TOP NINE: Cycling Wishlist

Unfortunately the bike shops don't seem to recognize Black Friday. What this means is that I'll have to treat this day like I would any other day, and think about all the products I wish I had. Here's my Top Nine cycling wish list if anyone out there is in a supremely generous mood.

9. Park TS-2.2 Professional Truing Stand: I've been wanting one of these for years, but for as many wheels as I true/build per year, I can never manage to justify it.

8. NiteRider Pro 600 LED: This is especially appealing through the winter months. Blasting out 600 lumens, this will light up the trail, or desolate country roads. Its also pretty compact, and has a 2-hour run time at the brightest setting.

7. Yeti 575 Carbon Mountain Bike: Quick on the climbs, and technical sections, this is one of the most responsive and agile bike I've ridden. Too bad I couldn't keep riding back home.

6. Rocket7 Custom Shoes: I got a good six years out of my first pair, and they were one of the best purchases I ever made. Unfortunately, the price of these has almost doubled since then, and they have moved out of my range. Super light, long lasting, and incredibly comfortable.

5. Dura Ace Di2 Group: Who doesn't have this on their dream list. Just one ride on this drivetrain was all it took. The shifting is smooth, precise, and very quick without the absence of cable lag. Even the front derailleur is snappy.

4. Rolf Prima TdF58 Tubular Wheels: At 1330 grams for a 58mm deep tubular, these wheels are aerodynamic enough for a time trial, and plenty light for the steepest climbs. I would leave them at home for the crits, but that only occupies a small percentage of my annual race schedule.

3. Ritchey Steel Break Away Cross: It packs into a 62 linear inch case for the airlines, can handle touring, and is fast enough on the cross course. If I could only have one bike in the world, this would be one I would highly consider.

2. Garmin Edge 705: Last year I voted this as my favorite product of 2008, and I still haven't gotten around of getting one. Loaded with tons of features, you can upload the details of your ride at the end of the day, set up virtual training partners on the road, and load maps to navigate through foreign roads.

1. Cannondale CAAD9: Overall, I'm not a greedy person, and would be more than stoked to take on the CAAD9 over the SuperSix. At 15.6 pounds, the full Dura Ace equipped bike includes an FSA SL-K BB30 crankset, and carbon wheels. At $2999, this isn't too far of a stretch.

That does it for my list, and feel free to chime in on your own dream products for the upcoming holiday season.

Season Wrap

My 2009 season ended with the final Montana event of the season. For those of you that missed out on Polson Cross, be sure to hit it next year. Flathead Lake, Mission Mountains, and Loverboy blaring over the loudspeakers as I rolled through with 2 to go. It doesn't get much better than that.

It's been a busy week, and I've been lazy on the posts, but I thought I would take this opportunity to run down laundry list of the things I learned in my tenth season of racing.

First and foremost, Montana is fast. There are some good riders out here, and many of which are gearing up for cross Nationals in the coming weeks. There should be a good showing in Bend, so keep an eye out for it. On the topic of cross nationals, I also learned that cyclocross is making a huge surge towards cycling prominence. The schedules are getting bigger, the crowds rowdier, and the sponsors more ambitious. The level of talent is becoming more refined, and I'm curious to see how far it can go.

Another successful year of keeping the rubber side down has continued to build my confidence in Michelin tires. The Pro3 race tires do wear faster than the former Pro2 version, but they didn't lose any grip. I'll continue riding Michelin both on the road and dirt for 2010.

On a bummer note, traveling with a bike is becoming more and more difficult thanks to outrageous airline fees. Coupling bikes might be the way to go, but probably unrealistic for racing. At some point, someone is going to have to give.

Last lesson learned... Loverboy should be on every event playlist.

Bont Custom Cycling Shoes

Custom cycling shoes have been taking a bit of a hit with the more affordable 'semi-custom' options from companies like Lake and Shimano, but they are holding strong by improving technology and quality.

The company Bont has taken its experience making high performance speed skates, and taken it to the bike. They offer a variety of stock sizes for both wide and narrow feet, but their niche lies in one-piece full custom shoes using a unique laser scanning process that involves eight cameras and 4 lasers. The end result is a fully custom fit that is not only comfortable, but reacts to the movement of your pedal stroke for maximum efficiency.

Available in road, triathlon, track, mountain, and time trial options, there is a shoe for everyone, and they aren't as expensive as one might think. The stock options run as high as $400, while a full custom fit will run you $945.

While $945 is a lot to spend on a shoe, these are designed to last, and since Bont is concerned with performance only, you don't have to worry about their appearance going out of style, because they were never in style to begin with. If anything, they will become so hot over the next decade, and you can say, "I was totally into those shoes before they were cool."

Surly Racks

If you try to do your bike touring as light as possible, these aren't the racks for you. If you want to ghost ride your bike down Teton pass and have only the racks survive, then this is your ticket.

The Surly "nice" Racks are about the toughest racks I've come across, with Old Man Mountain pulling in at a close second. As you would expect with any bike component Surly makes, they CroMoly, and way overbuilt for durability. Aside from their tough demeanor, they do have quite a few features that any tourist will enjoy. First off, they are adjustable to accommodate a huge range of bike sizes, so if you have rack eyelets, you should be in good shape. On both front and rear racks, there are cross bars on the tops of the racks for storage up top. They also include eyelets for a front light, and have plenty of cross bars to access for bungee cords.

They cost around $125 each, which isn't cheap, but if you're setting out on an expedition style tour, you can't put a price on piece of mind.

TOP NINE: Winter Riding Tips

Winter hasn't hit full force yet (the Colorado front range might beg to differ), but it's never too early to start planning for the impending chaos of snowy and icy roads. Today's post is not only inspired by the inevitable, it's also inspired by the fact that my 5pm commute home will take place after sunset in a few weeks, and I'm none to happy about it. Here is the 2009 edition of winter riding tips and gear.

9. Fenders: The early and late onsets of winter riding often mean you'll be hitting a good amount of slush. Fenders will keep both your rear end and your bike happy, and save you a lot of time on cleanup afterwards.

8. Drivetrain: Nothing will destroy your drivetrain (chain, derailleurs, cassette, and cables) like winter conditions. If the road grit isn't bad enough, they have to put up with a great deal of freeze/thaw, which will pull off the best of lubes. Make it a priority to wipe down your drivetrain after a ride, be sure to knock off any blocks of ice that have built up.

7. Your Extremities: Your hands and feet are often the first parts of your body to get cold, and ultimately, there are going to be some days where there's no escaping it. On the other days, you can help yourself out by finding some insulated and waterproof booties, and warm gloves. I'm a personal fan of the three fingered glove style, but if you don't mind losing dexterity, I am a huge fan of expedition style mittens.

6. Your other Extremity: One pair of shorts isn't enough. It's a lesson I have to learn every season, and it brings tears to my eyes. Keep that little guy covered up with an extra set of tights. Another way to go is find some old shorts, cut the pad out, and layer those over for extra protection.

5. Your Face: There's a lot to be done about your face. If you're not privileged enough to grow a Grizzly Adams style beard, a balaclava will also do the trick. Don't neglect your eyes, and grab a dark set of glasses with good coverage. If you have any exposed skin remaining, apply some Vaseline to calm the bite of the cold, and you'll be in great shape.

4. Tires: Studded tires are always a popular choice, but if you're going to be sticking to the roads, a puncture resistant set of cross tires will do very well. Either way, you'll come out of the winter with some excellent bike handling skills.

3. Your Chest: If there's one thing you're going to layer up, make it your chest. When your internal organs get cold, your body focuses its energy here, leaving your extremities neglected and cold. If this area is well insulated, your body will be much more efficient with internal heat distribution.

2. Lights: Darkness sneaks up on you fast, and you should always be prepared in case your ride goes longer than you expected it to. Anything you can clamp to your bars and seatpost is a bonus, that way you never have to worry about forgetting it. If ride multiple bikes through the winter, a headlamp and rear light that clips to your clothing is a good call.

1. Your Head: Your head is top priority for a number of reasons. Obviously it protects you from the pavement, but it also keeps heat from escaping your body. Helmet covers, thin hats, or balaclavas, anything you can add up there is going to help make your ride a lot more enjoyable.

Yike Bike

One nice thing about working at a cycling organization is that you often get turned onto something you otherwise would have missed entirely. Today's surprise was the Yike Bike.

To call this little guy a bike is tricky. You don't pedal, and there is no drivetrain. It's kind of a cross between a Penny Farthing bike and a Segway. Regardless, the Yike is pretty neat, and I would pay money to see someone teach a monkey how to ride it for comic value.

The Yike is an electric front wheel drive scooter of sorts that has a 20 inch wheel up front, and smaller wheel in back that trails behind. The seat sits up high, a little closer to the front wheel, and you rest your feet on two pegs that fold out of the wheel frame. The handlebars are pretty neat, and wrap around you from behind. The bars also house two headlamps, and indicator lights.

As far as speed is concerned, the Yike tops out at almost 14.5mph. Acceleration and stopping all happens with triggers integrated into the handlebars, making it feel a little bit like a video game. Despite a full carbon frame, the bike does weight in at 21 pounds, which is surprising considering that when folded, it fits into a small shoulder bag about the size of a 700c wheel bag.

The price is steep at $5800, so it's a good thing you can pack it up and take it inside with you, although I can't imagine anyone stealing a Yike considering they wouldn't know what to do with it... Regardless, it's pretty neat.