap it on your bike in seconds.

Now to be certain, the QuickFix doesn’t block water nearly as well as full-coverage, bolt-on rigid fenders. Nobody ever said it would. But it is an effective tool for keeping your back and bum a little less wet when riding in the rain. And it’s considerably less cumbersome than rigid fenders.

Perhaps my only real nit to pick with Full Windsor fenders is that they don’t work with cantilever brakes. My initial thought was that I would put a set on one of my cyclocross bikes, since that’s what I reach for when the weather turns foul. Alas, I was foiled. You may also be out of luck if your frame as a wishbone or mono stay design.

The QuickFix is available in six color choices and retails for about $21. Visit www.full-windsor.com for more info.

NiteRider has been ramping up their commuter offerings in recent times. The Mako 2 Watt is targeted at the everyday cyclist who needs more than just “to be seen.” It’s a no nonsense headlamp that it puts out some serious light. It runs on AA batteries, and you can expect a 25 hour run time on high and 50 hours on low. Like its namesake, the Mako has gills, only these are red side lights make you considerably more visible at intersections.

NiteRider claims the Mako 2 Watt pumps out 130 lumens thanks to a 2w Cree LED, which I can neither verify or deny. I can say that it’s plenty bright enough to avoid potholes on a pitch black roadway. The beam pattern is fairly condensed, allowing it to stretch far enough ahead for confident high-speed descending at night. Part of me wishes the beam could be a tiny bit more diffused in order to gain a slightly wider immediate field of vision, but I’m not complaining.

The Mako is helmet mountable, but I only used the bar mount. The quick release mounting system is one of the simplest and most effective I’ve used. I do have two nits to pick with it, though. One, it jiggles ever so slightly. This seems to be unique to the Mako, however, as I have another NiteRider light on test with a similar mount, and it doesn’t shake at all. The jiggle isn’t terribly noticeable while riding, but I definitely think it’s something that can be improved upon. The other nit to pick is that the mount is a tiny bit wide. Because of this, I’m not able to use the Mako on my bike with interrupter levers. This won’t be a deal-breaker for most people, but if you’ve got narrow or cluttered bars, you’ll want to make sure it’ll fit before you buy it.

The Mako 2 Watt weighs 165 g, retails for about $50 and includes 2 AA batteries. Check out www.niterider.com.

The Crank Brothers Mallet pedal is designed for downhill mountain biking, but like many products, it can be utilized for a number of applications. The beauty of the Mallet pedal is that although it’s a clipless design, it has a large platform that works especially well with the latest generation of urban clipless pedal shoes, such as those offered by Chrome and DZR. What’s more, in a pinch, these pedals can still be ridden with ordinary street shoes.

The old Mallet M pedals (which I own and still use) featured a magnesium body with a steel axle, spring and retention mechanism. The new design incorporates a two-piece pedal body, half aluminum and half polycarbonate. The weight is about the same (428 g) but the upshot is the use of 8 mm traction pins. Not to mention the new design is considerably more attractive.

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of Crank Brothers pedals, I’ve had nothing but good luck with them ever since they were introduced. In fact, I’ve still got the original Candy pedals in use. Granted, I have several pair so the use gets distributed, but in my opinion Crank Brothers deserves exceptionally high marks for durability. Should something go wrong, I’m to understand that their customer service is second to none.

The Mallet 2 pedals come with a 5-year warranty and retail for $90. Visit www.crankbrothers.com for more info.

MCS Custom Bicycle Saddles is a small custom saddle operation based out of South Carolina. Marcus has been designing seats for other industries for more than 15 years. Being that he, along with his wife Christy and three-year-old son Seth, are serious cycling enthusiasts, it only seemed natural that they would get into the bicycle saddle business.

What’s unique about MCS is that you can choose from various saddle cover styles and pick from nearly 30 different color options. In my case, I chose the “race stripe” design, going for a tri-color theme to match my bike.

Basically, MCS is sewing custom covers made from synthetic material onto saddle blanks from a well-known manufacturer. The quality of the saddle is on par with a typical OEM saddle, as the average modern saddle is well made, comfortable and built to last for years. But for the price, don’t expect a sub-200 g racing saddle. With the Comfort Sport, you can expect about 496 g.

Normally, I do favor a more race-inspired saddle, but for commuting without padded shorts, I like a little more cushion for the pushin’. I’m pretty happy with this saddle for the given application. The padding, while ample, is actually quite firm which makes it comfortable without leading to excessive friction like a typical comfort saddle.

The Comfort Sport saddle retails for $36. Visit www.mcscycle.com for more info.

Messenger bags are great for urban cycling, and messenger-style backpacks offer many of the same benefits along with the additional stability that two straps afford. Still, there comes a time when you need a backpack that’s designed with even more stability in mind, whether that’s for mountain biking, trick riding, etc. Yet, you still need to have a little bit of extra cargo capacity for a brief stop at the store on the way home. Enter the Osprey Talon 11.

I’ve been using this backpack for years. At first I only used it for all-day mountain bike adventures. In recent times it’s become the bag I grab when I ride my cross bike in Frick Park. Just today I headed out in the morning, crossed town, hit some dirt roads and a little singletrack, then stopped by the liquor store for a little holiday cheer. I carried a few bits of extra clothing, a lock and all the spares and tools I could ever need. I still had room for a 750 ml bottle, and should I have needed to shed a layer, I could easily have lashed it to the outside of the bag with the integrated elastic cables.

I’m not a big fan of extraneous pockets, but even though I seldom make use of all of the Talon’s compartments, I do appreciate the options. The pockets on the shoulder straps are just the right size for an iPod (though a little too tight for an iPhone). The side panel pockets are big enough for gloves or energy bars. And there’s a zippered exterior pocket, too. Inside the main compartment there’s a small pocket near the top that I keep my wallet in. Behind the main compartment is a hydration bladder pocket. The latest model features zippered pockets along the waist support, which mine didn’t have, and it includes device called the Lidlock, which can be used to carry your bike helmet when it’s not in use.

The bag makes extensive use of nylon mesh to improve ventilation. The contoured semi-rigid back panel really does a lot to relieve back sweat. The rest of the bag is made from lightweight technical nylon fabrics and Lycra, which keeps the weight down to scant pound and a half. The Talon 11 is water resistant to the point where you don’t have to panic if you get caught in a sudden downpour. It’s not waterproof, however.

Despite years of use, the bag shows practically no wear, save for a little accumulated dirt. All of the composite buckles are intact, the elastic hasn’t lost its snap and the zippers all work flawlessly.

The Talon 11 is available in two sizes, S/M and M/L, with the difference being 600 cubic inches of cargo room versus 700. The pack retails for $89. Visit

Cyclocross bikes have long been the choice of urban cyclists looking for something beefier and more suitable to commuting than a road bike, but with most of the speed. Larger volume tires, fender clearance and lower gears as compared to a road bike are all things that make sense when your rides star and end in town. Not to mention if you’re a fan of the road less traveled—perhaps dirt roads, railroad beds, or full-on single track regularly feature on your mixed terrain ride. The Raleigh Roper is a $1500 disc brake equipped steel cyclocross bike meant for the serious commuter or abusive all-day rider that is more interested in the miles than the race weight.

The Roper is a bike that I’d expect to see form a much smaller operation than Raleigh, it is more similar to the bikes you see bike geeks build up for themselves from some obscure frame maker than that offered by a major manufacturer. The full 4130 chromoly frame features not only a low-riding disc brake mount for rack and fender clearance, but an integrated headtube and one of the latest oversize bottom bracket systems, BB30, which has really begun to filter down from the ultra high end in the past year or two. Beyond that, the bike has fender eyelets front and rear, rear rack mounts and some of the most overlooked braze-ons out there, a chain hanger and chainstay mounted spoke holder. The excellent 10-speed Shimano 105 group makes up the shifting bits, benefiting from years of higher end trickle down, with Shimano R505 cable actuated disc calipers doing the actual stopping. 50/34 FSA cranks paired with the 11-28 cassette give plenty of gear range, while Joytech/Weinmann deep section wheels and house-brand Avenir parts round out the rest of the build.

The bike shares the exact same geometry as Raleigh’s racier cyclocross offerings, making it a relatively aggressive, fast riding machine. Over a couple of months of riding hitting paved roads and railroad ballast, gravel paths and full-on singletrack, I fell in love with the handling. The bike just felt fast to me, more so than my much lighter road bike, encouraging me to ride longer and harder when I got outside of city limits. Dirt roads are some of my favorite to ride, and this bike truly excelled at tackling them.

What truly sets the bike apart are the disc brakes and BB30 on a full 4130 chromoly frameset. With recent rule changes from the sport’s governing body we’re going to see disc brakes on many race-level ‘cross bikes this coming season, and are bound to see drop bar hydraulic systems sooner than later. The Shimano R505 disc calipers on the Roper took a couple of rides to fully break in as expected, and have a more modulated and silent (especially in the mud) feel than the de riguer cantilever systems. While they are an upgrade from rim brakes in many respects, I did find them underpowered from the hoods which is admittedly the least powerful hand position in terms of braking power even if the one most of us use the majority of the time. When the going got wet or exceptionally muddy however, I never found myself wishing for rim brakes.

The very features that set the Roper apart also weigh it down—the complete bike is a portly 27.25 lbs. Given the price, overbuilt steel frame and fork, disc brakes and other accoutrements it’s not really a surprise when you think about it, but it’s certainly noticeable for people coming from lighter weight road and ‘cross bikes. Dropping weight is possible—those wheels would be the first to go—but losing significant pounds is going to take a lot of money. You are far better off accepting the Roper for what it is and using it for the all-weather, all-roads conditions it is meant for. If single speed is more your style, the exact same frame is available as the Furly, using a BB30 eccentric adapter and coming in at $830 retail with a one speed build.

*Final note: For what it is worth, after I was done with the review period on the Raleigh Roper I actually purchased its lighter weight cousin, the Raleigh RX. I already have an all-purpose steel cyclocross bike (or two) and I’ve been in the market for a light weight ‘cross bike to hang some of my road components from for a long time. The handling of the Roper was that good, and the RX is equally as awesome, if completely different given the aluminum frame and carbon fork.

Road Runner Bags is one of those one-man, small time operations some people are always pointing to as the future of all things good. Toiling away making a niche product in the spare room, creating one of a kind items just different enough. I’ve been using one of the $19 iPhone pouches for a couple of months on my giant backpack I use for grocery runs, road trips and carrying my gear to and from polo. The wrap around mounting system is compatible with all sorts of shoulder and chest straps, though I do wish there was a way to attach it to a belt for longish road rides when I’m not carrying a bag at all. The design allows you to micro adjust how tight the holster holds, accommodating different case models easily, and similar sized phones. I’d say it is best described as water resistant—the pouch is Cordura with a truck tarp liner and has a fair amount of overlap on the phone but I wouldn’t trust it in much more than a light rain, and even then with the cost of smartphones I’m quick to make sure it has fully waterproof quarters when the weather goes sour. I’m usually not one for holsters as I find the various pockets on my pants and bag already suffice (and that I have a number of bags in rotation), but I’ve actually found myself using this one simply because it is easy to remove from when I’m not using it, and it holds my phone securely enough that I actually trust it. An earlier, oversized version found a home on a friend’s bag holding his even larger, giant touchscreen spacephone. Beyond stock Cordura colors, Road Runner makes mags out of salvaged materials when available, even Thomson post and stem bags for the full on bike nerds out there.

See the current stock of cell phone pouches, hip bags and other items at the Road Runner Etsy store.