Product Reviews

Let's presume for a moment that more than 4 people take a peeky here now and again. Granted if I blogged more people might be more interested to read more but hey I got a life to live and stuff. (That sentence used the word 'more' 3 times - horrible). Anyway, I have some new gizmos thanks to Mr. Claus and I thought a product review might be in order.

Rating Scale:
5 = Radtastic!
4 = Not too shabby!
3 = Meh...
2 = Thanks but no thanks.
1 = COME ON MAN!!

1. Craft ProZero sleveless and longsleeved base layers - rated for temps between 40-60 degrees F and made of 100% polyester, Craft describes these baselayers as a second skin and I concur. These baselayers blow away the competion (UnderArmor, PearlIzumi). My biggest problem with other brands was core temp. regulation - I was always either too hot or too cold. Not to be confused with 'too cool' because that is a personal problem having nothing to do with gear. : )
Final Rating: 5 out of 5 - Radtastic!! Highly recommend for hiking, biking, running, camping, etc.

2. North Face OG Striped Sock - presumably OG stands for Original Gangster - at least that was the initial use of OG back in 1991 according to Ice-T. It nows seems to stand for anything remotely associated with the year 2006 or earlier. Kinda like when you hear 30 somethings say, "Oh, that's the bomb!" Is it? How old are you? But I digress. The socks are made of 100% merino wool which made me skeptical but the price was right and the socks were navy, mid calf, and had 3 stripes at the top. I know right, that's OG! I have ridden in these twice now, in sloppy MS winter conditions and they are DA BOMB!! No itchiness, feet stayed dry and warm! Perfection! Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - I am too scared to dry them as I fear they will shrink.

3. Craft Pro Race bib shorts - for me it is a complex issue because I love the bike riding but I hate the bike shorts. 3 items of concern with bike shorts: 1: chamois - needs to have plenty of padding and rear and frontal coverage, 2: fit - should be form fitting, i.e. no loose or baggy areas - read chaffing, 3: fabric should be thick enough to compress a little but also breathable. No shorts have ever worked 100% for me. So, I decided to get some really nice shorts. Mail order of course as Craft is not sold in MS. The fit is quite nice, the fabric is genius, the chamois has gel inserts and after 60min. on the trainer the rear was better than ever. Final Rating - 3 out of 5. Why? Coverage! The chamois stops a bit short and that is scary because chaffage is simply unbearable. I must say that there were no issues during my stent on the trainer but 60min. on the trainer is NOT 3 hours in the woods. This item needs more testing. I never see it going higher than 3 but it could end up at a one.

Adios.