Thought I'd a review of some new biking gear I bought.
First up is a new bike light...Planet Bike Blaze 650 XLR
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3052.htmlMy previous bike light (Light & Motion) but it just stopped working so back to MEC it went and I picked up this one. Was torn over 650 XLR model and the one below it, 500 XLR.
Specs:
Model: 650 XLR ($80 at MEC)
Low: 220 lumens / 10.5 hrs
Mid: 350 lumens / 6 hours
High: 650 lumens / 2.5 hours
Model: 500 XLR ($60 at MEC)
Low: 250 lumens / 4.5 hrs
High: 500 lumens / 2.5 hrs
After seeing how much better the 650 is, it seemed like a no brainer to spend the extra 20 bucks for the better model.
Gave it a good test on a group night ride from Paris to Cambridge on the rail trail. The majority of people just had cheap(er) bike lights that made them seen and would help them see some of the trail in front of them. Then I would turn on my light and it would completely wash their light out and show them the way. The would quickly respond with comments like, the sun just came back out, my ass is on fire from your light or just a simple WOW!
I only used the lowest setting and when riding solo I had no issues seeing everything on the trail. It worked so well that I forgot to try to med and high settings. The beam pattern is great, wide enough to cover the whole width of the trail (and beyond) plus far enough out ahead where I could easily ride 30 kph without any fear.
When riding besides somebody with a weaker light I just made their life easier.
While riding beside somebody else with an equivalent light it was like have my car lights on the trail. Really amazing.
I use to do night riding 25 years ago when light systems (mostly due to large batteries) were really heavy. My BLT lights had the battery shaped like a water bottle so you could just put it in the bottle cage then wire up the lights. I can’t remember what I paid for them back then but I’m sure it was easily more than 100 bucks. The lights today are more powerful, smaller, lighter, last much longer and a lot cheaper.
Second item is a base layer for cycling. I can’t remember when I started to wear a baselayer cycling but for some reason I really like it. Obviously when it’s cold it helps a lot with keeping you warmer but when it’s warm/hot out, it also helps with keeping you cooler….believe it or not. I’ve been using the same ones for the last 20+ years and figured it was time I could use some new ones. Saying that, they never fell apart or have any holes in them. Let hope the new ones are just as good in quality.
So I picked up a couple of DeFeet UnDShurt Tees ($40 each at MEC).
http://defeet.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=ADFE62A1E1D94071B329D346B1F38AC7The large size fits me perfect which makes me happy because some cycling clothes are sized for a pro cycling body which I don’t have. Its almost skin tight (which you want) and doesn’t sag or bunch up anywhere. Tucks in well with either bike short or bibs and I don’t feel like I’m wearing anything under my jersey. Rarely do I get such a perfect fit from cycling clothes.
I’ve now tested it on training, fast, slow and recovery rides in cool, warm and hot/humid conditions. Plus wore it on a hard training ride on a hot sunny day, hung it to dry then a few hours later put it back on to go for a ride with the Mrs which for me is a recovery ride.
Love these tees. Fit great, dry quickly and work like they should. You can drop a lot of money on cycling clothes, for example getting a Rapha wool base layer can set you back $200 or more so these seem like a bargain. I notice on their website you can get these in wool but MEC doesn’t carry that version so I’ll have to keep an eye out for them somewhere else.
Highly recommend both the light and baselayer.
