Here is some of my favorite gear from 2009.

• Salsa Dos Niner.  Softail ride with all the benefits of 29er wheels.  Excellent choice for AR.
• Old Town Penobscot 17′ in Royalex.  Add a seat in the middle, tracks straight and goes fast.  Legal for most races where the RD doesn’t provide a boat for you.
• WTB Silverado saddle.  Tried a lot of seats, this is my absolute favorite.
• Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals.  Strong, light, best mud shedding out there and lots of float (no knee pain!).
• Stan’s Notubes.  Arch rims and Notubes.com fluid.
• Numa Shades.  Great optics, extremely durable and a huge AR supporter.
• Dinotte Lights.  Great beam, light weight, long burn times.
• Smartwool base layers.  Perfect fall, winter and spring 1st layer.
• Defeet Wolly Polly socks.  I use them for everything.
• REI micro weight wind jacket.  Uber light and durable.
• Bag Balm.  It works, and seems to be nearly unaffected by water.
• Specialized S-Works helmet.  Lightweight, phenomenal venting, exceptional fit.  Stays put through tough terrain, even with a light mounted.
• Specialized Cycling Bibs.  My “go to” bibs for long rides.
• Sidi Dominator 5 shoes.  Most comfortable (esp. with the Specialized BG insoles) shoes I have.
• Inov-8 flyrocks.  Light, low, great traction no foot bruising.
• Salomon 20l and 30l packs.  Great fit and lightweight.

See you outside - next year!

Shane

Gear Reviews, Uncategorized

For Adventure Racing, I had a set of criteria I wanted to meet.  Durable, light, and comfortable.  These bikes may spend a portion of a race in the bottom of a canoe, be pushed through thick underbrush, and be ridden like an XC race machine.  After a lot of research and a few test sessions, I concluded that the Salsa Dos Niner was a perfect fit.

I have been riding, training and racing on a Salsa Dos Niner for just over seven months.  I am right at six feet tall, so already a good candidate for the 29er wheel craze.  I really like the way the bigger wheels roll over obstacles and take the edge off of small bumps, roots, washboard and trail chadder.  The Dos Niner is a softail (a shock in the back, the chainstays flex up and down, there is not an actual pivot, nor is there the associated pivot hardware).  Those big wheels coupled with the 1″ Relish shock in the back really makes for an efficient, fast and smooth ride.

Bottom line.  I like the bike so much I am seriously considering getting a Selma as my singlespeed training tool!

See you outside,

Shane

Gear Reviews