Bar Mitts

 

If you suffer from cold hands during the winter but still want to actually ride your bike outdoors BarMitts are probably the best solution. The picture above is the Mountain/Commuter model.

 Here's a bad picture of what your arm looks like inside.  With BarMitts you can wear a substantially less bulky glove in colder temperatures without being cold.  This translates to increased dexterity.  Your hands aren't bound by a large bulky glove and therefore using the controls (brakes, shifters) is much easier.

 Here's a picture of my bike on a ride this weekend.  The air temp was about 20F with moderate winds.  I rode for four hours with just a light liner glove and was perfectly comfortable the entire time.  BarMitts are constructed of 5mm neoprene and come in configurations for Shimano, Sram/Campy, and mountain.  The road models are sized small, medium, and large which just changes the diameter of the opening by about an inch per size.  I very much look forward to using this product for the rest of the winter as I won't have to be on the trainer anywhere near as much!

-CTBF

What do you do...

 When the roads look like this?  Last week I posted about the AWESOME Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires.  Well guess what?

 I mounted a pair on an old hybrid so you can come in and take it for a spin! 

If you've ever wondered about the benefit of studded tires I strongly encourage you to stop in and take it for a spin.  I'm sure you're aware of the nasty ice which has proliferated the Eastside, Downtown, Bayview, Riverwest, Shorewood...  I guess the list could just keep going on.  Why struggle through winter without studs?  Try these out and you'll be a believer.

-CTBF

Its been a while, winter.

 Winter is back and that means its getting icy.  We have Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires currently in stock in both 26x1.75 inch and 700x35c.  We will be receiving more 700x40c tires at the end of next week.

The Marathon Winter has 240 replaceable studs per tire.  As you can see in the picture the studs are located towards the side of the tire leaving the center of the tire void of studs.  The rider can therefore inflate the tire to a higher pressure (size and rider weight dependent) to minimize the amount of stud contact on dry days and lower the pressure to maximize stud contact on icy days.  The tread is a very good shape which is not prone to clogging with snow and ice but still getting bite in the soft stuff.  Stop in and check them out!

-CTBF