Category: Product Reviews

Review: Fresh Start body cleansing washcloth system wipes

fresh start body cleansing w

 

I got a package of these Fresh Start “rinse free bathing” washcloths in a goody bag at the Leadville 100 in 2012.

To be honest, I almost didn’t even bother to bring them home with me in the car when I was packing, but I threw them in the car instead of throwing them out. I left them in my car, because I figured they might come in handy at some point, since I have a first grader who sometimes makes messes in the car.

They sat in a seat pocket for a few months and I had pretty much forgotten about them until I went to a cyclocross race in the fall that was near Austin. After the race, I wasn’t going to go back home and was heading over to someone’s house in Austin. I was completely sweaty and dirty, and I was going to be in the car for at least an hour and needed to eat lunch, and didn’t want to get my car seats dirty and sweaty. When I was packing up my bike I spotted the Fresh Start wipes and opened them up.

That’s when I learned how convenient and terrific these things really are!

I’m sure some people carry Wet Ones or baby wipes in their car for cleanup. But those are tiny and hard to clean up with. You have to use a bunch of them, and then figure out where to throw them away. Fresh Start wipes are different because they are HUGE, in a good way. They are 9 inches by 11 inches, which is sort of sized between a really big washcloth and a small hand towel.

They are much thicker than something like a Wet One or a baby wipe. I would describe it as twice as thick as those really expensive paper towel brands, but in a type of material that doesn’t rip or tear or fall apart. Even so, they are listed on the package as biodegradable.

They only have a mild scent, if any, and do not leave any smell on you when you use them.

When I was looking on the manufacturer’s web site to get more information before I started my review, I saw that they make several different versions of these, aimed at sports activities, hunting and fishing, and even specifically for amateur wrestling.

Fresh Start recommends that you use three of these to completely clean yourself off with, and they even have a system where you wipe your face and neck and chest with the first wipe, and then your arms and perineum (a discreet way of saying your butthole, I imagine) with the next wipe, and then your legs, back and buttocks with the third wipe. This would be if you wanted to take the equivalent of a complete shower with them.

I found that for my purposes, each towel was big enough that I could use a portion of it to clean off my face and head and neck, and then another portion to clean off my arms and chest, and then another portion to clean off my legs and back, and then the back side to finish up cleaning armpits. That would leave me clean enough to take off my cycling clothes and put on regular clothes and make it the rest of the afternoon until I could get home and take a real shower.

This is a product that I never knew I needed until I tried it out. Until Fresh Start, I usually opted for using my dirty cycling jersey to wipe off my sweaty arms and armpits and then just went home stinky until I could take a shower. With these, I can get clean enough that I would feel comfortable staying out the rest of the day if I were not able to get home right away to bathe.

I’ve never seen other wipes that are this particular size, and I think they are really great.

This is a terrific product to keep in your car in general, to travel with, and to keep in your bag of cycling stuff when you go to a ride or a race. I recommend them.

Review: Specialized S Works The Captain 2.2 29er mountain bike tire

 Specialized The Captain 2.2 29er tire review

I’ve been riding a Specialized S Works The Captain 2.2 since last summer, and I completed the Leadville 100 on it in 2012. I use it as a front tire, and use the Specialized Control level Ground Control 2.0 as my back tire.

I run The Captain tubeless, with Caffelatex as my sealant. I have not had any flats since I installed this tire, and I haven’t heard the sealant ever plug anything up during a ride, which tells me that I have probably been puncture free. I have around 1,200 miles on my tire, and it’s still in very good shape. Granted, I do train on the road with my mountain bike more often that I ride it off road, so I’ve probably worn it down a lot less than someone riding it on rocky trails.

I purchased this tire last year when I was preparing for Leadville. I rode a 2012 Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon Comp dual suspension 29er, which came with a Purgatory front tire that is designed more for trail riding than XC. The Purgatory was a totally terrific, grippy, confidence inspiring front tire. But it was heavy, and it didn’t seem to roll very fast on smooth surfaces, so I didn’t think it was a good choice for such a long, relatively non-technical ride like the Leadville 100.

One thing that drew me to The Captain in the first place is that Ned Overend had a hand in designing it. If Ned had anything to do with it, it HAD to be good.

I actually started out with The Captain 2.0 as my front tire. But I am a very timid descender, and I felt kind of fearful on the long downhills when I went to Leadville for a Carmichael training camp in advance of the race. I decided that I would go bigger in front, and bought a 2.2 Captain. The weight isn’t listed on the Specialized site, but I’ve seen it elsewhere at 595 grams for the 2.0, and 665 for the 2.2, which is pretty good for a 29er tire.

I don’t know if it was just mental or if the 2.2 really grips that much better than the 2.0 in front. But either way, I felt a gigantic boost in confidence on the 2.2 and was very happy that I made the switch and went bigger.

The Captain in action at the 2012 Leadville 100.
The Captain S-Works 2.2 in action at the 2012 Leadville 100.

Here’s what Specialized says about the tire:

The Captain is the perfect tire for control and predictability over any trail. Along with sharp-edged center knobs and a tightly spaced knob sequence providing traction and speed, there are stable shoulder knobs which allow aggressive cornering. An open transition space makes self-cleaning a great trait when Mother Nature gets angry.

  • Casing: 120 TPI

  • Bead: Foldable

  • Butyl wrapped bead = 2Bliss Ready

  • Center Compound: 70a / Shoulder Compound: 60a

The Captain tread view 2.2 s-works

Overall, I am very happy with this tire. Good grip, good weight, rolls fast, tubeless compatible if you want to run it that way, and no punctures for me so far. What’s not to like? I’m using it again this year for the Austin Rattler 100k qualifier for Leadville, and I’ll use it for Leadville again too, if I get in and go this year.

Questions or comments about this tire? Let me know below.

Review: Clement Xplor MSO 700 x 40 gravel grinder tire

Clement Xplor MSO gravel grinder tire 700 x 40 review

I recently purchased a Clement Xplor MSO 700c x 40mm tire to test and see if that’s what I want to run for the Dirty Kanza 200 race this year. I rode it last weekend in a 100k semi-wet gravel grinder on my Orbea Terra TLT cyclocross bike, so I wanted to write a review of my experience so far with the tire.

The first thing you’ll notice about this tire is that it is seriously wide, at 40 mm. Previously, I have been riding a Stan’s Raven 700 x 38 cyclocross tire, which sounds almost as wide but doesn’t feel or look it. The Clement is much beefier.

I am new to gravel grinding, so I was drawn to this tire because of the extra wide 40 mm side. I put it on the front so that I could drift through deeper sections of gravel without that scary feeling where it seems like you have completely lost traction and you’re just kind of floating on the outside edge of control.

I ride my Stan’s Raven tires tubeless, as they are designed to be ridden. But the Clement is not described anywhere as a tubeless tire. So I have been running it with a tube for now. I saw a blog post where someone had set this tire up tubeless successfully, so I hope to try that out so that I can ride it with sealant, at slightly lower pressure, and without the extra weight and pinch flat potential of a tube. Not that I’ve never actually pinch flatted a front tire….

When I rode the tire the first time on a pavement ride, it felt like riding on a wonderful, cushiony cloud. The extra volume of the tire gives you a really nice and plush feeling. The tire ran a little bit noisier than my Stan’s Raven, but it still rolled fast enough that I wasn’t struggling to push it over pavement. I even did a short group ride where I rode this bike and everyone else was on a road bike, and was able to hang okay. So although it is a relatively heavy tire with a lot of tread, it still rolls very fast, considering.

The XPlor MSO comes in a 60 tpi and a 120 tpi version, and I bought the more expensive 120 tpi version. It is a folding bead tire. I read somewhere that it also has a Kevlar layer for flat protection, but I can’t find any information on the manufacturer’s site to verify this is the case. The tire has a claimed weight of 485 grams. (Compare to 360 grams for my Stan’s Raven tubeless 700 x 35 cyclocross tire, a narrower tire.)

Clement Xplor MSO tread view tire review

So how did the tire do on the Red River Riot gravel grinder? In short, it was completely awesome. I ran the tire at 40 pounds, and probably could have gone lower than that. But traction was outstanding at 40. It even did well going through some of the muddier spots, clearing itself pretty quickly on the other side. I never felt any scary moments on it. Maybe that means I wasn’t riding fast enough, but I’m new to gravel, so that’s my excuse. It rolled very fast and comfortably on dirt and gravel. No flats.

I am very happy with this tire, and plan to use it as my front tire for the Dirty Kanza 200. (I’m still trying to decide what I am going to use for my rear tire.)

Here is what the manufacturer says about this tire:

The X’Plor MSO is a 700 x 40mm adventure tire designed for mixed conditions. The combination of smooth-rolling center knobs and aggressive shoulder lugs provide great traction and durability for dirt roads, trails, cyclocross, urban assault and even pavement. The MSO will fit on your cyclocross bike, commuter, and touring bike.

The MSO tire is named for the airport code of Missoula, Montana, home of the Adventure Cycling Association and the inspiration for countless cycling journeys.

Clement’s X’Plor adventure tire series is designed to bridge the gap between pavement and blazing your own trail. Each tire within this series is designed for multiple conditions from off-road touring to gravel racing to just getting outta’ Dodge.

Product Features:

Size: 700 x 40 mm
Tread: Smooth-rolling center knobs and aggressive shoulder lugs. Soft rubber compound for extra grip and shock absorption.
Casing: 60tpi or 120tpi versions available.
Details: Clincher, folding bead, color black

UPDATE:

I used this tire in the 2013 Dirty Kanza 200, and it performed flawlessly. I set it up tubeless, and ran it at 37 pounds of pressure, as a front tire. I used Caffelatex sealant, and successfully finished with zero flats in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Great control in the gravel. Good comfort with the wide 40mm tire size. This tire is not listed as a tubeless tire, so I would guess that it completely voids your warranty and you are on your own if you run tubeless like I did.

Questions about the tire? Have you had experience with this tire yourself? Leave a comment and let me know!

Review: Specialized Phenom Expert bicycle saddle

specialized phenom expert saddle review

I’ve been riding the Specialized Phenom Expert bike saddle for more than a year now. I bought it for my Orbea Terra TLT cyclocross bike because I didn’t like the saddle that came with the bike.

I have to admit that I was initially skeptical about buying a “house brand” saddle when I first considered a Specialized bike seat. I feel that in many cases, bike manufacturers like to come up with their own branded stuff to save money and make it hard to compare their bikes apples to apples with other bikes. I also feel that usually a company that only does one thing like wheels or seats will have more expertise on the subject and make a better product.

Before going with Specialized, I tried a lot of different saddle brands, including Selle Italia, Koobi, Selle SMP, Selle San Marco, and Fizik. My best luck previously had been with the Fizik Alliante, which was my road saddle for several years. That saddle was relatively light, comfortable enough that I never really thought about it, and didn’t cause any numbness issues.

It was after I moved away from the Alliante and wanted to try something else when I started trying out all of these other brands. I was spending a ton of money and was about to just give up and go back to the Fizik when more than one person mentioned to me that they really liked their Specialized saddles. One person was talking about a road saddle, and the other about this saddle specifically.

One thing I liked about this saddle is that it says on the package that it is good for XC racing or cyclocross, and I planned to use it on a cyclocross bike. So yes, Specialized, your packaging design does indeed influence buying decisions when someone is at the bike shop and picking up all the different saddles and looking at them.

The other thing I liked about Specialized saddles is that they come in different widths. At the bike shop there is this heat sensitive pad thing that you can sit on for a minute and see where your sit bones are on a little scale. The bike shop employees know how to use it, and then they’ll tell you which size saddle you should buy. I needed the middle size, the 143 mm.

specialized phenom expert titanium rail saddle

I found the saddle to have enough padding that it was immediately comfortable, with very little “getting used to” time required. It has a little bit more padding than a road saddle, but not so much that it is really heavy. It weighs 242 grams, according to Specialized.

They have two or three different versions of this seat. The Pro version has carbon rails. I didn’t want to mess with that, because then I figured I’d have to deal with a torque wrench just to attach the saddle to the seatpost and it would be a big adjustment nightmare. So I went with tried and true and super tough titanium rails — the Phenom Expert.

I’ve ridden cyclocross races with this saddle, but also longer rides and some gravel grinders. The seat is comfortable for long distances, and does not cause wiener sleepage issues for me. Wiener sleepage is bad, and should be avoided at all costs when riding a bike!

I had one problem with this seat about halfway through the first cyclocross season. It started making a squeaking noise, and I thought that one of the rails might be defective, or the place where the rail connects with the saddle. I took it in to the bike shop, and they showed me that it was just that the spot where the rail connects with the saddle needed some lubricant. It totally solved my problem, and the seat has been going strong, silently, ever since.

Here’s what Specialized says about the seat:

This lightweight competitive XC saddle, also ideal for road and cross, is tuned for stiffness and features a rounded tail that won’t snag your baggies.

  • Patented Body Geometry design is lab tested to assure blood flow to sensitive arteries

  • Super-light EVA padding for comfort and support on longer rides

  • Stiff, carbon-reinforced shell for longevity and all-day riding efficiency

  • Lightweight and durable hollow titanium rails

  • Flush mounted scuff guards for increased durability

  • Tough, light and water resistant Micromatrix™ cover

  • A slight downturn in the nose for seated climbing

  • Soft rubber pad under nose for easy shouldering during off-road use

Got any questions about this seat? Or anything to add that I left out? Leave a comment!

Review: Thudbuster ST short travel seatpost

Cane Creek Thudbuster ST review

I purchased a Cane Creek Thudbuster ST (short travel) seatpost several weeks ago, and completed a 100k gravel grinder with it last weekend, so I thought I’d write a review for anyone else considering using a Thudbuster seatpost for gravel grinding, or just in general.

The reason I wanted to buy a Thudbuster in the first place is that I am signed up for the Dirty Kanza 200, a 200 mile gravel grinder in the Flint Hills of Kansas. For such a long distance, I figured that a suspension seatpost would be worth the slight weight penalty because of the additional comfort. I am riding a stiff carbon Orbea Terra TLT cyclocross bike. I don’t want to beat myself to death, and I figured that this was a good way to help make riding more comfortable for longer distances.

The first thing I noticed when I installed the Thudbuster is that you don’t really notice it at all when you are riding on smooth pavement, which is a good thing. I was worried that I would feel it bobbing up and down and that it would feel inefficient and lame. But you can feel the difference when you go over rough pavement, speed bumps, potholes, etc.  I wouldn’t say that I could actually feel the seatpost moving as much as I would just notice that I was able to remain seated and keep pedaling without any real discomfort in situations where I would typically have to hover over the seat.

The seatpost comes in the box with three different elastomer things, designed for varying weights of the rider. The one preinstalled was for riders between 140 and 190 pounds, which was correct for me. They also have one for lighter riders, and one for heavier riders, with a 250 pound limit for the post.

When you attach a seat to the seatpost, there is one bolt in the back that tightens with an allen wrench, and another one in the front that turns with a thumbwheel. By adjusting them both in combination, you can get the seat level or to your personal preference pretty quickly and easily. It only took me a few minutes to get my saddle attached to the seatpost and adjusted.

The Thudbuster ST weighs around 450 grams, which is about a 200 gram penalty compared to my previous rigid carbon seatpost. But let me tell you that it’s a 200 gram penalty worth paying.

When riding on gravel roads, it made an amazing difference when it comes to comfort level. Specifically, the thing that impressed me the most was the ability to stay seated and keep pedaling over a few washboard sections on the course. Smaller ruts and small potholes that you would typically have to stand up or hover over were also easy for the Thudbuster ST to handle.

I am happy that I spent the money on this seatpost, and I recommend it for gravel grinder riding. I might even keep it on for the cyclocross season for a few races to see how it does with that. I think it would also be a good choice if you were riding a hardtail mountain bike, and you just wanted to take the edge off some of the bumps along the way.

I haven’t had mine long enough to know how well it will hold up over time, but I’ve seen some blog posts like these that tell me I probably won’t have any trouble with it. I’m typically easy on equipment in general.

The seatpost is pictured without a bag so that you can get a better view of it. I ride it with a standard seat bag though, and the bag goes on fine and stays on fine. The travel of the post doesn’t seem to cause any issues or problems with the bag.