Hiro11

A few things from the last few months:

1. Stages SB20. If you want a simple, durable, rock solid indoor trainer that the entire household can use look no further. It's $2,700,so not for everyone. If you plan to ride inside a lot, I think it's a great solution. If you're considering buying this "bike", I think you can proceed with confidence.

2. Custom Castelli kit from my college. The school's team opened up the shop for us alums. I even like the design the kids came up with. I'm excited to wear a kit from my college again. I haven't had the best luck with Castelli's long term durability, we'll see what happens.

3. Kask Valegro. To me, Kask makes the best road helmets on the market bar none. This helmet looks great, fits me like a glove, is super comfortable (Kask added a pad on the brow, resolving prior complaints), doesn't get in the way of glasses, is terrifically ventilated and is very well made. The latest version has Kask's "WG11" system which is their version of MIPS, I have no idea if it actually does anything. The traditional complaint about high-end Kask helmets has always been the price, but the Valegro is not even that expensive: I got it for ~$180 shipped from Bikeinn.

4. Pearl Izumi Amfib tights and jacket. The tights are very tight (lol) but once you're in them they're basically perfect: windproof, warm and comfortable. The jacket (the Elevate) is good looking, fits well and just the right warmth for me. Pearl Izumi makes great winter gear.

5. The Black Bibs winter tights. For $100, these are hard to beat. Very good fit, nice fabrics, clever pocket design and good chamois. They're not quite as warm as the Amfibs but they're about half the price with a chamois. The Black Bibs continues to impress me: great stuff for a very reasonable price.

6. BikeHand "Euro style" (no clamp, fork mount) repair stand. This style of stand is just better than clamp-style stands in every way: no chance of damaging the bike, you can spin the bike to access the other side without a support in the way, more stable and secure etc, etc. There's a reason all pro mechanics use this style of stand. The Bank Hand one costs about $150 and is a good value: well made, compact and has a good tool tray. The Feedback Sports Sprint is an awesome stand as well, but it's twice the price and not really any better than this one.

7. Danish Endurance cycling socks. Durable, thin cycling socks that are "crew" height, inexpensive and not slathered with logos are tough to find but here's a good option. About $8/pair, Amazon Prime eligible. They also have similarly priced Merino versions that are great for colder weather riding.