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‘No BS Bike’ Launching As Quiver Of One — The One, equipped with front fork and internally geared rear hub

Coastline Cycle Co., a new brand led by an industry veteran, is launching a do-all bike they say breaks the mold of marketing-led design. “The One” is a bike that simply rides and works well without compromise.

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey famously said, “make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.” To this end, 20-year bicycle industry veteran Chad Battistone is launching Coastline Cycle Co. with only one bicycle, aptly named the “One.”

The One is a belt drive, dropper post bike conceived 10 years ago, which has evolved as new technologies have become available. It is designed for dependability and versatility, capped with high-end parts that will work well on urban commutes, trail rides, and many places in between. Some say it looks like a commuter bike, some a mountain bike. But the notion that this bike should be “used in a certain way or you’re doing it wrong” is something against which the founders of Coastline rally.

Coastline One: Bike Designed For Versatility

While efficient and comfortable transportation is at the heart of the Coastline bike, we have ridden it and can report that it is a bombproof marauder of street, dirt, and rock.

“It’s a bicycle!” Battistone exclaimed. “We don’t want to tell anyone what to do with our bicycles; We want them to tell us what they are doing with them.” It’s not a value-play. It’s not a high-end race bike. It’s just good, solid design.

Belt Drive Reliability

The bike has a number of standout features that make it durable and reduce required maintenance, but the big one is the Gates Carbon Belt Drive wrapped around an internally geared rear hub.

Shimano and Race Face parts, a threaded bottom bracket, disc brakes, and a high qualiity aluminum frame create a strong, arguably overbuilt, crusher of all that which rolls beneath it.

Coastline ‘The One’ Bike Review

My test ride found the bike to be quiet, solid, and lots of fun. The dropper post was great on the trail, and even just when hanging out talking, or waiting at a stop light. The frame was beautiful, with nice smooth and strong welds and a lot of attention to detail.

The brakes — which range from baseline Shimano hydraulics to Shimano XT depending on the model — performed flawlessly.

Even the MRP fork impressed. Founders Chad and Brady are both good riders and meticulous perfectionists, and it shows in the selection of parts for the bike.

It’s not a featherweight. We weighed the bike with tubes and pedals at 27.8 pounds, about five pounds heavier than a carbon race MTB without a dropper post.

Jack-of-all-trades. As with any bike that aims to do many things well, it does not do one particular thing perfectly. With the 100mm of quality suspension up front and the stiff and predictable frame and wheels, (all iterations of the bike have 32 spokes) the bike is solid on the trail. The long rear triangle takes the sting out of jarring hits. The slack front end keeps handling predictable and arguably slow, which lends itself to comfortable commuting. You won’t keep up with your buddies on their road bikes, and you’ll probably want to switch out the slicks for knobby tires to ride much off road. But the beauty is that you’ll be able to ride both road and trail at a modest rate on a single bike, something many will love.

One downside to the internal hub: We’d prefer the ability to dump multiple gears when approaching a steep hill, but the rear hub is one click for one gear. Otherwise, the Shimano geared hub system is a proven system that is durable and works well.

A Versatile Bike

We foresee the One ridden by non-spandex-wearing, savvy bike lovers who want a bike that can both rip around city streets and modest trails. Riders of this bike will realize that although it was not built to hit any particular price-point, you get more for your money buying from a company like Coastline that sells direct to consumer, especially when using the Kickstarter promotion.

That said, you won’t have the support of a bike shop, so plan to break out the wrenches for regular maintenance or pay to have a shop do the work.

Direct To Consumer

Coastline is launching as a direct to consumer brand, a business model that can save consumers money, but is often criticized for its role in undermining the viability of local bike shops. With a planned launch on Kickstarter beginning March 1, prices range from around $1,000 for a rigid belt drive single speed to $2,400 for an 8-speed internally geared bicycle equipped with an MRP suspension fork.

Carbon rim upgrades and custom graphics will also be offered. All launch bicycles will be equipped with Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack systems mated to Shimano hubs and Race Face cranks. We love ultralight, fast race bikes, niche adventure bikes, fat bikes, and full suspension trail machines. We love them all.

But a beautiful bike that cuts through all of the BS is needed for the rider who wants a bit of everything in a single bike. It’s executed very well here, and we predict there will be happy Coastline Cycle riders on both coasts, and everywhere in between.

Learn more about Coastline Cycle Company here .

The big gear a cyclist pushes is traditionally round, a perfect circle of spinning teeth. But what if the chainring wasn’t round at all? Here we review oval and other non-round chainrings to test claims of increased performance with each pedal stroke.

Perhaps you’ve seen strange, non-round chainrings out on the trail or in a group ride. Are they making other riders faster? Short answer is, probably not much. But you should still consider these non-traditional gears. Here are our thoughts after many miles on roads and trails with oval chainrings.

Optimum Power?

When you pedal, you are strongest when the cranks are horizontal to the ground, weakest when they are vertical. The power we make is different at varying positions in the pedal stroke due to our body mechanics. Most bikes have circular chainrings, which do not account for this.

Non-round chainrings do account for the variance. They allow a rider to do more work during the power phase and then quickly spin through the dead spots.

They’re not magic. In fact, only some studies on non-round chainrings show improved performance. We found four studies that revealed improvement , and five that did not . (But note that no studies show a decrease in performance.)

The take-away? According to these studies, the non-round rings may or may not make you faster. If they do, it’s not by much.

Our Test

We’ve been riding non-round chainrings for more than a year now. How could a GearJunkie not at least try them, right? We first tested them out a few years ago after Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome showed up to the Tour De France with Osymmetric and Rotor rings on.

Most oval chainrings have a relative difference from strong spot to weak spot of about 10%. For example, a 32-tooth ring feels like a 34-tooth in the power phase, and a 30-tooth in the dead spot.

The fluctuating difference feels a bit strange at first; the downstroke of the pedal feels almost like you are going up a hill, then, quickly, that resistance drops, pulsing with each pedal stroke.

But as anyone who rides oval will tell you, the odd sensation disappears very quickly. It’s not very dramatic. After just 15 minutes of riding the sensation fades and your attention shifts back to the trail.

Although they don’t necessarily have a big measurable power or efficiency benefit, we like them, particularly on mountain bikes. Oval rings help a rider quickly spin through the dead spot when climbing loose soil, bogged down in sand, or hung up on a rock, for example.

We also notice a bit less shifting needed, such as during punchy climbs. The quick recovery through the dead spots allows the rider to maintain the gear up over the hill.

Some riders also claim increased traction. We don’t necessarily agree with this, but it is possible if your pedal stroke feels more smooth on an oval ring, which we think it generally does.

Aside from these advantages related largely to mountain biking, we do also simply like they way they pedal. The reduction of work your legs have to do in the dead spot simply feels good once you get used to it.

Unorthodox Gear: Would You Pedal An ‘Oval’ Chainring? — Oval rings like this one from Wolf Tooth Components are our choice for mountain biking

Chainring Shapes

Oval chainrings are not the only non-round shape. Jean-Louis Talo, a French mechanical engineer who designed the Osymetric chainring , has taken the oval concept even further with his extreme “bi-cam” shape.

The “bi-cam” goes further to reduce the dead spot and pour on the power exactly when your legs are strongest. As you can see by the image the curve of the ring is not gradual, instead it has two sharp curves, or cams, which transition force quickly between power phase and dead spot. It looks like an egg with squared-off sides.

Talo claims that his Osymetric rings “alter the design so that you give the leg muscles work to do where they are at their strongest and less work to do where they are weak. A round chainring gives you work to do where you are weak and takes power away from you where your legs are strongest.”

He continued, “A bicycle chainring is round because at one time that’s all factories knew how to produce.”

Osymetric Rings have a more extreme relative difference in effort from strong spot to weak spot, of about 18%. We can feel this difference. In fact, when pedaling at a cadence above 110, there is zero resistance at all in the dead spot — the rider physically cannot accelerate the pedal fast enough to apply any forward pressure at all when spinning quickly.

The bottom line is that we like the Osymetric rings, perhaps even more for certain applications like time trials and road race sprints. They are more effective at accurately increasing resistance where the leg is strong and decreasing where the leg is weak.

Impressions — Non-Round Chainrings

What about pedaling while standing up?
I was a little worried that an oval ring would mess with the “feel” of stand-up pedaling too much. But it feels just fine. In fact, I really like how non-round rings feel when standing. Stand up pedaling exaggerates the inefficiency of our pedal stroke because it places more emphasis on the downstroke — a dramatic side to side stand-up sprint feels extra powerful with a non-round ring.

The Osymetric is particularly solid when standing. But both Osymetric and oval have potential drawbacks, see below.

Shifting Performance decreases. Round rings shift better than oval, and oval better than Osymetric. The Oval rings are not too significantly affected — the difference is small enough that running concurrently with other round rings works fine. But the Osymetric rings present more problems. As you can imagine, a derailleur’s job of moving the chain side to side gets harder to do when the rings are not round. For example, if the derailleur attempts to push the chain onto an Osymetric ring when the tall part of the cam is in the derailleur cage, it might bind for a moment until the rider rotates the ring into a position more likely to catch the chain and complete a smooth shift.

Front Derailleur set-up is more difficult. Again, the Osymetric ring causes more trouble than the oval for the same reasons outlined above. But with both, the front derailleur must be adjusted perfectly in every dimension (vertically, horizontally, side to side) to avoid rubbing and ensure crisp shifts. Although we had good luck, we have heard that some riders need to customize their front derailleur mount to get an Osymetric ring set up properly.

Increased noise. This is mostly an issue with the Osymetric rings. The way the chain falls onto the flat portion of the ring can be heard as a rhythmic pulsing as the chain rises and falls over its tall cams. Interestingly, an oval ring does not cause much of a sound, and we were surprised to see that the length of the chain does not change with an oval ring. Not one bit, you can even run them on a single speed. This is not the case with the Osymetric. A derailleur is needed to accommodate the small increase and decrease of the number of teeth engaged with the chain. This pulse is what encourages me to call them “wobble cogs.”

Ultimately, We Like Non-Round Rings

We have ridden both oval and Osymetric rings for over a year now, for thousands of miles. What is on our bikes now? Oval ones. The advantages are small but they feel smooth and powerful when you get used to them.

The small bump in performance on a mountain bike, or sprint power on a road bike, and the smooth powerful pedaling feel they offer are enough to keep them on for good.

People ask if we ever miss the old round rings. The answer? Nope.

In a market with a million T-shirts, a New Orleans brand offers something different than the usual synthetic, cotton, or merino-wool shirt.

Tasc Performance Apparel makes shirts and base layers through a previously unheard-of process and in a unique location.

Using bamboo cellulose as a base material, the company blends organic cotton, polyester, merino wool, and other fibers to make proprietary fabrics for fitness and the outdoors.

The result is a different kind of apparel. I tested multiple pieces from Tasc for this review.

Tasc’s performance shirts, including the Hybrid Fitted T that I reviewed this fall, are soft, stretchy, comfortable, and good-looking.

Review: Tasc T-Shirt

The company touts the Hybrid Fitted as having UPF 50+ sun protection. It costs $36 and is a part of the brand’s MOSOtech line, which use fabric made of organic cotton, bamboo, and 5% Lycra.

The shirt is wearable during high-output activities. I biked, ran, and climbed in the Hybrid Fitted . I wore it for six days straight, too, for a stink test.

Tasc fabric feels different from any other performance top in my closet. It’s a bit thicker and softer than most merino-wool pieces I use for activities. Compared to synthetic shirts made of polyester, the Tasc fabric has a natural feel against the skin.

Review: Tasc ‘Bamboo-Based’ T-Shirt For The Outdoors — Tasc Hybrid Fitted shirt

When wet from sweat the fibers have a semi-hydrophobic quality and don’t gain much weight. The shirt does not stick to skin.

Despite the sweat it did not stink — I simply hung the shirt up each night to air out, and its natural antimicrobial facets seemed to do their trick. This means less laundry is required at home. For travel, this is a shirt set for wearing multiple days in a row.

Bamboo Fabrics and Beyond

The Hybrid Fitted is one product among a few dozen Tasc sells. The company has casual clothes, yoga-wear, and a product line with merino wool as a primary component, all blended with bamboo.

The material comes from India. Tasc’s founders have been in the textile business for 60 years, and over that time have developed a partnership with a family-owned mill.

The company sources most of its material from this single facility, controlling production and sustainability components that it says are among the most stringent in the industry.

This is important, as bamboo fibers have been cited as polluters due to a caustic process used to break down the fibers.

Tasc touts a “closed-loop” system to keep chemicals contained during the manufacturing. The company says its bamboo is organic and sourced from a forest certified by the watchdog Forest Stewardship Council .

Give Tasc shirts a try if you’ve long used synthetics and are looking for a more natural top. Or, if you’re a merino-wool junkie hoping to save on apparel, the bamboo-cotton Hybrid Fitted is a functional alternative for workouts and everyday wear.

The demand for handmade North American goods is as strong as it’s been in decades. This spring I put a full spread to the test during a week of bike camping in Northern California.

Bike Camping Gear Made, Tested In America — Riding through Los Padres National Forest

At a time when most goods are still produced in East Asia by people working for paltry wages, there are companies that create jobs at home and put quality standards ahead of the bottom line.

On this trip, and for the past three months, I’ve used and abused this gear and have been consistently impressed by the durability and functionality across the board. This stuff isn’t cheap. It’s an investment. And good investments last long enough to be well worth the price.

As for the trip itself, my riding buddy Hank and I took off from his home base in Santa Cruz, CA and worked our way south along the coast before cutting into the mountains in Big Sur and snaking our way home for a five day round-trip in the neighborhood of 300 miles. The weather ranged from 37 degrees at night to 70 in the afternoon.

Click links below for full reviews:

A-Train Cycles stainless steel gravel bike — “The KVA MS3 stainless frame has the unmatched ride quality of steel, with the corrosion resistance of titanium.”

Porcelain Rocket Bike Packs — “For mixed surface touring, distributing gear between frame, seat, and handlebar packs is preferable to clunky panniers. And when it comes to bike packs, there’s no better option.”

Tarptent Protrail shelter — “Seattle-made Tarptents have been go-to shelters for the ultralight crowd since 2002. For this trip I put the brand’s newest model to the test.”

Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt — “Without a zipper or under-body material, the quilt clocks in at a scant 16.48 ounces, packing down incredibly small.”

Therm-a-Rest EvoLite mattress — “I passed out six nights in a row and didn’t stir ’til sun-up. In more recent camping outings, it’s been much of the same.”

Search and State S1-S bibs and S1-A jersey — “The fabric is super comfortable and the fit worked well for long days in the saddle — athletic cut, but not too tight.”

Ibex Arrivee bib, leg and arm warmers — “I pride myself on being a merino disciple, but even I was initially apprehensive about wool bibs. Any reservations were quickly left at the wayside.”

Donkey Label chamois cream and merino socks — “Socks are just socks… Until they’re as good as these.”

Light & Motion Urban 800 Fast Charge light — “800 lumens, waterproof, and 2.5 hours to a full charge make it a beast in the urban jungle.”

‘Burn wood not gas.’ That is the simple tagline of the BioLite CookStove , a camp-cooking product new this month that incorporates a small fan to perpetuate a hot-burning fire.

You start a fire in the metal case then drop sticks and shaved wood inside. Supporting legs and a wide-lip top provide structure to boil water or cook with a pot on top.

Based off the principle of a rocket stove , the BioLite concentrates its combustion in a cylindrical cavern and then circulates air via a small rechargeable fan to invigorate the flame.

Review: BioLite CookStove

I tested it this week for the first time with success, heating a liter of water to boil in just over five minutes once the flames were stoked.

‘CookStove’ Has Fan To Stoke Blaze — Drop wood into the stove body

BioLite is best known for its electricity-generating stoves, where heat from a fire creates usable power to plug in and recharge devices. This unit, the CookStove, is more simple, with its clip-on fan featuring just one button and tiny LEDs.

On a backpacking trip you can leave the fuel gas canisters behind. This stove runs on the detritus of the forest, including pine cones, grass, and small sticks. It’s a hungry beast once running, however, with its swirling flame engulfing found fuel in seconds if dry.

CookStove Burn Test

In my boiling test, using pencil-thin wood, the CookStove ate twigs like no tomorrow. I was forced to refuel the caldron three times before my liter of water hit 212 degrees.

You get four levels of fan output, with each press of the button ratcheting up the air. I ran it at “high” most of the time, and the result was a literal tornado of flame — once in motion the CookStove functions like an air-fed rocket stove in its optimal state, burning hot and producing almost no smoke.

“The smoke you see from a typical campfire? That’s wasted fuel,” BioLite notes in its promotion of the CookStove. The company leans on efficiency as well as no reliance on fossil fuel for this unit.

Air As Fuel: Rocket Stove Design

Air is pumped into the burn chamber via multiple “jets.” For any reasonable backpacking trip you should be able to get by on a single charge. The fan battery lasts for hours, and if needed, it’s rechargeable via solar or other means in the field.

Overall, I love the stove in concept, and in function it’s pretty great, too. It’s certainly heavier and bulkier than my most minimal backpacking burners, at about 8 inches tall and 1.6 pounds.

But remember that with the BioLite you can leave the fuel canisters at home, thus saving some space and a little weight.

You do need to forage for good, dry wood once out there. I tried burning just slightly “green” sticks and the stove barely worked.

Final Thoughts: BioLite CookStove

But for dry fuel its appetite, as noted, is tremendous. Have a small pile of finger-thick wood at the ready when it’s time to cook.

Once roaring you can drop in bigger pieces of wood. They burn longer, though not as clean, as the smaller bits. But the larger hunks take some of the babysitting away if you’re boiling water before a meal.

BioLite has built a quality camp-cooking solution with the CookStove. Don’t rely on this unit if you need to melt snow or feed big groups. But for a couple or small family on the trail, the CookStove is a solid option and a new way to approach the age-old need for flame.

BioLite CookStove - Specs

Weight: 1.60lbs
Dimensions: 8.25″ x 4.50″
Battery Charge Time: 1.7 hours (via wall outlet)
Fan Run Time: 8 hours (high) to 30 hours (low)

More Info / Purchase Info

Detachable ‘aero shells’ and a thermal liner make this helmet adaptable to varying temperatures and terrain. We took it on bike trips around the world for a review.

Helmets have become the new focus for techy advances in the bike kit. Carbon, cameras, lights, and fancy chinstraps now push the envelope on this foam fortress. With it, price tags have swelled to $200 and higher.

Last year, Bollé, a brand known for sunglasses and goggles, made a splash in the space with a sub-$200, configurable helmet it hoped would be the only one you’ll ever need.

We took the appropriately-named The One on lengthy spins this summer. We put it to work on road, dirt, and everything in between.

Review: Bollé ‘The One’ Road Helmet

Review: Bolle’s ‘The One’ Bike Helmet For Any Occasion — Bolle ‘The One’ helmet test; photo by Jens Staudt

Bollé The One Road Premium

Weight: 280 g / 9.8 oz
Panels: 31
Removable “aero shells”
Sunglasses garage
Dial strap adjuster
Safety QR code
Rear LED
Removable visor
Summer and winter liners
Carbon-fiber shell
$170 ($130 without panels)
Made in: China
More info / company contact

Extras (Included!)

Out of the box, The One comes stocked with a bevy of accouterments. A red LED light that clips into the rear of the helmet is included. This can be set to continuous or flash mode and runs on a watch battery with 40-hour burn time.

There’s also a QR sticker that, when scanned, retrieves a pre-recorded, 60-second voice message you’ve set up. This means anyone with a smartphone and QR scanning app can access your message, which would likely contain emergency contact information in case of a serious injury.

The One comes with both a mesh summer liner and a plush thermal liner for winter conditions. The chin straps thread through a pair of keeper tabs on the ‘earmuffs’ of the winter liner to keep it secure.

Premium Upgrade

For the rider looking to shave seconds, The One Road Premium comes with two plastic panels that clip over the top vents, reducing draft friction (and providing a few extra degrees of warmth).

The upgrade costs $40. The panels can also be purchased after market.

‘The One’ In The Field

The helmet arrived in the heat of summer, just in time to wear on a multi-day ride across Idaho’s alpine desert. The 31 vent channels kept my head cool even during stagnant-air days in baking heat.

What sweat I did produce was mopped up nicely by the front foam pad, keeping my eyes dry.

Come September, I swapped in the visor and brought the lid to Europe for epic downhill mountain biking and more touring. Immediately I noticed the visor doesn’t lock in as tightly as it would on a lid dedicated to mountain biking. That said, the visor stayed put, doing what visors do best – shunning the sun.

Expecting rain, I brought the aero shells for extra protection. I ended up not using them but noted the shells were awkward to pack on the bike.

A trip in early October found me hunting for fire towers in Montana, where the mornings were crisp and the thermal liner was a welcome addition.

The liner is intended to be swapped with the summer pads; instead, I simply slipped it over the summer pads and buckled the winter liner in until the sun started to thaw things out.

Would a beanie work just as well? Sure, but my ears particularly appreciated the integrated earmuffs.

Pros and Cons

The good: The One road comes with a bevy of mods to meet the needs of the average rider who tackles mountain, road, and gravel biking … maybe even the occasional triathlon.

The rear dial ensures that The One is very comfortable and stays put even while chattering through washboard gravel roads. The thermal skull cap (included) keeps the head (and ears!) warm during cooler rides.

With roots in optics, it’s no surprise that Bollé’s first helmet has a dialed-in sunglasses garage. It’s a little fiddly to “blindly” slot the glasses in the port, but you eventually get the hang of it. Once they are docked, they don’t shake loose nor do they impede ventilation.

All this comes at a both a reasonable weight and price.

The bad: When clipped in, the shell panels significantly reduce airflow (and hence a reduced ability to shed heat). Of course, this isn’t an issue for cold or wet rides, but this could be bad for the time trial rider in the heat of summer.

More accessories mean more accessories to lose. If you’re the kind of person who tends to forget where you put the small parts of a ratchet set, this may not be the helmet for you.

Who should buy it?

Everyday cyclists who have a variety of bikes hanging in the garage but only really need one helmet.

Who’s it not for? The purist who appreciates a purpose-built tool.

Bottom Line

If you follow the trends from Eurobike and Interbike, you’ll see helmets are flooding the market, with integrated-LED turn signals and brake lights. The One shuns the fancy “iHelmet” technology and re-imagines a better basic helmet.

Big vents help keep the noggin cool in the summer. Apply the panels and slide on the felt cap and you’ve got a fine winter helmet for cold weather play.

No need for speed? The One base helmet can be purchased for $130 and comes with most of the benefits of The One Road Premium: sunglasses garage, QR safety code, rear red light, a detachable visor, and two sets of liners.

For $40 more, you get the detachable aero shells, giving you a little extra weather protection and converting the helmet to an aero performance helmet. Either way, The One is a fine option for anyone who just wants one skull bucket for all seasons and terrains.

Sold as a bike shoe for “transition seasons,” cyclocross, and cold-weather commuting, the Japanther is a niche product I have stretched beyond its limit this winter.

Made by 45NRTH, the ankle-high footwear is rated for temps between 25° and 45°F. But in my review, including more than 500 collective miles ridden throughout winter, the shoe-boot is valid in air much colder (see more below).

The Japanthers , for me, are a nearly perfect winter shoe. They have a wind- and weather-resistant upper (note: not 100% waterproof), clipless-pedal compatibility, a high cuff and tight fit around the ankle, and a roomy toe area that increases warmth.

They came to market late last year as a new addition to the 45NRTH line. The price is $225 for the high-end, niche biking boots.

Review: 45NRTH Japanther Winter Biking Shoes

Despite a prescribed 25-degree lower limit, I rode straight through a Minnesota winter in the Japanthers, including days where the mercury dipped below 10 degrees F.

Typical conditions for the winter bike gear test

Granted, I was bike-commuting in the city and only on the bike for 30 minutes on the coldest days. But pedaling hard on the bike my feet stayed warm enough, though the cold would seep in if my pace slowed.

I never upgraded to my more burly Wölvhammer boots for the commute. Those boots have a waterproof-breathable membrane and Primaloft insulation for keeping feet toasty on the dankest days and on long adventures involving fat bikes and snow.

Winter Biking: Shoe Test

Riding on pavement or winter paths, the fit of the Japanther is “performance oriented,” meaning they feel much like normal summer bike shoes.

45NRTH touts the shoe’s last was “designed for rigorous training and competition positions on the foot for optimal energy transfer but with a roomy forefoot.” I found this to be true.

But with the extra material comes a weight penalty. They are heavier by a margin than almost any summer shoe, weighing in at 20.5 ounces per shoe on my scale (Euro size 44). This is twice as heavy as my best summer-weight bike shoes.

Zipper closes top of shoe, with cinching laces inside and two large Velcro cuffs on top

The upper is a complex design made with a rubberized textile and breathable poly fabric. An angled zipper seals it shut.

A caveat: Be careful with the zipper, as pressure from the upper fabric causes force you can see in the zipper teeth; I was afraid at times the zipper would “explode” when zipping these on, which has happened to me with other similar shoes.

Inside, the Japanthers offer a “waffled foam” insole with reflective aluminum and wool felt for warmth. The shoe cinches onto the foot with a speed-lace, and the ankle area is secured by two overlapping Velcro cuffs.

Outsole Is ‘Anti-Slip’

Anti-slip “micro-glass filament” lugs are on the rubber outsole, which along with the tread give the shoe better purchase when off the bike and pushing over snow or ice.

Overall, I like the Japanthers and recommend the shoes to serious winter riders. I cannot see wearing these in temps near 45 degrees as the company recommends; at that point I’d switch to normal bike shoes, perhaps with covers if the ride was long.

How cold should you go? Years of biking abuse has somewhat deadened the nerves in my feet, so maybe I am a bad litmus. But as noted in the review I see this mid-weight footwear being wearable on most winter days, perhaps comfortable down to 20 or even 15 degrees, depending on your level of tolerance for chill.

Either way, despite the zipper design, I have been happy with the Japanther shoes. They got me through a season of winter biking, comfortable and warm enough without being too bulky or adding a ton of weight. I’ll wear them happily again next year.

One of the best bike helmets we’ve reviewed, the Z1 is a top pick for hot and cold weather riding, safety (via an integrated blinking light), and built-in technological wizardry.

The Lazer “Z1” (MSRP $270) is available with three innovations that allow it to adapt to various uses. It has options to function as a heart rate monitor , an aero helmet ($20 add-on), a rain/cold-resistant foul-weather helmet, and it also has a built-in blinky light for use at night or otherwise for added safety. (Although not reviewed here, it’s also available with a MIPS liner ).

Lifebeam Heart Rate Monitor

The Lifebeam HRM replaces the usual chest strap by integrating a sensor into the forehead pad in the helmet. It is controlled by a small housing that mounts on the back of the helmet.

The hardware weighs 45 grams on our scale. The unit transmits data via ANT+ or Bluetooth, meaning it’s fully compatible with anything from a Garmin computer or your iPhone on an app such as Strava.

The Lifebeam is convenient. We appreciated leaving the chest strap behind, and we never had problems pairing the unit to a Garmin computer; it automatically paired every time.

We expected the sensor to press uncomfortably into the forehead. It does not. At least on our tester, the sensor was imperceptible after hours of use.

The downsides, nobody wants one more device to charge, and the heart rate unit only lasts about 12 hours. Fortunately, it uses the ubiquitous micro-USB standard port, so it’s not a hassle to find the right cord.

'Smart' Hat, Helmet Monitor Heart Rate

This new running hat and bike helmet monitor heart rate and communicate wirelessly to smartphones, watches and other fitness devices — no chest strap required! Read more...

If you already own a Lazer helmet, the Lifebeam HRM is available for purchase separately. It is compatible with the Z1, as well as the Magma, Blade, and Wasp models.

Without Lifebeam, With Red Blinky Light

The Lifebeam heart rate monitor is mutually exclusive with the red blinky light . As shown in the image below, they both insert into the same space. So you have to choose one or the other.

The light has four settings, including a varied pulse that looks like a dance party. It is not very bright at an angle, but has very good visibility straight back. It is lightweight and super convenient.

Aeroshell On For Foul Weather And Top Speed

For $20, the Lazer Aeroshell clips over your helmet to protect from the rain and cold. It’s also very aero, so racers will push the use of the shell well into the 80-degree range.

We have been impressed with how warm the helmet is with the shell on — it’s not just a gimmick. It fully seals the rain and wind out of the otherwise well-ventilated helmet.

If the Aeroshell idea sounds appealing, but you don’t want to throw down on the ultra-light Z1, the Helium is still available for at least $50 less and has its own Aeroshell.

Aeroshell Off For Hot Weather

When the temperature rises, the Z1 — sans Aeroshell — is a top performer. It was equal to my hot-weather favorite Catlike Mixino in terms of ventilation. So with this helmet you can have it all, just not at the same time. Aerodynamics with the shell on, well-ventilated with it off.

The Z1 is light on the head at 220 grams (without Lifebeam HRM), less than a half pound. That is just 45 grams heavier than the world’s lightest.

Heart-Rate On Your Head: Lazer Bike Helmet Reads Pulse — Extremely well ventilated for hot weather

Comfort

The shape of the helmet is a winner. None of our testers complained about hot spots. The “rollsys” fitting system, a dial on the top of the helmet (accessible even with the aeroshell on) provides convenient and functional fit adjustment. Lazer uses this system throughout its helmet line and it works well. The straps and clips fall comfortably on the face and are easy to adjust.

Safety

In terms of safety, the new “T-Pro” or “temple protection” refers to the extra protection provided by the sides of the outer shell, which drop down around the side of the face. The helmet has a full wrap of the skull in both front and the back, for increased impact protection.

Because of the full wrap and the fact the helmet is higher volume than average, it can look big on the head, but not so much so that it’s ugly. The Z1 is not made differently in each region to meet various international safety standards, instead meeting all three (CE, CPSC, AS). With the addition of a MIPS liner , the helmet gains protection against rotating forces, but sacrifices a bit of breathability.

You can read our recent review of the MIPS liner in more detail, here.

All Around Winner

There is a lot to like about the Z1 if you can afford it. Comfortable and safe, 220 grams and stylish, in addition to the myriad features you can’t get from other helmets, the Z1 is a winner.

This tough little fixed-blade is made by hand from a renowned knife-maker, fits in a pocket, and it has a price that won’t make you gag.

If you want a handmade knife, a good custom EDC fixed-blade is a great place to start. The Jarosz JFS is one of the most accessible, affordable, and useful custom knives I own.

Remarkably for a custom design, it costs just $130. This is substantially less money than you normally pay in a category that bridges craftsmanship and art with utility in a product that serves as a take-anywhere tool.

Jarosz JFS: EDC Fixed Blade Review

EDC fixed blades have been around for a while. They have, however, boomed in popularity as the knife industry as a whole has boomed.

The idea is simple — you get a small fixed blade that can live in your pocket for daily chores, but at the same time it can flex into a more hard-use role.

I have excised the word “tactical” from my vocabulary, except for its use in this disclaimer. I love the ESEE Candiru in this role, but for something that is a bit higher-end, the JFS is hard to ignore.

Blade and Handle

The blade is a simple drop point with a small but adequate handle. The scales are highly refined G10, and on my sample the blade is made of AEB-L steel and given an “acid camo” finish. The entire package is topped off with one of the sharpest edges I have ever seen.

Jesse Jarosz is known for his grinds, and that skill translates into this well-finished blade. The knife doesn’t come with a sheath, which is a real bummer, but there are many options out there. I had a custom sheath made of kydex which works very well, but the Knives Ship Free knife slip is a good off-the-shelf option.

Handmade Knife

The allure of the JFS, aside from its utility, is the fact that this is a handmade piece (blanks are machine cut, but every knife is finished by hand). Jarosz exploded on the knife scene a few years ago, winning best new maker at the annual Usual Suspect Network Gathering. Then Jarosz went on to sign a deal with Ka-Bar and has been selling regular small batches of his knives, folders and fixed blades, through his site.

The JFS is the smallest of his fixed blades and easily drops in a pocket, even when sheathed. I did a ton of hiking with my JFS over the last two months and it rode quite well in the KSF sheath and even better in an taco-style kydex sheath.

Its thin grind and simple handle allow it to flex into a wide variety of cutting roles, and its solid construction lets you take it places you’d never take a folder (on a hike into a sandy quarry, for example).

The JFS is a well made and well conceived knife and makes an excellent step up as a fixed-blade EDC.

Jarosz JFS

Price: $129.95, Jarosz Knives
Steel: AEB-L
Blade Length: 2.5 inches
Overall Length: 6.1 inches
Weight: 2.76 ounces (without sheath)
Made in the USA

The tent came in the mail. But when I pulled it out of the box, I was skeptical — could this tiny thing really work?

I was headed to the Brazilian Amazon to retrace Teddy Roosevelt’s first descent on the River of Doubt. Now officially named the Roosevelt River after the expedition, it remains a remote, wild stretch with more than 70 rapids.

Our team expected a lot of portaging through dense jungle, and we needed to pare down our gear. The 22oz tent by Sea To Summit, called the Specialist Solo, would save me significant weight during the 5-week trip.

Ultralight Tent: 5-Week Test In Amazon Rainforest — Typical campsite along the jungle river

In the woods behind my house I set it up. I was impressed by how easily it came together, including a nice tensioning system and other thoughtful details.

Sea To Summit makes good gear, so I decided to trust it and use the Specialist as my main shelter on the Rio Roosevelt Centennial Expedition.

Overall, I was impressed with how well the tent held up during our 5 weeks in the rainforest. The only downside was the lack of ventilation, which made the inside of the tent uncomfortably hot, but even a screen tent without a fly can feel too hot in the Amazon.

After returning to my home in Minnesota, I continued to use my tiny tent while guiding canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Sure it’s small, but I am basically only in my tent when I am sleeping.

I love the fact that the Specialist Solo is quick to set up, hardly takes up any space, and helps me keep my personal pack ultralight. I look forward to using this tent on more canoe trips in the Boundary Waters this summer and beyond.

The Gear: Sea To Summit Specialist Solo Tent ($429)

Available: Now.

Where To Test It: Rugged mountains, wild lakes and rivers with lots of portages, long trails, or ultralight bike tours. Basically places where every ounce you carry matters.

Who’s It For: Weight conscious backpackers, cyclists, paddlers and wilderness wanderers who want an extremely light and compact solo tent.

Set up and take down: Set up is pretty straightforward: After a few nights I could set up or take it down in a couple of minutes. The tent has four tiny poles sewn into the corners, and two collapsible poles that stand vertically on the inside. Pitching the tent is easy — just lay it out, stake the six guy lines, unzip the door, and insert the two collapsible poles into special holders to form the ridgeline.

After the poles are in place it is easy to fine-tune things with the guy line tensioning system. The Specialist Solo is a single-wall tent, which makes it a snap to pack up.

Weight: 22 oz (total), or 15.6 oz (shelter only). Poles weigh 3.9 oz; pegs, 2.3 oz.

Product details: The Solo has one entrance and one vestibule. It’s made of Pertex Endurance 20D nylon shell fabric (1,000mm waterhead; 7000 mvtr rating) and 15D waterproof nylon walls, vestibule and floor. Double-stitched and bar-tacked at all stress points. Mesh panel doors.

Poles: It comes with alloy poles but can be pitched with a pair of trekking poles to save mote weight. Leave the pegs behind, too, and use natural anchors if you’re trying to cut every gram.

Flaw: This shelter does not have enough ventilation for hot climates; in the Amazon it felt like a coffin some nights. But, as noted above, almost any tent was too hot on our trip. In heavy rain the foot of my sleeping bag often gets damp because it ends up making contact with the tent walls. Also, at $429 msrp this tiny tent does not come cheap.

Final Thoughts: I love having a tent that packs down to the size of a water bottle. It is easy to set up, and very well thought-out. The guy lines are reflective and super simple to adjust. All the details are in place on this simple, effective, single-wall design. I look forward to camping out in this solo shelter over this coming summer and beyond.

— Dave Freeman led an international team of paddlers on an expedition down the Rio Roosevelt in the Brazilian Amazon 100 years after Teddy Roosevelt’s first descent in 1914. Dave and his wife Amy Freeman were named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2014.

We’ve spent the winter months cruising the snowy trails on the Advocate Watchman fat bike and have come to love its nimble handling, sturdy mountain bike feel, and sharp-looking stylings.

We first encountered Advocate Cycles last summer when we reviewed the Watchman’s little brother, The Hayduke. We loved the Hayduke, and lucky for us, hopping on the Watchman felt very similar aside from the fatter tires.

The Watchman is pitched as an “all-around, do-it-all fat bike,” and you don’t need to ride it very long to get that feeling. The steel frame is designed from a mountain bike pedigree and it feels fast and nimble on snow covered singletrack.

Shorter chainstays and a more slack headtube angle mean that the Watchman feels just as comfortable on twisty singletrack as it does in deep snow or sand. Our testers found themselves feeling more confident on icy single track than with other fatties we’ve tested. Even a first-time rider remarked at how easy and natural the ride felt.

RockShox ‘Bluto’ Fat Suspension

Several key pieces of equipment help the Watchman excel, one of them being the RockShox Bluto suspension fork. Suspension forks are relatively new to the fat bike game, and the Watchman and Bluto have been designed to work in conjunction with each other, giving the ride a sublime feel.

The Schwalbe Jumbo Jim tires gave great traction no matter what kind of trail we ripped. Offered with the complete build of the bike, the large knobs on the outside of the tires ensured we connected with the trail and gave us confidence that things would be fine even when the riding got a little nutty.

Complete bikes are set up with a SRAM 11-speed drivetrain. They come stock with a RockShox Bluto 100mm-travel fork but can be set up rigid if the rider prefers. Hydraulic disc brakes and a Raceface Ride cockpit keep everything looking and feeling good.

Advocacy Mission

A bonus of buying from Advocate cycles is that they put 100 percent of profits from the bike sales back into the cycling community. Part of it goes to organizations like the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and People for Bikes and the other half goes towards its own bicycle advocacy programs, such as educating non-cyclists and kids on the joys of cycling for pleasure and transportation, and teaching bicycle safety and maintenance. When you buy a bike online, you can even choose which of Advocate’s partners you’d like the profits from your purchase to go to.

Advocate Cycles Watchman Review

In recent years, fat bikes have become well rounded machines compared with the snow-focused beasts of the past. Modern fat bikes like the Watchman can be ridden with pleasure year round, and are fun to roll on tricky summer single-track and packed snow alike.

The Watchman is a dynamic mix of fat and flickable. It feels nimble and fast throughout the seasons, making this a truly year-round ride.

The $2,700 price tag might leave you with a bit of sticker shock until you realize that you could ostensibly eliminate your “summer mountain bike” from your quiver and have just as much fun on the Watchman .

A year-round fatty that supports cycling advocacy; now that’s something we can get behind.

Advocate Watchman Specs

Frame: Advocate Watchman
Fork: Rockshox Bluto RL, 100mm travel
Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX1, 11 speed
Cassette: SRAM XG1150, 11 speed, 10-42t
Crankset: SRAM GX1000, 30t
Front & Rear Brake: Shimano SLX Trail w/fin pad
Rotors: Shimano RT-68, 180fr, 160rr
Front Hub: Formula, 150mm, centerlock
Rear Hub: Formula, 177mm, XD driver, centerlock
Rims: Alex Blizzerk 90, tubeless
Tires: Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 26×4.0, folding

More Info / Full Specs / Buy Now

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