Giro Zero gloves. Pittard leather palms, no padding, just the way I like it. Fit true to size, and don't stretch out when wet/sweaty. Don't get funky-smelling like other gloves. They don't have traditional pull loops like some other gloves, instead having small, fingertip-sized pockets at the end of the 2nd and 3rd fingers for pulling off. Not as easy as regular loops, but also a lot less bulky feeling than having the loops between your fingers. One minus--I got the black/dark gray, and they stain my hands quite a bit, even after washing. Comes off in the shower, though, so not a big deal. I'll buy more when these wear out (which they show no signs of doing, as of yet).

Bringing this thread back from the dead.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/produc...410_1_zoom.jpg

I finally rode with this jersey in 95F+ and not a cloud in the sky along with the 95+% humidity that came with it. 3.5 hr ride at pretty good pace for me. I was wearing a mesh baselayer (Castelli) as I did not expect the heat to be this bad. Should have checked the weather before leaving!! Phenomenal to say the least. Wicking action is awesome and yet I never felt extremely hot in it. I hardly ever unzip much, and despite the weather it felt pretty good. Certainly much better than all the other jersey types I own (Castelli, Capo, Nalini, etc.). In my mind at least, certainly worth the price. Especially when you buy it at a 15% discount from Wiggle or Ribble!!

http://www.probikekit.com/_img_500x640/A0338.jpg

Does it work? YES. Does it inflate to high pressures? YES. Does it take a ton of pumps? YES! The major downsides I found were that it got hot after several pumps, and that it was a bit cumbersome to hold while pumping the tire.

http://www.probikekit.com/_img_500x640/A0704.jpg

Got it to replace the one above. Works and it does put in high pressures at the expense of a lot of pumps. That is a common thing to all of these little pumps anyway. Certainly easier to hold while pumping than the one above.

I just purchased Challenge Latex Tubes and Schwalbe Ultremo R.1 23mm tires. I can definitely tell a difference between my old standard butyl tubes vs. the latex tubes. The latex feels very supple and soaks up imperfections on the road much better than butyl. The tires are the best overall tires I have tried thus far. The Vittoria Evo Corsa CX 320 tires have a slightly more noticeable plush ride quality than the Ultremos; however, the lack of cornering and straight line stability of the Corsa CX tires in comparison relegate it to 2nd place overall. All in all, the latex + Ultremo combo yields superior cornering feel and awesome ride quality--highly recommended. :)

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This was a learning experience in more than one way. Was in the French Alps for 2 weeks. One thing I did not own or packed was a windbreaker/waterproof light jacket. Have never needed it before until I was climbing there at 6500 Feet elevation and it was cool, started to pour rain, and got colder all of the sudden. When I got to the top, there was one of the most overpriced bike shops I have ever been to and had these "on sale" for $45 Euro!! The thing can be found in the US for $40!!!!! I must say though, it was the most valuable piece of gear I owned during the entire trip. Certainly worth every penny of it though. Packs very easily in the small pouch that it came with, which is actually twice as big as it is needed! Long enough in the back too to cover from water from rear wheel spray. The only downside I found with it was that although the velcro on the front is very easy to put on and works very well, it will bind a ton with your shorts if you open the jacket completely while still riding. It is definitely something that requires you to stop to put on and off. Very light and thin fabric, but works as advertised. No vents though.

Now you can wear it down here in the Spirit crushing heat and humidity. It will be like a sauna in a pouch. Might get one for myself for the sweltering rides in FLL.

You are not kidding!!! However, I'll get to wear it a few times a year. During the "winter", it gets cold enough to require thick clothing for a few days. It often threatens to rain during those days too, and I usually put in a tampon or something with wings while I stay home. This may encourage me a bit more to get out despite the potential for light rain. I seriously doubt I'll use it more than a couple of time, but "I am prepared now". I'll take it with me too in the spring when I spend a week in the NC mountains, CO, or even when I go back to Italy to ride in Dolomites next year!

Wiggle.co.uk

These people simply rock!! They take paypal, which is convenient, quick, secure, and does not charge a fee for it. They deliver extremely quickly. I ordered something 2 days ago and it was at my door this morning!!! From the UK to FL in less than 36 hr with shipping included in the price, which by the way, is as cheap if not cheaper than anyone else including PBK and all the other UK online stores. For the most part, their stock is pretty good to great. I have ordered several times from them and not a single time have they messed up my order. One item became defective very early on and they took it back, sent me a new one for free, and reimbursed me for my shipping to them. That is extremely good customer service. I simply could not be happier buying from them. PBK used to be my number one place, but their stock continues to be marginal. Better than it used to be, but still marginal! I can find a complain or problem with just about anything, and even I can give then a 5 out 5 stars!!!

I recently heard Assos stuff described as 'Euro Techno Disco Gear' ... spot on I thought - made me laugh anyway.

Here are my votes:

Wiggle are brilliant - as are their own brand tights DHB... almost as good as Assos (I have the F.1.13's in non-Euro Techno Disco Gear black), but at least 3 times cheaper.

Bianchi Infinito. The perfect bike at last... ahhhhhhhhh, the feeling of contentment.

Finally, Rapha - the cool alternative to Euro Techno Disco Gear.

You know, it took me a while to warm up to some of the Assos designs and colors. Some of them are still beyond me though. However, after years of wasting money left and right on crap that would be mediocre at best, I decided to just spend money wisely even if it was more expensive. I might try some of the Rapha stuff though, as I keep hearing it is pretty good.

ASSOS CUSTOMER SERVICE

They simply do as they say. I had 3 pairs of bibs I got 3 years ago that had the pad stitching coming undone all over the place. My fault it even happened as the rubbing of the shorts on the outside with the velcro in a seat pouch basically ate through the stitching. in any case, I emailed them, and they replied promptly. I mailed them the 3 bibs to their customer service place in Switzerland, and less than 2 weeks later my bibs were back looking like new. Free of charge. These bibs have at least another 4-5 years left in them at the rate they have been wearing over the last 3 years while using them at least once per week if not more often.:thumb::thumb:

http://images.competitivecyclist.com...10/14389_m.jpghttp://images.competitivecyclist.com...10/14389_m.jpg

Bought two of these to use during the hot days of summer. I'm very happy with the way they kept the water cold. The day I used them it was 85 degrees or so. I filled one a quarter way up with ice then added water. The 2nd I filled 3/4's the way with ice then water for later. I finished the first bottle at the 1 hour mark and started the 2nd and it was ice cold, I was surprised. It seemed it had just melted. I highly recommend these bottles if you want to have cold water on very hot days w/o stops at local liquor stores. If I had freezed the water in the bottle the night before it probably would have melted half way by the 1st hour.

85 degrees is "the hot days of summer?" That is 4 AM in January here LOL....... I bought a pair of those and gave them away to someone after the 4th or 5th ride. However, I am glad they worked out for you!

Me too ! If I fill the bottle completely with ice, I'm sure it'll stay cold even for a 100 + degree weather.

I don't remember exactly what the weather was like though, it could've been around 90.

Sad to hear you had to give yours away, better luck next time ! Or just move to Cali where the 4am's are a bit more generous.

http://img.artscyclery.com/big/SPSWRS1-1.jpg

http://img.artscyclery.com/big/SPSWRS1-3.jpg

After putting up for a year with the biggest waste of money for me to date, a custom pair of D2 shoes that never fit right despite several refit, I went around to try some shoes. The ones above and Northwaves were the only ones that fell like they had enough room around the metatarsals for my size. Put new cleats on them and have now about 100 miles on them. They are extremely lightweight, have a shallow stack height, and are extremely easy to adjust with the ratchet mechanism. I made a couple of little marks on the wheels when I finally got them to where they felt very comfortable so I can easily get it to the same spot every time without too much fuzz. They fit extremely well. Unlike many other shoes, these shoes actually have some of the foot support like part of the arch support actually molded into the shoe itself with an insole to complement it supporting the foot in other places. So far, it feels pretty darn good with the stock insole. I may try an insole with a higher arch as I have fairly flat feet. I may also get me a set of wedges to try as one of my feet has a fairly good amount of canter.

Amazing to me that these stock, off the shelf shoes, feel light years better than the fully custom molded to my feet D2 I had. They do look better too, and don't have that Bozo the Clown look of the D2 to go with it. I will give these a couple of more hundred miles before giving it a final judgement, but so far it looks like they fit just right. Not a 10 out of 10, but a good 8.5-9 out of 10. For comparison, the D2 were a 5 out of 10 at best.

The only thing I wished it was different is in the aesthetics department. I wished the red heel was simply white, and I wished the black front line was also white. Yes, I do favor white shoes.

Castelli SG06 Sleeveless base layer

http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/castell...ss-10-zoom.jpg

Love them. The front is supposed to fend off wind, especially cold wind, while the back and sides are supposed to be a more breathable fabric. It is. I have been wearing them when it gets under 65F, but it is always windy here, so that adds to it. I simply don't feel the wind on my chest at all wearing just a jersey over it. I can only imagine that wearing a jacket or even a roubaix type of fabric long sleeve jersey would make it even better. Simply highly recommend it. I ahve not tried the long sleeve ones, but I seriously doubt I would be getting any of those myself as I have other warmer long sleeve base layers I use for it. Not cold enough or long enough for me to justify getting new ones.

Magic Shine 900
 

I got two of these, one for the helmet and one for the bar.

I am one happy cycler.

90 bucks each


https://www.geomangear.com/images/Ma...0Pluswtmk1.jpg

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...Full/36452.jpg

This caps are very nice. The two things that stands them out when compared to others are: vented back to allow some heat to dissipate better, and the size seem to be bigger. I have a big head, so it is welcomed. Aside from those 2 things, it works just like any other cap.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...inal/31844.jpg

Expensive to say the least. When I opened the boxes, I was very disappointed from simply looking at the. The "liner" gloves were nice, but they did not feel or look like they would do much for you. The 851 gloves (middle gloves) were a disappointment when worm over the liners or even by themselves. Just did not feel like much as they are not thick.

Well, was I wrong in that first impression. I have worn the liners by themselves and with the 851 gloves and they are extremely nice. Very comfortable and light like all other Assos gloves, but these things seem to have an internal furnace. I have Castelli winter gloves that seem much thicker by 2-3X and seem warmer but can't hold a candle to these. So much that when I wear the 851 or liners by themselves I always pack my summer gloves in the back pocket just in case I get too hot. Have not gotten there yet. The lobster outers I have not had the chance to wear yet. Is it worth the money? You tell me how much is warm hands worth to YOU and you'll ahve the answer to that question. To me personally, it is YES. So much I gave away my Castelli gloves today to a kid freezing his ass off in my weekend ride. He can barely afford the beater bike he has, so he will make much better use of them than sitting in my drawer forever!!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...inal/31848.jpg

These impressed me. They are half as thick as the "other" wool socks I have and yet they are twice as warm for only $5 more than what my "other" socks were too. Very well worth the cost to me.

Very high dose of HFCS in those flakes.:eek:

Bump!!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...inal/36452.jpg

Not very happy in the durability department with this cap. Yes, the extra size, design, and fit are awesome, but after using it a few times it came apart at the back with the elastic band. Then again, for their [rice, it is not much of a loss. However, I do have caps that are several years old that aside from faded are still in prime condition.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...al/39406-3.jpg

Well, these are by far the longest lasting gloves I've ever had. When I first got them, I thought they would disintegrate in a month at most. They have proven to be extremely durable. A year + later, they are and feel like on day one. They are relatively expensive when compared to many other brands and models, but I found them on sale for half their usual price and they have paid for themselves several times over again!!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...inal/31867.jpg

This is not your typical "windbreaker". This thing is worth every penny of it. I recently got to use it extensively and it was simply one of the best pieces of gear I could have had. The worst part for me is that I will never get to use it enough to justify the expense.

http://www.excelsports.com/image/Bik...ike%20Case.jpg

Bike Pro Padded Bike Cases. Have used them several times now and they are as good as it gets. Long review here in this site, so will not expand too much on it. The only thing I wished was different are:

-Same extra thick padding on the sides and not just in the middle
-smaller and lighter. There is a lot of unnecessary waste space. The case is not the lightest, but not heavy either.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/im.../19263_i_1.jpg

My Atmos helmet had cracked on the back from a fall, so I needed a replacement. I got the same size as the Atmos in this model because I figured it was the sam brand so should be the same size. Although the inside of the helmet is the same size and the retention mechanism fits me even better on this one compared to the Atmos, the entire shell is considerably bigger in the Ionos. It is also about 50 grams heavier. The color selection in this and the Atmos did not have any that I can say I liked, but this was the closest to that description. I guess the true test of a helmet is the lack of head injury during a fall, so this would have to be a preliminary test for now. The sale price at Competitive Cyclist could not be beaten or come even close by anyone else despite discounts, sales, and coupons combined.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/contour.prod...inal/1(12).jpg

Finally broke down and bought this to mount it on my helmet. I was using another mount in my Atmos, but it was not optimal as the camera would sit on the side of the helmet. The weight would make the helmet tilt to the left some over time making the picture/video crooked. This sits easily on the top of the helmet and it is so much easier to adjust the camera. Have not done any videos with it yet, but mounting it was as easy as it gets.

Raining and cold outside so picked up some new wheels for my mtn bike to replace cheapo stock stuff. Good enough day as any to put them on since can't road ride today :(

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=218736

OUCH!! It is 92F here right now, and I don't want to ride because it is too hot!!

Psimet wheels -
A23 rims, Sapim CX-Ray spokes 20/24, White Industry hubs.

Completely Awesome.


SMP Evolution & Composit saddles:
Both are good - I'd probably choose the Composit over the Evolution, but I ride both every week and am quite happy with them.