I’m a big fan of wide-range doubles and smaller chain rings. When I first got into cycling, I never quite understood why double chainrings started in the 50t range. As a beginner cyclist, the 52t chainring is more aspirational than functional. As a touring cyclist, the 50t+ chainring (for me anyways) acted more like a pointy bash guard. It seems like a pointless standard that slavishly follows racing trends (though believe it or not, most cyclists don’t race). Years later and having about thousands of miles and a cross-country trip under my belt, for me a 50t+ chainring is still bonkers. When I caught wind of Sugino’s OX601D Compact Plus (here on out referring to it as “Compact Plus” in this review), which promises smaller chainring combinations that simply don’t exist in the mainstream cycling market, I was ecstatic. Having previously tried Velo-Orange Grand Cru cranks, I was sold on the wide-range double concept and was interested on Sugino’s take on them.

The Impossible Crankset
I got the opportunity to try them out and was given a choice of chainrings. You can order the outer rings in 44t, 46t, 48t and 50t flavors and the inner rings from 36t to 30t in two tooth increments. For most, these permutations of inner and outer rings would be plenty. However, I wanted to see what was possible and asked about the SMALLEST chainring I could get for the inner. As a point of reference, I’m currently running a SRAM mountain double in 42-28 on my Vaya but wanted to see if I could have an even wider range than that! Low and behold, Sugino offers a 26t that will work with the Compact Plus!

I decided to try a 44-26 combination with a modern 10 speed drive train and STI shifters… and wait for the universe to implode. A 44-26 is absolute heresy when compared to standard double offerings, even when set against mountain doubles and SRAM’s WiFli. If anything a 44-26 would be WiFli EXTREME PLUS XXX.

There are a myriad of reasons why this should NOT work. A 44-26t shouldn’t be possible with the somewhat anemic tooth capacity of most modern rear derailleurs. And lets just say that you managed to make it actually shift, it would be an absolute dog with STIs, right?

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert bike mechanic. Give me a wrench and I am liable to inflict more harm than good, so I left this enigma of a request to the fine folks at VeloCult. When I handed the crankset and bike over to Jack, the lead mechanic, I believe his reaction was “You want to do what?” Always a good sign : ) It’s good to know that you can throw a curve ball every now and again even to a bike shop that has seen every strange and esoteric permutation of bike.

Why did I want to do it anyway? Who the heck is a 44-26 crankset for?

For me, a 44t chainring is just about perfect for 95% of my riding. It’s great for commuting, for touring and even long day rides. I’m not a hammerhead, but with a 44t I can go reasonably fast (probably limited more by my lung and leg capacity than anything else) and I have no need to go time trialing downhill (I’m a pretty cautious descender…esp. with our healthcare system or lack thereof). On my current rig, the 28t inner is good but there have been a few times (especially with touring load or when I’m pulling a trailer) that a little bit lower gear would be helpful – hence the 26t inner. So for my style of riding, a 44-26 would be just about perfect: both a little bit higher gear and a little bit lower gear than what I currently have on my Salsa Vaya.

Does it Work?

A few days after dropping off my bike with the crankset to be installed (I actually expected weeks as custom derailleur cages had to be formed out of bar stock or something), I got a call that my bike was ready. When I got to Velocult, my first question was, “Does it work?” It’s that moment when wacky idea faces reality – which will win?

“Yes it works.”

“Does it shift?”

“Yep.”

WTF! I received a technical explanation. Let’s say it involved some bending of things but lo and behold it worked.

In Use

I’ve been riding the Sugino Compact Plus set up as 44-26 for a few months now. I’ve put on a few hundred miles doing a lot of climbing, pulling a trailer and shifting under load and it works beautifully despite itself. In the rear, I’m using a Deore long cage mountain bike derailleur; the rear cassette is a 12-36 and my shifters are 10spd Tiagra STIs. Amazingly, though these parts probably weren’t envisioned to work together in unison they all manage to get along.

Rear shifting is not a problem. It is crisp and it’s not noticeable that anything funny is going on. Front shifting works surprisingly well even with such a big tooth difference. It will drop to the 26 no problem. I tend to upshift a little more methodically to the 44t to give the rear derailleur time to take up slack. The best way to describe it is that it is like having the convenience of STI shifting but the deliberateness of friction shifters.

Like anticipated, for 95% of my riding I’m in the 44t. When I see a climb coming up, I have to decide if I have to drop down to the low range of gears. Is the hill that steep? Is the climb really long? How good are my legs feeling? It’s a little more of a commitment to drop low. When I do drop to the 26t, I usually upshift the rear about 3 to 4 gears to pick up where I left off on the 44t. That is probably the only niggling thing about my setup (which is no fault of the cranks btw, just my own peculiar curiosity about this combination), there are a few extra shifts to take up slack so you’re not suddenly spinning your legs like Wile E Coyote falling off a cliff.

Conclusion

The Sugino OX601D Compact Plus‘s best feature is freedom (cue music). Freedom from the tyranny of road racing conventions that muck up cranksets for the rest of us. In all seriousness, it is wonderful to see a crankset that really gives you carte blanche with your chainring choices. It really allows you to fine tune your bike to your style of riding….and they are also compatible with modern STI shifters. You can set up a standard wide range double of 44-30, or even do something crazy like a 44-26! The only real downside is the cost. They are admittedly a bit spendy. However, if you are tired of waiting for Shimano and SRAM to make a crankset for your style of riding (instead of trying to fit into theirs), then the Compact Plus is just the ticket.

Pros:
-great finish on cranks
-amazing customization possibilities
-works with STI shfiters

Cons:
-Cost

I’ve been enjoying the MeFOTO line of travel tripods. They’re small, relatively lightweight and have a big enough screw at the mounting plate that you can put a proper video head on them (I like the Manfrotto 701 for performance/price). I’ve been shooting B-roll the last few days for a few projects with a MeFOTO + 701/Velbon head with a slider with good results. BUT, there have been occasions when I really wanted a tripod with a leveling base. Imagine trying to grab a quick pan shot but you are on rocky uneven territory. Instead of micro adjusting the legs to get the tripod level, you can ballpark the leg heights and level off the video head with the built in leveling bowl. BAM, you’re in business!

Shot with a MeFOTO Road Trip tripod and slider!

I happened to ride to the local pro store this afternoon and they had two tripods that I had been researching about on the internet: the Manfrotto 755XB MDEVE and an S-series Benro Video tripod (carbon fiber model with S6 head). These are sort of tweener video tripods that aren’t meant for huge cameras but work well with small systems like DSLRs and m43rds cameras and are probably the most bike-able video tripods on the market (very important being a cyclist). I was excited to actually try these hands on, especially to see if the 15 degrees of tilt with the 50mm bowl heads would be sufficient.

So I proceeded to do a “camera store fondle test”, as the name implies I fidget with the gear under the suspicious gaze of the camera store employees. My findings in my very unscientific and surreptitious test were quite surprising! I’ll be honest, I had been looking pretty seriously at the Manfrotto MDEVE and was about to pull the trigger on one, but after handling the Benro tripod I had to rethink everything.

Manfrotto 755XB

I have owned a lot of Manfrotto products. It’s just a name you trust and QR plates can be purchased at almost any camera store. I came in with high expectations for the 755XB. The legs were solid, no-nonsense and utilitarian. They slid out quickly and flip locks were herky and secure. BUT, the leveling bowl (the whole point of wanting to buy it) was sort of…meh. First off, you have to reach almost a foot beneath the bowl to unscrew the lock. Why it’s so far away is beyond me. I wish they would offer a shorter video-specific version so you can get some nice low shots. Secondly, the bowl that I fondled didn’t move very easily. It was pretty gritty and sort of indexed into place. It did the job, but it didn’t feel that happy doing it. I did appreciate that the plate on the bowl had little anti-rotation grub screws that let you really lock down a video head so it won’t move during a pan.

Benro Carbon Fiber S6 Kit

Benro is sort of a newer player in town and their S-series tripods have only been out for a very short while. So while I’ve admired their products from afar, I’ve been a little skeptical about their quality. However, after using the MeFOTO tripods the last few months I’m pretty sold on their brand. The carbon fiber tripod with the S6 head was pretty sexy when compared to the aluminum Manfrotto. It isn’t a fair apples to apples comparison, so I tried not to let the material choices obfuscate other qualities about the tripod. Build quality was surprisingly good. I felt that the lever locks weren’t as tight as the Manfrotto but they could be adjusted. I wasn’t about to raise more ire from the staff behind the counter by fiddling with the tension on the locks. The leveling bowl was blue instead of red on the Manfrotto (a sort of Crips vs. Bloods motif). To release and tighten the bowl there was a little knob right at the base (for better photos check out this great review). It was quick and easy to operate. The BIGGEST surprise was how smoove (so smooth its smoove) the bowl moved. If using the Manfrotto was sort of like jogging with sand in your shorts, the Benro was like a roadie slicked up with chamois butter (apologies for the imagery, but I AM trying to bring it back to cycling).

So there you have it. The general build qualities are about on par, which is to say that they’re both solid sticks. Of course, long-term testing is needed to determine how well they hold up (a camera store fondle won’t reveal those imperfections). BUT the action of the leveling bowls are not equal with the Benro being the superior one in both operation and smoothness. The only advantage Manfrotto has in the bowl department are the grub screws that let you really crank down on your video head. Which one would I buy? Easily the Benro. I actually offered to purchase just the sticks right there on the spot, but they wouldn’t sell it to me without the head. They didn’t have the aluminum version of the Benro tripod there, or I would have bought that on the spot too. Oh well. As a side note, the leveling bowls on the heads are both 50mm (pretty small) and offer 15 degrees of tilt. I had my worries that this wouldn’t be enough leveling capability, but after in-store fondle they’re just about right.

If you enjoyed this review, consider buying either the Benro S6 Tripod Kit or Manfrotto from these links. Every bit helps!

Benro (WINNER)
Pros:
-more bang for your buck
-smooth operating bowl leveler
-surprisingly high quality build
-comes with great padded bag!

Cons
-no grub screws to secure video heads
-locks felt a little soft

Manfrotto
Pros:
-established brand, parts can be found in most camera stores
-solid legs and lever locks
-grub screws to put your video head on lock down!

Cons
-leveling bowl about as smooth as running with sand in your shorts
-more expensive in comparison

There is nothing quite like a fine well-brewed cup of coffee before…during…and after a bicycle ride. Many of my close friends will attest for my near obsessive love of coffee. In our apartment, I have a little “coffee corner” which has no less than 5 ways to make coffee as well as a small pile of gadgets and doodads (digital scale, measuring spoon, small artisanal drinking cups). At the heart of all the coffee paraphernalia and coffee making process is our grinder, the Porlex Mini Mill.

The Porlex is not cheap. I had lusted after one for a while, but was quite content with my Hario Slim Mill that was half the price. However, after about 9 months, my Hario broke at the handle in a place that couldn’t be easily fixed, so I gave myself the green light for the Porlex.

The Hario is small as far as hand grinders go, but in comparison the Porlex is tiny! Side by side, the Porlex is dwarfed by the Hario. The Porlex also has an all metal body whereas the Hario is plastic. The Porlex feels very dense for its size but is surprisingly lighter than the Hario.

Perhaps the most noticeable and meaningful difference between the two seems to be the build tolerances. The Porlex feels like an overall tighter machine. It would be similar to riding a bike with a traditional square taper bottom bracket compared to some new modern 2 piece crankset plugged into an oversized bottom bracket. Things just feel more efficient in operation. The Porlex has a substantially beefier crank arm which is stiff and doesn’t flex. In use, the Porlex seems to take less effort and spins than the Hario because of the added efficiency. I’ve read that the burrs used in the Porlex are sharper, but have no real way to verify this.

Functionally, they work about the same. You load beans into the top hopper. Close and turn the handle. The ground beans are caught by the bottom half of the grinder. Adjustments to grind size are made the same way with a wingnut-ish type of attachment at the bottom of the ceramic burrs.

In my non-scientific testing, I’ve found the grind to be more consistent coming out of the Porlex. That’s not to say there is perfect granular uniformity, because the Porlex still suffers a bit from the floating burr design the Hario does. However, comparing grinds between the two (especially at coarser settings), it is fairly easy to see which is more consistent.

The Porlex is perfect for making enough grounds for a single cup pour over or to make enough coffee to reach the glass belly button on a Chemex (if you really cram the beans in there). I’ve had the Porlex Mini Mill for several months now and it has traveled with us on all our recent tours. I suspect the beefier all metal construction will help it last longer than my Hario. In my personal opinion, I think it’s the best small travel coffee grinder out on the market. There are probably better ones in terms of grind consistency, but they are not travel size.

If you love coffee and can’t travel without grinding your own, this grinder is for you. Yes, there’s a little bit of a price hit up front (still less expensive than a decent electrical burr grinder), but it’s good enough that we use it as our home grinder as well. If you can’t afford it, the Hario Silm Mill is a solid second.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND +++

Support the site and buy your Porlex Mini Mill from this link. Visit our Amazon store for other recommendations.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Pros:
-Light and small, PERFECT for travel
-Durable construction, tight tolerances
-Good grind quality for small manual grinder

Cons:
-Price. A little spendy but worth it
-Don’t expect absolutely uniform grinds (esp. at coarser settings)

(Just a quick note. I’ve been getting emails and comments about why you would want to carry a gauge and thought I should momentarily address that. Wouldn’t it be something better for just home use? Set it and forget it? Well, on tour it is not uncommon to get a flat and a gauge would ensure you get the tire back to correct pressure and ease the nagging wonder if you are “running low” or not. Also, if you ride mixed terrain from paved to less than paved tire pressure is a dynamic value. Sometimes I let out some air on muddy gravely bits for more traction and suspension and then pump the tire back up when I hit smooth tarmac. A tool like this would also be good for those that partake in the recent fat bike trend, where it’s an art to matching low PSI to terrain. Is a gauge absolutely positively mandatory for having fun on a bike? No. But it does let you play with air pressure as variable to see how it alters your riding experience.)

If you are like me, when you get tired and the bike isn’t quite flying up the mountain at the speed it should be, my head goes through an expensive checklist of the potential reasons why. The thought process usually involves a lot of justification for purchasing a titanium seat post, titanium stem, titanium water bottle cage, titanium frame, etc., After daydreaming and spending a small fortune on new bike parts, I begin to obsesses about tire pressure. This is usually when I start bugging Laura. “My bike feels slow. How does my rear tire look?” I’ll bounce up and down for emphasis. Inevitably, she’ll tell me that it looks fine and that it is all in my head.

At this point, the damage has been done. Like Inception, the idea has taken root. Every wobble is magnified, every micro-dip in the road a sure sign I am somehow leaking air at an alarming irreplaceable rate. What started out innocently enough as idle wonder has metastasized into existential doubt.

However, unlike most existential doubt, dear friends, this has a solution. Enter the SKS AirChecker.

The SKS AirChecker is small and light and comes with its own little carrying sack. In a world of gadgets that do many things exceptionally poorly, it does one thing exceptionally well – it checks air.

The SKS AirChecker has a dual head that will check both Presta and Schrader valves sans fiddling. The head rotates 90 degrees for sort of ease of use. It has an orange backlit screen that makes it easy to see in the dark but truthfully has negligible visibility advantages in bright sunlight. There is an also orange deflate button that allows you to let some air out while the checker is attached.

The entire operation is a single button affair. To use it, you hit the center button to turn it on (you’ll hear an audio confirmation that it is on); press it on the valve; you will then hear a SECOND audio confirmation that it took a reading; remove it (or rotate the head) to see your tire pressure. To alternate readings between PSI and BAR, just press the center button. Easy. The second beep that confirms it took a reading is a nice and welcome touch.

My only concerns with the SKS AirChecker is the swiveling head. It introduces a point of possible breakage, so the ham-fisted should be careful. Another possible issue is the power button may get accidentally pressed while it is tumbling about in a bag and could lead to some battery drain. It is recessed but is fairly sensitive, so I keep mine in the provided case.

I have a bias towards digital gauges since I feel that they are more accurate. I don’t have any scientific data to prove this, but lots of anecdotal experience of analog gauges getting jammed or showing wildly inconsistent readings. So far, I’ve been pretty pleased with the SKS AirChecker. It is small, simple to use and the readings are pretty consistent. For a mere $25 all our existential tire pressure doubt will be a thing of the past so you can now concentrate on getting some lighter tires, wheels, a ti seatpost, etc.,

Support the site and buy your SKS AirChecker from this link. Visit our Amazon store for other recommendations.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Pros:
-Light and small, won’t add much weight to a light road kit.
-Single button operation is easy to use.
-Audio confirmation that it has taken a reading takes guess work out of wondering if it is working.

Cons:
-At $20-$25 (depending on where you buy it) it might be a barrier for some, but its a small price to get rid of some existential doubt.
-Single button is easily depressed and could drain batteries.
-Long term durability of swivel head is yet to be seen.

I love the iPad mini. It is a great size for bike touring and fits perfectly in a handlebar bag. On our current trip through California, I find myself pulling it out more often than my Mac Book Air. That said, it is a little challenging to type on the mini. When you bring up the virtual keyboard it takes up half the screen, leaving barely a quarter of usable space to compose and write text and see what you have written.

So, I began looking into keyboards. Since I’m already using a Gumdrop case to protect the Mini, I wanted a standalone keyboard that didnt have an integrated case that would add bulk. Also, since I’m on a budget, I needed something that wouldn’t break the bank. The first keyboard that seemed to fit the bill was the Sharkk Keyboard. It was small, light and inexpensive. Harnessing the magical powers of Amazon Prime, I ordered it at about noon and it appeared at around 3pm the next day. How’s that for instant gratification?!

The Basics

The package came in a smallish padded envelope, which contained an even smaller box. When I pulled the Sharkk Keyboard out, I was surprised by its utter smallness. Its roughly the same dimensions as the Mini itself. It came with the keyboard, a white USB charging cable, an iPad Mini screen protector and a microfiber cloth.

The controls on the keyboard are pretty simple. There is an on/off switch and a “connect” button. There are also a pair of indicator lights. One that glows red when the keyboard is charging and another one to signify it is sending out Bluetooth vibes.

Haven’t found a good solution to prop the iPad, so just using impromptu stands for the moment.

It is designed to snap on to the Mini when not in use and acts as a quasi protective case. Since I already have the Gumdrop case (which I like very much), I probably wont use it that way. The keyboard also has a channel just above the top row of keys where a naked Mini is meant to slip in. (Again, I wont be using this feature since the Gumdrop case is incompatible. For the moment, I’m just leaning the iPad on random objects to keep it upright while I type.

In Use

The keyboard is your standard Qwerty layout, with the top numeric row assigned some iPad specific functions (volume, brightness, global search, home, etc.,) which are accessible via the function and control key. Its pretty straight forward to use so I won’t belabor you with those details. Pairing the keyboard and iPad are straight forward. Turn on the keyboard. On the iPad go to Settings>Bluetooth. Find the device and type in the 4 digit code and voila – mated. When you turn off the keyboard or iPad they will find themselves again so you will only need to do this once.

iPad Mini and Shaark Keyboard compared to a 11-inch MacBook Air.

The keys are quite pleasant to use with a slightly textured surface and a nice springiness when they return after being pressed. Overall the quality (so far) exceeds its $30 price tag.

The actual experience of typing on the keyboard is a little disconcerting at first since everything is in miniature. If you can touch type you’ll find yourself mistyping often at while your fingers learn the new Liliputian geometry. In comparison, the VR keyboard is actually larger and is in someways easier to type on. However, with the virtual keyboard you are constantly toggling between letters, numbers and symbols. On the Shaark, all those functions are easily accessible like on a normal keyboard.

Size comparison with 11-inch MacBook Air.

Another area where the Shaark shines is in selecting text. No longer do you have to select text clumsily with your fingers. You simply hold down shift and the arrow keys to select the text. This alone is an excellent benefit of using a keyboard with the iPad. It makes editing, copying and moving large chunks around easy.

But can you actually use it for a lot of writing and not just tweets? Well, I’m writing this entire review with the keyboard. Ive had it for only three days and I’m still getting acquainted with it. Afer a few hours of use, my accuracy is increasing and I am getting faster and more proficient with it and can nearly touch type with the keyboard. If you are a notetaker and NEED to touch type quickly, you’ll definitely want to practice before taking the show on the road.

If you’re composing emails or writing articles and can be a bit leisurely about it, the keyboard is a good fit. With practice and diligence I’m finding that I can type fairly fast. I have no doubt that after a few weeks of use my accuracy and speed will increase and it will be second nature.

So. The question is, “Is this keyboard right for you?” It depends. If you’re the type (no pun intended) to get put off by retraining on some quirky hardware, then probably not. If you don’t mind a little bit of a learning curve and putting up with some early frustration to get a physical keyboard on your iPad mini, then go for it. There aren’t a whole lot of cons to it other than it is small, but any other keyboard for the Mini will probably have the same dimensions. At a hair over $30 it is not a huge investment even if it turns out to be a lemon for you. Its light, a good travel friendly size and well built for its pricepoint!

RECOMMEND ++

Support the site and buy your Sharkk Keyboard for iPad Mini from this link. Visit our Amazon store for other recommendations.

Pros:
Lightweight and small with no extra bulk
Great feeling keys
Very affordable
Doubles as a case

Cons:
Small
Some early frustration with mistyping

I’ve owned a few Nittos and a few Velo-Orange racks, many of which have been sold off in the Great Bicycle Purge of 2009. But preparing for our upcoming California tour, I got the itch to use my beloved Acorn bag rather than my Arkel. I need to carry a bit more weight and volume than the Arkel could handle without being a bear to control, so I had to find another front rack.

I had been eyeing the SOMA front rack for some time, but its boxy looks didn’t really speak to me. Laura actually bought hers first so she could strap a small army bag to the front of her bike to carry food. After she had it on her bike, it didn’t look so bad. The price was affordable and it was fairly lightweight. More and more it looked more like a good sleeper rando rack than anything else. I put my Acorn bag on her bike and it seemed to sit pretty well (though I would have use a toe strap to attach it to the back stop) so I was sold. I went to City Bikes and picked one up and installed it right away.

Installation is straight forward and easy. 2 bolts near the dropouts and a single bendable stay at the fender hole on the fork. The stay is already pre-bent (thanks SOMA!) and took a lot of anxiety out of the installation. Something about bending those fat tangs on VO racks seems so permanent and easy to screw up.

After a nearly painless installation, I put on my Acorn bag. Like many rando style handlebar bags it has a strip of leather which is meant to slide on to the backstop of a mini rack. The back stop on the SOMA is short and wide and doesn’t come anywhere close. Toe strap to the rescue. By wrapping a toe strap through the rack and through the leather piece it arrests any forward motion and secures it to the rack. The velcro straps beneath the Acorn bag are perfectly spaced for the SOMA and hold the rest of the bag down.

How does it ride? Great! I loaded up the bike with my touring load. 20lbs in the rear between two panniers and about 10 pounds in the Acorn bag. I rode it up some local hills and down some bumpy roads. The SOMA rack is perfectly sized for 700c and rests just above the fenders keeping the weight of the Acorn pretty low (esp. compared to the Arkel). Steering was great. I had forgotten why I got into these style rando bags in the first place. It seems to take less input to keep the bike tracking straight than bags mounted directly to the handlebar. The rack is a little larger than a mini front rack but much smaller than a porteur. It’s a nice functional size that will fit into an Amtrak sized bike box without having to remove it.

There’s really not much more to say about it rather than it works. When you have a rando bag on the rack it disappears and you forget its not a shiny new Nitto. It reminds me of the old Volvo slogan: Boxy But Good. For the price, ease of installation and good weight placement, it’s an easy HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Buy yours here and support the site!

Many of you know, I’m a big fan of flats, having given up clipless a few years ago. I had been eying the Gripsters for a while but never saw any in the wild until today. After I posted my review on the Velo-Orange Sabot pedals, I got lots of questions comparing them to the Gripsters. While I didn’t get to ride the pedals, I did take a snap that shows the relative sizes and pin placement pretty well.

The Thin Gripsters were really thin. I didn’t shoot a profile view, but they seemed noticeably thinner than the VOs. The VOs definitely take it in terms of sheer real estate. I was actually a bit surprised at how small the Gripsters looked in comparison. In terms of traction pins, the Gripsters used grub screws which probably have more bite than the pins on the VOs.

So who’s the winner? Hard to say. They each have their own aesthetics, some will prefer one over the other. The VOs definitely win in sheer supportive real estate. But, the pin placement and aggressiveness may give the Gripsters an edge in stickiness. To make it even more complicated it all depends on what sort of footwear you’re wearing too. Flip-flops. Sandals. Vibram bottoms. Etc.,

If you own or have tried both, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Chrome District is a little different than other Chrome fare. It’s not quite as cavernous as its messenger bags and its a bit more understated then other backpacks in their line with two outward facing pockets. The black version which I have, is sleek looking and dresses up rather nicely. Instead of the regular red and black logo on the bag, the District chrome is strictly black on black. The only accent of color is on the closure strap which has a strip of reflective material. It’s a grownup’s Chrome bag.

The Distrct has one large main compartment with a really strong velcro closure to keep it together. Inside, there is a sleeved compartment that fits a MacBook Air or iPad perfectly, though I would recommend using a thin neoprene case to help protect it from banging around with other gear inside. On the outside, there is a single wide flap that exposes some organizational elements like a zippered pocket and slots for things like a phone, pens or notebook.

I’ve used the bag for event style shooting, with a few lenses and a spare body inside. It’s not the quickest bag to get into (or the quietest! that velcro means serious business), but is smallish and stealthy. This past Christmas, Laura and I took Amtrak down to her mom’s house. I was able to pack a few days of clothes and some small electronics in it no problem. If you’re a light packer, it makes for a great overnight travel bag that doesn’t yell backpacker. While not an extremely formal bag, its not too out of place in casual business meetings.

If you want something to carry everything you own and the kitchen sink, there are bigger bags for that. If you’re doing a short commute around town and want something a little less messenger-y looking that makes a good urban rucksack, the District (especially in black!) is for you. The construction feels solid and has the typical Chrome bombproofness to it with a more upscale feel. Overall, an excellent bag! Only downside is it is a little spendy, but because of its classic good looks it will be perfectly fashionable for years to come.

Conclusion: 9/10

With some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, I went to a local dealer (Clogs and More in Portland) and tried on a pair. Blundstones are a working man/women’s boot. They are classy but have an understated utilitarian grace to them. You can dress them up or go tramping in the dirt with them. They have a bit of a cult following and are like the Brooks of the boot world. Blundstone diehards sing their praises about how they last for years under hard use. There has been some controversy of late if the new Blundstones are good as the old ones (another similarity with Brooks). They use to be made in Australia but have apparently moved production to Asia. I can’t really say if the old ones were better or not, since these are my first pair, but its a moot point since new ones are new ones unless you find a box of NOS Blunnies somewhere.

Anyway, I digress.

When I first picked them up in my hand I was surprised at their lightness. They look like they would weigh considerably more since the material rides above your ankle and the sole looks fairly thick, but they are surprisngly light. Compared to the Keen Finlays (430g) the Blundstone 510s are about 470 grams.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was how comfortable they would be right off the bat. I usually associate boots with being some sort of foot corset, something that you have to contort your foot to get into and break in. Not so with the Blundstone 510s. My toes didn’t feel squished. They were free to wiggle around. But as I walked everything felt fairly well supported. The Blundstones don’t have laces so the fit is paramount, since you won’t be able to tighten them any further. I noticed that there was a little play at the heel, but nothing unbearable. Walking a couple dozen steps in the shoe shop, I was sold and left the store wearing the shoes on my feet.

The next test, of course, would be to see how they perform while riding. One thing I noticed immediately was how well the soles clung to my pedals. I had rated the Velo-Orange Sabot’s a 8/10 on PathLessPedaled wearing various Keen shoes. With the Blundies there was no slippage and the pedals immediately felt better ( 9/10!).

For a boot that goes over the ankle, there is enough give so it doesn’t restrict pedaling. Again, there is a little noticeable slack in the heel (which could be taken up with a bit thicker sock or orthotic) but nothing so terrible as to interfere. Todd from Clever Cycles says he likes the looseness, especially during the summer since it enhances the bellows effect when riding with thinner socks. Standing up and doing some spirited pedaling on a climb was a joy because of the really secure grip the soles had on the pedals. I took them out on a 25 mile ride in some coldish weather (low to mid 40s) with some wool socks that weren’t particularly thick. The weather was fairly dry so I can’t comment on their waterproofness yet, but my feet were fine. They were cool, but not to the extent they have been the last few weeks. Time and rain will tell if it will be the perfect shoe for winter. Another aspect that I really like about the Blundstone 510s is the lack of laces. You slip them on and off and that is it. Nothing to tie, AND nothing to get sucked into your drive train. Sometimes I’m pretty terrible with tying my shoelaces and they are always coming undone while walking or threaten to wrap themselves around my front chainring. No more!

So far, I’m pretty pleased with them and am a tentative convert to Blunnnies. Laura and I are going to go touring for a month in California down the central coast and into the desert and these will be the only shoe I will be taking. This is fairly huge, since for the last 4 years the only things I have worn are Keen sandals and shoes. Stay tuned for another update in a few weeks.

12/30/12 UPDATE:

Just came back from a nice day ride through hills, mud and gravel. The 510s remain super comfortable and are becoming my favorite shoe. The weather was in the upper 30s. My toes were not warm, but they didn’t feel like they were falling off either. Haven’t tried them in the rain yet, so I can’t report on the waterproofness.

Hello faithful readers, it HAS been a long time. As many of you know, I sold everything I owned a few years ago to go on an open-ended bicycle tour and started PathLessPedaled.com with Laura. That was nearly four years if you can believe it! During that time, I tried periodically to update EC and PLP simultaneously, but as SteinbeckRobert Burns once said, “The best laid blog post schedules of mice and men….etc.,”

You get the picture.

I’ve neglected Epicurean Cyclist to gather internet dust, but still dutifully paid the domain name renewal emails as they popped up in my inbox year after year with the hopes of blogging on it once again. Friends, that time has come. I wanted to maintain EC because it was one of those early blogs in the bike blogosphere that wrote about tweed rides, overnight bicycle tours and wearing wool before the virtual Everyone Bikes Bike Blog Explosion occurred a few years ago. In my own small way, I hope I was able to contribute something during those early bike blogging years.

So what will you find on the “new” Epicurean Cyclist? Well, more of the same old goodness I’m afraid. A bit more sardonic humor than is allowed on PLP. Long rambling experiential reviews on bicycle, camping, photography, fly-fishing, and anything-I’m-interested-in gear. For some sites, this loosey-goosey approach to topics is a sign of inconsistency and a lack of certain moral conviction. But, as I have discovered over the years, readers of this site have a broad interest in subject matter and there is a lot of cross over. Someone who has heard of Rivendell will also probably know about Leicas and is also handy with a fly rod. See the connection : )

So hold on to your hats, set your browsers to Bookmark and don’t pay too close attention to site renovations as things get moved around and organized.