The Custom Road Bike is perhaps the most comprehensive book on the modern road bicycle we’ve seen. Chapter by chapter it covers a given part—forks, hubs, headsets, spokes, tires, etc.—with crisp studio photography, history and parts advice. The 224 page hardcover edition is available for $50. www.rouleur.cc
The Harlot Scarlet-X Tech Knicker is made to fit, and designed by, a woman. Comfortable, stylish and functional, they leave very little to be desired. They are made of breathable nylon and spandex with a water resistant coating and retail for $85. www.harlotwear.com
The Bishop wallet is Chrome’s take on the urban cyclist’s billfold. It’s made from the same stuff as their venerable messenger bags, with four card slots, a full-length billfold compartment and a change pocket that snaps shut. Retail price is $35. www.chromebagsstore.com
The Bolle Tetra are classic black shades from a company that specializes in high-performance eyewear. They feature premium, coated polycarbonate lenses, durable nylon frames and moisture absorbing rubberized contact points that keep the glasses in place. Starting at $69, the polarized version retails for $99. www.bolle.com
Fixcraft has recently introduced their version of a modified Bern Watts helmet drilled to accept a baseball face cage. You can of course DIY your own, or just purchase the package outright from Fixcraft for $73. www.fixcraft.net
Baskets are awesome for around town shopping trips, but can be anywhere between pain-in-the-ass and impossible to mount on many bikes. The Origin-8 Cargo Unit Handlebar solves these problems with a one-piece bar/basket combo that will fit nearly any bike with a 25.4 mm stem clamp. www.origin-8.com
The All-City Fuzzy Bars are cromoly steel with a full 3” rise, 10.5° of sweep and a 22.2 mm “bmx standard” clamp diameter. You get what you pay for—the MSRP on these bars is $50, but you only need to see one or two bars break before a few extra dollars starts looking like cheap dental insurance. www.allcitycycles.com
The Soma Anti-Jack mini u-lock features a 3” wide hardened chromoly shackle and comes in three lengths. Available in black or white, MSRP ranges from $36 to $40. www.somafab.com
Fyxation relaunched their online store, and with it introduced the pictured pedal/strap combo kit. $55 gets you a pair of Fyxation Gates nylon bodied pedals and a matched set of Velo City Bags pedal straps, with a savings of a few dollars over if you purchased them each separately. www.fyxation.com