Fitness + Community + Advocacy

The end of September saw Women’s Adventure at Interbike, the great big Vegas event where bicycle shop retailers, manufacturers and the media all congregated to look at items coming out in 2009.  Yummy bikes, apparel, and doodads abound, but this year causes were big.  Many manufacturers are supporting breast cancer research, bicycle advocacy, and other worthy causes with some of their profits and it’s wonderful to see the effort.

Pedros, who make lots of bike care products and accessories, has a different take.  For 2009, they will be sponsoring riders from all walks of life through the Plus3 Network, which is an online social community for people who want to make a commitment to fitness.  When you join Plus3, you are able to log miles either by hand or with a GPS device if you use one in your sport (riding, running, swimming, walking, hiking, anything that involves traveling a distance).  You then have an opportunity to choose a sponsoring partner, like Pedros, who will donate a certain amount to a charitable cause in your name.  Plus3 currently has thirteen sponsors/causes you can chose from, but more are being added each day.

It’s a very clever combination of tracking your activites, socializing with others, and benefiting a cause all at the same time.  Pedros has always been passionate about the environment, and this partnership seems like a perfect way to marry their belief that choosing a bike to commute, to run errands, or just to stay fit and have fun, is the way to make the world a healthier place.

So give Plus3 a look and maybe sign up to participate.  You can view my Plus3 profile here.  Those miles you’re racking up really can make a difference!

Spread a little sock joy and help The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® at the same time.  ZOIC’s BCRF Socks come in two colors, white and black.  For every sock purchased ZOIC will donate 50% of the net profit (about $1 a sock) to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  msrp: $10.00. www.zoic.com

Learn more about BCRF.

Summer is evaporating around here!  We’ve had an early dose of cool fall rain and I’m starting to think about cycling jackets, long pants, and big bowls of chili.

Here’s another winner from Pearl.  This jacket is completely waterproof with taped seams and a waterproof zipper.  It’s made with Pearl’s Optik-WxB fabric which will breathe somewhat as well as keep a downpour out, but the most amazing thing about the fabric is that it stretches in four directions.  The Octane is very form-fitting and the stretch keeps it comfortable as you move around on the bike.  There isn’t any of that “stiff plastic bag” feeling that some rainwear has.  

We all know there isn’t really any rainwear that can breathe well enough to keep you from getting steamy when the air is full of rain, but the Octane does an admirable job, particularly in lower temps, if you’ve got wicking layers underneath it.

My favorite feature is the snap-on hood that comes with the jacket.  The hood was big enough to pull up over the top of my helmet when I was riding home on a drippy, dark night.  If you’ve done any riding in the rain (and you Northwest girls almost certainly have!) you know that water eventually finds its way in, but this hood really does help keep the rain off the back of your neck. It’s nice not to have a separate helmet cover to struggle with. 

The Octane comes in four colors for fall 2008, bright blue, hi-viz yellow, black and black/limestone, although it’s hard to see the difference between the to varieties of black.  I’d probably go for the yellow just because it makes you a bit more visible when its gloomy.  The Octane has reflective stripes curving around each arm as well as reflective material that curves up the back.  That curving is important because it helps give you a human shape rather than being a nondescript circle or triangle shape when the light is low.   Motorists will instinctively recognize you as something other than a signpost. 

The Octane is an investment, but a very, very worthwhile one for those of us who ride in any weather.  I’ve managed to roll mine up small enough to stuff into a jersey pocket or large seat bag, and I’ve been mighty glad I had it in this cool wet weather.

Pearl Izumi Octane Jacket, MSRP: $179 www.pearlizumi.com

This isn’t exactly a gear review.  It’s more a “gearless” review.

It’s been a fabulous summer here in the Midwest, almost Colorado-like with cool nights and warm sunny days.  Perfect riding weather.  I’ve spent almost every weekend riding my road bike.  The other day, my mountain bike caught my eye, all forlorn and cobweb-covered in the corner of the basement.  Guilt!

So, I took a day this weekend to ride the trails down in Palos, and coming around a corner fast, I hit a pile of round rolly rocks, sliding sideways and went down right on my rear derailleur into a patch of poison ivy.  I jumped back up and took off again, only to fall again about 10 yards further up the hill.  This time, my derailleur was turned inside out and wrapped through my spokes.  Hmm…..

Luckily, there was a very nice rider just coming up the trail who also happened to be a mechanic.  After a quick triage, he said “Looks like a walk-out for you.”  Augghhh!  I was about two miles from where I parked, mostly uphill.  And I had to get the bike in good enough shape to actually walk it.  So, we unbolted the derailleur, picked it out of the spokes, and looked around for some way to strap it up away from the wheel.  Mr. Nice Rider came up with a bandaid, which sort of worked to keep it out of the spokes most of the way back.  I ended up lowering my seat so my feet would touch the ground, coasting downhill, and walking uphill.

Now all you mountain-savvy people are nodding knowingly.  What do I wish I had in my seatbag?  Poison ivy wipes (remember, I’m in a Midwest forest and the poison ivy is lush), duct tape or zip ties, and a plastic baggie.  Hand wipes would have been nice, too, but not essential.  I already had all the tools I needed but I really didn’t have a good way to keep that derailleur out of the spokes.  Since I had to break the chain to get the derailleur off, I wanted somewhere to stow that and a plastic baggie woud have done the trick.  And since I was at least 90 minutes away from a shower, poison ivy wipes would have come in handy.

Sadder (and itchier) but wiser.

It’s already August, and you’re probably squeezing the last good drops of sunny summer heat out of each day. Maybe you’ve been riding on the local trails or you’ve finally taken the plunge and you’re commuting to work on your bike. But your tootsies get all steamy in regular cycling shoes! Let me introduce you to Keen’s cycling sandals.

I went out and bought a pair when I first heard about them and I’ve worn them more than any other cycling shoe this summer. You can put cycling cleats on them if you like to ride a clipless pedal, but the cleat is recessed enough that you can walk around with no trouble or wear on the cleat (I use Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals/cleats). And the sole is flexible enough that you don’t notice much stiffness when you walk. Of course, this becomes a disadvantage if you decide to wear these out on a road ride with your carbon-soled colleagues, but these are cruising shoes not racing shoes!

You can see from the picture that they look just like regular Keens - no one at my office knows their secret life as my cycling sandals. I’ve worn them so much this summer, I’d put them in the indispensable category. And there’s no feeling in the world like air on your toes when you ride!

Keen Women’s Commuter Bike Sandals $115, available at www.rei.com