Random goodness

I've recently discovered a few new toys. Here's a short list of some of my new "favorite things".

1. Wide flat bars on AM bikes.



With my hulking stature, towering in at 5'6" in my riding kicks, my riser bars always feel too tall when paired with anything over 100mm of travel up front, but obviously flat bars are way too narrow. After a short conversation in passing with CT at Easton, I mentioned that I was looking for a wide flat bar, with plenty of sweep, for 29'ers. It kinda slipped my mind for a little while, after he told me they didn't have anything like that. Lo and Behold, no more than 6 weeks later I'm sitting with him again, and he nods to a wall of samples, and there sits my EA70 bar. 680mm wide, 9mm sweep. Sweet!

Another week goes by, and my bar gets delivered, and after checking it out on a 29'er, I throw it on my Altitude that is being built up, for lack of another bar. Guess what? For the 1st time ever, I feel like my bars are in the right spot. Giddyup. It's been a love affair ever since. It's not for everyone, I know, but works for me.
2. Speaking of hands... ESI Silicon grips



These things are half the weight of "traditional" rubber grips. Ok, they are double the weight of foam grips, but they don't spin like foamies, and don't feel like holding onto a frickin' scouring pad. Nice feel, relatively inexpensive, and light. No, they don't offer a lock-on version.

3. Wingnut Hydration packs



No, it's not a fanny pack. It's a hydration pack that sits on your lower back, and has exteded "wings" around your hips with super handy mesh pockets as well as zippered ones. I like it because it doesn't sit up on my back and smoke me in the back of the head on every descent (unlike some other packs that will remain nameless), it lowers my center of gravity, I can grab for stuff easily in the side pockets without stopping. Right now, I'm using a 2L bladder that I only fill 1.5L full, since I don't have the proper bladder, seems to work fine. These things light and strong, made from sailcloth, and have waterproof zippers. You can stuff a helmet behind the bungee if you feel so inclined. What I DON'T get, is why these haven't caught on yet??

Check 'em out here .