I bought these on a whim because they were light and looked secure and I wanted that for my racing hardtail. They have proven to be both. I got two and one weighs 46.5 g while the other weighs 47.1 g. That's a gram or so more than the posted weight, which is reasonable (Keep in mind the description on Hucknroll of 1.6 g is wrong; it should be 1.6 oz, which is ~45 g).

So it's light. Does it hold bottles? Yes, yes it does. Bottles are very secure in this, so secure it takes a little bit of oomph to even get them out of the cage when you want them. That's perfect for me, I'm happy to have to pull a little harder in exchange for the peace of mind of knowing the bottle will be there.

Alas, they're not the easiest cage to get the bottle back into. I came to these from the Planet Bike Button alu cage, which is a great design that sort of guides your bottle in no matter which angle you approach from. With this, it's comparable or even a little easier than the standard $2 alu cage in that you have to line the bottle up with the lip of the cage on two sides, but it's nowhere near as easy as some other designs. That's why they get 4 stars instead of 5. But again, if you're looking for lightweight and secure on bumpy terrain, that's a minor quibble.

Durability has yet to be fully tested. I used it at a wet sandy race and it got scratched up on the insides, but it's still totally functional. Eventually I expect the rubber band thing that holds it shut to dry rot and break, but all cages eventually break somehow; aluminum fatigues, carbon and plastic get old, whatever. If I get two years I'll be happy.

It also comes with this plastic insert that's "for aluminum bottles", which some might find useful but I think is kinda ridiculous. You're on a bike, you're buying a sub-50 g cage for said bike; get yourself a damn bike bottle. Maybe it works, I dunno, I didn't try it. It does add 10 g or so to the cage, just for full disclosure.

First, I should say these are a good quality glove. The softshell is nice, the leather is high quality. The gauntlet is great, I much prefer outer gauntlets than fiddling with my jacket over my gloves. Tightening and loosening the gauntlet is easy with the draw cords, and there's even a rigid shell to keep them straight over your cuffs. The liners are ok, though I have my own glove liners I prefer (either thin wool gloves for not so cold or thick fleece gloves for cold). I've had these down to 15F night skiing and been perfectly happy; they do the job and do it well.

What confuses me about these gloves, though, is the three-finger/pseudo-mitt design. In theory it's great, you have a mix of the dexterity of a glove with your pointer finger free but the warmth of a mitten with your remaining three fingers bunched together for warmth. But...the inside of the glove lining has the remaining three fingers separated by nylon lining inside the shell. This isn't the wool liner glove, it actually is the sewed in nylon lining of the softshell. It is impossible to hold your three fingers together in the mitt part because there is a glove sewed inside there, which boggles my mind. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the mitt? It eliminates the warmth bonus, anyway. I even thought about tearing the seams out and re-sewing it, but it's just sewed in there too tight.

So...this is a good glove that somehow manages to eschew the benefits of the three-finger design due to a stupid, stupid design decision. It is a good glove and I'll keep it and use it for that, because it's still pretty warm, but it's not as warm as it could be. The sacrifice of the last three fingers isn't a big deal because I don't really use them independently anyway, but keeping them seperated inside the mitt still leaves me wondering what could have been...

It fits my Raven Pro as if it were made for it (hmmm...). It's sturdy, tough, easy to adjust, stays put.

I love it when it works. Riding with this seatpost is sublime. The lever works great, it goes up and down smoothly, and having the seatpost low just makes descending better. It's an ultimate Super D weapon.

But...I got two months out of it before something blew and it leaked oil everywhere and wouldn't stay up or down. It's going back to CB now, but I'm back to a rigid post in the meantime. Supposedly a lot of the kinks from the previous generation got worked out in the Joplin 4 series, but...I'm having the same experience I had with my 3" Joplin; it breaks a lot and needs to go back for service. So...I'm pretty much done with these things. Maybe in a few years once I hear some good reviews, but so far everyone I know has had theirs break sooner or later.

These things are kinda spendy unless you find them on sale, but if on sale for $15 or less they're totally worth it. They're no fiddle, strong, hold tight, neat...just work without a fuss. What's not to like?

This bar is solid, stiff, and comes in a variety of anodized colors at a reasonable price. What's not to like?

That said, it's not a featherweight; the high rise version is over 350g. It went on my AM bike, not on my racing hardtail for that purpose. It's certainly not a boat anchor, but it's more weight than one would want for a race bike.

I wanted to like the 745mm width but it was just too wide for me. Luckily, this thing has built in cut guides on the ends so reducing it to 711mm (just perfect for me) was simple and easy.

Bottom line, it's a steal at the sale price and I really like it; it's completely free of flex, shaped nice, looks nice, and all around a fine bar.

It's a great tri suit, it fits well, is comfy, and looks good. The chamois is a good thickness (thin), it feels like it's all just sorta not there. I got the red; I have the black/cyan in the Elite Louis Garneau model and I think it looks the best, but I didn't want two tri suits that look nearly identical.

I'm 6'2", 150lbs, and the S is a tiny bit snug (mostly on the shoulders; I'm a wee bit tall for it), but I'm still really happy with it.

It's a great tri suit, it fits well, is comfy, and looks good. The chamois is a good thickness (thin), it feels like it's all just sorta not there. I got the red; I have the black/cyan in the Elite Louis Garneau model and I think it looks the best, but I didn't want two tri suits that look nearly identical.

I'm 6'2", 150lbs, and the S is a tiny bit snug (mostly on the shoulders; I'm a wee bit tall for it), but I'm still really happy with it.

I'm not really sure what makes this a "long underwear" top. I suppose it could be used that way. Personally, I use it as an outer layer for running in moderately cold (~30-50F) weather, and it's fantastic for that. I'm 6'2" and 150lbs (38" chest) and a small is snug but that's how I want it. I'm very happy with this, especially at Bonktown prices.

For me the value of this isn't so much that it protects your ice axe spike as it protects the rest of your gear from the spike. No longer do I poke holes in my duffels or clothes while travelling with my axe, no longer to I stick my skis or myself or my helmet while carrying it on the outside of my pack.

It fits my BD ice axes perfectly. It works fine on non-BD axes, just not quite as well. The attached cord works well to keep in on with a double or triple prusik (Google "prusik" if you don't know how to tie one, it's well worth learning if you're climbing).

It's tough whether to review drop posts in general or this particular drop post. I'll try to do both.

First, drop posts in general are fantastic. They'll make descending more fun, less effort, and all around better once you get used to them. I even put one on my racing hardtail and suddenly I can jump on that bike. The extra weight is definitely worth the descending advantage. I just don't want to ride without drop posts anymore.

As for this particular model, it's mixed. First, a remote version is nearly always preferable to a lever version. I much prefer my Joplin 4R, it allows me to switch a lot more from the handlebars.

Second, the seals on CB Joplins are not the best. This is compounded by the post being directly in the trail of all the crap kicked up by the rear tire. This is fairly easily solved by putting a fork boot or a large chainstay protector back there, check out the Lizard Skins Super Jumbo Chainstay Protector.

And finally, I've had bad luck with both my Joplin R (3" version) and my Joplin 4R. The 3" is currently at Crankbrothers getting rebuilt under warranty for the third time, the 4R just blew its schrader valve and won't stay up or down while leaking oil, all less than three months after I bought it. It's under warranty, it'll go back to CB and get rebuilt and work another couple months, but it's a pain to have to do this so much.

So bottom line, these things are fantastic while they work...but the CB design just doesn't seem to work for very long. In fact, as much as I love them and think they're fantastic to ride with, I'm seriously considering just selling them once they're rebuilt and going back to rigid seatposts until I hear better things about durability. Either that, or trying the Gravity Dropper post, which is just a simple spring and detentes and has less to fail.

The shape for this saddle is correct for me, it's flat with a slight groove. The hardness is about spot on, fairly firm but not rock hard. It's lightweight, not actually sub-200g as claimed, but close to 200g (mine was 210). It's pretty narrow (I have narrow sit bones), on par with a WTB Silverado. I wanted to like this saddle, I really did.

The problem is the cover; it's "sticky". Spandex/lycra just sticks to it and can't move. My shorts wouldn't slide along the seat at all, forcing my chamois to slide along my skin and in the end giving me saddle sores. I had this on my commuter and was having terrible saddle sores that just wouldn't go away. I switched it out and voila, they were gone.

If it weren't tacky it would be a great saddle because it actually is fairly comfortable and lightweight, but the inability of fabric to slide along the material just kills it in the end.

First, I'm not sure what makes this shovel women's-specific. I mean, the color's not even particularly girly and there aren't really and patterns on it or anything. Near as I can tell, it's just with a smaller blade than G3's other shovels though not smaller than the smallest of any other shovel maker. I'm not a woman so I'm not particularly concerned. It was on sale, so I figured I'd pick it up as a backup to keep in the car if nothing else.

This isn't the lightest shovel I've held, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; it is solid and confidence-inspiring. The shaft extends to a good length even for tall people (I'm 6'2"), and the blade is made of thicker metal than the CAMP shovels I have. The front edge of the blade is not particularly sharp, but it's enough to cut through pretty hard snow (ice really requires a saw anyway).

My one gripe is how small the blade is (~8x8"); it would require a lot of fast shoveling to move a lot of snow. Now, this may be where the "women's specific" comes in, figuring women can't lift as much weight per shovel. There's also the school off thought where a lot of small shovel loads is faster than a few bigger loads as it wears out your arms slower. Once our season starts here I will probably take this and another larger bladed shovel out into the snow and time myself digging two big holes, one with each shovel, and see how that actually works out. I like this shovel, it feels good in the hand, I just want to make sure the small blade isn't a liability.

I picked this stand up on sale. It's better than the frame of your bike, but it is not as good as a two-armed stand like the Park Tool version. Of course, it's a lot cheaper, so you get what you pay for. It works; it holds the wheel and is easily adjustable, and works for both 26" wheels and 29er wheels. It does sort of depend on QR skewers, though, so DH people might be out of luck. Also, if you have a Feedback Sports stand, it integrates seamlessly and fits on the top of the stand, allowing you to do all your work in one place. I still just use it with the base plate, though, I have it out on my coffee table (it looks like some sort of funky sculpture) and true wheels while I watch TV.

My biggest critique is the one-sided aspect of it. First, it only has feeler gauges on one side, so you have to flip it over several times during truing. Second, the single arm is not as stable as two arms (sorry, Cannondale, this has nothing to do with you) so for bigger heavier wheels, particularly my 29er training wheelset (boat-anchor 2400g without tires) it can wobble.

This stem is quite nice, the machining is high quality, it's light, and it's strong. It looks sexy; I got the black/red and it just looks so nice with the anodized top cap. And it's absurdly light.

I do have some minor quibbles. First, the stack height for this stem is 1cm shorter than any other mtb stem I own; I think that's part of how they save some weight. This makes it a little annoying to fit on the steerer as I need another spacer, and I'll need to make sure I don't cut my steerer too short lest I can never use any other kind of stem again. Second, they don't make this in anything longer than 100mm, which is misleading for a "XC" stem, and also how they make the stem so light. At these lengths I'd classify this more as a super light AM stem than an XC stem. Which, mind you, is just perfect for me because I put it on my AM bike.

First, the weird/bad: So my girlfriend got this in 37.5, and strangely enough the plate to mount the cleats could not slide all the way forward in the groove. I took the shoe apart, and there are two little nubs on the sole preventing the cleat mounting plate from moving more than 1/4" from the back of the grooves. With some needle nose pliers and a knife I managed to remove the little plastic nubs (on the inside of the sole, under the footbed) and then the plate could slide forward. But until I did that, the cleats couldn't be put anywhere close to under the ball of the foot. It was weird; I'm wondering if this is just for very small sizes? The sole is clearly the road shoe sole (has the three holes for a road cleat plugged, it was the mount for the front plug that was blocking the cleat mount plate movement) with tread added.

Anyway, once I fixed that for her so she could put her cleat in a reasonable place, she loved the shoe. I also have the MX170 in men's and I love it. It's comfortable; the BOA closure is awesome in that it's easy to adjust, stays put, and just feels better than straps/buckles; the sole is rugged with good traction and stiff enough to ride well. There have been complaints that it doesn't breathe well, but I guess I'm just not expecting that out of a shoe (and I live in SoCal, even). All in all, I like the shoe, just watch out for small sizes.

Also, the women's version doesn't have removable toe spikes whereas the men's does; the women's version just has non-attachable rubber cleats there.

I got these on Chainlove and thought it was a good deal. I mean, tubes are tubes, they hold air, they go into tires, that's it, right? I ride tubeless on all my mountain bikes anyway so these are really only for backups.

I discovered, however, at a race when I lent three of these to teammates that all three of them did not hold air; they all had significant splits along seams. In fact, one of my teammates did get a flat that race and had to walk most of the course because the tube didn't hold air. We only discovered the other two didn't hold air when we got back after the race and inspected them; luckily no one actually needed one because they were worthless.

So...three out of four don't hold air right out of the package. That's just unacceptable. Tubes are easy, they should work.

First off, I don't know what WTB is in the description and title for these wheels. The hubs say Freedom, the rims say Freedom, the box says Freedom. Nowhere does it say WTB. I don't think these have anything to do with Wilderness Trail Bikes, makers of the Laserdisc rim and a wide variety of nice saddles.

That said, these are fine for training wheels. They were built reasonably true out of the box, the tension was actually ok, I just had to do minor truing and that was good. The hubs bearings (Shimano-style cup and cone) were horrendously adjusted - way too tight - so I had to break out the cone wrenches and fix that. Once adjusted properly they've stayed that way for a few hundred miles. If they go out again they're pretty easily adjustable. The seals aren't particularly great but they do the job; if I were riding in wet weather I'd service these fairly often.

The biggest knock against these is the weight; they are actually the heaviest wheelset I own and that's including four different mountain bike wheelsets, one of them a very cheap 29er wheelset. So you won't want to race in these, or maybe even train on the group rides with them, but going out and training with them will make you stronger. But hey, it's $100 for a wheelset, what did you expect?

Bottom line, I'd buy them again because they roll and they're really cheap, the only requirements I have for a training wheelset. I have a much lighter wheelset for race day.

If you see these on Bonktown, get them. They're really nice bibs, well made with a good chamois. The material is sort of textured, but it's comfortable and stretches well. They say to size up for these, but I generally wear an S or XC in bib, and the S is just fine (I'm 6'2", 145lbs; long and lean). The chamois feels pretty close to actual chamois and is comfortable for very long rides. The pocket in back is kinda cool if you want one there, though I don't really use it. Bottom line, I'm very happy with these and at Bonktown prices they're an amazing deal.

The one quirk, which I find more funny than anything, is that the crease in the center of the chamois makes it look like I'm rocking a really heinous camel-toe. It's compounded by these being either red or blue (I bought both colors). It makes me a little self-conscious about wearing them in public.

First off, I don't know what WTB is in the description and title for these wheels. The hubs say Freedom, the rims say Freedom, the box says Freedom. Nowhere does it say WTB. I don't think these have anything to do with Wilderness Trail Bikes, makers of the Laserdisc rim and a wide variety of nice saddles.

The rear wheel spacing here is 130mm, NOT 135mm as the description says. This is a road spacing rear wheel, NOT a MTB spacing.

That said, these are fine for training wheels. They were built reasonably true out of the box, the tension was actually ok, I just had to do minor truing and that was good. The hubs bearings (Shimano-style cup and cone) were horrendously adjusted - way too tight - so I had to break out the cone wrenches and fix that. Once adjusted properly they've stayed that way for a few hundred miles. If they go out again they're pretty easily adjustable. The seals aren't particularly great but they do the job; if I were riding in wet weather I'd service these fairly often.

The biggest knock against these is the weight; they are actually the heaviest wheelset I own and that's including four different mountain bike wheelsets, one of them a very cheap 29er wheelset. So you won't want to race in these, or maybe even train on the group rides with them, but going out and training with them will make you stronger. But hey, it's $100 for a wheelset, what did you expect?

Bottom line, I'd buy them again because they roll and they're really cheap, the only requirements I have for a training wheelset. I have a much lighter wheelset for race day.

I've been an ODI Lock-on devotee for years, I bought my first pair in 2004 and hadn't looked back since. I love their convenience, how easy it is to install and uninstall them whenever you want to change your cockpit around. They were also very comfortable and grippy, among the best I had used. I swore off all non-locking grips and with the exception of a brief experiment with Ergons a couple years ago, I remained totally devoted to my ODIs. I believed that they were by far the best combination of grippiness, comfort, and convenience in a grip that I would find. I wasn't concerned about the weight penalty, I thought my friends with foam grips were just being ridiculous over 60g.

That was until I bought my first pair of ESIs a month ago. My teammate has been swearing by these for forever and urged my to try them so I evenetually broke down and bought a red pair because it matches the red highlights on my bike. They're not very expensive, I figured I could afford to give them a try.

I almost got rid of them immediately. These things are a PITA to install. I was wetting my bars and the insides of the grips with rubbing alcohol, which has always worked well in the past, but these were having none of it. I managed to get them on by brute force and got two blisters on my hand in the process. In retrospect that was during a freak heat wave here in SoCal (like hot even for us) and the rubbing alcohol was evaporating really quickly; I should retry it in the winter. In any case, the inside diameter is significantly smaller than the bar diameter; this is on purpose for security.

I'm glad I stuck through the installation though, because these grips are amazing. They are SO comfortable. They are leaps and bounds above my ODI Rogues. Just...so much better. Grippier and softer and my hands just feel so much better on the bars. It's incomparable. They are light years ahead of the last foam grips I used as well, and way way better than bar tape. I thought they would be just another foam grip, but they feel nothing like other foam grips. They are squishy yet firm, grippy, stay put...basically they're everything I want in a grip. They're perfect. My hands are 100% happier since putting them on, even with the blisters from installation.

So they are a huge pain to install, be warned, but if you make it past that your hands will thank you. These are wonderful grips, I have yet to find anything like it.

They're surprisingly durable, they've taken a few rock and tree scrapings with not even a blemish (unlike other foam grips which tear if you don't think nice thoughts about them)

The red is a tiny but pinkish, but it's still definitely red and I love the way it looks. That's a minor consideration, I'd still be sold if they only came in black, but looking nice is always a plus.

They're also ridiculously lightweight, but really, that should not be much of a consideration in a grip. Comfortable hands will make you faster than 60-100g of weigh savings. So while it's a bonus that these are light, I don't really factor that into my rating of them.

I don't actually use these for mountain biking, I have some heavier duty Fox gloves for that. I do use these on road though. After a recent crash made my hand unusable for a month I started wearing thicker gloves and these are perfect. They're not too hot, have the right amount of padding, and protect my hands pretty well. They were true to size for me, I'm usually a L and these were snug but not too much so.

These work fine, they cinch up nice and hold skis or random gear or what have you. They're very useful in a wide variety of situations, like reusable zip ties. Never leave the house without some good ski straps.

These are 18 inches long (wish that were in the product description!!) and stretch perhaps 2".

In the end though, these are just plain not as good as the Voile ski straps. They are stretchier, softer, and gummier; the Voiles are just plain bomber while these don't feel as secure. They're sort of sticky and can be a pain to work with. The extra stretch means it's harder to get them really secure. The hook to close them is good, though.

I decided after a crash marred my hand that I need some better protection from my gloves. A friend of mine recently bought these for a trip to Fruita and recommended them, saying they weren't as hot as you might think. I'm glad I took his advice.

First, fit: I'm usually on the border of L and XL in gloves, and after reading these run a tiny bit small I went with XL. First ride they were just a smidgen too big, but a single wash shrunk them to just the right size. I agree that you'll probably want to size up if you're on the fence at all.

While these may be billed as FR or All Mountain gloves, I use them for XC just fine, even for racing. They breath astoundingly well for how thick they are, and they're really comfortable with minimal padding and good finger grip. The fingers have just the right amount of pre-bend and they are comfy on the bike for hours at a time in heat and even humidity. The terry patch is also great for wiping your nose or sweat off your brow or gunk off your glasses. Those little touches are always nice.

As far as crash protection, they're great. The faux-carbon plastic plates are in just the right spots and do wonders against not only the ground but rocks and tree trunks (I had wide bars and don't always squeeze quite right into tight spaces). I really don't feel as comfortable riding with my lightweight gloves anymore knowing that they won't protect me as well.

The only downside is they didn't have the black in my size so I got the white, which immediately turned a splotchy light brown. Of course, if I were worried about keeping my white things white, I would go ride on the road and start measuring my power output very carefully.

I tried to like these. I really did. I built up a rigid 29er and put these on because I hoped they would save my palms and wrists some wear and tear. And they did...at first. They lock your wrists into a particular position and are great on climbs. They spread out the impact on your palms and for a while make descending better on a rigid. Once you get them dialed angle-wise in they seem much more comfortable than regular grips. They're firm yet squishy and nice and tacky and grippy.

After a long descent, though, it just became painful, because it's harder to hang on to these. That wing on the back is right where I would be gripping with end end joint my last three fingers, so instead of allowing my really wrap my fingers around the bar if forces me to crimp on a larger surface. After long descents or on really long rides this just pumps out my forearms and causes everything below my elbow to turn to painful jelly. It's also a pain when climbing out of the saddle, because your wrists rotate forward and it's harder to grab the bar. I thought it was because my fingers weren't in shape; I built up to longer rides and even did the Tahoe Sierra 100 on these (not to mention the rock climbing I do). In the end my hands just never adjusted and my forearms were always painfully pumped out after long rides with anything technical or bumpy.

I have pretty big hands, that may be my problem (I tried both the S and L; the L was just humongous and the S worked better). I know some people swear by these things and love them, and I know people like me who tried to like them and just couldn't get into it. Eventually I went back to ODI Rogues and have been much happier since, they're just so much easier to hold onto. I think it depends on your hand size and shape combined with riding setup and style. You may love them, you may hate them. I also tried the GX1 grips because the wing is thinner, but had the same problem there. These are squishier than the GX1 and a little tackier.

As far as quality goes, they are built well. I wish there were a clamp on the inside as well for more peace of mind on carbon bars, but the outside clamp holds reasonably well. They wear at a reasonable rate, though a little faster than the GX1. I had no problems with quality at all.

I tried to like these. I really did. I built up a rigid 29er and put these on because I hoped they would save my palms and wrists some wear and tear. And they did...at first. They lock your wrists into a particular position and are great on climbs. They spread out the impact on your palms and for a while make descending better on a rigid. Once you get them dialed angle-wise in they seem much more comfortable than regular grips.

After a long descent, though, it just becomes painful, because it's harder to hang on to these. That wing on the back is right where I would be gripping with end end joint my last three fingers, so instead of allowing my really wrap my fingers around the bar if forces me to crimp on a larger surface. After long descents or on really long rides this just pumps out my forearms and causes everything below my elbow to turn to painful jelly. It's also a pain when climbing out of the saddle, because your wrists rotate forward and it's harder to grab the bar. I thought it was because my fingers weren't in shape; I built up to longer rides and even did the Tahoe Sierra 100 on these (not to mention the rock climbing I do). In the end my hands just never adjusted and my forearms were always painfully pumped out after long rides with anything technical or bumpy.

I have pretty big hands, that may be my problem. I know some people swear by these things and love them, and I know people like me who tried to like them and just couldn't get into it. Eventually I went back to ODI Rogues and have been much happier since. I think it depends on your hand size and shape combined with riding setup and style. You may love them, you may hate them. I also tried the GP1 grips because the GX1 is pretty firm and the GP1 is softer, but the wing is thicker on those and I liked them less.

As far as quality goes, they are built well. I wish there were a clamp on the inside as well for more peace of mind on carbon bars, but the outside clamp holds reasonably well. They wear at a reasonable rate. I had no problems with quality at all.

Lock-on grips are in some ways so much superior to non-lock-on that it's hard to even describe it. They're trivial to install, remove, and adjust. Need to change your shifters or levers or anything at all? No problem, just loosen a screw. In addition, they stay put through thick and thin. No more grips slipping or sliding or moving out of position at the worst possible moments. Security and convenience! As to whether they're the most grippy or comfortable...well...that's a different debate. But they are by far the most convenient!

The ano clamps are a bonus. I'm getting the red clamps to match my red ano chainring.

First off, I love the ODI lock on system. They are just soooo much easier than non-locking grips. I love being able to take things on and off my bar at will and preserving my grips all the while.

For someone with big gorilla hands like me, the Rogue is a good grip choice. I've used these with a rigid 29er and my hands were still perfectly happy even after long bumpy rides (for example, the Tahoe Sierra 100). They're big and cushy and sticky and everything you want a grip to be. Mine tend to last 3-4 years before the rubber wears down and I feel like getting new ones.

If your hands are smaller or you prefer a smaller diameter, go with the ODI Ruffians, which are just as grippy and tacky but much thinner.

If you're looking for the absolute most comfortable grip, though, the ODIs may not make the cut. I find ESIs to be much more comfortable and nicer on my hands. It's a tough choice because the ESIs are such a huge pain to install and remove; the ODIs may be a better mix of convenience and comfort even though they're not as comfortable outright.

For the money, this is a great stand. It's pretty solid and very portable. I say pretty solid because you do have to crank it pretty hard to keep it from rotating, but that's true of all stands at this price point, and once you crank the bolts down it doesn't move. I like the tripod design a little better than the fold-out legs of the Park PCS-9, it is is more versatile, allowing you to put the bike on at any angle. It also compact much more nicely to travel, allowing me to take it to races. It's travelled all over with me for two years now, including being out in the rain at races, and it's still in great shape; it's a very durable piece of equipment.

It would be nice if it had a lever clamp instead of the screw mechanism, but to get that you have to go to a higher price point. I like this stand and would buy it again.

I've used the 970, 980, and 990, and they all do the job. They've all got steel teeth and last a long time and shift very well. I love sram cassettes.

For those of us still on 9spd and without alu freehub bodies (which you really just shouldn't get anyway):
If you're not on a budget and don't care about value, get the 990.
If you're on a budget but still want light weight, get the 980.
If you don't care about weight, get the 970.

Other than the weight you really won't notice the difference.

I've used the 970, 980, and 990, and they all do the job. They've all got steel teeth and last a long time and shift very well. I love sram cassettes.

For those of us still on 9spd:
If you're not on a budget and don't care about value, get the 990.
If you're on a budget but still want light weight, get the 980.
If you don't care about weight, get the 970.

Other than the weight you really won't notice the difference.

I've had the 970 and I've used the 990. I think this is a worthwhile upgrade over the 970 weight-wise, as it replaces a bunch of the inner cogs with the aluminum holder. The 990 replaces more and saves a little more weight, but costs way more. I think this is the best value of the bunch, saves weight but is not ridiculously expensive (of course, if you don't care about weight, get the 970). All three have great wear lifetimes as all their cog teeth are steel.

Like Grant, I upgraded from BB7s. I really don't think the difference is night and day, with my BB7s and SD-7 levers I have very good modulation and power on that setup with one-finger braking (keep in mind, though, that I had good stopping power with one-finger braking on v-brakes; I have big ol' gorilla hands) I think these are only a little better than the BB7s as far as actual brake performance. I get the same braking response, I just don't have to press as quite as hard to do it. So while I was very happy with the BB7s, I am slightly happier than very happy with these; they have great modulation and very solid stopping power, and my friends tell me that a normal person could one-finger brake with these.

I did shave over 100g per brake with these over the BB7s. And they'll be better in really wet conditions since they're a sealed system. And also, I could never really get the BB7s to not rub on my rotors, there was always a little of ringing because the brake pad wouldn't seat quite flat. So really the only place they don't beat the BB7s is in cost, but with the deal I got on them from CL they really didn't cost much more than the BB7s, either, maybe only a $20 difference when you figured in the levers, cable, and housing.

I do love love love the tool-free reach adjust. That is really nice.

Initial setup was easy using the standard Avid system of holding the brake and tightening the bolts (in that order). Bedding in took like 15 minutes of riding and then they were solid. The bleed out of the box was spot on for me. At some point I'll shorten the hoses but until it needs a bleed I don't want to mess with it.

If you use XTR rotors with these (which I am; it's a long story but suffice to say they came with a wheelset) you'll have to use a spacer (i.e. washer) between these and the post mounts or else the rotor holder arms rub the caliper. It's only 0.6mm of extra clearance needed, just make sure you've got the hardware ready.

I wear this for all my riding now, even for racing. It's super light yet durable (the fabric is that lightweight but strong thin nylon like kites are made out of) and replaces bottles and saddle bag very well (I can't use a saddle bag because I have a dropper post, and bottles are just a pain on the trail). Camelbak bladders and mouthpieces are still far and away the best option out there; nothing can come close to their bite piece. Like all bladders, though, you shouldn't put energy drink it or else it will start growing critters. All antibacterial coatings break down over time, don't give it an excuse. Just use water (and clean occasionally with Efferdent)

This fit is great. It rides high on your back and keeps your lower back (and jersey pockets) clear (it's the shorter, rounder 72oz bladder). It's minimalist, but still has the capacity of a medium saddle bag, and I keep a spare tube, big multi tool, and tire levers in there (though not much room for more). The pouch has built-in organizers making the stuff easy to get to. The pocket on the back is good for arm/leg warmers or a rain jacket, but not so much for food because it's hard to reach. The bladder itself is 3 big bottles' worth, usually enough for a 3 hour ride in the southern California summer heat for me without refilling.

My only gripe is that hose retention isn't great, the hose flops around because it doesn't have one of those plastic clips like a lot of Camelbaks have. I fixed this very nicely with a retractable ID card holder (search "retractable badge reel" - see picture).

This rotor is great if you've got center-lock hubs (which I love; high end Shimano hubs are great, and the center lock system is super easy to work with, I'm sad it didn't catch on). It's super light, it stays true nicely, and it doesn't squeal or shudder (unlike say, most Avid rotors). Did I mention it's crazy light while still being highly durable and functional?

The only thing you have to watch out for is clearance if you don't use it with Shimano brakes. I've used these with both Avid BB7s and Avid Elixirs and have clearance problems with the holder arms. For the BB7s (and Juicys as well) you have to file or cut the tab off of the inside brake pad or the holder arms hit it. For the Elixirs, you have to use a small spacer (i.e. extra washer, you really only need 0.6mm) when mounting the brakes or else the rotor holder arms brush the inside of the caliper body. Either fix is easy and leaves the rotors and brakes fully functional, just watch out before you plan to roll out.

First of all, these are good quality bibs. The chamois is excellent, comparable to the best out there. The lack of leg grippers is nice, the fabric is good quality, I'm pleased with that department.

Fit wise, these run pretty small. I'm borderline small/medium in most bib, and the medium in this barely stretches onto me. It's so small that the white/black border is right at the lower edge of most of my jerseys, which looks kinda weird if the jersey rides up. I'm not really sure why they went with the white material for the upper, black would have looked better. In addition, the weird stitch pattern on the front of the groin makes you look like you're wearing black women's underwear over your bibs. I know, that sounds weird, but trust me, it really does. Also, the shoulder straps are narrower than I would like; I prefer the big wide ones like Hincapie has. These don't quite dig into my shoulder, but they're not as comfortable.

Say what you will, I like the triple spoke wrenches. One tool working for three, means fewer to lower and less looking for them. While this isn't as nice as the now-discontinued Pedro's triple spoke wrench (not the current one, I hate that one, the old model was great though), it still works great and I've built several wheels and true the rest of my fleet with it.

This is pretty much the only chain tool I've ever really used. I have a chain tool integrated on the multi-tool I carry for mountain biking, but aside from the incident that caused me to buy that multi-tool I have thankfully not had to break a chain in the field. I use this chain tool at home in the workshop and it works just fine for me. It breaks chains just fine, I ride 1x9 so I have to shorten every chain I use and after years of service on several chains a year this thing still works as if it were brand new.

If you have a carbon steerer this will not apply to you, you should get this thing and love it.

If you have all alu steerers as I do, this thing will work fine. It'll give you a reasonably clean and even cut. I prefer using a good pipe cutter to this, though, and then filing the lip down as it will get an even cleaner and more even cut.

Whatever you do don't free-hand it, that'll turn out crappy. This thing works, it's just for alu steerers a pipe cutter works better.

This is the best headset press you can get. It's easy to use, it does a great job, it's a standard Park Tool. A friend of mine has this and I borrow it when I can.

On the other hand, it's really expensive, and with my all-thread, nuts, washers and PVC pipe homemade contraption I've pressed most of my headsets and never had problems. So while this thing is nice, I can't justify buying it when I made something that works for less than 1/10 the cost.

It's a mini-multi-tool. It works well enough for what it is. It's a pain to use sometimes, especially if you really need to torque a bolt or fit through a tight space. On the other hand, it's lightweight and compact and easy to fit in the smallest of saddle bags. It's well constructed and tough. Tool selection is decent, most of what you'll need.

I stopped carrying it while mountain biking because I discovered the hard way in a race that sometimes you just need a chain tool on the trail. Still fine for road biking, though.

It works, it works well. I've had the same one for what, 7 years now? I've removed and installed a lot of cassettes in that time. In addition, it handles my centerlock disc rotors nicely as well. You're going to need a big honkin' wrench and a chain whip with it, be warned.

If you still have a cartridge splined BB like the Shimano UN 54 or Octalink (or ISIS...but I have no idea why you'd still have that), this tool is necessary. It works. It's nice that it adapts to a 1/2" driver so you can use a ratchet or a big breaker bar for the times when the BB gets stuck. I don't use mine so much anymore because I don't really have any of those BBs, but I keep it around for when I need to work on my teammates' or friends' bikes.

Unlike the Shimano version, this handy tool combines the BB cup tool AND the preload bolt tool. My friend with the Shimano version just lost her preload bolt tool and tried to use needle nose pliers, which marred the crap out of the soft plastic Shimano uses. Made me so glad I bought this one. Like most Park tools, it's well thought out, made well, durable, and a pleasure to use.

This is much more fiddly than the MRP 1.x or the E13 XCX single ring chainguides. Adjustment on those is achieved by spacers whereas with this it's a clamp and post. So while you can set it once and get the other chainguides right, this will require adjustment every time you remove your crank. Kind of a hassle.

On the other hand, it works really well because your chain literally CANNOT come off your ring. It just can't. Unpossible. The only issue is that if you pedal backwards with the chain off the bottom of the ring it can get jammed in this, but unless you really crank it like that a simple forward pedal fixes. If you do really crank it like that you can also pull it out of alignment, and have to deal with the fiddliness on trail.

In addition, when I bought this it was the only seat tube clamp chainguide out there, which was an issue for me. Sure, E13 and MRP have since introduced seat tube clamp mount versions of the XCX and 1.x, but the charge almost $100 for them. It actually costs more to get their pared down front derailleurs than an actual front derailleur! That is ridiculous. This thing works ok and is half the cost, well worth the fiddliness for me!

One thing to watch as well: on bikes with fat down tubes, it can be hard to fit this perfectly to a 32T ring. It'll work, but the edge is kinda jammed into the downtube and it's not ideal (see my picture). It's better with a 33T or bigger ring (I'm going to a 34T partially because of this, partially just to man up).

In the end I really liked this, but am going to try the MRP 1.x because I got sick of fiddling with it.

This is just for the fit, I haven't gotten to use it in the rain yet (I'll let you know next fall). The fit was spot on for the Small according to the size chart. Oddly enough, the torso widths of the Small are about what a Medium would be in most other clothing, so if you normally wear a Medium then measure yourself and check the size chart. In addition, the sleeves are a little shorter than I would like, perhaps 1-1.5" shorter, but then again I'm really tall and skinny (6'2", 150lbs), so it will probably not be an issue for all.

I covered the installation process earlier, but I want to give a report on how it actually works. Like I said, I converted one of the missus' boards (make that ex-missus now, but whatever) even though I am a two-plank man. We finally used it over last season and she loved it. Much, MUCH better than snowshoes with board on pack. For anything but the steepest terrain this is the way to go, just so much better and less effort than snowshoes (for the steepest you want crampons anyway). She could finally keep up with me without killing herself and really started to enjoy the BC. BC is just much more fun and enjoyable without a board on your back.

I have to admit I was very skeptical of the whole splitboard concept when I first heard of it (and even after I saw it), but Voile really has this nailed. The conversion is snappy and secure (though not as nice as AT, but what is?), it tours well, and it snowboards well enough that you knuckle draggers can put off learning to ski. This was all without Spark R&D bindings; from what I'm told those make it just as good as a regular board (keep in mind that non-Spark bindings get an extra 2 cm or so of lift off the board, something many boarders do not like). I'm sold enough on this that instead of telling my BC snowboard buddies to "get a job and learn to ski", I now tell them to "get a job and get a splitboard".

As a side note, I highly recommend getting the Voile ski crampons with it. Well, I recommend getting ski crampons with any BC setup because they're fantastic, but with only one metal edge on the splitboard skis it is even more important to have the super-edging capability of ski crampons while climbing on hard snow. Voile's ski crampons are great in this regard, too. I really can't say enough good about them.

These were a little different than I expecteed, they are a dark grey finish rather than silver as shown in the picture. The lenses are not silver, they're also more of a smoke without a reflective front. They're a little smaller than I expected, they're not really aviators like I thought but they're still along that same style. They look good, I'm happy with that.

Build quality is very good, the hinges are all metal and well made and the temple pads are good quality and grippy without being sticky. These are solid shades.

In addition, these ARE polarized. Came with a sticker and I tested it and yup, definitely polarized. So they're actually better than advertised.

I got two of these on SAC and both, BOTH of them were DOA. Plug them in, nothing happens. Left them charging overnight, they still do nothing. The chargers both put out 7.5V at 1A like they're supposed to, the lights just don't seem to care. I tried to pull one apart to see if I could test out the battery and you cannot disassemble them, the battery is glued to the light housing. Sending them back, pissed I have to pay return shipping.

These gloves run a tiny bit small, I usually wear a L but the L on these was kinda tight when I first got them, especially on the thumb. XL would have been too big I think, as the L stretched out after 5-6 rides and is now just perfect.

The back is not the lightest material and doesn't breathe as well as some gloves, but it's not bad. Also, it actually is thick enough to protect your hand, so I'll take it. The screen-printing doesn't bother me as much as the other reviewer, I can't tell the different between the printed and non-printed parts as far as breathability.

Forefinger grips are good and so far pretty durable (unlike, say, Dakine).

Padding is pretty minimal, if that's what you want this glove will do nicely.

I run these on my 29er (formerly fully rigid, now a hardtail) with the DIY (filleted 26" tube plus sealant) tubeless setup. They're great, sidewalls are super strong, tread wears slow (after a season it's hard to tell they're not new), but traction is great on hardpack and in sand. The weight is ok, according to Weight Weenies they're actually 710g, not 590g. They are, however, a true 2.2" tire, full volume as advertised. Only thing they don't do is shed mud, but that's not an issue in SoCal.

I did slash a sidewall by really raking it on a rock, but it was a tiny repairable hole. Otherwise they've been fantastic. I'll replace them with the same thing when they eventually wear out (which looks to be a long way off).

I got two of these on SAC and both, BOTH of them were DOA. Plug them in, nothing happens. Left them charging overnight, they still do nothing. The chargers both put out 7.5V at 1A like they're supposed to, the lights just don't seem to care. I tried to pull one apart to see if I could test out the battery and you cannot disassemble them, the battery is glued to the light housing. Sending them back, pissed I have to pay return shipping.

I love 3/4 bottoms for skiing, they're perfect mid layers as I hate having crap in my boot or stuff scrunched up on my calf. The quality of these is top-notch, the merino is soft, stretchy, supportive, all around great.

Fit is good and true to size at the waist for me (usually a women's M, 30" waist ~37" hip), but the leg length length is a little bit short. As shown on the model in the picture it really does fit just below the knee. If you're bending your knee a lot (either free-heel or climbing) they tend to ride up a bit and allow a gap above your ski socks. I usually use smartwool ski socks and they are pretty long, but not knee length. It's not that big an issue, it would just be nice if they were ~2" longer.

If these are in fact the aluminum-buckled straps described in the specs and not plastic-buckled straps as shown in the photo, they are fantasic. I use them to keep my tele skis together. I strap my tips together when carrying my skis a-frame on my pack. If the tip loop on your skin fails miserably you can use these instead. One time I used them to fasten a ski crampon to my pole to make a makeshift ice axe when I needed one and forgot mine. I make sure I have some in my pack whenever I go out. They're like a reusable burly zip tie they can be used to fasten most anything to something else.

They do stretch a little bit, that's how they fasten and keep things tight, but only a very little bit. Like, my 15" strap stretches by maybe an inch if I really tug on it. Measure and get the size you want, not something shorter.

Strange, these kits used to come with the tip attachments. I guess not anymore. I bought mine a few years ago, just didn't get around to installing it until this season.

In any case, I bought this kit to replace the ClipFix system on my Ascension skins. The ClipFix system worked ok, it came off when I was skinning in really wet snow and my skins stretched out, but for the most part it was set and forget and I wasn't unhappy with it. When I first moved to SoCal four years ago the skin stretching was an issue for the first time and I bought this kit intending to fix it, but it wasn't enough of a problem to make me think about it when I wasn't skinning so I didn't get around to it.

The reason I finally installed it is that I bought a tele setup and my new skis are 4cm longer than my AT skis. The width is pretty similar throughout so I didn't want to buy new skins, so I installed this so I could swap skins between skis, and it works just great for that.

Installation isn't trivial, but it's not a huge pain. Cutting the notch in the back of the skins for these wasn't too difficult, make sure you have a sharp blade (I still find my ClimbingSkinsDirect cutter works great). Also, making the holes for the rivets was tricky. I found making a hole with a nail, then screwing a drywall screw through the hole and pulling it straight out with plyers worked quite well.

I hadn't tried ski crampons until recently because some now-former-friends told me they weren't that great. They were wrong. For going straight up something steep it's true, they're not that useful, but that's not what they're for. Where they're amazing is traversing, especially steep and firm slopes. These make your edges bit and stick on traverses, they keep your edges planted on kick turns, basically ski crampons are SUPER EDGES, like a super hero of sorts. Or maybe edges on steroids. You probably get the picture. You need grippy skins for fore-aft grip, but for sideways stability ski crampons are amazing. They do more or less eliminate glide, but if you're on something steep enough to want these you don't care about that.

On to these specific crampons: I don't know why BC doesn't have them in stock anymore, BD still makes them and they're still available. I like them, they're durable and easy to use. Installing on Fritschi bindings is literally a snap, just step out, snap them in, and step back in. I use them on the Diamir Explores and they're a tight fit but still good. If you use heel riser they will dig in less; I find that with the highest riser they barely touch the snow. Of course, why are you traversing in the highest riser? If you're going to traverse, there's no point in going so steep! They get good penetration in the second highest riser, though.

Bottom line, I never enter the BC without them anymore. They make skinning steep stuff enjoyable because traversing switchbacks and kick turns are so much easier with them.

It's like the name says, it's durable. Pretty heavy duty. Also very water resistant. I haven't submerged it in anything, but it has gotten water on it and none got inside. I'm pleased with it.

I got the "small" 5L and it's great to protect my puffy in my backback or for other small odds and ends.

I like these pants, they were a good price and they get the job done.

Fit: I'm 6'2", 150lbs, and I got the medium because the size chart said so. When I first tried them on I thought they would be a little too baggy but after wearing them skiing with a base layer underneath they were fine. They're not park-rat baggy, but they're loose enough to allow full range of movement. Length is perfect. They stretch a good amount, too, so they're very comfortable; I didn't notice them while touring or skiing.

Color: check the user pictures here. The stock photo of the "not black" is not right at all, it's a dark gray (which is fine, I wanted dark gray, not black, just be warned).

Pockets are ok; a cargo pocket on both legs would be nice. Also, lack of zips on the side pockets can let in snow on pow days, so that's what keeps it from getting five stars for me.

No gaiter, but silicone leg gripper makes one unnecessary; they stick to my boots and do not let snow in. Also, reinforcement of inner cuffs is great, the material is hardy and holds up to ski edges and crampons reasonably well. I'm still careful, but I breath a bit easier.

Fabric: stretchy, kinda breathable, keeps my dry just fine. It's quality softshell, what more is there to say? Fuzzy interior is nice and warm. These would need some heavier under layers for snow camping, but for touring they're great.

All in all, a good pant that I'm happy with. I've used them for two seasons now and there's pretty much no where on them anyway. I'm hoping they continue to last a long time, I really like them.

I love this saddle. It's firm and it supports my sitbones without touching anything else. It's firm, it supports. It's really, really light, and the flattish shape is good for mtbing, allowing me to hover up toward the nose on climbs and drop off the back on descents.

It may be too firm for some. Also, my sitbones are pretty narrow and this saddle is about as narrow as it can be for me. Anyone with widely space sitbones should probably look at something else.

I've used LX and SLX shifters with LX and XT derailleurs for a long time now and these are pretty much as good as XT in my experience. They've performed flawlessly in sand, mud, dust, rain, and everything else I've thrown at them for years. Shifting is crisp and precise, it happens when I tell it to, it doesn't happen when I don't. Snaps into gear nicely.

(A caveat: I've run a single chainring for quite a while now and haven't used the front shifter since then, but the rear shifter is still going strong.)

I recently sheared my derailleur hanger and destroyed my '06 XT rear derailleur in a race so I was in the market for a new one. I got a good deal on this, the mid-cage with the RapidRise (low normal), and it's great. Crisp shifting (when paired with my LX shifters), easy adjustment, all you expect from an XT derailleur.

I wanted a mid-cage because I run a single chainring and didn't want a longer cage hit on rocks and things (as that was apparently an issue recently). The shifting is even crisper with the mid-cage now. The RapidRise took about 15 minutes to get used to (as it reverses the direction of shifting), and now I don't want to go back. It means smoother downshifts under load and easier upshifts. I love it.

XT has a reputation for being quality stuff, and it deserves it. You could probably get away with LX or SLX (if you can find it), probably don't need XTR. This is a pretty good bet, though.

These are the best mechanical disc brakes available. Period. I'd choose these over low level hydros any day. They have great modulation and good power. They are very easy to adjust, good build quality, last a long time. The only knock I can make is that the Roundagon rotors are not so good; they squeal almost out of the box and getting rid of it is nearly impossible (though apparently Hucknroll is awesome and ships them with better rotors!). Plus they're heavy. I replaced them with some Alligator Serrated rotors and my brakes are fantastic (and look great, too!).

If you want the best brakes at whatever cost, get some top end hydros like Avid Elixir or Shimano XT. If you want the best mix of cost, performance, and easy maintenance, get these.

I'm not gonna lie, I bought this helmet because I think it looks bitchin'. I love the way the vents look, like the air intakes on a turbocharged engine. Turns out it was a good purchase. It vents really well, even at low speeds. It's comfortable (I've worn it for 100 mile mtb races with no problems). It protects better than road helmets, without sharp points to catch on things and with better coverage on the back of the head. The vents even work particularly well with the helmet mount for my NiteRider lights. It's not the lightest, but I think it's better. I'll buy another when I destroy this one.

I bought this to replace an aging 1st-gen MiNewt set for nighttime mountain biking. The biggest problem with the MiNewt in my and others' experience was the cables eventually frayed and shorted. I was wary of going with NiteRider again, but I did like their lighting quality and the lack of external cables in this means that particular weakness should be gone.

I'm glad I did, this is a great light. The beam pattern is perfect for helmet, with a nice clean bright center spot but nice periphery spread. The brightest setting is plenty bright as a standalone helmet light (which is how I use it). The burn time is kinda short at 2.5 hours on full, but I alleviate that by turning it to dimmer settings when climbing, which is still plenty bright. The button is easy to reach when riding. Even with that, it's a pretty rare night when I ride longer than two hours anyway.

The helmet mount is easy to use and secure. I had to tighten the little screw on the pivot to eliminate some initial floppiness, but since then it's stayed put nicely.

USB charging is a plus, I can charge it at work or in the car with my USB charger. Takes a while to charge, though, so plan ahead.

Like all the MiNewts, the blinking setting is seizure-inducingly fast. I have no clue who could ride with that going on. I only use it for trails and not commuting, so it's not an issue for me.

I looked at the Cygolite ExpiliOn 250 and the Light and Motion Stella range, but the helmet mounting on the Cygolite was too fiddly and the Light and Motions just cost way too much more for the same output.

I've only been using it for a month or so now, so I can't say anything about longevity. I'm happy with it so far and would buy it again. I'll update eventually with a durability report.

I used these gloves for a while and they were nice enough. The forefinger grippers aren't as grippy as I would like, but the glove seemed solid enough. For 50 miles and anything shorter they seemed to be ok, if a little warm for SoCal weather. The palm padding isn't paper thin, but it's not particularly thick. Kind of a mid range.

What eventually made me hate these was racing the Tahoe Sierra 100. After 50 miles, the seam on the inside of the palm rubbed on my hand and gave me a wicked blister on both palms and was searingly painful for the second half of the race.

I've since used them in standard XC races in colder weather and they were ok, but I'm still wary of them because of that seam on the palm.

These are the bibs my team gets in a custom design from Hincapie every year. I love these bibs! The chamois is perhaps the best I've ever used. The lack of a leg gripper is super comfy. They ride up some on my skinny legs, but they're still comfortable when they do. Those with bigger quads don't seem to have this issue. Basically, I can't say enough good about these; they go on and I don't notice that region anymore. I've used them for 100 mile mtb races and been totally comfortable the entire time.

At first I really liked this glove; it fits snug, it feels good. The price is very nice. The lack of velcro means it fits snugly, but it's true to the size chart in my experience. The padding is very nice on the palms, feels great on the bars. The finger loops finish it off nicely. I would have highly recommended it.

I don't use it anymore, however, because I crashed in a crit (pedal strike on a corner) and dug the crap out of my hand. All of the gouges were on the back of the left hand through this glove; in fact, everyone kept asking me why I wasn't wearing gloves and I had to explain that yes I was, they just offered no protection. It's a month and a half later and I'm still not quite 100% in that hand; for a week and a half I couldn't use it for anything at all. So while this glove feels good and is lightweight and breathes well, it offers zero crash protection and that defeats a fair amount of why I wear a glove. I'm going to go with something with thicker material.