Things I Like: Magazines

The reason I like magazines is because you get such a diversity of information.  Plus there are always pictures - nice and glossy.

I like books too, very much in fact.  I have found it difficult to find good books on cycling.  Yes, there are several, but I find that there are also a lot that appear as though they would be good and are not.  I'll do a top 5 and bottom 5 of my personal recommendation on that before too long. But I digress.

Magazines are better around water, like at the beach or in a canoe, or maybe camping.  If books get wet and dirty they can be tough to read, whereas magazines seem more resilient.  Magazines sit open whereas books "snap" shut all the time.

As far as the discipline of cycling goes, I have two examples below.  Nothing groundbreaking here, I'm sure you've all heard of these two.

I like Urban Velo because it has a significant part in each issue dedicated to the regular "joe" answering the question why he/she enjoys cycling in the city.  It is also available online for free.  You don't actually have to subscribe, although I'm sure they'd like you to.

They have very interesting articles even though some diverge into hipster-type stuff that's a little to contemporary of a scene for me.

Pretty sure that Bicycle Times is well established now.  There's usually one or two articles that I'm not interested in but I will devour the rest, every time.

Neither of these has much, if anything, to say about carbon fiber, and none of the issues are ever "buyers guides" (those are so useless in my opinion).

I also enjoy Momentum from time to time but it seems to cater more to women and the chic movement.

Finally, there is a magazine out of Toronto that looks very intriguing but I'm at a loss to find it in my bookmarks right now. 

If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.  Particularly if they are available online.

~ Wilson

Magnets - Things I Like

I have a pair of nice Sugoi insulated lobster gloves for winter riding.  Although they are losing some loft, and consequently not as warm as they once were, I will say that they have been indispensable these last three winters.
But what I have really come to appreciate about them are the magnets within each glove.
The magnets enable me to hang them from a heating vent at work, so that they dry very quickly.

Yes.  My office is a dump!

The magnets also allow me to remove them mid-ride and "stick" them to my top-bar while I take photos or do whatever it is I do. This way, I have full use of my arms and hands and am not dropping the gloves in the snow or wet.

Magnets in gloves - you are on the "nice" list.

-Wilson

Things I Like - Comfortable Handlebars

Handlebars are a contentious issue for me because I have never had a comfortable set.  I am not even certain how to find the right ones.

My daughter's SWOBO bars were intended for my PAKE but they never made it.
She loves them, so that ship has sailed.

Things I Like: Kenda Tires

I can only afford to experiment with so many things, but I seem to have landed on Kenda's "Small Block 8" tires, and, yes, I would recommend them.
I have been running 32's but recently stepped up to 35's.  I have not had the 35's in the winter yet, so I can't speak directly to any difference the width will make handling in that climate.
The SB 8's do hum along on the asphalt for a month or so, and I'm sure the friction makes you a bit slower.  But after about 90 days the tread breaks in, yet not down, allowing for a noticeably quieter ride.

I find that if I ride on the soft-gravel shoulder of the highway the tires perform even better.  I actually believe I go faster on here than the asphalt. 

After 16 months of commuting I competed in a 60km race through mud and they still performed marvelously.

Whatever kind of rubber compound Kenda is using works well in the Canadian climate - that is, winter.  There is almost no lateral slippage on either snow or gravel - these tires want to go forward. These tires handle better through snow and ice than anything I have found so far, and I expect that the 35's will do even better.

I prefer a folding bead (ever try to change a wire bead tire in the winter?) and that was a draw for me. 

They come in around $50 each in Canada, so not cheap.  If you can get them in the States they are about half that price.  But as I have said, they are hardy and will last.  My 32's lived for just over two years of good, routine punishment.

Keep them at the recommended pressure.

They are made in Taiwan.