My Favorite Fatbike Accessories-Part One

Winter is here and to quote Guitar Ted, "White is the new dirt".  Cold weather brings on a whole different experience and there are a lot of fatbike accessories to make riding a little more comfortable and easier to carry the gear needed for those longer rides.  Below are some of my favorite items that I use regularly throughout the Winter.

Pogies and Heated Grips

Hands are usually the first to get cold and there are a couple of ways in addition to gloves to keep them warm.  Warm fingers are more dexterous for shifting and braking and using pogies (handlebar mitts) and/or heated handlebar grips do the trick nicely.  I have a pair of Stellar Bags pogies made by a local Twin Cities cyclist who no longer makes and sells them but there are plenty of others out there on the market.  Some of these include 45NRTH, Revelate Designs, Dogwood Designs, Bar Mitts and Gup Gum Gear.  Pogies do a great job of protecting your hands from the elements, especially the wind which can cool down hands fast and they let you ride wearing lighter gloves.

A'ME Ergo Tri Heated Mountain Bike Grips do a great job at keeping hands warm and toasty on very cold rides.  These grips feature bluPulse™ ‘Adaptive Thermal Regulation’ technology with six different temperature settings that can be selected by pushing a button.  They are powered by a rechargeable 11.1 volt Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Pack that can be mounted to a frame tube or handlebar stem and have watertight connectors.  Battery life varies depending on the setting chosen, but I usually get about three hours using the lowest setting that keeps my hands comfortable.  For more information, read my full product review.  These grips in combination with gloves and a good set of pogies will keep hands warm for hours in bitter cold temperatures letting you ride longer and more comfortably.

Frame Bag

A frame bag allows me to carry gear, snacks and my tool kit for those times I want to travel light.  Access to bag contents can even be done while riding without having to stop.  I will sometimes stash my water bottle in the main compartment of the bag giving it a little protection from the cold so it doesn't freeze up as quickly.  A good bag should be made with fabrics that have a durable water-repellent finish to keep contents dry on rides in slushy or wet conditions.  Frame bags can be purchased for specific bike models, custom made for a perfect fit and some are universal fit.  I had mine custom made by a local cyclist (Gup Gum Gear) for my mountain bike but the triangle on my 9:Zero:7 was so similar that it fit perfectly. 

Pedals

Pinned flats or clipless for Winter riding?  I will use both depending on the trail conditions.  Most of the time I like to clip in for the increased pedaling efficiency and power transfer but when conditions turn icy I switch to flats in case I need to put a foot down in a hurry.  The flats I use are actually a downhill mountain bike pedal by Xpedo, the Face Off 18.  I chose this pedal for its large platform with an open cage that doesn't build up with snow and ice.  They also have 20 replaceable pins on each pedal that helps me maintain a firm grip even when they become icy.  I'm currently using a set of Crank Brothers Candy 3's which I like for the easy in and out clipping over SPD pedals.  I am thinking of  switching to Crank Brothers Eggbeaters to eliminate the platform that the Candy pedals have to prevent ice and snow build up. 

Boots

I have two pairs of boots for Winter riding, Columbia Bugaboot Plus II Omni-Heat and my newest addition, the 45NRTH Wölvhammer.  I rode with flat pinned pedals all last Winter and the Bugaboots gripped the flats really good and the Omni-Grip outsole grabbed nicely on a variety of ice and snow covered surfaces. They are very lightweight and flexible making them a good choice for cycling.  The Bugaboots kept my feet warm on rides which usually lasted two to four hours.  During extreme cold where temperatures were sub-zero, my feet would start to get cold and toe numbness would set in.  To help extend ride time I would pair the Bugaboot with Grabber Toe Warmers and Foot Warmers.  For More information on the Columbia Bugaboot Plus II Omni-Heat, read my full product review.

The Wölvhammers, though a bit spendy are very well insulated, waterproof and breathable, three things I want in a Winter cycling boot.  When riding clipless, which is most of the time now, these are my go to boots.  I bought the next size up from what I normally wear to accommodate thicker wool socks for when it really gets cold.  These boots are new for me but I already love the comfort, feel and warmth they provide and would recommend them for cold weather fatbiking.

I will continue with more of my Faviorite Fatbike Accessories in two more upcoming posts.

Product Review: A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips

On winter bike rides hands are usually the first to get cold.  Cold fingers reduce dexterity for shifting and braking and can cause a cyclist to cut a ride short.  There are many ways to avoid this fate through the use of gloves, lobster mitts, pogies and chemical hand warmers, but the most effective method I found is by using heated handlebar grips.  In combination with gloves, mitts or pogies, heated handlebar grips can keep your hands warm for hours in the coldest of weather.  With the below average temperatures we have been having in Minnesota this winter, I was glad to have the opportunity to test a set of A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips so I could stay out longer and not have to deal with numb fingers.

A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips are made with a special Vulcathane™ rubber compound with a triangle pattern that provides a comfortable and tacky grip and long wear durabilty.  These grips feature bluPulse™ ‘Adaptive Thermal Regulation’ technology with six different temperature settings that can be selected by pushing a button.  They are powered by a rechargeable 11.1 volt Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Pack that can be mounted to a frame tube or handlebar stem and have watertight connectors.  The clamp-on design of the grips makes installation easy and keeps them securely in place without any slipping. 

Each grip has its own temperature control that is adjusted by pushing the button near the clamp.  Six settings provide a temperature range of  from 90º to 130º depending on the need of the rider.  Push the button once to turn on the grip and the blue light will flash one time (lowest setting), push more and the blue light will flash accordingly to indicate the setting all the way up to the sixth (highest).  When the button is pushed on level six, it will return the setting to level one.  With each setting the blue light will pulse from bright to dim until that setting temperature is achieved where it will stop pulsating and remain dimly lit.  For best performance, the manufacturer recommends carbon fiber bars, aluminum bars tend to be a heat sink and draw the heat out of the grips into the bar making the battery work harder to maintain the setting temperature.

I tested the A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips in a variety of conditions, with different gloves and with/without the use of a set of pogies.  In warmer conditions (high 20's to low 40's F), I rode without pogies using the grips in combination with a pair of fingerless gloves I usually use in the summertime.  Only the two lowest settings were needed to keep my hands warm, anything higher than this was too hot.  The battery easily kept the grips heated on these low settings for my rides lasting up to three hours. 

During cold temperatures (teens to twenties ºF) I would wear a pair of full finger Louis Garneau Roubaix gloves with the heated grips and this was more than enough to keep my hands warm.  The lowest three settings were all that was needed depending on the temperature outside.

For single digits to subzero temperatures ºF I would wear the Roubaix gloves with a set of pogies.  This was the ultimate set up for the bitter cold.  The pogies cut the wind and provided some extra insulation in addition to the gloves.  Once again, only the three lowest settings of the A'ME grips were needed, anything higher and my hands would get too hot and begin to sweat.  I never had to use heat settings four through six during any of my rides, the lower settings sufficiently kept my hands warm.  I suppose the higher settings could be used with thicker insulated gloves when outdoor temperatures reach -10 to -40º F and doing so would shorten battery life.

The A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips had enough battery life to keep my hands warm on my rides which usually lasted up to three hours.  The outside temperature and choice of gloves and/or pogies will determine what heat setting will work best.  I always used the lowest setting where my hands were comfortable and didn't sweat too much.  Doing this would give me the longest battery life possible.  Recharging the battery will take several hours, so make sure you have it fully charged in advance.

 

If your hands get cold easily while biking in the winter or you would like to extend your ride time by having the option to warm your hands while you ride, then you will definitely like the Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips from A'ME.  They have a tacky grip that works well with all types of gloves and will allow you to stay out longer in the cold with better finger dexterity for shifting and braking. 

 The A'ME Ergo Tri Heated MTB Grips complete kit is available on the A'ME website for $199.00 and includes the grips, battery pack, battery charger and mounting system.  The grips come in two colors, black and grey.  A'ME provides a 6 month grip replacement for manufacturer defects and a 2-year half-price replacement warranty on the grips for damage due to fall or excessive wear.

 Disclosure:  Gripos, LLC provided the review sample for this article, but offered no other form of compensation for this review.

Interbike 2013 Cool Bike Gear-Part 2

After five days in Las Vegas for Interbike, I have seen anything and everything bike related.  There was so much to see that it took all three days at the show and both days at the Outdoor Demo to take it all in.  I felt like a kid in a candy store and there were many things that caught my eye.  This is the second installment of four posts highlighting some of the cool new products at Interbike 2013 that are now available, available soon or are coming to a bike shop near you.

Kryptonite Evolution LITE Mini 6 U-Lock

New in the Kryptonite line for 2014 is the Evolution LITE Mini 6 U-Lock.  This is their lightest weight u-lock at 1.65 lbs. (747 grams) which is 16% lighter than their Evolution Mini-5.  Its design implements the New MAX-Performance steel shackle  material which provides high security with a smaller shackle diameter.  It also has a new key design with a replaceable LED key fob and a new patent-pending hybrid cylinder technology for increased security.  It's small enough to fit in a pocket or can be attached to a bike frame using the optional Transit FlexFrame-U Bracket.  Look for it coming soon to a bike shop near you.

Hydrapak Soft Flask

For 2014 from Hydrapak comes a new version of the Soft Flask in three new sizes, 350 (12 oz), 500 (17 oz) and 750 ml (25 oz) bringing the line to five choices.  The original tube version of the Soft Flask was meant to be used with energy gels but this new design is larger, has a wider cap, a hardened rounded bottom and will work great as a soft collapsible water bottle.  It comes with a shut off valve to prevent leaks, has a high-flow bite valve and it collapses as you drink from it.  When empty, stow it away using minimal space by simply scrunching it up.  The Hydrapak Soft Flasks will start shipping out in October and retail for $11.99 to $20.99.

Hero Kit

The Hero Kit is a bike rescue kit that helps get a cyclist back up and riding and avoid that long walk of shame.  These kits will give cyclists of all abilities the tools and instruction for the most common problems they may face out on the road or trail.   They were designed with the help of expert riders and mechanics to include the necessary tools and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions to get even the novice of riders out of a jam.  Its small package size can easily fit into a jersey pocket, seat bag or top tube bag.

There is also a Super Hero Kit for Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and Extreme for Mountain Biking with a spare tube, tire pump and seat pack (Road Cycling) or top tube bag (Mountain Biking).  “A Hero Kit is more than just a bag of tools,” says Hero Kit's founder Jason Berv. “It’s confidence in a kit, empowerment to ride a trail that you’ve never ridden before, knowledge that you have what you need, including tools and how-to and support, to get you back to the trailhead safely."  Hero Kits are now available and may be purchased from Herokit.com. 

Nite Rider Lumina Flare

New for 2014 from Nite Rider is the Lumina Flare.  This light features 650 Lumens to penetrate the darkness and integrates a 1W red taillight on the other end to alert those behind you.  It contains an internal USB rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that will deliver a run time of 1:30 hours on High (650), 3 hours on Medium (350), 5½ hours on  Low (200) and 18 hours on Walk (40) and also has a flash mode.  The Lumina Flare can be mounted on handlebars but is most effective when helmet mounted for use of the rear taillight.  Its one piece design is a great choice for commuters looking for a headlight/taillight combination.  Look for it coming to your local bike shop sometime this fall.  MSRP $169.99.  

A'ME Heated Grips

For cyclists that want to keep their hands warm when riding in cold conditions there is the A'ME Handlebar Thermal Wrap System and Heated MTB Grip.  These thermal grips feature bluPulse™ ‘Adaptive Thermal Regulation’ technology with six different temperature settings that can be selected by pushing a button.  Both units run on a 11.1 volt Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Pack that can be mounted to a frame tube or handlebar stem and it has watertight connectors.  The MTB grips are available in three styles for $199 and the Road Bike wraps for $199.  All come with a  6 Month Grip Replacement on Manufacture Defects and a 2-Year Half-Price Replacement Warranty on grips for damage due to fall or excessive wear.  Available now at amegrips.com.