BRILF.net

GamJams Reviews: Headlights - Knog Frogs

 Since the days were getting shorter, I just bought a pair of Knog Frogs. Here's the criteria I needed to meet:

• Riding on well-known roads at pre-dawn hours - normally about 15-20 minutes that requires lights, but never in pitch black
• Rides lasting about an hour (very different requirement from the 24-hour MTB races many lights are designed for)
• Didn't want a separate battery pack
• Unobtrusive enough to leave on my bike all the time
• Battery-powered, not rechargeable (as per the "leave on my bike" thing above)

I looked at the Blackburn Flea which has 4 LEDs and about 40 lumens, but ultimately decided on a pair of Knog Frogs. Each one throws off about 10 lumens. By way of comparison, a decent 24-hour race-in-the-woods-in-the-middle-of-the-night headlight casts some 500 lumens. My Knogs will help you navigate a dim parking lot, but for singletrack at 3am I'd try something else.

Still, they do what they were intended to do, which was to get me out of the house by 6am, even if the sun's not up until 6:30am. I have one wrapped around either side of my stem. I mounted them underneath the bars so that they don't interfere with the wind port of my iBike, and also because the bars shield the LEDs from me, so I don't experience temporary blindness each time I look down at the iBike to check my power (damn, still 178 watts).

I picked them up at Conte's in Bethesda. When I did, I meant to buy 2 for the front but mistakenly bought one front, one rear (red light). They look exactly the same except for a sticker on the packaging, so be sure to look closely. But I decided to keep the rear Frog anyway. Post-mounted blinkies rub my prodigious thighs when I pedal, but I mounted the Frog on my seatstay just above my rear brake and below the seat tube junction. It's just as visible there but completely out of my way.

GamJams Reviews: Travel Boxes - Crateworks Pro XL-C

My bike box is exactly that - a box. The Crateworks Pro XL-C is a giant 2-piece double-walled corrugated plastic box. Don't let the name fool you - it's not "Pro" in any sense of the word. But at $179 it's extremely affordable, making it a good choice for the occasional traveler like myself. If I were taking 4 or more trips a year with the bike, I'd probably go with something with a longer expected life span.

I first used the Crateworks last year when I borrowed a friend's, so when I bought my own it was based on personal experience, not just the low price. What I like about the box is that bike disassembly is minimal. You remove the wheels, pull out the seatpost, spin off the pedals, and then pop the stem off the steerer tube (but you leave the bars attached to the stem, which was important to me - I didn't want to monkey with handlebar position when re-assembling). The company also indicates you may need to remove the front brake cable, but my cable was long enough to allow me to find a spot for the handlebars without loosening the cable. I think the brake cable is a step rarely needed.

You secure the bike by laying it down in a the box and lashing it to the box with velcro straps. There is also a foam chuck to rest your chainring on to prevent it from poking through and also from becoming damaged. On top of your supine ride you lay another sheet of cardboard which creates a separate compartment for the wheels. You can carry a single pair of wheels with the Crateworks.

But you can carry other large items as well, which is the other appeal of this box. They have straps for your helmet in the box, and I was also able to strap in a full-size floor pump.

The crate doesn't have wheels, but I found it doesn't need them. Even loaded with my bike, helmet and pump it's very easy to lift and carry using the integrated handle-holds. I'd be careful about dragging it too much, knowing that it will get plenty of that at the airport when it's out of sight.

GamJams Reviews: Socks - DeFeet, and Cuff Height

These days, I'm always outfeeted in DeFeet. Maybe my opinion doesn't carry the same weight as your average work-a-day racer since all my socks are GamJams socks, which I'm contractually obligated to wear for training, racing, yardwork, and on casual Fridays. Or, maybe my opinion should be weighted more heavily, since I buy my socks 200 pairs at a time, and always buy DeFeet.

I should point out that DeFeet isn't a sponsor of GamJams or of the GamJams subsidiary BRILF.net. They're just a vendor and I'm just a customer. When shopping for a sock supplier, I was most interested in (in this order):

1. a recognizable brand with some cache
2. available cuff heights (ie, tall cuff heights)
3. customer service
4. customizability
5. minimum order size and order options
6. price

The DeFeet Aireators I use for the GamJams summer sock are thinner than some of the other socks I've used, particularly Sock Guy. Some people may remark that a thin socks isn't as durable and may wear holes in the toe faster than thicker socks. I haven't had this experience with the DeFeet socks, nor has Liz at BikeVoice, who reviewed them over a 5-year period. But I'm also of the opinion that socks are an item that should go on your annual refresh and replace list, along with chamois, chain, tires, tubes, brake and shifter cables, water bottles, bar tape and helmet. Much of this stuff will last longer than a year, but usage until failure is some combination of dangerous, foolish and unhygenic. You spend too much time on the bike for your equipment to be performing at 65% of its potential. I prefer to replace proactively, not under duress.

Choosing the right sock height is an important commitment. Why a commitment? Tan lines. You need to determine when most of your tan line burn-in will occur, and realize that whatever height sock you choose for that period is the lowest minimum cuff height you can use for other pantsless applications - whether that's race day, or at the pool, or wearing a skirt to work. Don't get me wrong - ankle tan lines are very pro. But tan lines 1" or more above the cuff of the socks worn at the time are awkward.

Typically I train in 4" (Pro) cuffs. Occasionally I'll train in 5" (Extra Pro) cuffs, but only for early morning rides before there's much sun. That burns my tan line in at 4", meaning it's invisible if I'm wearing 4" or 5" cuffs. So now all my off-the-bike socks are also 4" cuff.