Speed Sleev Seat Sleev

Speed Sleev Seat Sleev Saddle Pack for the minimalist
http://www.speedsleev.com/seatsleev.html

The Speed Sleev Seat Sleev is a simple device at first glance, but is actually an advanced retention system for your carry goods.

Able to hold as much as you can stuff in it, thanks to the wide elastic band with different size "pockets" for different size items.  

The pockets are actually sleeves open at both ends that allow you to access your items without opening the whole system.  

There is also a cover that protects from mud and flying debris.  This is made out of super light-weight ripstop nylon, and surprisingly has not gotten lost yet.

Pictured above is a comfortable amount of items to carry in the Speed Sleev. Adding more tends to compromise the load and could lead to lost items.  You have to be brave to store your tools in the sleeves at first as there is nothing but the elastic to keep them secure.  The shape of the CO2's and the Fix It Sticks multi-tool seems to work best.  They each taper on the ends which help the elastic cup around the ends.  The rubber tube never slips as the rubber provides enough friction.

With no empty spaces to fill this is the most compact saddle pack possible.

Care should be taken that the inner tube does not touch the bolt on the post as shaking could rub a hole in the tube eventually.

The pack did not rattle or give any evidence it was there.

On my maiden ride I tried to stuff a nylon tool pack in with the tube, and promptly lost the tool bag.  Everything else stayed put, and to date there have been no other issues.  The trick is really to only carry items that fit the selected pocket, and that are not prone to slip.  

As long as the item fits within the sleeve, or tapers smaller at the end of the sleeve, there seems to be no issues.

The hook and loop fasteners are more than ample to hold the contents.

To secure to the saddle: pass the fasteners between the inside of the rails from underneath, then over the rails and around and under the Speed Sleeve to connect on the bottom.  Where the straps are sewn to the Speed Sleev should end up directly under the saddle between the rails (as the top of the Speed Sleeve), not on the bottom side of the Speed Sleeve.  This is identical to the strapping method for any saddle bag, but most people get it backwards.

The Speed Sleev Seat Sleev is a cool little inch item that will satisfy the minimalist riders and give quick access to tools for racers in a hurry.  Sleev, not Sleeve, spelled with 2 "E's", not 3.

Edit:
Response from Speed Sleev:
Thanks for the review, pretty spot on.  We have made a few changes, including a stronger strap so it will truly hold whatever you can jam in there, and the tube holder section is hinged for easier loading and better retention of different size objects (like the tool you wanted to put in there).  
We are also using some new materials in [the second] edition [of] the original, the new bag is made mostly our of carbon fiber sail cloth.  We are also releasing a bigger size that will carry two road tubes and more Co2's or 1 29er tire for MTB application.

I look forward to trying the new version.  I do not use the Speed Sleev much, as for me, it is not that speedy, and high risk of losing items.

Update:  I have not used the SS at all.  I lost a few items out of it, so it is really not working for my needs.  I have seen their new version that holds items at 90 degrees to what I had, so maybe this retains them better.  I just feel safer with things zipped up and secure.
The SS does fine holding a tube with a CO2, but adding other items could lead to trouble.
I look forward to trying their new improved version soon.

Fix It Sticks

Fix It Sticks is the newest mini tool yet to hit the market.  The idea is genius in its simplicity and practical in its pack-ability.

Small tools with power applications.  

Pictured here with Phillips head, 4, 5 and 6 mm Allen wrenches.

As the picture shows, each hex-shaped steel bit fits into the other alloy body to form the T.  The coupling is a perfect fit and feels solid.

Aluminum machined bodies hold those common driver bits, and the bodies fit together to form a T-handle allowing huge torque.

While it would seem universally adaptable if the bits were replaceable, the reality is they would get lost and leave you stranded when you most need it.  The bits instead are pressed into the body for a permanent fit.  On mine I can see a slight bulge where the bit was really pressed in firm, so you know it will hold.  Fix It Sticks does offer a "build your own" option so you can get the bits you want, and you are not limited to just two sticks, get three and have 6 tools instead of 4.

The downside is the lack of a chain tool that other mini-tools might have, but we await a super light alloy chain tool compatible with the Sticks.

I have been testing the Speed Sleeve at the same time and have not found a multi-tool that would fit it satisfactorily until now.  The Fix It Sticks fit perfectly into the Speed Sleeve and will not fall out like my former favorite tool, rest its soul.

The Speed Sleeve is my favorite "saddle bag" for a minimalist approach and the Fix It Sticks compliment that minimalist light-weight mentality perfectly.

Fix It Sticks will be available in April 2013.  They offer a Kickstarter program where buyers can get a discount for pre-ordering a set in order that the seller earns capital to build inventory.

Mine are prototype aluminum, but the production models are anodized orange.  I probably would have opted for a torx bit for my disc rotors over the supplied Phillips bit.  I also added my own magnetic 8mm Allen end to turn this into a 5-way tool, but am bound to lose this unintended accessory.

The Fix It Sticks are a very cool and functional tool that will see years of service on many rides.

Ibex Giro Full Zip Long Sleeve Cycling Jersey

Ibex Merino Wool Cycling Apparel

What
Wool is a traditional cycling fabric that was widely used until the advent of Lycra.  The form fitting synthetic fabrics offered unlimited style and promises of functionally to fit every need.  The spandex era began and the days of itchy wool were marked, but now wool is regaining its place with high-performance and legendary benefits all in one fabric.  Enter Ibex's New Zealand Merino Wool.

How
Ibex wool is harvested from Ibex sheep in New Zealand and provides the highest quality wool available, offering superior breathability, temperature regulation, moisture control, and anti-microbial properties. Unlike traditional wool, merino is finer, softer and non- itchy, giving you superior next-to-the skin comfort.

Part of the magic of the merino wool fibers is it moves moisture from the skin more quickly than other fibers.  Sweat leaves the skin as vapor and condense.  Synthetics transfer liquid, but wool is able to transfer the vapor as well as wick the liquid directly through its porous fibers.  This keeps you drier and warmer in the cold, but in the heat has a cooling effect. It regulates temperature well.  Wool fibers also contain thousands of air pockets which insulate against both heat and cold.  These air pockets work even when wet giving wool the ability to insulate in any condition.

• Form-fit  in green, blue, gray & black
• Full front zip with locking zipper pull 
• Rib collar & cuffs 
• Reflective logo center back 
• Three pocket back 
• Elastic hem 
• Machine washable
• Mid-weight ponte knit 
• 18.5 micron 
• 100% Zque™ New Zealand Merino wool 
• 240 g/m²

Feel

This tight-knit wool fabric feels like a cotton/poly blend jersey, which is a nice change from the itchy fabric expected, thanks to the fine fibers; wearing it next to the skin is very comfortable.  The raglan cut is specific for cycling, so the sleeves are long enough as is the back side when in a low cycling stance.  

The small diameter of thread used for the base layer give the wool its soft texture.  Cut from New Zealand's Ibex sheep, this wool is the highest quality available.  

 The Ibex Giro long sleeve jersey is a Base Layer 2 fabric for next-to-skin use.

Ibex offers a very wide range of clothing for year-round comfort.

The temp regulating and moisture managing properties of Merino give you superior comfort.

Ibex garments are assembled in the USA

In Use
On a cool morning with temps barely warming from the over-night lows this wool jersey kept me toasty.  On the climb, a 7-mile south-facing gravel climb, the temps began to rise, but the wool kept me comfortable; unzipping the front was enough. At the top I waited ten minutes on friends as the wind blew, and the cooler temps that usually made me shiver felt refreshing.  Even damp the Ibex jersey was keeping me warm.  The painfully cold downhill I was expecting was enjoyably warm.   In just one ride this wool, this simple fabric that has been around for ages, had outperformed all my technical garments.

OK, I was convinced, so I did the research that revealed the science above.  Wool is amazing!  Why would we use anything else?  The fine fibers of merino wool are even better as they feel comfortable against the skin.  This jersey transfers moisture better, regulates my body temps better, never stinks, and is breathable. It is now my go-to base layer for chilly outdoor activities.

I also tried it as a second layer on top of my lycra base layer and noticed it worked better than a typical long sleeve jersey.  Actually, to be more accurate, I did not notice it!  I just felt comfortable as I watch my friends deal with over-heating on the climbs, and chills on the descents as they made adjustments to their layered clothing.

In the Wash
I hand washed the jersey for the first few times, but in the interest of the article felt I needed to toss it in the machine.  It did fine, not like my wool sweaters that are prone to stretching and shrinking.

The Ibex Giro full zip long sleeve jersey, $155.   A bargain at twice the price!  This is an item that is at the forefront of your enjoyment of your favorite activity, time and time again.  I am enjoying my Ibex jersey a lot.

Find more Ibex products at   http://shop.ibex.com/Apparel/Mens-Ride  

THOMSON Goes Carbon With Bars

THOMSON MTB Carbon Bars

A whopping 730mm wide for a flat bar, Thomson offers exacting precision and versatility in their line of bars.  Included is this flat bar, a riser bar, a road bar with flattened tops, and a CX bar.

First up the flat bar:

Coming in at just 185 grams for the flat bar keeps everything light.  6 degrees of sweep is good middle ground that should be comfy for all riders.  The bar can be run flip/flop for a difference of 5mm.  As mounted the top is flat across from the stem.  The bulge tapers up only.  Flip it and you have a 5mm drop.

click for larger view

A nice touch is that the bar is exactly 31.8mm diameter under the clear coat.  The clear coat compresses when clamped, so mated to a Thomson stem that is exactly 31.8mm you get a perfect fit and a reduction of stress to the bar as well as a tighter fit.

The bar comes with a tiny tube of carbon application lube, that is a gritty gel to increase friction between the stem and the bar. This reduces the clamping force necessary to hold the bar.  A torque wrench should be used to 4Nm when tightening the stem bolts to avoid over-clamping and crushing the carbon.

Thomson found that the sticky goo other bars have at the clamp area only cause the bar to slip easier, especially in the drop test.

1 lb of nano fiber can stretch to the moon.

"All our cloth is from Toray, it is 3 different strengths and uses cycling specific nano particles," reports Thomson.  

Destructo-Matic: Along with many popular brands of carbon bars, the Thomson bars were tested until failure.  With heavy weights attached to the ends of the bar, the system was dropped from one foot, two for some test, to simulate more downward force than the human arms could produce.  It is interesting that carbon breaks under pressure or compression, not tension, so the breaks were all under the bar (at the compression point), while the tops were intact (tension).  

All the destructive test on the Thomson bars showed that even when the bars broke they stayed intact enough to give the rider time to stop, and maybe even ride back home, but like the engineer said, the force it takes to break the bar like this would shatter the human body, so the bars would be the least concern.

The Ride:  Going from a 680 width carbon bar to a full 730 width is wonderful.  The handling is superb, cornering more confident and the extra length seems to further isolate the hands from vibration.  Even powerful sprints were easy with the bar - no flex when pulling up hard.  Yet, riders would still grab the bar at the very ends at times, so how wide do they want it, how wide is too wide?  Time will tell, but the weak concern of a wide bar not fitting through trees has not been an issue on the test rides; the increase in handling is much greater and a joy to ride.

730mm may be wide for some riders, but the Thomson carbon bars are meant to be cut, and the ends have hash markings every 5mm as cutting guides.  

Small bar-ends can be accommodated, within reason, as the ends are beefed up a little to handle the clamping force. Care should always be taken when clamping on carbon though, as not all clamps are as precise as the Thomson stems and could pinch or crack the bar.

click for larger view

A nice part of the ascetics is the marbled black finish on the bar.  With only the small Thomson graphic on the drive side the bar gives off a stealthy black glow that just speaks of its coolness.

Update:  After many more miles of riding the bars are still the favorite of all time.  The extra width means there is ample room between the stem and the accessories to get aero with your hands with room to spare.  This is handy for fast stretches of pavement or gravel, and is even offers a good alternative hand position for long climbs.

This bar will not be cut down, but for those needing a more narrow front end you will still get a great bar and at even lighter weight.

10-28-2014 update:  2 years later: Same bars, still working perfect.  I have over 10,000 off-road miles on these and no complaint from rider or bar.

Interbike 2012 Videos

Interbike Videos 2012.
At Interbike I walked around with a camera and had manufacturers give their spill about the product.  I will be testing and reviewing some of these products in time.
I did about 6GB of filming, most vids are about 3 mins long, so I will be posting them as they are uploaded to Youtube.

Me riding an electric MTB and HERE

This 2nd one is me going down a very techy section, then back up.  On a race bike I rode down easily, but did not even make it to the first bump (just after shadow) before becoming pedestrian.

KMC Chains 9,10 & 11 speed        BMX Rasta, kool Knight, K710SL, K810SL
                      BMX, Cruisers, Single Speed

Cygolite 12,000 Lumen cycling light prototype - water-cooled.
Wojtek did the same product too.

Sram 1x11 drivetrain
I did a quick video on the 11 speed system bc the Sram guy didn't want to do it. It has a single front chainring with no chain guide, but the chainring has special alternating wide and narrow teeth to match the chain's narrow and wide plates. The rear cass is a 10-42 11 speed that gives a wide range of gears making up for the loss of a double up front. Riding it there is no chain slap and over rough rocks the chain did not drop at all.  I rode it during the dirt demo on Tuesday, and took it off-course to find the good trails.  I need one now.
Hopefully I will have a system to test fully soon.

Cool new products from THOMON -
Dropper Post
Carbon CX bars, Road bars and MTB bars.

NOW Energy Bars were very tasty 

HALO Headband with built in "rain/sweat gutter"

Efficient Tools E-Z Lift
Very cool bike work stand

Boreas Backpack
I am to test this unit soon for bike packing

Tretta 2WD Bicycle
    MTB
    ROAD

X Fusion Micro-lite shock

2013 Scott Genius 650b full sus bikes

Cardo Systems Blue Tooth two-way communication
  I have this unit to test.  It is a helmet mount stereo walkie-talkie on steroids.  Blue tooth works with your phone as well, and works with your music.  Talk to your riding buddy up to 1/3 mile away, and if you get a call, just say, hello, and the com turns to a hands-free phone, when done with call, say, goodbye, and your back to talking to your friend.  You can have 3 persons on the system.

Formula
Thirty Three Light-weight race fork 26'er
RO Brake System
R1 Racing Brake System
T1 Brake System
R1 Brakes (quick release)

Speed Sleev saddle bag - the ultimate pan for the minimalist.

Power2Max crank based power meter

Cantitoe Generator front hub.  Generates 6 volts at the hub to power your gadgets

SRAM 11 Speed drivetrain

Spenco Gloves

MTB Gloves: Heat Wave 2.0, Trail Pro, Trail Warrior.

Patented Shock-Tek™ palm pad system protects the median nerve to prevent numbness and discomfort.

Enjoy a 20% discount using discount coupon code "mtbandy"

Andy Johnston, multi-time mountain bike national champion, after having to use “winged” style grips due to numbing hands, decided to test the benefits of the Spenco line of gloves.  The key feature is palm padding near the wrist to reduce pressure on the Carpel Tunnel Nerves.

Many cyclists prefer gloves with no padding at all in the palm, so may be dissuaded, but several Spenco gloves are not padded across the entire palm, just on the heel of the hand, while others have full palm padding or a double layer of leather giving riders a choice.

The Median Nerve runs down the arm and across the wrist just between the meaty parts of the palm.  It is the pressure against the carpal tunnel nerve that can cause pain or numbness in the hand or fingers.  Dr. A. Robert Spitzer, a neurologist, developed this patented design.  With Spenco gloves a relief zone is created between the padding to greatly reduce pressure and reduce road shock.  Pressure is diverted away form the sensitive areas of the hand.

After 6 months of off-road use the padding is flattened a little, but the gloves are in great shape.

This test was done over a 6-month period, and became the test riders’ favorite gloves. The Spencon gloves held up well and had quality construction.  Numbness in the hand and fingers was gone, as was the need for heavy, comfy grips.  The padding near the wrist was not noticeable and the glove still gave a positive feel when on the bar.  The gloves are on the level of a medical device, but eventually the edges of the padding will flatten out a little, so should be replaced even before the rest of the glove wears out to get the full medical benefit.  After 6 months the gloves are still working well.

There is a variety of models available in both short-finger and long-finger styles:

The Trail Warrior, with its Japanese Anime inspiration, is a great all-around 3-season glove.  Minimal palm padding, and a comfort fit.

Aside from the Median Nerve padding it has only a double layer of leather around the palm.  The under side material is a perforated synthetic leather that keeps the hands cool.  The graphics do little more than give it it's unique look.

• Anatomically pre-curved for comfort & fit
• Patented Shock-Tek™ palm pad system protects the median nerve to prevent numbness and discomfort
• Durable nylon Spandura top with Air Mesh for ventilation
• Ventilated Clarino leather palm
• Reinforced thumb, index finger and palm
• Soft Liteprene cuff with adjustable strap closure
• Lycra finger side panels for form fitting
• Silicone grip on finger tips for lever control

Trail Pro has a neopreme finger top with durable synthetic leather palm.  A directed terry cloth on the thumb almost is perfect for wiping out the sweat, but is interrupted by a blue stripe which can cause discomfort on the face.

• Molded neoprene padding across knuckles protects your mitts from even the most intrusive branches.
• Patented Shock-Tek® palm padding channel keeps the pounding off the median nerve.
• Reinforced 2nd layer across palm will keep things together for a long time.

The Heat Wave 2.0 was the test riders favorite glove for summer riding.  Features include a very breathable fabric over the fingers and hand, light padding on the palm, a full terry cloth thumb and, of course, Spenco's upper palm padding to relieve the Median Nerve.

The palm is made of the same perforated fabric as the Trail Warrior, but has a full double layer of leather on the palm area with a little bit of padding just before the fingers split off.

• Anatomically pre-curved for comfort & fit
• Patented palm pad system protects the median nerve
• Designed for superior ventilation
• Terry wipe for comfort, with molded Velcro closure for fit
• Reinforced second layer on palm and thumb crotch
•  Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL

Heat Wave 2.0

Trail Warrior

Trail Pro

Left hand of Trail pro.  The terry cloth is bisected by the blue styling fabric, but riders would prefer a full terry cloth for practical purposes.  Anatomically pre-curved and extra padding helps both with riding on the hoods or with twist shifters.

The Trail Warrior has unique graphics, but is a comfortable glove for cool to hot weather riding.  This is an all-day glove.  No terry cloth, but the soft fabric over the thumb is comfortable on the face.

The Heat Wave 2.0 glove is the perfect ultra distance glove with it's full terry cloth thumb,  well vented upper and Median Nerve padding on a perforated synthetic leather palm.

The IronMan was the only short-finger glove tested.  The padding in the palm was more noticeable than with the long-ringer gloves and for riders used to no padding this was noticeable, but not uncomfortable.  

All gloves were size Large.

In conclusion, the Heat Wave 2.0 was the clear favorite of riders.  It reflects the influence of the racing community with it's fully terry cloth thumb, mesh fabric back for cooling, perforated synthetic leather palm and  5-pad Shock-Tek padding.  All in a minimalist glove that gets the job done.