@turpentine asked for review of these new PEARL iZUMi Vista Bike Shorts.
This is first look review. Will edit/update when I have more experience on the bike.
I purposely picked these up these to replace my well worn Swrve Cigarette shorts which have been really great but I sometimes wish were a longer lasting / quick drying synthetic free from cotton.
The PI shorts are about $15 cheaper at MSRP and have an interesting crotch gusset which isn’t quite a full diamond but does have one less seam to chafe in the saddle/crotch contact zone (+ one less fail point).
However this might make for less of a pouch for your jewels to inhabit. They feel pretty tight on me standing up but sitting in riding position is a little more tent shaped. I also sized down from a 32 (Swrve) to 30 (PI) since I usually wear 31 & noticed these have a high rise waist instead of low rise waist on the Swrve.
Real inseam on PI is 9.5 inches while wearing
I had my Swrve hemmed to 8 inches which is perfect for me.
However Pi shorts have interesting / gimmicky reflective features hiding in the leg cuff that can be exposed by rolling up creating effectively 8” inseam. There is a piece of reflective tape on both outward facing seams plus, on one leg, a really weird 360 degree XXXX weave of glued reflective material that looks like thread but isn’t. (Two legs out of budget?)
Pi Pockets are thin and synthetic (yay!)
Material pants are made from is pretty thin but shockingly not stretchy at all which is probably the most disappointing feature. Material looks decent and not techy but does appear to glimmer in the light making me wonder if it’s all reflective.
Rear pockets hitting saddle/butt zone TBD.
My camera apparently caught the rotated vertical photo virus that Rusty’s was infected with
Could we get more crotch shots
I think it’s this
ok i never do these but i am quite impressed with this product. it’s the dakine bike bag (for flying with your bike. Dakine Bike Roller Bag
i flew my medium sized norco to colorado and back with no damage. i actually found this bag pleasant to use. it’s so well designed that what probably should have been a chore was kind of nice.
maybe all bike bags are like this but this is how this one works:
- first you remove the rotors. it doesn’t tell you to do this but i did it anyways cuz it takes two seconds why not. they give you a little bag which is supposed to be for the dangler but i used it for the two rotors instead. a 180 barely fits, fyi.
- then you put one wheel into the wheel slot inside the bag itself. this protects the left side of the bag
- then you put your fork in the fork bag. i think the purpose of this is moreso to give something to strap TO the bag on the inside than to protect the fork but it is good.
- then you take the bars off. they have this clever little top tube protector that ALSO holds the bars so they aren’t flopping around in there.
- then you take off the dangler. i put it inside an old work glove. presumably you have a better bag for this.
- then you put the other wheel in the loose wheel bag.
- my favorite part is that there are a bunch of clips and straps to secure everything. they are all color coded so you know what snaps to what. it’s quite genius. the rear triangle is protected by this nice foam block that fits perfectly in the rear. the front i guess is on its own up there, thank god for thru axles.
- then you put all the tools in the tool roll that they give you!
the zippers are super burly. it’s shockingly light…even with the tools in, i can hit 50 pounds no problem. it rolls easily and doesn’t get tripped up on curbs or little bumps. it fits in the back of an SUV very easily. i guess that’s the downside is that when it’s packed it’s pretty huge but…so is a bike?
now that it is not in use, it is rolled up hanging from the ceiling of my garage.
i do not receive any kickback from dakine for this but good for them for making a really good bike bag. i suppose if someone wants to borrow it and facilitate me shipping it to you so you can use it, i would happily loan it out but i don’t want to do any logistics.
does removing the rotors protect them or some part of the bike when it’s all packed? that would have solved your work glove issue
i took the rotors off because i don’t (yet) have a rotor truing tool and didn’t want to listen to a rubbing rotor the entire trip. they seem fragile
Truing rotors is only like 1/2 pain in the ass but I would rather not do it than do it
if i had the tool i would have just tossed that in the bag and not taken the rotors off
What does the bag weigh? I used my Evoc bag in the weekend and had to pay for extra baggage cos the bag itself weighs 9.5 kgs. I also took my rotors off BECAUSE I hadn’t realised that altho they were 6 bolt, they had one of those adaptors, my wheel is screw - on. So a nice surprise.
the website says 8kgs which seems pretty accurate to me
Some product review of new to me products from a very long ride.
Apidura satchel. Pass. 100%
My symmetrical similar bag sucked, so ride buddy lent me this. You can cinch it up. Light and tight.
Scott tool container. Fail.
Worked good, used it. Closed it with a smidge of dirt on it. Would not reopen. Had to poor hot water on it to make it malleable enough to deform. Also takes up the space better used by a water bottle!
Fenix FD30 torch. Pass. 80%
Used as head torch for slow riding when dynamo is not good enough. Runs on 18650s. Great except you cannot actually feel the button that changes the strength of the beam. A real shame. Maybe I stick sandpaper on it.
AliExpress DIY 18650 powerbank case . Pass. 100%.
Used as a buffer cache battery for Edge 130 Garmin gps and phone. All I need is a USB switch now.
Blackburn sideloader cages. Pass. 60%
Very adjustable, L/R and height. Very tight fit. Not easy to get the bottles in and out of while riding. Granted I was using a half frame bag which limits clearance.
Speedx lube. Pass 100%
This stuff is incredible. It’s was around 320 kms before my chain needed a second lube. And it only takes a few drops. I get about 4 hours out of Rock n Road under similar dustu dry conditions.
I’ve got the Elite Cannibal cages on my trail bike for sliding the bottle in under the shock. I haven’t tossed a bottle yet, which is usually my gold standard.
this isn’t really a bike product. but i have become obsessed with a merino wool/lyocell fabric combo for tshirts. i get VERY hot when cross country skiing and need to get that sweat away from my body.
a few years ago i found an Odlo tshirt at REI on the clearance rack. best tshirt ever…but they never really seemed to make them available on the website? it was odd.
now i’ve got some Icebreaker 125 tshirts and long sleeve shirts.
i’ve got a few wears of them so far. they are exactly what i wanted them to be. today, wore for skiing for a few hours, never sweaty, never cold. then went straight into sightseeing mode with zero stink.
i would not buy these if you need any sun protection at all because they are effectively see-through on the shoulders and back. only the front has a second layer (which is even better for my particular use case of cold weather performance).
idk what it is about this lyocell stuff that makes it perform this way. 100% merino is too warm and not durable.
will update once i better understand durability. the Odlo ones are decently durable but not VERY durable.
Icebreaker stuff is great! I think it’s the lyocell which makes it actually possible for sweat to evaporate- all the 100% merino stuff I have is warm, but it never dries. that hybrid stuff is the real deal for base layers.
related, I’ve been LOVING some of the Polartec Alpha Direct mid layers (Mine are from Senchi Designs) for pretty much every high output activity- skiing, biking, etc. it’s the only fleece type material I’ve ever found which is actually worth wearing or packing. basically mesh, so it breathes and vents super great, but is astoundingly good at trapping just enough body heat to keep you from getting cold. also very, very lightweight. I like them so much that one of these midlayers plus a super lightweight windshirt (like a Houdini) basically fills the role of a puffy for me for any type of active pursuit all year.
Icebreaker thin socks are too thin and too slippery inside shoes (compared to smart wool and darn tough). I’m just throwing that in.
Love slipping on their 150 (now 175 I think) weight leggings when temperatures drop. Barely there and keep my whole body warmer. Only downside is that they are paper thin and extremely fragile. Also I’ve live in one of their merino hoodies all year for the past like 15 years (Two hoodies. The first patched with other Icebreaker merino scraps after I had an unfortunate run-in with barbed wire in Hawaii while mtbing down a volcano).
+1 for super tin icebreaker bases. I have 2 older pairs that are great and was just gifted one of the new style pairs but haven’t worn it yet.