Gear Shots Feb 2025

Smith Seeker Sunglasses

Of all the fashion crimes of my youth, I think my white Oakley Jackets with reflective purple lenses top the sport-related list. They were so flashy, and purple and “sporty”, a look I gravitated to for a time when girls were forced to pick a lane – which spice girl are you? I now gravitate towards functional but, understated, practical, multi-purpose items with classic styling. My go-to riding glasses are Smith Wildcats, with full coverage and interchangeable lenses, but they are a look. When I commute to work and want to pop out to grab lunch, the Wildcats feel a bit Matrixy combined with office wear. There is also a whole group of people who find the sporty sunglasses look as sexy as the world’s best new male birth control – the Cybertruck. Enter Smith’s new offering, the Seeker – athletic eyewear meant for the rough and tumble but that leans more Top Gun than Matrix.

The Seekers have a surprisingly light weight frame made with Evolve – a bio-based frame material using 55% or more castor oil instead of nylon. The frame material feels similar to the Smith Lowdowns, but less slippery. I also found the material to be more temperature stable in cold winter conditions. With slight peripheral shields, the Seekers hint of a minimalistic glacier style that aim to reduce peripheral light and glare from the road, water or snow. The arm terminals include a keyhole to fit the included ripcord glasses keeper, handy for water activities or if you just really like dangling your glasses down your chest to revisit camp counsellor days. The grippy finish on the arms at the mid temple and on the nose pads keeps the glasses stable and the material is smooth and non-irritating.

The Seeker comes in 6 frame finishes and lens combinations, including a photochromic option and a low light lens, as well as polarized options. I received the Matte Ash Tortoise frame with ChromaPop Polarized Gray Green lens. These have a visible light transmission (VLT) of 15%, making them a bit dark for forest riding or cloudy conditions. I used the Seeker’s while skate skiing on sunny days, bike commuting and for a trail ride on a clear bluebird day. Even on the sunny day, these lenses were too dark for forested riding, but I think they would be perfect for more open riding locations with consistent sun. The peripheral light shields came in very handy while skate skiing to reduce reflective light off the snow and I really liked the versatility of the Seekers for commuting where I wanted the option to use the glasses once I changed into my office clothes. The Seekers had good air flow and I didn’t experience any fogging, even with the peripheral shields. I’m looking forward to trying these out on gravel rides or sunny destination rides when the weather warms up, and I think they’d make great paddleboarding glasses, especially with the ripcord glasses keeper.

For those looking for dedicated riding glasses, nothing beats full coverage eyewear with interchangeable lenses, but the Seeker is a great option for those who want more stylish multi-sport eyewear that looks good while offering key sports performance features.

-Karin Grubb

Smith Seeker Sunglasses - 265 CAD / 215 USD

Fernhill Flow Finder Waist Pack

Fernhill Hip and Frame bags are created by Jason Van Horne from Portland, OR. I met Jason on a trip to Idaho and he handed me a couple of bags at the end of the trip asking if I could provide some feedback. I have been using the Flow Finder Waist Pack for quite some time now and have grown to like a few features about it. I often carry a camera on my rides and for this reason, I am often clad with the Evoc 7L Camera Hip Pack. The rigid, well padded design really protects the expensive contents and years of pack building experience from Evoc shines through. However, we know that no pack is perfect and unless you make one for yourself, that won't change. Jason took it upon himself and a local fabricator to design and churn out "Made in USA" waist and frame bags.

The Flow Finder is taller in dimensions than most other bags and can carry 3 tall cans (4 if you stack another on top) without an issue. The 9.5" wide x 8" H x 2" D bag sits on the small of your back comfortably without spinning around as you make your way down the hill. I first disliked the lack of external bottle holding feature but on rides where I didn't bring a camera, I tossed the 26oz bottle inside without a problem. After a few months of doing that, I purchased a 10 CAD Moll-e water bottle holder from Amazon and solved the warm weather multi-bottle setup issue.

Jason has since started working on the V2 of the Waist Pack to address some of the requests customers and friends have made. While trying to keep the price reasonable for a North American made product he also wanted to improve the user experience. With 2 internal mesh pockets plus a zippered one, I find it is easy to organize the tools and packable jacket I want to bring on some rides. This thing is made to last and you know how good it feels to buy something from a person you can literally call up on the phone if something goes wrong. Currently, they are on sale to make room for V2 production but there is no reason not to get the V1 as it sits.

Fernhill Waist Pack - 142 CAD / 109 USD

-Deniz Merdano

Fernhill Frame Bags

Fernhill/Jason also makes really slick frame bags for literally any bike. Jason did tell me that he initially made these pages to fit Specialized Turbo Levo frames. The reality is, that they work on a wide range of frame shapes out there. Ours currently sits on a Kona Ouroboros Frame with a tube, tire levers and a plug kit happily living inside. There are plenty of laser-cut TPU strap holes and enough straps to make any frame shape work. There is not much to be said about this small frame bag other than it is made in the USA, weather resistant and has a velcro patch. Since the orientation of the bag will be different on every frame, the velcro Fernhill Patch can be reoriented the right way. OCDs rejoice.

If you want to see some samples of the bag on variety of bikes, check it HERE

Currently on sale for 68USD.

Fernhill Frame Bag- 97 CAD / 68 USD

-Deniz Merdano

Roll Recovery Orthopedic Roller

I happen to know that you are an athlete. You may not be a professional, but you've probably dreamed about it, which makes you a pro in my books. That's why you are looking at these pages. Not only are you an athlete, you engage in a sport that can sometimes, regularly, often, and persistently injure you. Sometimes these are traumatic injuries, and other times they are chronic ailments from working that majestic body of yours so hard. Both hurt and being off the bike sucks so anything that speeds that process is worth a try, despite this being hard to verify.

Because of all this, I'm betting you either have a foam roller or two in your house, or you have used one as a recovery tool. If you haven't, I would recommend it. They can be used for most parts of your body that tend to get beaten up mountain biking but they are particularly good for your the muscles and connective tissue in your legs and back. There are thousands of influencers on every social medium that would love to show you the foam rolling ropes.

Before this I hadn't seen a roller made specifically for feet. Some can work on your feet, particularly those with firm spikes sticking out, but most smooth rollers are too big to get into the meat of your hooves. And mountain biker's feet often get smashed and always get worked hard on the bike. I suspect this is even more true for flat pedal riders, because we use flexible shoes, but there is clearly wear and tear for those on clipless pedals.

Fear not because Roll Recovery has some products designed to help your feet recover for injury and general abuse. The first is the R3 roller which is asymmetrical, like your feet. There are a bunch of different ways to use it, even beyond your feet, and it's small enough to take with you in your carry on. Check the video below for some ideas. I'm pretty convinced that foam rollers aid recovery and loosen up difficult to release muscles all over your bod but remember, I'm not a doctor.

The price is undoubtedly steep at 52 CAD/ 35 USD, and you can get a full set of 4 rolling tools online for under 40 CAD. The R3 is pretty good, but I'm not sure it's that good.

R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller

Roll Superplush Classic Men's Recovery Shoes

There is no doubting the comfort these shoes provide. They feel like your feet are getting a little hug with every step. Are they therapeutic at all? I have no idea. Recent research I've been exposed to suggests that minimalist footwear promotes foot health and strength. There are no pressure points and the soft padding and insert evenly distributes the weight your foot has to support. It's tough to say if these are both good for you and good feeling, but they are certainly the latter. Unless you wear these all day every day, it seems unlikely they are going to damage our clompers.

Is that worth 162 CAD/110 USD? That is hard to say

All Roll Recovery shoes come in men's and women's sizes, and Roll also makes slides ( 102 CAD/69 USD. Maybe everything is way more expensive and I haven't been paying enough attention, but these seem steep to me. But comfy. And a little ugly. Probably.

Superplush Classic Shoes