Little Laramie, WY shop Atmosphere Mountainworks opened up a webshop for all their in-house bags, though I’m hoping to see some of their outerwear make an appearance at some point. Funky mountain style bags at a pretty affordable price, can’t beat that! Check out the shop here.
Filed under gear
I’m on my second pair of Giro‘s all-around trail riding Terraduro shoes after riding the hell out of my first pair. In fact, it was really all the walking around that did in the Vibram soles and not so much actual riding. It’s not every day that I need stiff XC-style shoes and the added traction of a true full rubber sole makes my regular hike-a-bike duties far less precarious. The other main feature of the shoe I’m particularly fond of is the stout toe cap because frankly, I’m not the most graceful rider. My pedal strokes often take blows from rocks and logs so that patch of tough material keeps the shoe, and my toes, from being mercifully pounded into oblivion. Sure, at 420 grams at the median 43.5 size they aren’t the lightest trail shoe but they’re stiff enough for spirited riding and will hold up against a whole lot of abuse. Scoop up a pair here or your local Giro dealer.
Side note: the women’s Terradura comes in pretty nice teal and black colorway!
Filed under bike, field test, gear
Beekeeper Co is a cap line by Cole Maness produced by fellow Californian and sewer Yanco Customs. The bee keeper cap was inspired by a one Edmund Hillary wore on his 1953 expedition of Everest, as seen in the film Beyond The Edge. Perfect for adventures with ample sun exposure and if stripes aren’t your thing a Safari khaki is currently being offered.
The awesome people at Topo Designs teamed up with Tenkara Rod Co (a little company out of Idaho) to put together a Tenkara kit that’s ready for a morning or lazy day of fishing right out of the box. The lightweight 3.2 oz carbon rod telescopes into 12 feet in length and packs neatly into its own case, strapping easily onto lash straps on the underside of the Light Hip Pack. A little wallet finishes off the kit holding a coiled line and flies, plenty of space left in the pack for some beers and whathaveyou.
Suggested reading: Fishing by Bike, South 2 West 8: Fish and Bike
X-Pac is a pretty amazing material that more and more I’ve noticed pop up in all sorts of bags- bikepacking, ultralight backpacking, and even just casual every day bags. The fabric was originally developed by Dimension-Polyant as sailcloth for high performance sailing, which just so happens to translate really well for bags- it’s lightweight, abrasion resistant, and waterproof. It’s also made in the USA. Without getting too nerdy the standard weight VX07 fabric (there are several varieties) consists of four layers made from a combination of a water-proof layer, poly ripstop, and the distinctive “X” poly fiber that runs throughout to make it super tear-resistant. Right now the only bag I’ve got made from this magical stuff is my 10L Acre Supply Hauser (which, I should add is awesome) made from Multicam-print VX33. A black Multicam does exist in a heavier weight VX50 which Acre’s big brother Mission Workshop makes use of in their Cobra pack. Good stuff.
Filed under gear
At this very moment I have six bikes in the house, four of which are 100% built and rideable with the other two in between having parts swapped in and out before getting back out there. Of all these bikes, my cross check is the only one being ridden every single day: to work, to the bar, little errands, all of that. I’ve gone through many, many different set ups between grips, bars, and brake levers but none have been as satisfying and comfortable to ride as where it’s at today.
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Garrett of Strawfoot Handmade reached out to me to help hide a couple of his camo pouches around Philadelphia this coming Thursday. He’s also enlisted the help of some other cool dudes across the country: @theathletic took care of Portland yesterday, @theradavist drops off in Austin today, @freshairbicycles in SF tomorrow, and both @goldensaddlecyclery and @onetrippass in Los Angeles on Friday. Each person will post a photo hint of the location on their respective Instagram account, many pouches will include a prize! If you’re in Philly and you happen to find one of mine then you’ll find a code for a free FairEnds cap inside so be sure to keep a watch on my account @corkgrips.
cork grips 