Innehållsförteckning för July 2013 från Bicycling

A perfect spring day can make you a little crazy. This was one such day, with the fragrance of honey in the air and tulips leaning hard toward the sun. I was pedaling past farmhouses and a ball-field on Cofeetown Road, thinking about all the flowers I can’t name and the ping of an aluminum bat making proper contact and the first sip of the vanilla milk shake I’d soon be holding. I was on a 24-mile training ride that also could be characterized as an ice-cream run. I turned onto a road called Bellview and then into the drive of a farm that has been in one family’s hands for 100 years. The wind was blowing north, so I could smell the cows as I leaned my bike against…

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR FOOT IS For years, the balls of my feet used to burn on long rides. A friend suggested a good fix: old credit cards (the ones you meant to cut up but that somehow wound up in a drawer instead). I slid two under each insole and the burn never returned. I like to think I’m getting more out of my cards now than I ever did before. Rich McCarthy, Bufalo, NY We’ll give credit where it’s due: Rich won’t have to whip out any plastic for his new Park Tool Home Mechanic Starter Kit. FACEBOOK POLL What do you say to yourself on tough climbs? “Gotta spin it to win it!” —Sean Herman “This is for you, bro!” I lost my brother, Dave—who got…

LOW IN CALORIES and packed with good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids, fish and other seafood are ideal muscle-boosting lean protein sources for cyclists. But seeking out the most nutritious varieties that are also good for the planet can be a challenge. In his new book, The Perfect Protein, Andy Sharpless, CEO of the marine conservation organization Oceana, suggests adopting these guiding principles: “Eat wild seafood. Not too much of the big fish. Mostly local.” Here’s how. GO BIG SELECTIVELY Treat the larger fish, like tuna and swordfish, as an occasional treat. After decades of plunder, there simply aren’t many left. Also, these catches are generally a less healthy choice: Mercury and other pollutants accumulate in predators like tuna. With big fish, try to eat local and wild. Focus on safe bets,…

My daughter has mastered her scoot-style bike and is ready to upgrade to a pedal bike. Should I remove the training wheels or keep them on? Since she’s already learned how to balance a scoot, putting her on training wheels will actually hinder her by interrupting her natural ability to keep the bike upright. Instead, remove the pedals for a few weeks while she gets used to handling the new bike. When this becomes a breeze, put the pedals back on. Reassure her with a gentle, steady hand on her back, and she’ll find her rhythm and be pedaling in no time. I see people on my group ride fiddling with really small minitools. What’s the point? If you’re going to carry one, shouldn’t it have more than a couple…

LEGAL INSIGHTS FROM A CYCLING ATTORNEY THIS MAY SURPRISE YOU, but most bike crashes are solo incidents. However, even those can leave you with injuries and a damaged bike, and if negligence was involved, you might not be to blame. Suppose you crash because you drift into a curb while reading a text message. You took your eyes of the road, so you would be at fault. Now, say you were pedaling on a snowy road and your tires slipped out from under you. If the snow was there because the department of transportation failed to remove it in a timely manner, you could be entitled to compensation for injuries and damaged property. Here are some other scenarios in which the government may be responsible when you hit the ground.…

YOU DON’T HAVE TO join the masses to ride for a cause. This June, longtime friends Michael Tabtabai and Andrew Hudon will raise money for colon-cancer prevention by pedaling from Oregon to Massachusetts in 24 days, an initiative they’ve dubbed Leave It on the Road. The cyclists have done three previous self-organized charity rides. Here’s what they’ve learned along the way. START SMALL Assess your bandwidth for raising money, training, and the ride itself. If you don’t have the luxury of taking a month of work to trek across the country, for example, tackle something smaller but challenging, like a steep mountain pass. Hudon stuck to New England in a previous fund-raising effort he did with his brother. RECRUIT SPONSORS Reach out to businesses that align with your cause. Tabtabai…

At first I’m in denial. I tell myself it’s just dusk encroaching, burnished by the tint of my glasses. I’m barely 15 minutes into a ride that has already provoked a moment of subtle domestic strife, and I’m not ready to accept a change in itinerary. I keep pedaling. Before long the blot of sky ahead of me deepens, the blue at its edges vanishes, and charcoal gray turns startlingly black. The wind goes suddenly dead. The air is cool and wet as a damp sponge. The buzzing of insects and clattering of birds, which had reached an electric pitch a moment back—frenzied feeding time for winged creatures—is eerily snuffed out. What else is missing? Traffic. For once, there’s not a car on the road. No one at all except…

Afterward, I never even made it into the bike shop. I staggered to one of the rickety wooden chairs out front and sat and took the Saturday-afternoon sun like a tonic. Chris had gone and bought a six-pack from the pizza place, and Josh opened the bottles for us using a tire lever. Keith brought over a bag of chili dogs with everything. When he told us he’d gotten them that way, I looked at my bike over in the rack, and at my friends sitting around on other chairs or on the stoop or on the top tubes of their bikes with their legs stretched out, and I listened to them talking about all that we’d done, and I thought that we really did have everything. We had ridden…

WHAT TYPE OF CYCLIST BEST DESCRIBES YOU? Roadie .........................................44% Bike commuter ........................32% City rider ....................................13% Mountain biker ..........................8% Triathlete ....................................3% HOW OFTEN DO YOU RIDE YOUR BIKE TO AND FROM WORK? Every day ...................................30% Several times a week ..............30% Several times a month ...........12% Several times a year ...................11% Never .................................................17% HOW LONG IS YOUR RIDE TO WORK EACH WAY? Less than a mile ............................ 3% 1 to 5 miles ...................................... 31% 5 to 10 miles ................................... 34% 10+ miles ......................................... 32% NOT INCLUDING YOUR COMMUTE, HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU RIDE YOUR BIKE FOR TRANSPORTATION? Every day ...................................13% Several times a week ..............31% Several times a month ...........26% Several times a year ................18% Never ...........................................12% WHERE DO YOU RIDE WHEN CYCLING FOR TRANSPORTATION?* Groceries/errands ..................77% Work ............................................70% Restaurant/bar .......................44% School…

Think you have traffic to contend with? Try riding in Mumbai, India, where the roads are gridlocked with rickshaws, mopeds, smoke-spewing buses and four-ton elephants—and that’s before rush hour. Follow along as Mary Roach discovers the true meaning of “share the road.” L Like the rest of Mumbai’s rush-hour traffic, the elephant is traveling well below the speed limit. It is headed southbound on the Western Express Highway, carrying a mahout and a small cargo platform. A bell hanging around its neck jangles loudly, as though it’s possible to be unaware that an elephant is bearing down on you. The oddest thing about this scene, when later I look at a photograph, is that no one—not the man overtaking on a scooter, not one face in the windows of a…

FOR THOSE WHO PURSUE SPEED AT ANY COST Specialized S-Works Epic THE EPIC HAS EVERYTHING we would expect on a premium race bike. Last year’s Editors’ Choice winner remains light, quick, and stiff, and it comes with high-quality parts. But what really sets it apart is the Brain—Specialized’s name for inertia valves in the fork and shock that keep the suspension rigid (read: fast) on smooth trails, then instantly open it up to absorb hits on rougher terrain. “The Epic is as fast as a hardtail,” said one tester. “But it also sucks up hard ruts and other obstacles without robbing you of momentum or tossing you off your line.” The latest version of the suspension transitions nearly seamlessly from locked out to wide open—you never have to flip a…

XC SPEED WITH 5 INCHES OF TRAIL-TAMING SUSPENSION Yeti SB95 Race LAST YEAR, this category-winning 5-inch-travel 29er wowed us with its blend of confidence-inspiring stability and sharp handling. We appreciated those traits again this year as we bombed down Laguna Canyon on trails that started with sharply pitched descents over rutted and crumbling granite. “The rear suspension is brilliant,” said one awestruck tester. “It feels so efficient while pedaling, yet smooth and controlled in the rough.” That sure-footed feel didn’t slow the SB95 down in corners; it carved around high-speed, off-camber sweepers and felt agile when we had to thread precise lines down slabs of rock with precipitous drops on each side. Riders can push through the travel easier than on some other bikes, but you’ll notice that only on…

FAST, FUN, AFFORDABLE RIDES Scott Contessa Scale 910 THANKS TO ITS NIMBLE RIDE, air-sprung fork, and comfortable cockpit, the Scale was the most versatile bike in this group. Testers felt faster on the climbs and more skillful in banked turns, a testament to the Scale’s snappy ride and good trail manners. Its wide, low-rise bar made steering easy, and the spacious cockpit let us scoot back on the saddle for more traction on descents or lean in toward the bar for more aggressive cornering. “I even got the courage to catch air on some of the trail’s rollers,” said one tester. The bike delivered a rewarding blend of stability and speed that makes it ideal for new mountain bikers who want a forgiving platform to learn on, but won’t hold…

An artful bit of bike handling helped deliver one of the major achievements of Maurizio Fondriest’s career: a world championship title in 1988. Near the end of that race, the Italian looked to be outmatched in a trio that also included Canadian Steve Bauer and the Belgian Claude Criquielion. But in the last 400 meters, Criquielion—pedaling with the intensity of a man who thinks he’s about to clinch a world title on native roads—started to pass Bauer on the right. The Canadian, realizing that the race was about to slip away, drove his competitor up against the barriers, then flicked his elbow, causing Criquielion to tumble over his bar. All three might have gone down, but Bauer managed to escape to his left while Fondriest, immediately behind, swerved around the…

FAST RockShox originally suggested that only pro cyclists could purchase its new Vivid Air shock ($674). Of course, the highly adjustable model will be available to all. Hed Stinger 4FR wheels are so fast, and easier to control in crosswinds than many deep-section models, that some pros with other wheel sponsors use them with the labels removed. “It never gets easier; you just go faster,” said cycling legend Greg LeMond—whose words grace this print from Neil Wyatt, aka The Handmade Cyclist (p. 28). Fast asleep: Stanford University researchers found that just 20 to 30 minutes of exercise every other day helped adults with insomnia get an additional hour of shut-eye per night. “When all else is equal... what wins races isn’t your legs. It’s your head.”—BICYCLING columnist Selene Yeager, author…

It sounds counterintuitive, but Oakland, Californiabased writer and bike commuter MARYROACH says pedaling amidst the potholes, heat, and stray dogs of Mumbai, India (“Here Come the Bike Riders,” p. 56) taught her to feel less imperiled on the road. “Traffic is a bitch over there,” she says. “It’s a community bonding experience.” Her latest book, Gulp, explores a different type of transit system: the human digestive tract. Boston-area resident1 CONSTANCE WINTERS reviews and photographs city bikes and gear for our Upright Citizen blog as well as her personal site, lovelybicycle.com. She shares her top pieces for riding around town on page 54 (“Gear to Get You There”). “An American cycling publication acknowledging city bikes and dedicating print space to them? A new era has dawned, and I am pleased to…

The first stages of last year’s BC Bike Race were rainy, but by the time Stage 7 (shown) dawned at Lost Lake, conditions were perfect: a crisp morning that gave way to a sunny, 78-degree afternoon. Less traveled than others in Whistler, the trails at Lost Lake undulate in classic cross-country style. But even the mellowest have slippery roots and granite outcroppings. Translation: You’ll have to work for your flow. But with a conifer forest that smells of Christmas and a dip in the namesake lake, you won’t regret trying. —Evelyn Spence HIDDEN WHISTLER Three lesser-known gems BUSINESS TIME Like Lost Lake, this 5-mile trail is one of the few rolling routes in Whistler, with short, punchy ups along the Cheakamus River and cruisy, fun downs with dozens of tight…

RAMP IT UP FITNESS AND NUTRITION ADV ICE EVERY CYCLIST CAN USE THOSE OF YOU LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE IN MILD CLIMATES may already have logged some big rides in 2013. Others may be just developing those first cycling tan lines. In either case, there’s still time to take your riding to another level this season. I’ve created two training plans to guide you through these next key weeks. To figure out the one that’s right for you, ask yourself which of the scenarios at left best describes your riding over the past month. Then follow the schedules and pace guide below. PICK YOUR PLAN IF YOU’RE Just getting started—or enjoying some down time DO THIS Ride three to five days a week, working up to an hour during the…

1 Self-Portrait of a Bike Commuter by Aesthetic Apparatus, $30 2 Sunflower Field by Eleanor Grosch, $30 3 Public Works poster by Paul Sahre, $50 4 Bradley Wiggins/Tour Great by Neil Stevens, starts at $39 5 Public Works poster by Frank Viva, $50 6 Art Crank 2011 Bike Portrait 3 by Allan Peters, $20 7 Anquetil 64/Iconic Cycling Jerseys by Neil Stevens, starts at $39 8 Public Works poster by Henning Wagenbreth, $50 9 Bridges by Adam Turman, $38 10 Cannibal by Bobby Dixon, $30 11 Wheel by Sasha Barr, $30 12 Paris-Roubaix by Neil Wyatt, The Handmade Cyclist, $39…

1//BOTTLE-CAGE BOLTS When you’ve exhausted all probable causes of an annoying rattle, loose cage bolts are likely to blame. They should be snug (use a torque wrench: 1 to 2nm for carbon, 2 to 5 for anything else) inside the bottle-cage bosses. Once a year, or any time you swap out a cage, regrease the threads on the bolts before reinstalling to prevent them from sticking. Keep bolts in bosses even when they’re not holding cages—leaving them open invites water and grit into the frame. 2//RETURN SPRING Located on the back of your brake-caliper body, this spring keeps your brake pads from dragging along the rim. Over time, the anchor points on the calipers—on the cable side of a dual-pivot brake and both sides of a single-pivot—can get gummed up,…

EAT Cliff Bar’s new Sierra Trail Mix flavor makes GORP (good old raisins and peanuts) jersey-pocket friendly—and also includes sunflower seeds, date paste, and sustainably sourced chocolate. Each 250-calorie bar contains 10 grams of protein. $1.40/bar RIDE Attention female cyclists: Pledge to ride 100 kilometers on July 7, when apparel maker Rapha will also send 100 women to ride a stage of the Tour de France at the annual Etape du Tour. For information and inspiration—and to share your journey—visit rapha.cc/womens100. CAMP Explore South Dakota’s sunflower-filled meadows, ponderosa forests, Crazy Horse Monument, and an abandoned gold mine with your kids on Western Spirit’s Black Hills Family Trip. Guides schlepp your gear and cook your meals. All you have to do is pedal and enjoy. 5 days/$1,185 SEE Oakley toasts the…

Are you sick of riding your bike for enjoyment? Has Strava made you curious about what it’s like to compete with human beings you can actually see? Do you want to experience the thrill of partially recouping your entry fee by winning a $20 prime? If you answered “I guess” to any of these questions, it may be time to buy yourself a USA Cycling license and start road racing. I can’t help you with your training—for the simple reason that I’m slower than the formation of a UCI truth-and-reconciliation commission—but I can tell you a little bit about who you can expect to cross wheels with once you tear open that envelope, take out your license, and sign the waiver indemnifying the promoter in exchange for a shot at…

A A few years ago, Jennifer Leeman, a Spanish professor at George Mason University, in Virginia, was trapped in gridlock on Route 66 outside Washington, DC. She thought to herself, “Look at all these idiots with one person in a car.” Then came a flash of humility: “I am one of those idiots.” At that moment, she resolved to start riding her bike to work. Leeman had already ridden two centuries; she was pedaling about 70 miles a week at the time. When she went on sabbatical in 2009, her husband gave her an old bike, a handmade Bob Jackson. She furnished it with fenders. Then she mounted a rack and made her first forays into city riding, wheeling around DC to visit friends or go to the dentist or…

SLIPPERY SNOW SURVIVE IT Gain traction by lowering your tire pressure to 5 to 10 psi below what’s recommended (most brands provide a pressure range on the sidewall of each model). Also consider lowering your saddle 2 to 3 inches, so it’s easier to stick a foot out to prevent a fall, says Julie Hochstadter of Chicago’s Bike Winter. SCORCHING HEAT SURVIVE IT Soak your shirt with water before and during a hot ride, says Michael McKisson, editor at the Tucson Velo blog. As the moisture evaporates, it will pull heat away from your body, cooling you down. Stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade. POURING RAIN SURVIVE IT A hooded jacket or poncho, waterproof pants, and shoe covers will keep you mostly dry, but it’s even more important…

At last year’s Race Across America (RAAM)— a 2,993.24-mile grindfest from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland—a team of eight amateur riders averaged 24 mph coast to coast, setting a record of five days, five hours, and five minutes that shattered by four hours the previous best time, which had been logged by pros. The secret: The riders, half of whom work as tech engineers, unleashed their brainiac power on the race (in addition to thousands of training hours) and used everything from mobile satellite technology to auto-updating pace charts to pull off the most calculated cross-country time trial RAAM has ever seen. Here’s an unapologetic breakdown of Team ViaSat’s geek-fueled victory. Team ViaSat Dossier All Hail the Spreadsheet Crew chief Barrie Adsett’s Google Drive contained 82 files of color-coded rider-rotation…

TAME THE TOUGHEST TRAILS Liv/giant Anthem X 29er W IT CAME DOWN TO ONE QUESTION: If you had to pick a single bike for all your riding needs, which would it be? Our testers unanimously chose the Anthem, from the Liv/giant women’s line. “I felt like this bike would be great wherever I rode,” said one, praising the bike’s ability to let her climb as fast as her legs allowed and to rail descents with ease. We loved how the bike stuck to our chosen lines—a trait made possible by the stiff frame and finely tuned Maestro suspension, which soaked up stutter bumps smoothly whether we were pedaling or braking. Testers applauded how nimbly the Anthem handled tight, twisty sections and how readily it popped over boulders. The agile handling…

FLY UPHILL AND RACE BACK DOWN Yeti SB66 Enduro AS ENDURO RACING GAINS POPULARITY, more riders are clamoring for bikes capable of tackling them. Formerly called all-mountain, or simply long-travel, these bikes have about 150mm of travel and are designed to pedal efficiently uphill before racing back down. We chose our finalists without limiting candidates to a specific wheel size. Then we tested all three on steep climbs, wide-open descents, and technical minefields. After two days of riding, the Yeti emerged victorious. It wasn’t because of the 26-inch wheels; rather, this bike stood out in spite of them. Several of our testers preferred the larger wheels on the other two bikes, but the SB66 delivered the best suspension performance. “It snapped out of corners with authority and sped through the…

Jamis Dragon 29 Sport WE LOVE ALL OF THE IMPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY that companies pour into full-suspension models, but there’s something irresistibly appealing about a simple hardtail. All three bikes in this category delivered energetic rides—and impressive values—but the Dragon’s steel frame elevated it above the rest. The Reynolds 520 tubes damped the hardpack trails, letting the Dragon seemingly float above the ground. “The bike rode like it cost much more, and the steel frame took the edge off the hard sandstone ledges on our loop,” said one tester. The RockShox XC32 was the only fork in this category with an air spring. While we would have preferred a 10-speed drivetrain, the nine-speed Shimano Deore setup fired off crisp shifts. The only flaw we noticed was the tall head tube—when paired…

WHEN MY COLLEAGUES tested the top-of-the-line Look 695 SR (April 2011), they were initially distracted by the alphabet soup of techy lingo that designates everything from the C-Stem to the ZED2 crank. That bike’s blocky, form-follows-function aesthetic also proved divisive, coloring some testers against it before their first pedal stroke. Most of them quickly revised their opinion once they had a chance to ride it. On the road, the features helped deliver the 695’s pleasingly solid feel at speed. With the 675, Look gives cyclists some of those same integrated features, but for about half the price. It also endeavors to be a bike better suited to nonracers: The 675 is designed to put you in a more comfortable, upright position while maintaining the look of a slammed race bike’s…

When I read the next-to-last paragraph in May’s Editor’s letter (“Testing Myself”), I had to stop and read it again. Every day since, I’ve gone back to re-experience the double espressos, eucalyptus, thrumming on the tarmac, failure and success, cranking, exploring, and memories. Thanks for exactly capturing the poetry I feel every time I go out. Scott Haase, Sammamish, WA A MAJOR VICTORY Last summer my son and I came across the Major Taylor Velodrome (“The Passion of the Velodrome”). I had never heard of the gentleman before and started to research his history. It inspired my son and me to rediscover bicycles. I purchased a Giant fixed-gear bicycle and in seven months I have ridden 1,500 miles and lost 30 pounds. As much as I admire Lance Armstrong and…

IN THE THROES OF SUMMER, it’s easy to grumble about riding in sweltering weather. But recent science points to an upside. Researchers at the University of Oregon found that cyclists who did 10 consecutive days of low-intensity rides in hot conditions outperformed a control group by as much as 8 percent in a 60-minute time trial—gains that mimic altitude training, with more predictability and less hassle. In the simplest terms, heat exposure causes your body to adapt in ways that benefit your overall performance. Your heart, for example, pumps more blood and delivers more oxygen to working muscles, explains study coauthor Christopher Minson, PhD. Your body also learns to better regulate its core temperature, and the more stable it is, the better you’ll ride. Try the program below to use…

DO YOUR HOMEWORK Before your trip, call a bike shop or cycling club near your destination. Specify the age and riding ability of your kids, and ask about flat, scenic, low-traffic rides with plenty of places to eat, play, and sightsee along the way. If you’ll be doing a short ride on a long trip, consider renting bikes and trailers or tag-alongs to avoid the hassle of wrangling and hauling your own. (If you plan to rent a trailer, make sure it has a five-point harness, a roll bar, ventilation, and a sun shade.) ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN—AND A PLAN B Schedule riding time around meals and naps. Low blood sugar coupled with fatigue can turn a family joyride into the Tour de Meltdown. Kids (and some spouses) bonk faster…

SUNSCREEN SPF SUN PROTECTION FACTOR A rating determined by the percentage of ultraviolet B rays (the kind that lead to sunburn) the product blocks and the amount of time it fends of a burn. EVERY 2 HOURS THE RATE AT WHICH YOU SHOULD REAPPLY SUNSCREEN. DO IT MORE OFTEN IF YOU ARE SWEATING A LOT. BROAD SPECTRUM Blocks both UVB and UVA rays (the latter cause skin cancer and premature aging). Products that don’t block UVA, and ones with SPF below 15, must state they only prevent sunburn, says the FDA. 50 + The SPF rating above which the FDA has found little evidence of better protection. In the future, it may be the highest number that the agency will allow printed on product labels. SLATHER GUIDE in “Water Resistant”…

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM OUR HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPERT BURN FAT FAST Short, intense sweat sessions not only rev up your fitness, but also help shed dangerous belly fat—the kind that accumulates around organs and can lead to heart disease—in a fraction of the time it would take on aerobic rides alone. In an Australian study, men performed eight-second sprints followed by 12 seconds of recovery for 20 minutes three times a week. Over 12 weeks, they lost an average of 4½ pounds, increased muscle mass, and reduced belly fat by 17 percent. Previous studies have found that it takes five times as long to lose that much at lower intensities. Muscle Meat If you find it more difficult with each birthday to maintain lean muscle mass, help yourself to…

ALPINE LOOP, VIRGINIA This 104-mile loop starting in Harrisonburg delivers a quad-burning 11,000 feet of Blue Ridge Mountain climbing, complete with two dirt sections (including a 10-mile haul to Reddish Knob—the highest point in northern Virginia). The terraced farms dotting the landscape are so like Europe’s you’ll expect a plate of gooey raclette at the end. OFFICIAL EVENT Jeremiah Bishop’s Alpine Loop Gran Fondo; September 29, 2013 COPPER TRIANGLE, COLORADO Ride from Copper Mountain to Vail to Leadville over three passes for 6,000 feet in elevation gain on this Rocky Mountain loop. Nonstop panoramas of craggy peaks and aspen groves, along with minimal traffic and altitudes that never dip below an oxygen-depriving 8,000 feet, make this an essential summer training ride for locals. OFFICIAL EVENT Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle Alpine…

To the cycling nuts who love the sport but make a living doing something else, reaching your Malcolm Gladwell–approved 10,000 hours on a bike sounds like an immeasurably pleasant way to bide the time. And, certainly, the long-since-incalculable number of pedal strokes I’ve taken, the numerous opportunities to board a plane to this camp or that race, the variety and quantity of cycling kits I’ve owned, the hair-raising climbs I’ve summited—and the treacherous speeds I’ve reached descending them—all add up to a considerable amount of fun. But professional cycling is a sport of tremendous repetition, a lot of hard work, and some serious dues-paying in the form of crashes, dispiriting days, finishes worse than you hoped for, and—for those of us who spend more time riding to support others than…

It was a lovely spring day and my friend and I were riding abreast on a quiet street, spinning and chatting easily. Somewhere, Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood” should have been playing. Then from behind us came an urgent honking. Before we could rearrange ourselves in single file, the driver accelerated alongside us, leaned across her passenger seat, and shouted: “What you’re doing is very dangerous!” Dangerous? We were hardly juggling knives here. As far as I could tell the only threat to anybody was the two tons of Swedish steel, driven by an angry woman looking 90 degrees away from the road. Whether you’re piloting your car, your bicycle, your Segway, or just your flip-flops, the paramount rule is: Be considerate of your fellow travelers. But what to do when…

1//Soma Buena Vista This versatile mixte (a unisex design) is as elegant as it is functional. Sloping twin top tubes make it easy to mount without sacrificing frame stiffness. The bike can be set up with 700c wheels or 650b hoops for smaller riders, and has enough clearance for wide, road-smoothing tires. Braze-ons for racks and panniers make it ideal for urban riding, but it’s fast enough to enjoy on long, hilly commutes. $500 frame and fork; $1,500 and up for complete bikes; somafab.com 2//Crane Brass Bell Cheerfully signal your approach with this simple, beautiful Japanese bell. Crane offers several sizes with brass, silver, or copper finishes, which quickly develop a classic patina. $10–$24; store.somafab.com 3//Rapha Merino Base Layer This tissue-thin top will help keep you cool on summer days,…

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERED GRUBER In the morning, we depart a realm of hazelnuts, bound for a land of grapes. We’re riding from Cortemilia to a lunch in Barbaresco, the source of one of Italy’s greatest wines. Like its noble brother Barolo, Barbaresco is made from the nebbiolo grape, which has proven successful only here in Piedmont, southeast of the Alps. Piedmont, or Piemonte, means “foot of the mountains,” and as that implies, we have some hills to tackle before gustation can commence. First is a climb of 800 feet to the town of Castino, followed by a switchback descent to the rushing Belbo River. Next, a tiny road that could pass for a driveway takes us 1,000 feet skyward in fewer than 3 miles. Panting uphill past precipitous vineyards, barking…

HIGH-PERFORMANCE, HIGH-VALUE RIDES Santa Cruz Tallboy AL RXC29 OUR LAGUNA BEACH TEST LOOP FEATURED A LONG, JARRING DESCENT full of sandstone slabs and tight S-turns, but it was a short, steep climb that put the Tallboy ahead of the field. Every tester praised the bike’s efficient pedaling, which let us ride uphill without flipping any shock levers to increase the platform damping, even when near-vertical pitches required us to stand and hammer in the little ring. The bike also helped us maximize descents: It felt smooth and stiff, and it was easy to whip around corners. That versatility made the Tallboy the clear winner. “It handled like an XC bike when you wanted to go fast, but felt like a trail bike when it was time to rail turns,” said…

GO ANYWHERE WITH THESE BUDGE T-FRIENDLY BIKES Trek Superfly 100 AL THE SUPERFLY WON OUR TESTERS OVER with its smooth trail manners and superior components. “Everything worked flawlessly,” said one. The bike’s low center of gravity gave it a stable, predictable ride, which we appreciated at higher speeds and while skipping down rutted descents. When it was time to juke around obstacles, the bike’s minimal weight—three pounds lighter than the others in this category—helped us make precise line changes. Trek’s ABP rear suspension ensured that we had good traction without much bobbing when climbing chunky, rocky trails. Even better, it sucked up hard hits without blowing through its travel. The RockShox Reba RL fork was the best, and lightest, of any in this group, offering a refined ride on our…

A FASTER INTERSECTION OF SPEED AND COMFORT ONCE-ILLUSTRIOUS KESTREL has, until this year, been something of a redheaded stepchild to its sibling brands Fuji and Breezer. Beginning in 1986, the company helped spark the current boom of carbon-fiber bicycles with a series of innovations that included the first-ever monocoque carbon frame. But Kestrel, though influential, never became a major player. Although it remained popular among triathletes, its appeal among road cyclists declined. In 2007, Philadelphia’s Advanced Sports International (ASI) bought the brand and began a slow rehab that included launching the RT-1000, a Classics bike meant to complement the Talon (an aero-road bike that predated the trend), and the 4000-series multisport models. But Kestrel lacked a lightweight, competition-worthy road bike—a gap that the brand’s managers were eager to fill. The…

TRADITIONAL SEATPOSTS ARE GREAT ON SMOOTH, flat trails. But steep pitches and rocky stretches require you to stand on your pedals, work your legs like suspension struts, and shift your weight back to keep from toppling over the bar—at which point your saddle can get in the way. These models allow you to slam your seat down several inches with the flick of a handlebar remote to improve balance and control. They’re heavier, less reliable, and more expensive than rigid posts, but our testers agree that the benefits significantly outweigh those concerns. 1//Gravity Dropper Turbo LP $325 The American-made Turbo is the least expensive post we tested. It’s durable and the easiest to service (despite its mix of metric and imperial fasteners) thanks to its simple design—old-fashioned springs guarantee a…