Innehållsförteckning för September 2016 från Bicycling

1 TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S WORTH RECOMMENDING TO YOU, we subject products that range from bikes to cricket energy bars (seriously— read the Fit Chick’s take at BICYCLING.com) to rigorous evaluation in all kinds of conditions. Sometimes we cut products apart or dismantle them to get a look inside, or purposefully abuse them to failure. Clothing is no different. We wear it as recommended, but to test limits we also excessively wash and dry samples, and ride in conditions that are too cold, too hot, too wet for the intended use. This year, we noticed that some jerseys and bibs that passed our quality tests also had a new attribute. Whether from materials, construction, fit, or some combination of those traits plus magic, there are certain kits whose defining characteristic…

READ MORE ABOUT KRAM’S PROJECT AT BICYCLING.COM/OBESITYBIKE. WHEN UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO researchers asked a group of about 60 obese patients how many of them had been on bikes in the past year, just two or three raised their hands. (It hurt to ride, many of them said.) When the researchers asked who would ride to lose weight if it were safe and comfortable, everyone’s hand shot up. Because it’s low-impact, “cycling is an obvious exercise choice for obese people, except that bikes aren’t made for them,” says Rodger Kram, PhD, an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, who led the research. In fact, a lot of bikes are sold with recommended rider weight limits. To make cycling more accessible, Kram and his students are designing…

First, let’s nerd out: How many bikes do you own? My road bike is a Trek 1.2 from roughly 2008. Mountain is a now-antique 2004 GT I-drive 3.0. But most of my riding is for short errands, so I ride a tough, basic, singlespeed city bike from a company called Fortified. I also have a ProdecoTech Storm 500 electric mountain bike, which is great in snow and for pulling heavy trailers. Could you live the lifestyle you do if you were using a car instead of a bike for so many of these trips? Sure, but it would cost a lot more, and I’d be a lot fatter. I often refer to the bicycle as “The Money-Printing Fountain of Youth.” If you can design a whole lifestyle around it, by…

THESE SHOES. Just look at them. The color of whipped cream. Shots of brilliant teal. A galaxy of diamond perforations along each side. I want them to stay perfect, free of the blemishes that will come with each ride. I was a teenager when I first learned about patina. My parents had bought me a silver flute, brand new, to replace my beatup, school-issue model. Its tone—a full moon in an ink sky, bright and round and full of joy—inspired me to play more than ever, and I got good. I polished it every night until it gleamed then placed it in its velvet-lined case instead of leaving it out. I was dismayed the first time I dinged it on my music stand, but by the day I left for…

MAAP WOMEN’S RAMP JERSEY AND TEAM BIB SHORTS At a time when apparel is pushing tech limits with features like bonded edges, vented panels, and ultracompressive fabric, this premium Australian-designed, Italian-made kit is uncomplicated—in all the best ways. Silky fabric and fine mesh on the jersey are almost undetectable against the skin. The bib shorts hug instead of squeeze, mesh straps lay flat on the shoulders, and tiny silicone dots at the hem keep the legs in place without pulling or pinching. This kit caught my eye with its jaunty polka dots and geometric print. It won my heart with its softness. $132, jersey; $199, shorts —LEAH FLICKINGER GIORDANA NX-G JERSEY AND BIB SHORTS The aggressive, graduated compression system on the NXG bibs provides strong support to the middle of…

PAUL KEDROSKY, PH.D. 50, venture capitalist SAN DIEGO 1. I like the compressed drama of the Classics. There’s no fooling around; it’s today or nothing. The Grand Tours feel like a soap opera. I guarantee I’ll miss the episode involving the “Red Wedding” and won’t know what the hell is going on anymore. 2. I learned long ago that cutting my own weight was much more important than cutting component weight or having cool gear. 3. My favorite riders treat bikes like a skateboard that happens to have a handlebar. It’s like they’re on a board and now and then they touch the bar and do miraculous things. 4. The Tour is kind of the Disneyland of road racing. It feels like too much of a franchise, a moveable circus.…

A BUM ACHILLES I played basketball all through college. In 2008, before my sophomore year, I strained my Achilles, so over the summer I couldn’t do any of the daily running, basketball, and lifting workouts my coaches had prescribed. I had a bike and lived in northeastern Connecticut, in like, Farmtown, USA, so I’d go out on these adventures on roads I’d maybe driven down but had never really taken the time to explore. On the bike, all of a sudden my worries just went away, and I discovered I could get just as fit riding as I could doing hideous track workouts. It was a bit of rebellion: I realized that I’d grown disillusioned with my regimented fitness routine. I kept riding for the freedom of it and signed…

There’s something about riding a wave that’s magical. It’s such a cool feeling—you’re literally rushing down the face of this water swell. Every time I catch a wave and ride it, I feel like it’s a miracle. A lot of things have to line up. I’m much more in control on my bike: All the energy comes from me, which is cool. But surfing— you’re harnessing another form of energy. With riding a bike, once you learn how, you can do it for hours. The ocean, it’s always in flux. There are so many variables. You can be out there and there’s no guarantee that you’ll catch a wave. And then when you do, you’re on it for, what, five seconds? In my entire life, I’ve probably spent three hours…

What’s your first memory on a bike? I was six or seven, and I was riding around my block in Brooklyn, trying to pop the curb. I went right over the bar and cracked my two front teeth. I remember thinking, Oh, I don’t think this is for me. How did you get into cycling as an adult? In 2003, one of my friends was doing a triathlon to fight leukemia and I said, “Hey, I’m in.” I had to get a bike and learn to swim in the ocean. As part of my training, I rode four days a week, and the bike became a passion. You were riding when the accident occurred. What happened? It was during a transit strike in New York City. I got four blocks…

1 RUMPL BEER BLANKET This quilted puffy jacket insulates your beverage well, feels great in your hand, and makes foam or neoprene coozies seem uncivilized. $7—RON KOCH 2 FEEDBACK SPORTS PRO-ELITE WASH AND WORK STAND Of the dozen or so portable repair stands I’ve used in 30 years as a bike mechanic, the Pro-Elite is one of the most stable and packable, making it the one I reach for when traveling. It folds down to about four feet by eight inches, gets stashed in its included padded tote, and always finds room in the most crowded car. Three legs create a large footprint that prevents tipping on uneven surfaces. $284 —MIKE YOZELL 3 IGLOO SPORTSMAN 40 Igloo’s Sportsman series offers similar performance as today’s trendy, superpremium coolers, for less money.…

FLOR MELENDEZ, 24 BARTENDER; WORKS FOR A LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a bike, but I was just too scared of falling. As I got older I felt like it was too late. And I felt funny as a big person trying to learn in a park when there were 7-year-olds riding circles around me. When someone at work told me about Bike New York’s adult riding classes, I signed up that day. When I tried riding before, it was with family, and there was no instruction except “pedal and go.” At class, though, once I started pedaling, there was nothing like it. The breeze through my hair! I still remember that moment. I thought, Oh, my God, I’m doing this. I can’t remember…

WHAT DOES A 17-YEAR-OLD aspiring professional cyclist think about as he trains? Brownies. And pumpkin bread. And muffins. “A lot of my recipes are what I crave when I’m riding,” says Spencer Miller of Indianapolis, who shares his dessert concoctions with 62,000-plus Instagram followers and at macro-chef.com. Coached by former pro Tom Danielson, Miller considers riding uphill to be his strength. But maintaining a climber’s lean physique while satisfying a sweet tooth takes creativity. So four years ago Miller started creating his own, nutrientpacked treats. “I focus on whole foods and things that are natural,” he says. For these decadent chocolate–peanut butter brownies, he uses oat flour rather than the refined white variety, equal parts sugary (agave syrup) and calorie-free (stevia) sweeteners, and replaces most of the traditional recipe’s oil…

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Amazingly versatile road bike that’s also an incredible deal ▪ A future-proofed* bike to grow with ▪ Parts mix and geometry are as suited to dirt as they are to pavement ▪ *For now. WHAT KIND OF BIKE do most road riders need? For the majority of us, the answer is not a climbing bike, an aero bike, a gravel bike, or any of the various thinly sliced permutations of road bikes. Those are fine tools, exceptionally suited for one purpose but to the exclusion or near negation of others. Most of us need bikes that serve far broader use. Also, said bikes should be reasonably affordable. And should fit and ride comfortably without requiring major parts changes. Finally, they should not become obsolete in…

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW More flickable than many 150- to 160mm-travel bikes ▪ Suspension so soft the wheels seem to conform to rocks ▪ Carbon frame weighs 600 grams less than the aluminum version ▪ Room in the front triangle for a full-size water bottle ▪ Easyto-maintain threaded bottom bracket HAVE YOU SEEN FARMER JOSH? He’s a cow farmer from Cheshire, England, who rides in flannels and ripped jeans and has a classic blue Ford tractor with a custom bike rack attached to the back. He appears in an edit from Transition Bikes promoting the brand's carbon Patrol, a 155mm-travel bike (with a 160mm fork) that rides unlike anything else. In the video, you see Farmer Josh (real name: Josh Gleave) slashing corners, drifting turns, slamming a beer, laughing,…