Look

by | Dec 14, 2011 | Uncategorized

Santa will most definitely not be bringing this down the chimney for Christmas. It’s at the top of my list, but I’m afraid some things stay right there, at the top of the list. What I will get for Christmas are the dreams of having such beautiful things in the future, and the dreams, in many ways, are the best part. Having it all would be no fun at all. Actually, it would be quite boring. Trying to choose what you would like down the road is the best part. And thanks to companies like Look, there are plenty of really amazing things to ponder. I’ve got the Look pedals, so maybe some day down the road, I’ll have the bike to match.



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Pedalr

by | Dec 5, 2011 | Uncategorized

Pedalr is an online marketplace for the cycling obsessed. They have five sections devoted to complete bicycles, parts and components, accessories, apparel, and miscellaneous. There are no fees to list an item or set up a profile. Pedalr makes a commission of 5% of the cost of any sold item. This seems like a good idea. EBay is overwhelming in the quantity of cycling related listings, mostly of product I have no interest in, so Pedalr is an attractive option. There are not a whole lot of items for sale as of yet, but I’m sure that will change quickly. I will try my hand at selling off some of my own overstock in the near future.



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Outlier Climbers

by | Dec 1, 2011 | Made in the USA, Uncategorized

The Outlier Climbers are a jean cut pant made in the US with Outlier 4Season fabric from Schoeller Textiles in Switzerland. I am partial to Swiss products as I am married to a Swiss woman, and I’m also partial to products made in the US, so this is a best of both worlds situation for me. I have the slate grey version, which is a lovely color for looks, as well as for hiding road grime picked up on the morning commute. The pants perform exceptionally well on the bicycle, and stretch and move in a fashion that does not impede pedaling in any way. The material is light but durable. At the office, I feel I am wearing a dress pant that fits in well with any outfit or pair of shoes. They definitely can be dressed up or down at will. Outlier say the pants are great for climbing, and I wouldn’t doubt it. They really do move that well. I am very pleased with this product, and I look forward to trying out more Outlier in the future. I also wanted to point out that Outlier is masterful at customer service. Everyone I’ve dealt with has been incredibly polite and helpful. I’m a believer that customer service makes or breaks a company, and Outlier has it down. I also recommend following their Twitter feed, as they post frequently, and it’s fun reading.



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The Jersey Project

by | Nov 30, 2011 | Uncategorized

There is something about cycling jerseys that captures the imagination. This book looks to capitalize on that magic, and presents beautiful color photos of jerseys. Available here.



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Aether Apparel

by | Nov 30, 2011 | Uncategorized

I was pleased to discover that Aether Apparel is a neighbor. They are at Melrose and Seward, which is close to home and office. As announced on their blog, they have opened a retail location within their offices that is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5pm. The space is well designed and very beautiful, and highlights their product line nicely. As for the product, it is all made either in Los Angeles or Canada, keeping it a North American operation. The Transit jacket is the most cycling friendly product, but I am equally impressed with the Cloud jacket for those days on the ski slopes. I’m looking forward to bringing you first hand impressions of both.



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Look Quartz Carbon Ti Pedals

by | Nov 30, 2011 | Uncategorized

LOOK invented the clipless pedals back in 1984. The concept was floating around earlier, in fact as far back as 1895, but LOOK’s approach was the first commercially successful application. Bernard Hinault won his fifth Tour de France in 1985 with the first LOOK Automatic Pedals. I’ve been using the road pedals for some time, and have them on the road bike and track bike. I absolutely love them, especially the KEO Blade pedals. An incredibly substantial and solid platform, and a very solid locking mechanism. They are also light, very light. It occurred to me to try the mountain pedals, specifically the Quartz Carbon Ti, based on my satisfaction with the road pedals. I have experience with mountain pedals such as Shimano and Crank Brothers, but have never been completely happy with either. For the cross bike, I decided to give the LOOK pedals a try, and based on two weeks of riding, it was the correct choice. Like the road pedals, they have very solid platforms. They are also very easy to engage, so much so, that I already feel as if I’ve been using them for years. It’s all automatic and easy. The ultimate test will be how they handle mud, and as soon as we have some rain in sunny Southern California, I’ll put them to the test. For now, I’m happy to stick with the company that invented the Automatic Pedal.



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LA Auto Show

by | Nov 29, 2011 | Uncategorized

Last week I made my yearly trek to the LA Auto Show. I’ve been going since I was a kid, and it seems to be a tradition I haven’t been able to break. I am a cyclist, but I still love cars, or so I thought. This year the atmosphere was better, but the cars were not. Very little looked interesting, and when I got home and looked at the photos I had taken, I discovered almost all the pictures were of the bicycles at the show. It got me thinking maybe cars don’t do it for me any longer. In fact, the screen savers on my computers used to be of vintage Porsches, but now they are of Porsche bicycles. People do change.



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100 copies

by | Nov 17, 2011 | Uncategorized

This is so cool. Thomas Yang created 100copies, and as the title suggests, he makes limited run posters and t-shirts in editions of 100. The images are quite striking, and would look great framed. The t-shirts are also really well done. I like ideas such as these, limited, but not impossible to get. I wish Thomas well.



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