troy profile

I too was afraid of the initial bougieness of Rapha, but I have a lot of it now, jacket, pants, windblock shirts, knee pads, shorts, chamois and really like all of it. They have some big sales so you can save. Check the archive section.

The other thing you missed is the free repairs! That alone puts the initial cost into a better space when compared to other brands.

I have the Raphas and everything he says about these I would say about the Raphas. Super comfortable, a little hard to get on and off, but they stay put and you forget about them. They are a little long, compared to POC, but it's not an issue. Bonus with Rapha is they do free repairs and they're $15 cheaper.

These are hands down my favorite riding shorts. I have three pair so I always have a clean one to grab. The little internal pouch in the thigh pockets is great and allows you to keep small things there while leaving the zippers down a bit for ventilation. Really comfortable, durable and no swishing when pedaling. And Justin is an OG trail builder, advocate and all around great guy. Support a small business, you won't be disappointed.

I have the Hangover and the older Trail Edition that the Evo replaced and they're fantastic lights. I've used Nightrider and Magicshine which are good, but are heavier for helmet mount and don't have as good of a beam. Even the newer Nightrider double wide isn't as good.

I have three pair and they're far and away my favorite riding shorts.

2nd the Abits! I have the regular fit, but they're my go to. The newest version with two thigh pockets that double as vents are even better. AND the owner is a local rider and long time mtb advocate.

YES! I have the Hangover and the Trail and they kickass. I've used NiteRider for years, but the way these perform and the light output is so much better. I used to ride with two Niterider 750s on the bars and the Outbound Trail is so much better and super durable. The Hangover is really light and does a great job. Low profile too compared to others.

Based on the 2016 review I bought these and went a size up and use some thin Outdoor Research woll gloves as a base layer. Mostly used for commuting as I too don't like how the "layers" disconnect me from the grips, but I've never had cold fingers and I can't recall them leaking even on 20 mile Seattle winter commutes.

I had an '86 blue hardtop when I was in high school/college in the late 80's. Loved that little car. Could park that thing anywhere. No Suzuki in NA : (

My carbon 27.5 Roval 38i with CC and 2.8 Butcher front 2.6 Purgatory rear are each a pound heavier than the stock 29" 30i Raceface Aeffect with 2.3 DHF/Rs the bike came with, but the feeling and performance of the tires with the CC is SO much better that it's worth the weight penalty for me. I've recently gone back to the 29" just to see and I just don't like the feeling.