A bike isn’t the only piece of essentail equipment.
A bike isn’t the only piece of essential equipment for cyclists: tech-heavy accessories can help kick any ride into higher gear. This year’s toys are making a big statement on the trails, and even basic accessories like helmets are getting an upgrade to help boost performance. Scott Ford at Cole Sport points to the POC Trabec helmet as an example. The colorful, Euro-inspired design offers deep coverage for better protection during a crash, and an anti-odor liner treatment soaks up the lingering remains from your ride.
Mountain bikers no longer have to reach for stretchy, spandex jerseys to get the most out of their technical bike clothing. Todd Fischer at Silver Star Ski & Sport explains that Club Ride apparel blends a casual, button-up look with performance fabrics so bikers can enjoy their après hour in style. Of course, the zippered storage pockets, vented side panels and quick-drying fabrics make the ride equally as enjoyable too.
You may not need a GPS system to navigate the trails in Park City, but the modern technology is hard to pass up. Julian Gasiewski of White Pine Touring prefers the Garmin Edge 500 because it’s “everything you could possibly want a bike computer to do.” Cyclists can boost their training performance with the customizable monitor, which automatically tracks your speed, distance, calories burned, elevation gained and even syncs to your computer for a full analysis of your ride.
For the dedicated road bikers, the Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting components represent the future of drive train technologies. At $1,600 to upgrade your current setup, these digital shifters aren’t cheap, but Todd Henneman of Jans Mountain Outfitters explains that the swap eliminates mis-shifting or dropping a chain at the most crucial moments.
