Initial Review: Blizzard Bonafide Skis

Short Review: Blizzard Bonafides are the best skis I've ever ridden.

If you're getting the idea that this is going to be a positive review, you're dead on. Picked these up at Sun & Snow Sports at the end of the season last year. This really started after how much I love my Volkl RTM 84 rockered skis. I've tended to have one mid-fat (84mm or so) ski and then one larger ski (100mm+) for fresh snow. I was quite happy with my prior Line Prophet 100's. I was generally pretty happy with these skis, though they were clearly primarily a powder ski. Really didn't handle Midwest hardpack all that well, and chattered insanely at speed on the hockey rinks of Michigan, plus turn initation wasn't especially great. My new Bonafides are 2013/2014 models, but the only difference are updated graphics (I prefer mine over this year's).

After a lot of debate, I settled on the Blizzard Bonafides in the 187cm length. I had some concern these would be too long, but also read that most rockered skis tend to ski shorter than their length would suggest. Also, my Volkls are 171's and I really wanted something longer for more stability at speed and in crud. As it turns out, my concerns were unwarranted. Turn initiation is easy and powerful - these are easier to turn than my 181cm Line's. Thank you rocker!

My main impression of these skis after a day at Caberfae Peaks on Saturday is that they're FAST. It's super-easy and comfortable to get up to warp speed on these beasts. And it's not that they're an uber-stiff speed ski, they just seem to encourage you to go fast because they're so smooth and strong. They feel rock solid at speed and cutting through crud. I'm really eager to get them out on some big terrain out West. Not to mention some deep pow!!!

They'll also throw down short radius turns surprisingly well. I got on them pretty hard in some tighter stuff on Saturday and they rocked it out. Easy turn initiation and reasonably tight radius. They're not mogul skis, but I'm no longer a mogul skier.

In reading some online reviews I've most frequently heard them compared to the Volkl Mantra. Most reviews mentioned the Mantra's stiffer tail as better for finishing turns on hardpack. I really didn't find this to be an issue for the Bonafides. Even when I really got on the tails at the exit of a turn there was no sign of wash-out. Perhaps it's just my skiing style, but it really wasn't even noticeable.

In the 30+ years of skiing, these are hands-down the best all-around boards I've been on. I've owned some legends over the years, but nothing that compares to the Blizzard Bonafide. I hesitate to use the term "one ski quiver" but these might just qualify.

-Sean-  

Light it Up

I read an article in Bicycling magazine (which I curiously can't find right now) that showed the main ways in which cyclists are hit by cars. I wish I could find it, but one number really stuck out at me - over 60% of the time they are hit from the rear. I can't recall the other numbers, but do remember that this was over double any other direction.

This really struck me (bad pun, I know...). I have a rear light, but until I read this article, I was a bit too casual about turning it on. Mostly I'd use it on late rides at dusk. Not now. Every. Freakin'. Time. Cyclists are hard enough to see from the side or three-quarters perspective, but from the rear -- we practically disappear.

I'm a big fan of Lezyne products. They're beautifully engineered and manufactured. And they WORK. My Classic Floor Drive pump is the best pump I've ever owned. Today on Facebook I see a post on their newest rear light - the Zecto Auto. I'm getting one. Now. It's tempting to order one each for the road and cross bikes, but they're a bit spendy. So, this cool light has technology that senses motion and turns on. And after three minutes stopped, it shuts off. Presto! No more forgetting to turn the blinker light on. Beyond awesome! I like when I can easily build in safety to my rides.

-Sean-

Play Dirty! Specialized Crux Comp Initial Impressions

Been looking for ways to extend my cycling season and increase the opportunities for rides as part of an overall fitness program. So when riding buddy Josh decided to upgrade his cyclocross bike, the idea popped into my head that this might be a good addition to my quiver. He who dies with the most bikes wins, right? Plus, the chance to play dirty was just too good to pass up!

For those unfamiliar cyclocross is a style of racing that mixes beefed up road bikes with mountain bike style courses and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount and clamber over with the bike. Obviously my racing days are long since past, but these heavy-duty road bikes with wider tires and more aggressive treads, as well as more relaxed geometry, are ideal for riding on less-than-ideal roads.

Near my home a numerous dirt roads - all with less traffic and beautiful scenery. Plus the 'cross bike makes slushy conditions doable as well. 

So, I scored a 2011 Specialized Crux Comp, with a few nice upgrades, including a Fizik saddle, and Avid Shorty Ultimate brake calipers and pads. Due to all of my crazy travels in December, as well as family and Holiday commitments, I hadn't been able to ride it until last Friday.

This was my first ride on a 'cross bike, so I really didn't know what to expect. At first the ride was "interesting". I'm used to my Giant Defy Advanced 1 road bike which is sleek and smooth, but handles crisply. By contrast the Crux clearly had different geometry. It didn't feel sluggish, per se, but just felt different. Some of that is the difference between the 23mm tires on the road bike and the 35mm tires on the 'crosser. On the pavement, it was a noticeable difference. But I didn't buy this bike for the pavement...

We'd had quite a bit of rain in the days before I got out. The loop I'd chosen included a few miles on some very scenic dirt roads that featured classic Ann Arbor clay - notoriously squishy and slick. The was no way the Defy would have handled this, but on the Crux it felt super comfortable. 

I was a bit concerned about the SRAM Double Tap shifting - as I'm used to standard Shimano Ultegra. With Double Tap a single paddle controls shifting. A short throw downshifts and a longer throw upshifts. Curiously, I figured it out right away and had no issues at all.

By the end of a short ten mile ride, I felt quite at home on the Crux. I've got a couple of fit adjustments I want to make, but overall it's 95% there. 

Once challenge I did face are the Crank Brothers Egg Beater 2 pedals. These are highly recommended in online forums due to their resistance to mud clogging, durable construction, and high value. Once I got clipped in they were just fine. Nice float, easy to release - but oh man finding the engagement point to clip in was a pain in the arse. I'm sure I'll get it all figured out in time. 

First impression? Money well spent and a tremendous value. 

-Sean-

Time Flies

Holy crap - when did I last post? Geez, poor blog's been neglected. On the upside, I was having some pretty awesome outdoor adventures, but time flies! I'll post more on them soon, but here are some highlights from December:

• Three days steelhead fishing in Western NY - including getting a fish on the Niagara River, as well as a personal best record of 7 steelhead landed in a single day (hooked up on 11 total).
  
• My first visit to Lambeau Field for a Green Bay Packers home game. Not your conventional "outdoor" venture, but I was outside and it was cold! And awesome! Packers fans truly are the about the nicest people you could ever meet. As a Yooper (born in Michigan's Upper Peninsula), I reserve the right to cheer both the Lions and Packers, so this was a pretty cool experience!
  
• A week on the Big Island of Hawaii - including a visit to the volcanoes, as well as a day spent sportfishing on a beautiful 43' Merritt boat.
  
• The addition of a new cyclocross bike (and my first dirt road ride).
  
• My first outing on the new Blizzard Bonfide skis. In short - superfriggin' cool

So, uh yeah, been too busy to blog about all this cool stuff. As I said earlier, time flies. Stay tuned.

-Sean-

Initial Impressions: Kast Steelhead Gloves

These past few years I've been finding that keeping warm hands has become a challenge. Cold hands while skiing are no issue other than discomfort. Cold hands while Winter steelhead fishing are a problem. Can't tie knots properly. You drop stuff. And God forbid you actually hook something...

As a result, I've been paying more attention to gloves. In the past year or so, I've heard a lot of buzz about Kast's Steelhead Gloves. Most give them very high marks. I'd been looking at them, but they were pretty spendy for an experiment. Plus, I've been pretty happy with my Simms Windstoppers (I have both the fingerless and full-finger models). But when I stumbled upon a good deal on a pair of Kasts, I picked them up.

One quick caution - many reviewers I read made comments that they ran large and to size down. I have to vehemently disagree. I wear an XL in nearly every glove I've ever bought (except, curiously the aforementioned Simms Windstoppers...). And the Kast Steelhead was a perfect fit in size XL. So, try 'em before you buy 'em.

Last weekend I spent both days floating the Pere Marquette river chasing chrome. Not very successful, but saw some new water, and got to try out my new gloves.

My conclusions were a bit surprising to me. Almost immediately, I noticed that my Simms gloves felt warmer. Maybe it's just the fleecy interior, or some other factor, but they feel a good bit warmer. I've got three days in NY on the Cattaraugus Creek swinging flies so I'll have some more solid experiences coming. But my first impression is that they're not as warm.

But...

They're waterproof. Like as in submersible. That's really never been an issue for me previously as I've not found much need for this quality. Until the drift boat. So - where does the anchor go? That's right - in the water. And what attaches the anchor to the boat? Correct again - the anchor rope. So the anchor rope gets - anyone? Anyone? Bueller? That's right - soaking friggin' wet. When you're hauling the anchor up after every stop, your hands end up soaked. This is where the Kast's shine. Of course, it took me until the second day to figure that out (after I soaked my Simms on the first).

First impression? Great glove -- extremely well made. Excellent fit. Roomy but not bulky. Surprisingly good tactile qualities. But not quite as warm.

More to come as I get in some additional time on the water with these. But for now, I think these will be my rowing gloves and my fingerless Simms Windstoppers will be my fishing glove. Perfect combo!

-Sean-

Product Review: Louis Garneau Enduro 3 Cycling Bib Knickers

In my quest to extend the outdoor riding season, I recently add the Louis Garneau Enduro 3 cycling bib knickers to my cold(er) weather arsenal. In the past couple of seasons I've really become a convert to bibs. I've found them much more comfortable, supportive, and generally functional than conventional shorts and tights.

I already have a set of Pearl Izumi thermal tights, but a recent ride on a 65 degree day in them (well, I thought it was colder...) had me thinking I needed something in between the tights and shorts.

I've now gotten in two solid rides in these and they've already become a favorite. A few reasons:

Fit
Sizing for cycling clothing is bizarre at best. This is especially true of the European brands. I'm a straight-up XL top in nearly shirt or jacket. Yet I own Euro jerseys ranging from L to XXL. These Canadians (Garneau) get it. In Garneau I wear an XL jersey and L shorts/tights. Period. Every time. this is beginning to make Garneau my go-to. These bibs are no exception. They fit perfectly.

Support
Technology really has come to sports garments. By using compression, and strategically placed panels of differing materials you can now get a garment that's comfortable and improves performance. Louis Garneau has done this perfectly in these bibs. My occasionally tweaky right knee gets some extra love in these - especially appreciated in cold weather.

Chamois
Tights with chamois? Or no chamois? Long time debate that I've finally settled. On your lower half, more layers equals more opportunities for chaos. And chaos equals chafing. Not good. So a tight with a chamois is a must. And Garneau's are the industry-standard for me. Even at lower price points, they're consistently excellent. If you doubt that importance of this on a 40-miler, try something with a poor or weird chamois. I have a pair of Castelli shorts that DO NOT get along well with my tender parts. Enough said. Garneau gets it right.

Style
It's really easy to look like an overstuffed sausage in lycra. For me, that's the sign of bad fit, or someone who doesn't belong in lycra. But well-styled garments can make even the less svelte among us look better. In these bib knickers I look like the streamlined, chiseled cyclist I like to think of myself as. And thought I originally thought knickers were a little goofy, I've gotten over it quickly. these just look cool.

Value
Man, some cycling clothing is spendy. And I just can't see why. A $250 pair of Assos shorts? Seriously? Louis Garneau clothing is in the upper-mid range. I think they're products are consistently better than other similarly priced gear. The bibs are no exception. I think I paid $105. Not bad at all for a thermal bib tight with a first rate chamois.

In short...
If you need something to keep your legs warm and happy, this is the ticket. My rides thus far would suggest that they're comfortable 40-55 degrees or so. Wind is a factor, but even though they don't have a true windproof layer, they seem to do a pretty good job cutting wind.

-Sean-

Share the Love

Was talking with an angler friend yesterday about the state of the fly fishing industry and the need to get new folks into the sport. And then today Gink & Gasoline had a great blog article about taking a newbie fishing.

It's like the old angler's joke...

Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he stays out drunk every weekend.

Seriously - if you're a fly type, take a buddy with you. Or offer to get someone introduced to the sport - take them in to the local shop and introduce them around. Our sport is full of gear, gizmos, and gadgets. It can be intimidating as hell. And there are still some arrogant a-holes around fly fishing who somehow feel compelled to make it overly complicated. You know the type -- has to catch every fish on a dry fly with a silk line or some such non-sense or it's not "real fly fishing".

If you've got a boat, you have the perfect opportunity. Often you'll have an empty seat. Might as well put someone in it. Heck, they might even buy the beer or kick in for gas. And if you bring someone new into the fold our sport stays strong. Plus you get a new fishing buddy. Teach 'em to row and maybe you get to fish more! I actually set-up a couple of extra rigs for guests (sorry, I'll take you fishing, but you're not throwing my Scott Radian...) suitable for trout, smallmouth, and even some steelheading.

And bonus points if you take a kid or a woman. We need kids who grow up into outdoorsfolk. And a lot of women are intimidated by our male dominated sports. But I know a number of women who've really gotten into the sport, once they got past the initial push.

What are you waiting for? We all know someone fly curious -- get 'em out there!

-Sean-