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and Wahoo KICKR. As a record number of riders do battle on Zwift, the big players in the smart trainer market have finally stepped up to answer the call with some heavy hitters.
While Tacx touted their near-silent Neo and Wahoo claimed a true-to-life ride experience, Elite released the Drivo, a behemoth — built like a tank — with near perfect power accuracy. But is the Elite Drivo a third party contender or a worthy candidate for the best direct drive trainer?
In the middle of the summer, my saddle started going south. There’s no worse feeling than slaughtering yourself on climbs all day only to come home to a saddle sore. I had been straddling a Specialized Toupe for years. Sure we weren’t great friends, but we had an arrangement that appeared to be working…until now. I decided to give the Selle SMP Drakon a try for a few reasons. Mainly, as a manual muscle therapist and movement geek, I was drawn to the way the saddle perfectly positions the pelvis. However, there are a few tricks to getting it set up in the perfect position, which I’ll cover in my full Selle SMP review.
Selle SMP saddles have a distinctive look that's focused on making your ride as comfortable as possible. The model here, the Drakon, is one of its most popular, and like the rest of the brand's lineup.
Whether you’re a commuter or a cyclist looking to add some fun and fitness after work, bike lights are essential accessories. Their use doesn’t have to be reserved for after dark. Since 80% of cycling accidents occur during the day, adding lights to your daytime use is also a bright idea.
Fortunately the latest LED lights are unobtrusive, fairly inexpensive and easy to use and recharge. Here are the best bicycle lights to see and be seen.
Fair-weather riders, listen up! Cyclists have long relied on a secret salve to help adapt to the changing seasons. Embrocation is the answer to those cool fall mornings when leg warmers are too toasty, but the thought of bare skin is goose bump inducing. Want to keep your legs happy as old man winter nips at your heels? Here’s the lowdown on embrocation and reviews of a few of my favorites.
Helmet hair. Helmet head. Forgoing a helmet altogether.
It’s rare for cyclists to display much love for their lids. And for good reason. There’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable or ill-fitting helmet rattling your skull for hours. The best helmet is one you forget about until you actually need it.
A good floor pump is the one tool every cyclist should own. Running tires at their optimal pressure not only improves performance, but reduces the risk of pinch flats. The goal is to spend less time wrestling with a pump and more time in the saddle. Here are our top picks.
DIY bicycle wrenching might sound intimidating, but consider this: Having a few essential bike tools and the skills to perform basic maintenance will not only save you significant cash in the long run, but could also save you from a long walk home if you snap a chain or pop a spoke in the middle of nowhere.
There are a few basic bike tools that every cyclist should own, some aren’t even bike specific (ie: they can be found cheaply at a hardware store). Every cyclist should know how to lube a chain, fix a flat and properly clean a bike. In fact, a cleaned and degreased bike should be first on the list before a tool ever touches it.
The right tools will help you replace a chain, cables and housing, as well as adjust brakes, remove a cassette or straighten misaligned wheels. I suggest pairing this guide with a bicycle maintenance book such as The Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance or the recently updated Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance and, if in doubt, always consult your local bike shop before attempting a hero move that could compromise your bike or result in more repairs.
Learn to repair your bike with this powerful book! Each job is carefully explained in a way that makes sense to a novice mechanic and the experience wrench person. Each repair or maintenance project has easy to follow steps, complete with photographs, examples and helpful tips.
This is the world's best-selling guide to bicycle repair and maintenance. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, Lennard Zinn's clearly illustrated guide makes every bicycle repair and maintenance job easy for everyone.
If you’ve started looking for an entry level road bike, but feel paralyzed by so many choices, you’re not alone. Buying your first road bike is a big decision. But knowing what to look for in a new bike is half the battle. Here are some considerations that will help lead you to the perfect ride, along with a few of my favorite bikes for beginners.
When Shimano threw their hat into the lifestyle gear ring with the launch of their CM-1000 Sport Camera in 2014, they left out a key component— the camera’s accompanying software. Users had to wait until August of the following year to get their hands on the tools that promised to enhance the camera’s functionality by integrating metrics like power, speed, heart rate and Di2. Now that this sprinter has his leadout man, we can finally tell if Shimano’s point of view sport camera lives up to the initial hype.
