Gear Reviews

It's 50-something degrees out and you're soaked to the bone. You're on an epic ride and your heart is beating like the bass drum of a metal band--fast. While standing at the top of a gnarly climb, you're sure that the well-deserved descent will be steep and send you screaming past moving cars like they're parked on the side of the road. The only dilemma is that you're dripping sweat, fully kitted out in spandex, and going 45 mph sounds awfully chilly and unpleasant. With hypothermia around the corner, you realize you might have to squeal the brakes all the way back down the mountain. Having a windshirt would have turned this epic fail into an epic win.

As a professional active traveler, my suitcase is filled with items that can get me from epic bicycle journey to Michelin-starred restaurant, to the opera and back to the trailhead. This said, when asked "what's in my suitcase," the contents certainly depend on the trip I'm about to embark on with one small, culinary-inclined exception: my trusty travel spork.

It’s not unusual to gear up with new equipment before a Backroads trip; we all know how wonderful it feels to don a fresh pair of bike shorts with a brand new shammy. There are some things, however, that should be broken in before embarking on an active travel adventure.