2019 Standout Products
As the decade comes to a close, It would be silly not to reflect on what the bike has brought me over the past nine years. In 2011, my wife Lindsay and I went on a bike ride in Crested Butte, Colorado. This small little town in the heart of the Rocky Mountains is considered the birthplace of mountain biking. Back in the 1970’s, locals fixed up their townie bikes to take on rough and rugged mining roads and singletrack to enjoy the thrill of gravity.
Fast forward 40 years where Lindsay and myself found ourselves renting mountain bikes at the ski base area of Mt. Crested Butte. If memory serves me correctly, we could have taken our rental bikes and hitched a ride up the lifts to avoid the steep climb up the mountain, but we opted to take the hard way. As we pedaled up the mountain, each pedal stroke filled my heart with content. The simple action of pedaling a bike in a natural environment was so eye opening and rewarding.
I’m so grateful I was reintroduced to bikes that day. The places the bike has brought me over the past nine years is truly incredible. From Alaska to Peru to Scotland, to high alpine mountains down to the dry desert, to -40F degree days to 100F degree scorchers, It’s been one wild ride.
As this decade comes to a close I’m excited for the future, as I grow and mature, I understand the world a little bit better each and every day. I understand myself and people surrounding me better now at 32 than at 22, but one thing will always remain the same, the joy of pedaling a bike cannot be surpassed. As this year comes to a close, I would love to share with a few standout pieces of gear that got me through 2019 with flying colors.
I’ve never been much of a drop bar cyclist, but that’s changed with the Cutthroat. I’ve owned one drop bar bike before I got the first generation Cutthroat a few years back. Living in Crested Butte, I had the opportunity to truly test its capabilities on extremely rough forest roads. It was fast, efficient, nimble and looked good. Fast forward to this summer, I had the pleasure of pedaling this new iteration. I wasn’t sure the bike could get much better, but it has exceeded my expectations thus far with its stability, stiffness, comfort and love for being loaded down. I’m stoked to take this beauty down the GDMBR next year during the Tour Divide.
Need a tire that hooks up in soft snow, tight singletrack and ice? The Wrathlorde is the tire for you. The recently launched 4.2” fat bike tire with XL studs and aggressive tread has been my go-to for singletrack and ice in the first months of winter, and I’m extremely pleased with its reliability in cornering. Set up tubeless on a 90mm rim, the tire profile is perfect and plenty wide for fresh snow. The studs are oversized for maximum traction on the slick stuff, making this a great ice tire. If you plan on riding on ice and need to paddle loose or hardpack the Wrathlorde is great new tire.
Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum
The tent is my home away from home, so It’s important to find one that is spacious yet packable, light yet durable, simple yet sensible. With Big Agnes’ large catalog, it’s tough to pick and choose the right tent for the job, so I decided on a tent that would would check all of the boxes above and work exclusively for bikepacking. Knowing I had space in my frame bag for long poles, I didn’t need to go with the shorties that Big Agnes recently launched this past spring. The other reason I went with the Tiger Wall was the two door system. I knew I was going to share the tent so having a door for each individual is a big priority. The tent has proved to be as durable and as packable as I had hoped and has aided in many comfortable nights under the stars.
Over the past few years I’ve been using Industry Nine Torch Hubs. A hub with great engagement that came in a variety of colors and were easy to service. This past spring Industry 9 launched Hydra, their new mountain specific hub that comes with all the bells and whistles that the Torch hub offered but with an upgraded 690 points of engagement and 0.52° between engagement points. The instant engagement allows for quick power transfer which aids in keeping to the front of the pack and powering up a steep technical pieces of singletrack where each pedal stroke and movement is just as important as the last. It’s just as serviceable but comes with a more elegant sound. Overall, It’s been a pleasure to pedal around with these new hubs, especially when every second counts.
Early in 2019 Five Ten and Adidas launched the new and improved Kestral Boa Pro, a stiff, sleeker improvement over the previous model. After pedaling thousands of miles on these shoes this summer, It’s safe to say they were a perfect pair for my feet. A wide toe box and snug heal cup aided in fitting my “greek” shaped foot, lighter weight and improved draining helped keep weight down when going through the enevadable river crossing, and the stealth rubber sole provided confidence during hike-a-bikes. If you are looking for a do it all shoe for bikepacking, racing or just big days in the saddle, I would highly recommend the Kestral BOA Pro.
Tailwind Nutrition Stick Packs
Endurance activity requires a number of things to come together to be successful. One of the biggest pieces to that puzzle is proper nutrition before, during and after a ride. Over the past five years, I’ve found something that has continued to work for me, Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel. This calorie-filled mix has been with me on many enduring days on the bike. I like it because it provides a boost when I need one.Tailwind is packed with calories, electrolytes and sometimes caffeine all in a water bottle, giving me energy and allowing me to hydrate at a faster rate. The stick packs are great for travel, bikepacking or long days in the saddle. With a growing list of dealers, check your local bike or running store before purchasing online.
The Pronghorn is hands down the best handlebar bag I’ve used. Between its simplicity, stability, weight and usability, this bag checks all the boxes for me. The installation is super easy and the harness system works flawlessly on my drop and flat bars. The dry bag has doubled as a pillow and even a bear bag. The pronghorn comes in 3 dry bag size, small - 7.5L; medium - 11L; large - 23L. I’ve been using the small, and the capacity is plenty for most of my bikepacking trips and can pack down small enough for my racing needs.
While this product is relatively new to me, I’ve been so impressed with its functionality the past few months. After using a Garmin for the past 6 years, it was challenging for me to make the change over to Wahoo, but I’m glad I did. Between the easy user experience of loading routes, turn by turn navigation and uploading training plans from Training Peaks, I’ve yet to have a frustrated moment with this unit. I’m even more impressed with the Wahoo Elemnt App that allows you to customize your Wahoo with ease.
Sony a6500 with Sony F4 18-105 Lens
As many of you know, I have a passion for photography. No I don’t have the best eye, and no, I don’t have the nicest camera, but I still love to shoot. Landscape and bike photography go hand in hand, so when I was searching for a camera that was powerful but small enough to carry, I decided on the Sony alpha 6000 series. I’ve owned an a6000 and now carry around an a6500. I love it, paired with the Sonly f4 18mm-105mm lens, it’s a perfect set up for almost all conditions. I typically throw it in my High Above Look Out Pack.
Sram Eagle AXS driver and AXS Reverb dropper post
Technology is important to me so when SRAM launched their Eagle AXS drivetrain and dropper post this past year, I knew that was going to be my next drivetrain. What’s not to like about cleaning up the cockpit, quicker engaging derailleur and dropper post, and super easy battery swap. To answer the big derailleur “battery life” questions, I got 37 hours of pedal time on a bikepacking trip in August. In September, I raced Marji Gesick Out and Back. I had to replace the battery at hour 17 of the race. So if you average my bikepacking and racing times, you get 27 hours of battery life. You can expect the dropper post to last roughly 80 hours, so that’s much less of a concern.
Everyone has their preferred way of brewing coffee. Convenience is a factor for many but when taste is compromised by convenience, I’ll take the extra time to appease my taste buds. The beauty of the AeroPress is the variety in brewing methods. I downloaded the AeroPress Timer app, which has a growing list of popular recipes. Right now I’m brewing Northern Coffeeworks Juniper Blend with the “1st Place” brew on the app, it’s delicious. While I have used the full size AeroPress for bikepacking, they just launched a compact version that I can’t wait to get my hands on, the AeroPress Go.
Floyd’s of Leadville Arnica Blend
Recovery is crucial when you are training, commuting and racing. Between sleep, hydration, nutrition and a good routine, massaging your legs is super important. I’ve been using Floyd’s of Leadville Arnica Blend and love it. The Arnica and CBD blend helps reduce swelling and inflammation which ultimately helps me recover faster so I can continue riding.
This past Summer I started a membership with Whoop. The Whoop band is a small wearable that fits on your wrist or upper arm that reads your heart rate variability. This simple metric paired with Whoops technology allows you to analyze your recovery, strain and sleep to help you maximize your fitness. Their robust app allows you to evaluate all of your data, trends and performance. Their guidance and recommendations have helped me make better decision and balance my training regiment on the fly. A quick tip: if you have small wrists or bike a lot, consider wearing it on your upper arm for best results.
Over the last six months, I recognized the need for structure. Since starting with Lynda in May, she has made me more accountable and I’m completing more of my training goals. I have witnessed first hand performance improvements with not only my data, but the way I feel on the bike. I’m extremely impressed her program so far, and I’m really excited that Lynda is going to help me with the big year ahead.
Talk about pajamas, seriously, these are the most comfortable pants I own. I was never much of a jean person before purchasing the Drifter Jean last year, but now they are my favorite pants. When temperatures dipped in the 50s this fall, I started to wear them again on my commutes, and it reminded me why I loved them so much. The Drifter has quickly become my go-to commuting pant, with a reinforced bottom, reflective cuff and well thought out knee junction.