Gifts for the Cycling Dad

It’s been a miserably rainy and mucky spring and early summer here at BWN HQ, so the mountain bikes have largely stayed on their hooks and it’s been more of a road-riding season. Despite the weather, we had some opportunity to test some new gear for the father on your list.

Helmets & Protection

There are plenty of new options on the market this year to help protect Dad’s noggin and body.

LEM Flow Helmet

LEM is just starting to make inroads into the U.S. market, and we’ve been able to test out their new Flow MTB helmet.

Built with features from the forefront of bicycle helmet tech, like full back coverage and micro-fit adjustment, a cooling ventilation system and indexing visor, the Flow helmet is a seamless extension of your mountain bike riding.

SMITH Forefront 2 MIPS

SMITH has updated their already strong Forefront helmet with improved ventilation and airflow. While the focus is on keeping you cool, the airflow in the Smith Forefront 2 MIPS is also optimized to keep sunglasses and goggles fog free as well.

The Forefront also features channels on the front and rear of the helmet for sunglass storage and a 3-position visor that helps keeps goggles in place. Finally, SMITH has added a MIPS® lining that reduces rotational forces that the brain is exposed to during oblique impacts to the head.

FOX Rampage Pro Carbon

Taking learnings from their moto helmets, FOX has released the Rampage Pro Carbon full face helmet for the MTB crowd. The Rampage Pro Carbon (RPC) builds off its race-winning pedigree with a new highly-ventilated design and dual rotational management systems. Fluid Inside padding technology mimics the human body’s natural protection system (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) to be the next generation in helmet safety. It’s Magnetic Visor Release System (MVRS) is designed to stay firmly in place on downhill terrain but detach upon impact to mitigate external rotational forces.

Dainese Trail Skins 2 Knee Guards

There’s little else rougher than a hard crash to the knee. You might not even tear something, but a bruised up kneecap can take some days (or months) out of your riding schedule.

The Dainese Trail Skins 2 knee guards are designed for the trail, but I can attest that unlike some other knee guards, these are light enough and comfortable enough for your XC cruises as well.

 

Road Gear

The battle to keep your nethers comfortable on the road continues with the latest bib shorts from ASSOS and Castelli.

ASSOS S9 Equipe RS Bibs

The evolution of ASSOS bibshorts line comes to the S9 Equipe RS bibshorts. While the predecessors (the S7 and S8) were out in the market over the last six year, ASSOS was out there testing the S9.

The S9 is built around an all new pad and features A-Lock Engineering, their new bracing system of textiles and technologies that work together to stabilize the shorts and secure the insert in place. The S9 is constructed with just 2 panels, a primary “butterfly” panel fully wrapping the legs and converging in the rear to form our new ergoBox structure combined with their unique rollBar, which mimics a race car’s anti-sway bar by using the bib straps to stabilize the insert as your weight transfers from left to right while cornering.

Castelli Free Aero Race 4.0 & Premio 2 shorts

Free Aero Race 4.0

The latest evolution of Castelli’s best selling bibs of all time, the Free Aero Race 4.0 bibs feature new leg grippers that still features a lie-flat raw-cut edge but now have vertical silicone stripes to keep it in place without restricting stretch. The seams have been updated to improve the fit and make the short look even better on the body. They’ve re-engineered the bib straps with new fabrics and construction so they stay cooler, lie flatter and are more durable. Finally, the Free Aero Race 4.0 bibshort receives the updated Progetto X2 Air seamless seat pad featuring the softest surface fabric you’ve ever felt in a seat pad.

Premio 2

The successor of their excellent Body Paint bibshorts, Castelli’s Premio 2 shorts are built on their decades of work to make long hours in the saddle ever more comfortable. The fabric is their high-stretch Forza fabric. The 38% Lycra® content means that it’s gently compressive while never binding. And it maintains an insanely soft hand. A Progetto X2 Air Seamless seat pad gets an update in this season with a new skin care layer that features a remarkably soft new surface fabric and more stretch, allowing them to eliminate the front triangle.

 

Personal Care

Muc-Off Shaving Gear

You may already know Muc-Off for their excellent bike cleaning products, but they also make some great gear for cleaning the whiskers off of your face. Check out their Luxury Shaving Cream and Machined Shaving Brush for Dad.

Muc-Off’s Luxury Shaving Cream was designed with the athlete in mind. It is the thickest formula you’ll have ever experienced, staying on the skin even when submerged in water, so you’ll never miss your shaving blind spot again. Tsubaki oil helps hydrate and nourish the skin; a built-in cooling function protects against irritation, nicks and cuts post-shave; and it sticks closely to the skin, ensuring a smooth shave on the thickest hair or dry skin.

 

Any great shave begins with a great shaving brush. Boasting the softest synthetic fibres, Muc-Off’s vegan-friendly brush shares similar characteristics to that of natural silvertip badger hair, the finest money can buy. From just a small amount of cream comes an extremely thick and creamy lather that promises a close shave on the finest hair. Extremely lightweight, the unscrewable handle can double up as a storage container to protect the brush while travelling.

Native Deodorant

Aluminum is great for bikes, but not so great for your body. I’ve searched long and hard to find affordable, natural, aluminum free deodorant and I think that Native’s line of deodorants are the ticket. In addition to being from of aluminum, there are no parabens or sulfates either and the company does not do animal testing.

At $12, yes, these cost more than Old Spice, but similar products are closer to $25, making these a value.

Shoes

Northwave Clan

Northwave has expanded beyond their road roots with the Clan and Tribe flat pedal MTB shoes. I rode the Clans exclusively during my spring MTB excursion to Baja, Mexico and they definitely met my expectations and held up well against my “go-to” FiveTen Freeriders. The sole of these was developed in partnership with Michelin and they more than proved plenty grippy. An internal shank puts the power down and ensure control and support.

Pearl Izumi Tour Road

PEARL iZUMi launched their first-ever lace-up road shoes with the men’s Tour Road model. Combining a simple, classic look with modern technology, Tour Road provides performance, style and comfort for any rider. The flexibility to have a three bolt SPD-SL or two bolt SPD cleat set up makes the shoes an excellent choice for serious year-round riders or weekend warriors. The carbon cleat plate offers performance that is unmatched by competitors at this level.

Tires

Pirelli MTB Tires

Pirelli introduced their new Scorpion MTB tires range earlier this year, aiming to subvert the current paradigms by offering performance tires for each individual terrain type, with different solutions for every riding style. The innovative SmartGRIP Compound, the technological heart of the new tires, ensures mechanical advantage and grip on dry and wet conditions. I’ve been riding their wet compound tire on my 29er and can attest that it grips well and sheds mud effectively.

Accessories

all-ett Leather Original Wallet

Thanks to our cellphones, our wallets do not need to be as thick as they used to be. Get Dad the all-ett Leather Original Wallet and he can either go super-slim or still hold those important cards and receipts. Its ingenious design makes it thinner than an average empty wallet, even when stuffed to capacity. You can fill it to the brim with +/- 20 cards, bills and receipts and the center seam provides a unique flexibility, making it super comfortable to carry.

Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0

Here at BWN HQ, most mountain bike rides are followed up by beer and wings, not a quick shower. For the muckier days, we’re usually relying on whatever towels are hanging around in the back of the wagon to knock off the mud and dirt and to keep the car seats clean. Orange Mud’s Transition Wrap 2.0 helps get you clean, provides a little cover if you want to change out of muddy shorts, then attaches to your carseat’s headrest to keep the car clean.

Cloudline Hiking Socks

Quickly becoming a legend among serious backpackers and hikers, the Cloudline Merino Hiking Sock features ultra-soft medium weight cushioning throughout for long mile comfort. Premium merino wool wicks moisture, regulates temperature, and resists odor making this the perfect sock for all but the warmest temperatures.
 

Rheos Cooper Floating Sunglasses

If Dad spends any time around the water, it’s almost certain he’s going to want sunglasses and even more certain that said sunglasses are going to try and float off of his face at some point. Rheos are floating sunglasses and their Cooper model offers polarized, UV400 lenses with a hydrophobic finish (like RainX for your lenses) and dual anti-scratch & shatterproof technology. They’re 20% lighter than average frames for floating effect and long-term comfort.