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Buyers Guide 2004

 Outside Buyers Guide 2005

2004 Buyer's Guide: The Essential Road Cyclist
Photograph by Chris McPherson


Do it in the Road
Cranking pavement? Your spinning speed steed is only half the equation
By Grant Davis

HEADS AND THREADS » What works for Lance should work for you. (1) GIRO's ATMOS HELMET ($190) weighs just 8.5 ounces; carbon-fiber ribbing keeps things bomber. PEARL IZUMI also deploys carbon fiber in the ultrastiff soles of the (2) VIPER ROAD SHOES ($190), which offer a Spectra lacing system for dialed-in fit. Soft Polartec stretch fabric, a Lycra-and-polyester blend, lets (3) GOLITE's TORQUE SHORTS ($79) wick and makes 'em last. Ride out cold snaps in style with (4) SUGOI's EXEL STRETCH VIPER JACKET ($115). Its stretch-woven fabric blocks the elements yet breathes like an airy mesh. Women don't have to sacrifice fashion for function. The (5) TERRY PRECISION CYCLING PRO RACER SKORT ($80) hides shorts under a polyester microfiber miniskirt. Match it with (6) PEARL IZUMI's WHISPER VEST ($60), which blocks wind and vents heat via a huge mesh back panel. (7) JULBO's REFLEX SUNGLASSES ($89) include four pairs of lenses—enough options for any light. GEAROTICA » Perfect for century nuts and sensitive butts, the mesh (8) SADDLECO FLOW SADDLE ($130) breathes, stretches, and cradles your sit bones. In a Wi-Fi world, who needs cables? The wireless (9) MAVIC WINTECH COMPUTER ($140) gives you a speed sensor—hidden behind the front wheel's quick-release lever—and a pedal-cadence monitor. U-locks are too heavy for longer rides. Enter (10) KRYPTONITE's KRYPTOGRIP ($26). Uncoil two and a half feet of stainless-steel cable from the pocket-size package and lash your bike to anything handy.