Gear Shots 54

Ever reach into a pair of jeans you haven’t worn in a while and found 20 bucks? That happened to me the other day, except I wasn’t getting re-acquainted with old denim, and what I found was better than cash. Here’s the story.

Biking and golf have always been at odds with each other, at least as far as bikers are concerned. From wailing about the sheer waste of space that is a golf course, especially when trails are sacrificed to make way for one, to scoffing at a golfer’s belief that a turn around the links is in fact spending time ‘in nature’, most riders just don’t understand golf’s appeal – nor do they want to. For their part, most golfers aren’t all that pre-occcupied with mountain bikers, so this really is a one way issue. Obviously there are golfers who ride, but there seem to be far less riders who golf – or who will admit they do, anyway. Not me, though: my name is Pete, and I am a golfer.

Long lost friends. The Giro Instigators in bronze fade with brown polarized lenses.

My 20 bucks in the old jeans moment came as a result of my golf habit. For several months now, I had been missing a few pieces of favourite gear. One was a Gore Tex XCR shell I can use for everything from nasty, wet riding days to – yes, that’s right – a blustery day on the golf course. And then there was my red wool beanie, which has been a clutch performer in diverse situations ranging from winter rides in rain and snow to overnight sailing missions in New Zealand. But I have other beanies and shells and what I missed the most were the Giro Instigator shades that I’d been given to try out at Crankworx last year. Literally since the day I tried them on, they got 95% of my face’s time. Sure I have other pairs of sunglasses I like, but the Instigators were the perfect blend of on the bike functional and off the bike stylie, (as stylie as I can be anyway) they fit my face and had polarized lenses. My favourite shades. And they’d been missing for months.

Spring finally arrived after a few false starts, and I pulled out my golf bag to go play a round with my Dad, and while sorting out pockets and stashes of all the stuff you need to make a loop (that’s “play 18 holes” to you non-golfing riders) I dug into the big side pocket and found: 1) my jacket, 2) my beanie, and 3) MY GIRO INSTIGATORS! We use the word stoked too much in this business, so just wink knowingly while I tell you how the neighbours heard the excited “YES!” that went along with an Alex Burrows-esque game-winning-goal fist pump. I had left everything in my golf bag after a round in late January when I had snuck out to take advantage of the unusually dry conditions down in Bellingham. It was a very happy reunion. 

Now let me tell you a bit more about why these shades rock.

Giro is new to the world of sunglasses but they brought their A game to the trail and have assembled a very good lineup. All of their sunglasses feature ZEISS certified lenses with True Sight Technology, which means that they are designed to minimize distortion across a wide field of vision – something which can be a problem with lenses shaped to wrapped around your face.

ZEISS lenses are paired up with a shape that provides great face coverage for motion sports – without looking like bug reflector shiels.

Giro’s frames are predominantly shaped for use on the bike but several models are designed to keep you from looking as out of place as lycra on the links. The Instigators feature ride-ready features like helmet compatible fit (a subtle but refined detail), Wind Tunnel ventilated temples, rubber nose pads and temple tips. The profile is curved and fits snug to provide good wind and debris protection, and the shape offers ample coverage without being HUGE – they keep my eyes from watering on road rides or while skiing but still look good on the deck after 18 holes – or anywhere else.

Small thoughtful details are a Giro trademark. Even the rubber nose pads are vented.

The lenses certainly hold up to their billing as well, and while I’m no optical expert, I do wear contact lenses and because I’m used to the difference between seeing well and not, I can say that the Instigators offer very good distortion control and like most Giro sunglasses, they are Rx ready. We asked Giro senior brand manager Eric Richter about whether they considered using Transition lenses (the ones with tint that varies according to ambient light), and he told us that while there is something appealing about the idea, they don’t believe that the tint changes rapidly enough to make them effective. For example, when riding from a sunlit area into a forest, there is still a lag while the shades adjust to the new darkened conditions, which reduces the benefit of that feature. My Instigators have a brown polarized lens, which I absolutely love, but some riders don’t like polarized lenses because they can make it difficult to read LCD displays such as your watch or bar-mounted computer from most angles. On the Shore, it’s not an issue, because on most days I don’t wear shades, but in places like Southern California or Whistler I’ve been very happy with them. Ventilation is also great, and even when I’ve left them on top of my sweaty head for a little too long on backcountry ski trips, they clear condensation quickly once you’re moving again.

The rubberized ear tips offer another reminder of the latest cycling eyewear player to enter the game.

My cycling owes a lot to golf. I would not have even started mountain biking again back in ’97 if I hadn’t been concerned that too much golf was going to ruin me for other sports forever. Twelve years later, a cavernous golf bag gave me back a pair of shades I thought I’d lost, and my eyes are much happier for it.

Giro’s entire eyewear lineup can be seen on their site. MSRP varies from $89-139 US and we’ll update Canadian pricing as soon as we can confirm it.

Pete Roggeman

Lezyne Stainless 20
I have a friend in the bike biz who re-builds multi tools as a hobby.  He’ll remove the bits, ditch anything superfluous and then replace the heavy pieces with carbon and titanium.  Tada!  A custom multi tool that is light and trick.  I’ll have to ask him what he thinks about Lezyne.  Happy because someone is doing his job for him, or choked that he no longer has a reason to tinker?

 The Lezyne Stainless 20 fully deployed – and sheathed.  It looks sweet either way.

I love tools and I’m a sucker for off-the-charts quality so when it looked like Lezyne was going to get a little crazy with the bling it got my attention.  Do you need a multi tool with carbon or polished aluminum sides and stainless bits?  Of course you don’t – but given the choice I’ll take light and trick every time when the performance makes the grade.

 It’s all about the details.  A serrated blade that will get you out of the Princeton Hotel alive and a bottle opener to get you into trouble in the first place.  The bottle opener is piggy-backed by a disc brake wedge and an 8mm wrench.

The Stainless 20 feels great in your hands at 150 grams and it has almost every tool you’re likely to need on the trail.  A couple of notable items are a disc wedge to get you out of pad trouble, a spoke key that includes a Mavic fitting, a tire lever, an 8mm Allen that is hollowed out to save weight and of course a bottle opener.  The 2 and 2.5mm Allens have a 90 degree bend to get into tight places and there is a serrated knife blade as well – which can come in very handy.  I can now jettison the Swiss Army knife I used to carry.  The whole thing gets covered by a neoprene sleeve to keep out  dust and some moisture.  I’d like to see a sealed case like Crankbrothers provides to keep all the moisture out – especially at this price.  If the stainless holds up as advertised that may not be necessary – but I’d prefer it.

 The machining is over the top – just the way I like it.  In the foreground there’s a capable chain tool with integrated spoke key and on the other end your drivers and Allens along with a tire lever and a 10mm wrench.

Unless I’m racing (god forbid) I want to be able to fix anything that goes wrong so a multi tool that makes compromises isn’t for me.  The Lezyne Stainless 20 goes the distance and then some.  If you are a minimalist when it comes to trailside repairs Lezyne makes 15 different tools for your pack.  So far this is the nicest multi I’ve laid my mitts on.

MSRP: CDN$67.50 US$49.99 (The 20 also comes in a Chrome Vanadium version for CDN$49.50/US$39.99 and it’s also only 150 grams).

• Center-pivot, forged, and CNC-cut stainless steel bits and hardware
• Stainless steel chain breaker and forged aluminum sideplates
• 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm Allen keys; Philips and flat heads; T25 Torx bit
• Tire lever with 10mm open-end; bottle opener with 8mm open-end
• 3 spoke wrenches: 1x Mavic splined, 2x square sizes
• 60mm serrated knife blade; disc brake pad expander

 The Saber Lever performs three vital functions – and performs them well.

Saber Lever
There’s nothing that pisses me off more than having a plastic tire lever (that’s lever like beaver btw) snap while trying to wrestle a stiff DH tire onto an uncooperative rim.  Tools that don’t perform are worse than no tools.  Lezyne has come out with a lever they say has ‘trail weight and shop tool size.’  On my scale the Sabers were 60 grams apiece.  They also open your beer and tighten or loosen 15mm fittings – sweet additions. They come as a set of two for CDN$34.90 or US$29.99.   Lezyne’s Alloy Levers are more reasonable at  CDN$20.49 and US$16.49.

 The tools wearing their neoprene condoms.

Cam McRae

Have you tried any of these products?  Would you like to? Oh – and tell us what you really think about golf.  Pete can take it.  Spill here…