HOLIDAY TECH 2: More I Want For Christmas
With just days to go before Santa arrives, it’s now or never to get your list to the North Pole – or at least into the hands of whoever has you on their “Nice” list. And if you need a few ideas – here are some suggestions to keep you smiling all year long…
OA LEG SALSA
Some hot stuff for your hot legs – OA leg Salsa has a natural oil base (no petroleum products) and their own blend of herbs to create a sports balm to prep tendons before your ride, keep you warm during the ride, and alleviate soreness afterwards. Smear some on today!
Price: $11.99 for 2 oz jar
Get It At: UnConMed.com
SKS FENDERS & TOOLS
A must have for winter riding north of most places – fenders can be your best friend. The biggest problem has been the hassle of mounting them each season, and then dealing with rattles and clanks for the next four months. SKS Germany have the perfect answer – the fast mounting Race Bladefenders. The 2 fender set weighs only 240 grams and attach in seconds to your fork blades and seat stays – with heavy rubber bands that hold ‘em in place good. The mounting brackets have little rubber feet to prevent frame scratches, and better yet – annoying fender rattle.
Price: $26.99
And here’s a great idea for that mini-tool carrying weenie on your life – (it’s probably you Bubba!). SKS offer German engineering and very cool design in everything they make, plus one of the biggest selection of Mini-tools we’ve seen. Each one is small enough to fit deep inside your jersey or seat bag, but packs a huge array (from 8 tools – 22 tools) of allen keys, screw drivers, some have chain breakers, cleverly designed tire levers and wrenches in the sizes you’ll need to fix any mid-ride problem.
Prices: From $8.99 to $44.99
Get It At: SKS-GERMANY.com
NALINI AIR ROAD SHOES
Better known perhaps for providing posers with replica and team issue kit from the pro’s, Nalini have a top flight road shoe that has the advantage of being light, very strong and highly adjustable. They aren’t cheap, as they are built very well and have a bling factor that matches some of the Chrome plated kicks available, but in a little more conservative way via the Carbon fiber and aluminum fiber soles…
Price: $299.99
Get ‘Em At: CBIKE.com
KUOTA KARMA
Maybe the best value in a Carbon frame, fork and seat post for 2005 will be the Kuota Kharma. Solid carbon sweetness available in colors or raw clear coat, Kuota let these out the door for $1,549.00 in clear coat and slightly more for colors. The ride rivals framesets costing twice as much. Stay tuned for our upcoming test, or check the Kuota website Kuota.it for info.
SPECIALIZED S-WORKS ROAD SHOES
Those guys at Specialized have been doing their homework to improve so many parts of the bike – including that integral part of the drive train – the shoe. The internal footbed is actually canted to bring the foot into “full contact with the pedal and eliminate rotational movement of the knee”. That means less knee stress. And forget laces – the Rotary Boa micro-dial makes cinching the shoes a cinch, and helps eliminate hotspots across the top and bottom of your foot. They weigh in at 610 grams for a Size 42 pair, and are stylin-enough for Super Mario.
Price: $250.00
Get Info At: Specialized.com
SCOTT CR-1 LIMITED CARBON
Billed as the “lightest bike on the planet”, Scott kicks it up a notch for 2005 with a Limited Edition of their CR-1 (Read our CR1 Review here), weighing in at 14.08 pounds for the full bike (sans pedals) this baby is light! With full Campy Record Carbon gruppo, Ritchey stem- bars- seatpost (carbon of course), Campy Bora wheels, and the Selle Italia SLR Titanium, not an ounce has been wasted. You’ll have been extra extra good this year if one of these shows up under your tree – ‘cause at $8500.00, these will be rare indeed.
Get more info at the SCOTT USA website ScottUSA.com
The TOUR BABY Dvd
Finally – if you haven’t already – get this dvd ! This has gotta be the best fan’s eye-view of the Tour we’ve seen, mostly because film maker Scott Coady IS a fan himself. See the 2000 Tour de France from the roadside, and from inside a bunch places regular fans have no business being… including Lance’s trailer. This dvd is a must have for true Tour fans, and a great primer if you’re planning your first trip.
Read The Review: The Tour Baby
Price: DVD: $24.95, VHS: $14.95
Get It At: THE TOUR BABY.com
Read HOLIDAY TECH 1: All I Want For Christmas
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