M and I are off at the end of the week for a whirlwind of flying and family, so this is it; the week for retrospective blogging has arrived. This evening I’m going to write some words about those accessories that occasionally take over our lives, at rarer times save them, preoccupy our minds and drain our wallets, and generally tempt us to question what we want, what we need, and where we’ll be placing the line between the two on any given day.

We’re talking about gear. As yesterday’s ride proved, gear is a big fucking deal. When it works, you go weeks casting only faint and sporadic praise. When it does not, frustration may be the least of your problems. Some of it is sexy, some most mundane. So…. (& in a vague hierarchy).

My Top 5 New Bits of Gear for 2007
This list is limited to things I didn’t use until calender year 2007.

1) Lenzsport Leviathan

A better bike than I ever thought I’d own in this decade of my life. It does everything I wanted, well. We’ve had some utterly stunning rides together (to be addressed tomorrow), and it’s taken my riding to the next level in several ways. Nuf said.

2) Nathan HPL #020 pack
link
Finally a pack I can wear running that doesn’t give me cramps, chafe, or annoy the shit out of me. The ability to carry 2 liters of water, and an ultralight day’s worth of clothing and food opens up a huge new world of trail running possibilities. It was stretched to it’s limit doing the Grand Canyon Double in October, but delivered and remained totally invisible the whole time. Everytime I take water running these days, even if it’s for 45 minutes, I wear this pack. My bottles are gathering dust.

3) Avid 203mm rotor

Banal, yes. Overkill, perhaps. I do remember very well racing darkness down the Kokopelli two track and Sand Flats road, and loving the extra power and modulation my new toy gave me. Endless descending in Crested Butte only hardened this opinion. With brakes as with wheels, bigger is better.

4) Specialized Ridge glove
See immediately above, photo.
The perfect mountain bike glove for normal (ie, summer) conditions? Insofar as I know. Padding in the right places, durable, doesn’t stink too easily ( I do need a new pair soon for this reason), and my favorite, it comes in a color that isn’t black.

5) Topofusion Pro
I’m still discovering the powers of Scott’s monster, but the analytical dimension was obvious the first time I saw it in action, when Scott gave me three PMC tracks to replay at once. It’s already proved invaluable for it’s ability to create custom maps alone, and when I possess a GPS I’m sure the fun will only multiply. Thanks Scott!

Honor Roll of Proven Classics, 2007 Top 5

It’s not a coincidence I think that it was far easier to think of a top 5 for this list than the above. I’m a gear skeptic, pre-existent trust issues (we’re not going there) and a past full of broken gear means it takes me many hours to put faith in something. During my run this afternoon I realized I have a lot of good old, reliable friends in the closets. These are the five I thanked most often this year.

1) Oury Grips

They’re comfy, tough, durable, adaptable to drop bars, and come in colors to suit the most staid or whimsical of bikes.

2) Patagonia Lightweight Capilene
I’ve owned and own many a base layer, and nothing has come close to this classic. I’m wearing it in every picture posted today. Just the right amount of insulation for aerobic pursuits, quite durable, wicks and dries very fast. Yes it stinks, but I really don’t care. Hand wash it in cold water with no soup, air dry in the sun, and you’re good as new. My favorite is the long sleeve crew, followed by the boxer briefs. The long johns, t-shirts, and zip necks are also excellent.

Let me also indulge in a small rant. I got a high end (Icebreaker) light wool long underwear crew from my parents for Christmas, and have been thoroughly unimpressed. Wool is fine for socks, where fewer sweat glands and a greater necessity for padding change the demands, but it’s slow drying ability is a deal breaker. I took mine as my only base in a February backpack in the Grand Canyon, and froze in the wind hiking out. No thanks.

3) Surly Karate Monkey
See picture in previous post.
I’ve spent a lot of hours in the saddle this year, ergo both bike frames making the lists. The Monkey, especially in it’s pure, rigid and singlespeed form, is both different from the Lenz and very similar. It’s agile and immediate, precise both around turns and when running into rocks: a two edged sword. The Lenz accelerates fast, the Monkey even faster. Both are remarkably stable, reliable, predictable in the extreme. I am very excited to have both, as they exist currently, in peak form.

I like them, a lot. Disconcerting and comforting the extent to which they take on the status of friends, not just tools.

4) MSR Dromedary bag
The best water container devised by the hand of man. If you do long rides and don’t have one, you simply aren’t as well prepared as you should be. Mine’s a 6 liter, a very versatile size, and of the older variety, and thus made of very tough Cordura. Add the hydration adapter, and you are ready to go. I’ve found the simple MSR bite valve to be very good and leak-free in 10 months of use, though I always carry a spare valve. I also replace the hose every year with 7/16″ (OD) surgical tubing from the hardware store. Like the previous three entries, this one meets St. Exupery’s definition of perfection.

5) Nissan Xterra
Picture from the early days, when Josie was our home through a long winter out west.

You gotta get all that stuff to the destination of choice, and in ecologically irresponsible form, that means driving. Lots of it. Over 30k of miles this year, easy. Besides the highway miles of many trips to Moab, a big tour of Colorado, Tahoe and many others (tomorrow, tomorrow), it not survived but excelled at forgotten logging roads scouting the KMC, a particularly muddy campsite in New Mexico, and my daily drive to work. Said commute includes three miles up and back down a very washboarded dirt road, and I’ve driven that road close to 300 times this year. Colleagues have suffered flats, blown shocks, broken bearings and linkages. I lose the occasional sheet metal screw, rattled loose from the skid plate despite the lock-tite. 170k+ and it keeps right on rollin’.

(Outside submissions and wholesale lists encouraged.)