GearFlogger

Feedback Pro Elite bike repair stand

In sports where weight counts - pretty much anything powered by sickly humans - we're used to shelling out extortionate sums for matchbook-sized gear. Every once in a while it's nice to get something a little more substantial for your hard-earned Benjamins, and the Feedback Pro Elite bike repair stand definitely satisfies that urge.

The Pro Elite earns a Solid from none other than Undercover Brother. It weighs a perfectly portable 13 pounds but feels like something you could tune an Abrams tank on, and the fit and finish are Ferrari beautiful. It's not just the look and feel that are so great; beauty goes all the way to the bone with the Pro Elite. The tripod base is stable on just about any surface, it adjusts six ways from Sunday and will clamp any bike you can throw at it with narry a wiggle.

To mount a bike just push the clamp in until it contacts the tube, then give the knob a couple twists to tighten it up. Release is even easier, just push the red button and bang! - you've nuked China! No, not really, it just releases your bike with one-finger ease. Mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes, anything up to the rated 85 pounds is no problem. Even the storage is well designed: you can partially collapse the tripod base to stand it in a corner, or fully collapse it, rotate the head down and stuff it in the included (!) travel case. We can even vouch for the price, because this should be the last stand you ever buy.

$259.00 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Nitrous jacket

What ever happened to muscle cars with nitrous systems? Mad Max is going to be very disappointed when he comes back to find out they've gone out of style. Luckily he'll have access to Mountain Hardwear's Nitrous jacket, which can help him go fast in other ways.

The Nitrous is a beauty of a piece, but the sizing may keep some from falling in love. Weighing in at a mere 10.5oz for a medium, the Nitrous is seriously minimalist, with just the two flapped handwarmer pockets and a zipped chest pocket (no cord port but no biggie). It does have a hem drawcord and a full length zipper flap, which is well designed enough that a microfleece strip protects your gullet from the dreaded zipper chafe even without a garage.

The cuffs have elastic, but not much, maybe an inch of give or so, and for most people they should be about right. It would be nice if they had rip and stick adjustments. The sizing issue is in the pits; at 5'10" and 175 pounds with a 40" chest, so I'm usually a dead-on medium (39 to 41 inch chest accordign to MH's sizing chart), but medium in the Nitrous is tight around the lats, under the arms. So try this one on before you buy or at least order a size up unless you're on the skinny side. If it fits you'll be ecstatic; it's well built, warm and the colors are awesome. Stuff sack included or just stuff into its own pocket.

$220.00 at Moosejaw

Howler Brothers Magic Mesh polo shirt

I survived Phoenix last week where unseasonably warm weather was putting temps above 90. Did I mention I'm from Alaska? That's hot enough to melt the funk right off my normal base layer of nastiness. It being an urban adventure, I really didn't want to scare the children (mommy, mommy, it's a white zombie, run!) so I needed respectable threads.

Enter the Magic Mesh polo shirt from Howler Brothers. It's a great topper when you need to keep your cool. The basic polo format, no pockets, has a straight cut that strikes the perfect balance: not too loose, not too tight on a normal athletic frame. The 100% polyester mesh is tight enough people won't notice it in so-called "polite company" but it definitely works to keep you from getting hot and bothered.

The blue design with red stripe is a bold statement, and the monkey logo, which evokes Curious George Gets a Hangover, is a great alternative to tennis club crocodiles. The clincher was on day three of wearing the same shirt, when the Magic Mesh showed me the money: no smell-o-vision, which for a synthetic is where it's at. Highly recommended travel wear.

$65.00 at Howler Brothers

Outdoor Research Alibi women's jacket

OK, so here's the deal: occasionally somebody tries to do something different with a new jacket design. It almost invariably fails miserably, and it is universally and deservedly mocked. But once in a great while, that somebody actually succeeds in building a better mousetrap. Today, that better mousetrap is the Outdoor Research Alibi jacket.

We got ahold of the women's version, and here's the skinny: it's a hybrid shell with waterproof hood, shoulders and outside sleeves. There are four pockets with water-resistant zippers: one high outside left chest, one high inside right chest with cord port, and two lower outer hand warmer pockets. Shock cord adjustments include hood opening, back of the hood and left and right hem, plus rip and stick cuffs on the sleeves. All this stuff works great. Next: three very cool innovations.

First, not only is the hood helmet compatible, but there is a balaclava style inner hood that stows in its own pocket where you don't even notice it for weeks (oops). It fits under your helmet for wicking and warmth while the normal hood goes over. Beautiful. Second, the cuffs have little flip-out inner cuffs with thumb holes that keep your sleeves inside your gloves. Gorgeous. Finally - and here's where the Alibi gets freaky - there are side zips that go from the armpit all the way down to the hem, fully opening the sides of the jacket. Worried about flapping? Not to fear, each side has a snap to keep the hemline intact.

It's beautiful man. This is serious venting, plus - wait for it - when the SheFlogger is seven weeks months pregnant she has no problem with sizing or venting. She loves it! I'm a hero! Really, the Alibi would be a top-line shell anyway, but with the trick features that actually work well it's ground breaking. Save this item until you are deep, deep in the doghouse, and use it to worm your way back into her good graces. Note that it fits just a tad large, although it doesn't look it because it's contoured. Awesome piece of gear, and on sale now at Altrec!

$158.99 (on sale from $249.95) at Altrec

PowerSox APF socks

Asymmetric socks? Whaaaaa? It's true! PowerSox, a Gold Toe brand, definitely knows socks. And one day they woke up with what my drill sergeant used to call a case of the ass. Why are both socks the same shape? Why? It doesn't make sense! No more, this ass-cased person shouted to the wind.

Anyway, I'm sure it happened something like that. In the end we have APF: anatomical performance fit. A left sock for your left foot, a right sock... you get the idea. They are insanely comfortable and available in three different cuts: quarter, low and no-show (low pictured here).

The 90% polyester, 9% nylon and 1% spandex is a great mix for comfort, durability and wicking performance. The cushioning, cut and flat seams are the next best thing to running barefoot. And yes, Virginia, they did mark the socks L and R. Now if they would just mark the size so I don't get mine mixed up with the SheFlogger's...

$11.99 a pair at PowerSox

Princeton Tec Swerve rear bike light

Be seen. This is the advice I have for you. Especially if you're a crazy winter biker in the City with No Sidewalks (that would be Anchorage, Alaska in the winter when snow is plowed onto all horizontal surfaces).

A tail light for your bike can save your bacon, and Princeton Tec has a great one. The Swerve is waterproof, crazy bright, and has mounting options for your seatpost, seatstay, handlebar, fork, basically anywhere you want to clip it. The mounting mechanism is basically a solid rubber thingy that you can easily move around or even between bikes quickly.

Two Maxbright LEDs provide both solid and blinky modes with the flip of a toggle that's easy to operate by feel alone. You can forgo the mounting assembly and just clip it to your seatbag if you want, just make sure it's level to get the best visibility. Drivers will have no problem seeing you anywhere in your 180 degree rear sector. The advertised 70 hours burn time on two AAA's is roughly accurate. The Princeton Tec Swerve is handlebars-down the best tail light out there.

$25.00 at REI

Mountain House Wraps

Mountain House has always had the best freeze-dried food out there in our not-so-humble opinion. Now they have Wraps, new roll-your-own meals designed to be slapped into a tortilla and chowed down.

We're talking Breakfast Skillet, Barbecue Sauce with Beef, Buffalo Style Chicken and Mexican Style Beef. Just bring your own tortillas, a little oil to fry it in, a little Tabasco sauce (hey, when you need to convert food to farts, don't bring a knife to a gun fight...), OK, maybe some cheese, and you're good to go. Be warned: this is a lot of food and will probably feed two of you.

The Breakfast Skillet even includes hash browns, so you don't necessarily need the tortilla if you're in a hurry or just traveling light. Either way the Skillet serves up 680 whopping calories including 26 grams of protein. Like we said, enough for two, or maybe it's all for you when you're facing double hauls on a big mountain day.

$6.50 at REI

iMainGo X portable speaker system

OK, you love your music and you can't imagine spending even a single night without a soundtrack to your life. Or maybe you just want the occasional tuneage to drown out your tent-mate's snoring (you know who you are!). You have been served: the improbably named iMainGo X portable speaker system is soon to be your best friend.

Most portable speakers are like normal speakers, but smaller. Specifically they are hard little angled things, but not the iMainGo X. it's a soft-sided little unit, kind of like some sunglass cases. Slip your iPhone or other MP3 player inside, connect the standard 3.5mm headphone out dongle, flip the switch and you're good to go.

The iMainGo X sounds terrific. It puts out great sound while protecting your player, and not only that it provides not one but two headphone jacks, one of which can be used to daisy-chain multiple units for bigger sound. There's even a mic-in jack, so feel free to bring a guitar and get your front-man freak on. The lithium ion battery lasts about ten hours, just remember to turn off the master power switch inside (not just the external power switch) to prevent battery drain if you won't be using it for a while. Highly recommended.

$69.95 at Amazon

La Sportiva Miura rock shoe

What do I have in common with Tommy Caldwell and other top climbers? Unfortunately only my La Sportiva Miura rock shoes, because I get kicked off their walk-up routes faster than the French can surrender. Years after the Miura was introduced it still shows up on the hardest lines.

These little lace-up slot cars are designed to concentrate power on to your big toe for the ultimate in small-foothold performance. Pain-free? Hell no! But if you can get grit your teeth long enough to become accustomed to the feeling of standing on the last knuckle of your big piggie while it squeals like... well, a pig, you will climb like a scared cat. How's that for mixing animal metaphors?

La Sportiva continues to have the best footwear lacing systems in the business, and the speed laces on the Miuras cinch tight with no effort and stay that way. The Vibram XS soles grip like a gecko, although I have managed to rough mine up pretty good in just a season. The Vibram is supposed to be pretty tough so maybe it's my sloppy climbing style. I'm man enough to admit it.

These are great all-around high performance shoes that excel at all types of climbing. Try them on a little small; I'm normally a 42 but I went with a 41 on the Miuras. You'll notice a little extra material that bunches on top of the toes, but it doesn't seem to affect performance and the fit is otherwise very precise.

$140.00 at REI

Black Diamond Express ice screw

What do you call it when your favorite ice screw is updated, making you feel compelled to go out and replace your entire rack at $56.95 a pop? Doubly screwed comes to mind, in this case by the Black Diamond Express, the screw formerly known as the Turbo Express. Turbo is now exclusively the name of the non-speed handle version.

So what's different? Hanger, handle and teeth. The hanger is stainless steel without the formerly black finish, so it shouldn't melt out as fast in the sun. It also has two clip in points; be aware the smaller one just barely accepts small lockers like the Vaporlock and Mini Pearabiner. The handle is wider on the outside for a more secure grip. The teeth are more aggressive and supposedly bite faster with less fracturing of the ice.

Finally the screw itself is lighter, presumably from the reduced hanger weight. A 16cm weighs in at 5.2oz compared to the old model at 5.5oz. Not too significant: 17 of the old screws weigh as much as 18 of the new ones, to put it in perspective. BD's web site also notes that "all sizes of screws are now CE-certified," although their own comparison table still lists the shorty 10cm without the CE logo.

$57.95 to $58.95 at REI