Stuff We Love: SKS Seatpost Fenders

Fenders may not be the most gorgeous or exciting accessory you can buy for your bike, but they are definitely one of the most useful.  Just ask any cyclist riding around on a rainy day if they want to have the wet and muddy butt they almost surely have. No one is going to be like "Yes. I love walking into work/class/the grocery store with a wet and muddy backside." No, they're going to be like "This is terrible and why I don't like riding my bike unless it's sunny, dry and 70 degrees out."

Well riding can be comfortable in any conditions if you have the right setup. Enter the SKS X-Tra Dry. It is a plastic fender that clips onto your seatpost with an adjustable strap. It's wide enough to catch pretty much all errant flying debris, really easy to switch from bike to bike if you have more than one, and is also great for group rides so you're not spraying your friends behind you. Another great use we've realized? It's awesome for mountain biking. Mountain bikes and fenders have never been a good mix (suspension, wide tires, general getting-caught-on-stuff), but by just clipping this to your seatpost all that is no longer an issue. Group snow rides? Even more fun when you manage to stay dry!

Stuff We Love: Wald Baskets

Baskets. They come in all shapes, sizes and styles varying from woven plastic with daisies stuck to the front, to hardcore metal beasts that could probably carry a small person with no trouble. Considering the vast range of aesthetics and sturdiness it may seem like there are too many options to be able to find one that's just right. Well, if Goldilocks came into our shop and wanted a basket that was just right to carry all her porridge (and whatever else she decided to help herself to along the way), we would definitely point her straight to the Wald front baskets. Every single one of us here has a Wald on one of our bikes. Why? Because they're great for everyday tasks and they hold up really well. They're inexpensive, the shop carries them in two very convenient sizes and in both silver and black so they match any bike. All the pics in this post are of the smaller size we carry, apparently they can hold 14 beers and a soda with ease. Added plus, they're made in the USA which is never a bad thing.

I have the larger of the two sizes we carry (18"x13"). I've lined the bottom with my dog's favorite mat and taken him for rides places in it. It was really easy to design a little harness system for him because of the basket's open wire design which is cool. Clip in the front, clip in the back and all adorable 12lbs of his Mini Dachshund self are safe and secure. I've used that basket for lots of things, but the most impressive thing that basket has done, by far, happened the time our car battery died. We had only a bike and Wald basket to carry a new 40ish pound battery over 3/4 mile from the auto store to the car. It was pretty sketchy, but the basket held up and our car was rescued. The baskets aren't rated to handle that much weight, but in a pinch it didn't let us down.

The smaller of the two sizes (15"x10") is perfect for those little things that you find yourself traveling with. The guys have used theirs for tons of stuff; puppy portage, avoiding wearing a bag when it's really hot out and carrying cheese steaks and various takeout... very important. It's just the right size for a spare jacket, thermos full of chili or new bike parts (some anyways). It's perfect when paired with a cargo net, which is a net made from bungee cords that has a securing hooks on four corners. The fact that the Wald baskets are basically wire cages makes it easy to always find a good spot to attach the hooks and keep your cheese steaks from bouncing out. The small is also a good size for putting various bags in so you don't have to wear them while you're riding (pictured is a small Fabric Horse WC tote $70).

Overall, you can't beat these baskets in bang for your buck factor, and they are probably the singular most utilitarian thing you could get for your bike, not bad for $20-$25 bucks.

Stuff We Love: Brooks Saddles

Everyone has a million opinions about saddles, it's just a fact. Very few people feel indifferent about what they choose to perch on because it can make a huge difference in your comfort while riding. This one is great, that one is the worst thing ever, etc, etc. Your butt ultimately makes the final call, but seeing as most of us here at Bicycle Revolutions ride a lot and have all found that Brooks saddles rule, there must be something to it right? Everyone says they're great and turns out it's pretty true, but here's why.
Brooks saddles come in tons of shapes and styles but the basic thing that makes them feel like they were made just for your butt is the same across the board; they're made from super tough leather and riveted onto a sturdy metal frame. Effectively, they're really hard leather butt hammocks that break in to fit your body perfectly. The leather itself gives the saddles a bit of spring so you get a less jostled, and with a little care they can last for a seriously long time. The leather is really hard at first, but Brooks claims after 100 miles of riding they're broken in. Not a bad price to pay for something that ends up feeling like it was custom made. Personally I didn't feel like it needed to break it in at all to be comfortable. They definitely do get nicer with miles on them, but my brand new out of the box Brooks saddles have already felt better than any of the other women's saddles I've tried. However, I know this isn't typical so I very professionally interviewed my fellow shop workers Varun and Aaron whilst leaning on a trash can/being a trash basketball obstacle.

Varun has an older model with thicker leather and he said his took considerably longer than the standard 100 miles to fully break in. While admittedly that kind of sucked, he likes it a lot and puts it on whatever bike he's going to be riding for a long distance because now that it's broken in it's the most comfortable saddle he has. He rations it almost. Aaron has a Brooks Professional on his commuter bike and his took about 40 miles to fully break in. He also will switch it onto any other bike he's planning on using for a long ride, 100 miles is pretty serious and the Brooks is the best. I have a Brooks B17 S on my cross bike which is both my everyday commuter and the bike I use for long rides. My only complaint is I wish I'd bought it sooner, it's possible that saddle has made me like my bike more.

They're an investment for sure, but totally worth it as far as we're all concerned.

(Pictured top - Swallow in Antique Brown with chrome rails $240 & B17 Standard in Honey $130. Bottom - My B17 S in Black $130)

Stuff We Love: Twin Six Gear

 Here at the shop we have our favorites when it comes to gear, and Twin Six is at the top of the list for all of us. Twin Six is a cycling company that has a lot going for it and it would seem that's mostly because it's run by cyclists who use the stuff they make, just check out their manifesto. Lucky for us, this means high quality materials, reasonable prices, graphics that don't make you feel like you paid to be a human clothing brand billboard, and great fit and functionality. Also ladies, you are not left out on this one! They make a full line of women's specific tech tops and bottoms and I can personally say they rule. They fit well and look good, no overly girly graphics or colors here but they're still fun... think giant polka dots. Don't worry guys, you get some polka dots, too. Also not to be forgotten is a little surprise in the center back pocket of every jersey. The devil's in the details, Grandma was right.

Regardless of the fact that their gear is pretty rad, they also make the vast majority of it in the USA which is really cool. Shorts, jerseys, caps, water bottles, socks and gloves, all made in the USA, and all carried here at Bicycle Revolutions exclusively in the whole giant state of PA.

If you're interested in checking their gear out now is a great time, we just got our first shipment of their 2014 line yesterday! So come in, ask literally any one of us about our personal experience with their gear, and we'll give you the low down on why we keep buying more every season.

Stuff We Love: R.E.Load Flight Pack

You all know we like to keep you updated on the fresh new items we get in here at the shop, but we decided it would be a cool idea to let you know our personal favorites too. Things we've all used, loved and how they've stood up to our abuse. So instead of "Look! This is new!" it's "Look! We've used this and it's still rad!" So here goes.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with R.E.Load bags, but just in case you're not, they're a custom bag company run out of Philadelphia. All their bags are made in the USA out of super tough materials, are waterproof and R.E.Load will even make certain repairs, not that you'll likely need them. If you look on the backs of cyclists around the city you'll see the familiar R.E.Load tag on a plethora of multicolored bags all over, no surprise.

Here at the shop two of us use the small Flight Pack as our go to two strap bags. On the left is Heather's with the old front pocket and on the right mine with the newer front pocket design. They may be the smallest of the three sizes, but you can fit a borderline absurd amount of stuff into one. The roll top allows you to over stuff it or put some really weird shaped things in there with no problem. I've fit two full bags of groceries in the main compartment, a wine bottle in one side pocket and a baguette in the other (yes roll your eyes, but dinner was delicious). The bags are designed to be cinched down when carrying a light load, and easily expanded for when you need the space, which is really useful. Lucky for me, the cinching straps are in the perfect place to secure the tops of tall things in the side pockets ie; 750s of wine/water/plasma, or baguettes, maybe even a bouquet for your girl, your boy or your dog. The front pocket is perfect for small things like shades, lip balm, wallet. The interior has a cool multi-pocket thing going on that's great for flat repair stuff, reusable grocery bags, pens... things you want to have with you but don't need mixed in with your easy access front pocket stuff. Generally I use my pack for adventuring/camping, to grocery shop and to ride to work. It does a great job with all three. The side pocket fits my u-lock so it's really easy to get to and the other usually has a pint jar with my Cuppow jar lid and something weird in it.

(please note the handy wine/baguette securing straps)

The back is pretty rad too, it's padded so you can get away with just tossing stuff in there and you won't be jabbing yourself while riding. The straps have an adjustable chest strap to keep the bag secure and some very useful accessory attachment straps. I have a cell phone holster (also R.E.Load, also awesome) so I can whip my phone out to take pictures of the varied and sometimes amusing, othertimes kind of horrifying road debris around the city.

Lastly, what is a bag post without a nice "what's in my bag" pic? Terrible, that's what. This is what I happened to have in my bag today and during these pics.

That's a lot of stuff and there was room to spare. Not sure what the weather is going to be like when you leave where you're going? Just bring everything. Winter coat, two different wool scarves, extra wool mid-layer. It's no prob and you'll even have space for things you pick up along the way like a bottle of *insert your favorite drink here* or a sweet new headlight (score).

So there it is, my big fat seal of approval. This definitely passes the daily use test and does it with style. Want to check one out? Feel free to come in to see what we've got and I might even let you look through mine. Thanks for killing it with this one R.E.Load!