Urban Velo - Bicycle Culture on the Skids

Chrome Stock Cobra

The Chrome Stock Cobra hoodie is made from soft, warm, durable moleskin cotton. Moleskin? Yes. Neither made from moles nor used to prevent blisters, moleskin cotton is a heavy fabric that features a distinct soft and fuzzy side. Because of its dense weave, the fabric is warm and highly wind resistant.

The cut of the Cobra generally favors tall lanky folks, as it’s cut long enough to cover your wrists and plumber’s crack when you’re in the drops. It features a cargo pocket across the lower back, two pockets to keep your hands warm, and a key pocket on the right sleeve—all with zippered closures.

Naysayers may scoff at the $100 price tag, but anyone who’s tried one on will agree that this is one hell of a nice hoodie. If I were to pick nits my first thought would be that the hood seems a tiny bit large. The key pocket on the wrist is not really necessary, and I would rather have thumb holes instead. But in all I’m very happy with the Stock Cobra, and I wear it often.

Check out www.chromebagsstore.com

Ernesto Lube

Ernesto Lube is one of those dedicated small-guys that the bike industry is chock full of. Their only product is the pictured 4 oz bottle of soy-based, biodegradable chain lube. Drip it on, wipe off the excess, and don’t worry about the toxicity of your lube. They jokingly claim on the website that you can fry eggs in it, but I kept my use to my bicycle chain. I’ve been using this lube on my ‘cross bike for six months now and don’t have much to report, which is overall a good thing. It was thin enough to penetrate the links but not so thick to seem sticky and a magnet for dirt. It may wear faster than synthetic oil based lubes, but the “green” nature of the lube makes the minor difference forgivable to me. I’ll be the first to admit that as long a lube doesn’t seem to wear out too quickly or attract too much grit I don’t pay much attention to it, and while completely subjective terms, I’ve not thought much about this lube and plan to keep using it as needed. Each bottle is available for $7.50, with refills available for $3.75 each.

Order direct at www.ernestolube.com


	Chrome Stock Cobra The Chrome Stock Cobra hoodie is made from soft, warm, durable moleskin cotton. Moleskin? Yes. Neither made from moles nor used to prevent blisters, moleskin cotton is a heavy fabric that features a distinct soft and fuzzy side. Because of its dense weave, the fabric is warm and highly wind resistant. The cut of the Cobra generally favors tall lanky folks, as it’s cut long enough to cover your wrists and plumber’s crack when you’re in the drops. It features a cargo pocket across the lower back, two pockets to keep your hands warm, and a key pocket on the right sleeve—all with zippered closures. Naysayers may scoff at the $100 price tag, but anyone who’s tried one on will agree that this is one hell of a nice hoodie. If I were to pick nits my first thought would be that the hood seems a tiny bit large. The key pocket on the wrist is not really necessary, and I would rather have thumb holes instead. But in all I’m very happy with the Stock Cobra, and I wear it often. Check out www.chromebagsstore.com Ernesto Lube Ernesto Lube is one of those dedicated small-guys that the bike industry is chock full of. Their only product is the pictured 4 oz bottle of soy-based, biodegradable chain lube. Drip it on, wipe off the excess, and don’t worry about the toxicity of your lube. They jokingly claim on the website that you can fry eggs in it, but I kept my use to my bicycle chain. I’ve been using this lube on my ‘cross bike for six months now and don’t have much to report, which is overall a good thing. It was thin enough to penetrate the links but not so thick to seem sticky and a magnet for dirt. It may wear faster than synthetic oil based lubes, but the “green” nature of the lube makes the minor difference forgivable to me. I’ll be the first to admit that as long a lube doesn’t seem to wear out too quickly or attract too much grit I don’t pay much attention to it, and while completely subjective terms, I’ve not thought much about this lube and plan to keep using it as needed. Each bottle is available for $7.50, with refills available for $3.75 each. Order direct at www.ernestolube.com	Knog

Knog