Words by Stuart Kernaghan

Light & Motion ARC Li-ion Light Hitting the trails after dark is a great way to keep things fresh if you're bored with your regular loop. And evening hours are the only time the 9-to-5 crowd has to get out during the week. Riding on the Shore can be challenging enough during the day, though, and you certainly don't want to be tackling some slimy ladder bridge you can barely see because of a substandard light. The best bike lights available these days are HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights, which give off a bluish-white light that's several times brighter than comparable halogen lights. Most HID systems use NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries, but the introduction of lithium-ion batteries has made the whole package more compact, lighter, and user-friendly. Light & Motion has made a name for itself over the last 15 years in both the dive light market and 24-hour racing scene, and is now attracting a lot of attention with its new Li-ion-powered HID. Light & Motion's ARC Li-ion system incorporates a 300g battery that's about the size of a pack of

The complete L&M ARC Li-ion light set (with Canadian greenback for size comparison) Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

The ARC Li-ion comes with mounting hardware for your handlebar or helmet, and a break-away disk to minimize damage to the mount if you stack. A turbo charger takes the battery to 80 per cent capacity in about two hours, and tops it off over the next two hours. There's also an automatic shut-off feature to prevent the battery from being completely drained. Just be careful not to blind your riding partners - this light is going to be a lot brighter than your old one.

The Mace Swat Jacket - beefy short sleeve protection Photo: Scott Johnson

Mace Swat Jacket Upper body armour - I never leave home without it, and it's saved my hide on a number of occasions. Over the last year I got really attached to my short-sleeve armour, but it proved to be less than functional after being cut off by the ambulance crew up in Whistler. Thankfully, Mace has rolled out a new product that incorporates all the great features I loved about my old armour and adds a few others you won't find anywhere else. For those of you who don't know, Mace is Ryan Leech's protection and lifestyle gear of choice. Helmets, shorts, gloves, and pads were available last year, but the line has been beefed up for '04.

A couple of things that you'll notice right away about the Swat Jacket - the underarm area has large cut-outs to improve ventilation to those particularly sweaty areas, and the shirt mesh comes down a lot further than on other short-sleeve jackets. That means your stomach won't be exposed to the world, nor will it get rubbed raw by the waistbelt, both of which are nice things.

The Swat Jacket is specifically designed to work with the Mace Urban or Tectronic arm pads. Look for Mace gear at your local Norco dealer.

Cannondale Nebula shorts What's the best way to throw off your balance just as you're rolling into that super-steep chute? Catch your shorts on the nose of your saddle. It's an excellent "Oh crap..." moment that we've all had at one time or another. So you get used to hiking your shorts up just as you're about to do something that requires hang time over the back end. It's a little annoying, but you manage because you're a trooper. Well, Cannondale thinks it's found an answer to all your saddle-grabbing problems with its Nebula baggy shorts. Introduced at the Interbike trade show this past October, the bike manufacturer is using the Nebulas to showcase its new 'Yank This' technology. Wait - it's not quite as dirty as it sounds.

Cannondale Nebula shorts - pull on the webbing to snug up the crotch / Photo: Scott Johnson

The ripstop outer shell comes with a snap-in, four-panel spandex short. Wear the tight stuff if you want or stick with your Calvins if you like the idea of Yanking but aren't down with spandex. The Nebulas come in black or grey in sizes medium to extra-extra large, and are stylin' enough to wear around the Village thanks to some nice detail work.

Leg length on the shorts may leave something to be desired if you like a lot of coverage, but the front hand pockets and side zip pockets provide better storage than some long shorts out there. It's a trade-off.

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