I started BicycleSmile in February 2007 and after four and a half years, it is time to say goodbye.  With other commitments taking the bulk of my time, I could no longer do justice to the site.

The site will remain online for at least the next 5 months, and if anyone has interest in taking it over, they can contact me at bicyclesmile (at) gmail (dot) com.

For those of you who want to follow my current life and adventures….you can go to my new site:  www.kickpushpedal.com, become a fan on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter.

This is where I have been putting the bulk of my efforts into lately, which will result in a Longboard trek through Mexico in January and February of 2012.

Thanks to all my followers and sponsors over the years, it’s been a blast.

Marin Bikes is celebrating it’s 25th year in the bicycle industry and doing an early launch of their 2012 product.  I was lucky enough to be invited down to Marin County, California to take it all in.

A lot has happened in the bike industry since Bob Buckley started Marin in 1986.  The bikes still reflect the local area though.  2012 sees a whole new full suspension design for Marin.  Gone is their Quad Link technology, which worked great, but seemed hard for the general consumer to pick up on.  The 2012 bikes will see a pivot system that visually looks more like that of Giant, but that uses different geometries to create a slightly different Virtual Pivot Point.

The bikes looked good, and with all new offerings already, and it only being June, it looks like 2012 will be amazing for bikes.  Lots of nice offerings in the 29′er market both in hard and soft tail.  The road bikes always look good from Marin, but this year they may have hit the nail on the head.  They look amazing.

After talking with the whole Marin crew in their San Anselmo head quarters it is clear to see the passion they have for bikes.   After a couple of mornings spent looking over product, the afternoons were open to ride.  And what better place to ride than Mt. Tamalpais.

Work isn’t so hard some times.

I, personally, like the green frame colour: its flashy without being obtrusive and about as unique as a mass produced piece of riding apparel can be. But what I really like about the Rydons is their more functional aspects. First off the fit of the glasses is  superb. They have adjustable temples and nose pieces which facilitates almost infinite adjustment. The Rydons fit great under a helmet, either underneath or over top of the helmets straps, and they fit the shape of my face well. The glasses have a good curvature and never obscured my peripheral vision.

The frame material of the Rydons is what Rudy Project describes as carbonium while the temples and nose bridge are aluminum. The lenses themselves are however the most impressive part of the Rydons. They are Rudy Project’s ImpactX Photochromatic lenses and thus change colour to suit the current light conditions. At their lightest, they are clear while at their darkest they are a dark mirrored gray, similar to Rudy Project’s non chromatic Smoke lense colour. Even though their is a wide range of variation in the lense colour the transition from light to dark and vice versa was always subtle and never annoying. I found that the lenses change colour quickly and were almost always perfectly suited to the natural light. In bright, sunny conditions the lenses provided lots of protection from the sun without obscuring my vision, they are neither too light or too dark, and on cloudy, overcast days the light grey almost clear tint is excellent.

Like all other cycling glasses I’ve owned in the past the Rydons got dirty quickly but they are easy to clean so this is really a non-issue. During my weeks of riding with the Rydons I never had them fog up and the lenses appear to be impossible to scratch.

As with every other Rudy Project product I’ve used in the past the quality is excellent. The fit, materials, lenses and construction of the glasses is awesome and I anticipate getting years of use out of them, as I have with the other pairs of Rudy Projects that I currently own.

Score: 5/5

http://www.e-rudy.com/index_inner_detail.php?group_id=1&cat_id=1&item_id=SN798218NNU8

The Blitz Knee Sleeve from 110% had me intrigued right from the start.  I have used compression and support sleeves in the past, and at first glance I thought I was in for some of the standard features.  But 110% has come out with something totally unique.

The Blitz Knee Sleeve does provide stability for the muscles and joint, but it also has ‘hidden’ pockets to add their unique Thermafreeze packs.  These packs allow for recovery after the ride.  By adding the cold packs after cycling it definitely made my knee feel good.  110% also says that the compression “reduces lactic acid levels”.  I could see this working but on the knee joint I never have issues with that much delayed on set muscle soreness, so I can’t say for sure.

The Blitz Knee Sleeve comes in a thermal bag that allows you to keep the Thermafreeze packs cold for up to 6 hours.  At first glance I thought it was just a bunch of over packaging, but trying it out, it actually works.

110% has a product that works, but it would probably be something I use occasionally.  For people with a more serious training regime, or knee issues it would be an awesome product for daily use.

$55 USD

www.110playharder.com

What I liked immediately was the wallets slim design. I don’t really carry much in my wallet, usually a few bills and a bunch of cards, but the few times I filled it full of junk it remained compact. I was especially impressed with how much loose change I could fit in the coin pocket. No matter how many pennies I put in the pocket the wallet closes completely, which is a big thumbs up in my books. I was also surprised  by how unnoticeable the coin pocket’s zipper was. I always keep my wallet in my back pocket and never once did this Bagaboo one become a pain in the ass.

But after three weeks of use, what struck me most about the wallet was its durability. I’m usually a leather wallet kind of guy and I feel like I can tell a good wallet from a bad one… and this one is a good one. It is, of course, difficult to judge how durable a wallet is after only three weeks of use, but if it holds up the way is has been the past few weeks it is definitely a keeper. The velcro shows minimal wear, there is not a broken stitch in sight, and if any of the cordura ripped in the near future I would be dumbfounded.

However, I do have two minor complaints about the Bagaboo Wallet. Number one: when I first received it, the wallet was mighty stiff. It didn’t really fold the way I wanted it to and I had to put my cards in the card slots vertically rather than horizontally. But on the Bagaboo website the wallet is pictured that way and after a week of use I was able to fold ‘er up how I wanted… so no big deal. Number two: the wallet I received was yellow and after three weeks of use it has started to turn blue, presumably from the dye in my jeans. I guess I need either yellow jeans or a blue wallet. But again, no big deal. Its a cosmetic thing and besides,no one really gets a good look at  yer wallet… unless they’re really special.

Overall, my impression of the Bagaboo wallet is good. It holds everything I need it to, never once flew open, and is built tough enough to be pulled behind two horses through the desert a couple times. Ultimately, a good product from a good company… that could have been that little bit better if it hadn’t turned blue.

Rating: 4/5

10 Euro

www.bagaboo.hu

The plan was to reach Guadalajara on day 5, and nearing the end of day 4, it appeared that we would be on target.  With at least 40 kms to go, and sunset nearing, I called Anie and let her know we would be there early the next morning.  We jumped back on the bikes and started riding, planning to camp a short distance from the city.  As we started riding, we were making great time, over 20 kms an hour.  Before we knew it we were on the edge of the city, and entering it fast.

Change of plans now.  We had to push through and make it to Anie’s.  Problem was that Guadalajara is a big city.  We were working off of a map that had no city street details and we soon had no idea where we needed to be.  Darkness was falling and the freeway seemed like a terrible place to be.  We rode, in the dark, lost.

The freeway, turned into the Periferico (the outer ring road) of Guadalajara.  we were facing no shoulder, hundreds of speeding cars and no real idea on where to be going.  We pushed on for 2 hours in the dark.  Asking locals a half dozen times on where we needed to go.  They all knew a general location, just like we did.  The general concensus wasthat we were headed to a bad area, and we were bound to get hurt.  Not what we wanted to hear, but I knew better.

Finally a sign of hope, a street we were looking for.  After asking and being told that this was not the street we were looking for, I called Anie.  It was the street.  We were only 10 minutes away.  We ripped though the streets with enthusiasm.  Stopped in for some food, we had not eaten for far too long.  12 hours into the day we had arrived at our destination.

The next 4 days were spent enjoying great food, friends, art, culture and drinks.  It was a welcome break from the road, but as we recovered from the previous days of riding, we craved the road again.

Saskatoon Cycles will by hosting Sun Cycle on June 12, 2011.   Sun Cycle is planned as a festival for all things cycling related, including booths from the local bike shops, demonstrations by different cycling clubs and groups, bands, arts and crafts for kids, a safety ride demonstration by the Saskatoon Police Service, cycling videos, and much, much more. So save the date! and pass the word!

The Bagaboo Money Pouch is made of Cordura and Velcro and stitched tough.  After 3 months of use, including a trip down to Mexico, this thing is still going strong.  The only real signs of wear and tear are on the Bagaboo tag.  It always gets caught on the velcro and thus looks like it has seen better times.

The design is simple.  3 compartments.  One for paper money, one for coins, and one for cards.  In day to day us it is simple and practical.  It can hold a lot, but is not one of those bulky wallets.

Put this in your pocket and ride!

Price: 8 EUR

Pros: holds your stuff

Cons: tag gets scruffy

4 out of 5

www.bagaboo.hu

Inflation is crucial.  Tires must be pumped to the proper p.s.i. in order not to get a pinch flat.  Or when you do get a flat, it is always nice to be able to pump up your tires in the middle of now where.  The Axiom Enforce Air Pro Gauge is the pump that can do it all.  I have used this pump multiple times now, and it never lets me down.

The great thing about this pump is that I am able to mount it on the fork of my bike.  I always end up rubbing my leg against pumps that mount on the bottle cage bosses.

In daily use, the Axiom Enforce Air Pro Gauge is easy to use.  It has a easy pull out foot for standing on.  Effectively making this pump a portable floor pump.  It is simple to change between presta or schreaeder, by flipping the insides of the pump head around.

Now they claim this pump is good up to 160 p.s.i., but lets be honest, it ain’t getting there.  I would say 105 p.s.i. would be lucky, but that being said, that is a pretty high pressure.

The steel foot plate, is really the only fault I could find.  The plate rusted right from the start, probably after only a week of use.  Not impressive at all.  The pumps performance make up for it all though.  I have used this in Mexico on tour as well as during city biking in Saskatoon and Vancouver and it works.

Pros:  Simple easy to use design.

Cons:  Rust foot

Price: $29.95

Axiom

We finally have our new logo all finished  and we hope you like it.  We are going to go back to our roots and print a limited run of t-shirts and hoodies with this logo too.  

T-shirts are $15 and hoodies will run you $30.  We are only taking orders for these up until March 25th, so get your order in soon.

Mens t’s: white, sports grey, orange, navy, charcoal, light blue, military, green, indigo, kiwi, honey, cherry red, paprika

Womens t’s: white, salmon, sky, cherry red, avocado, kiwi, navy orchid, sport grey

Contact us through our contact page or Facebook.