My experience:

Function: 3.5/5

Style: 4/5

Build Quality: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Availability: Stainless steel double walled thinksport bottles are available online at the thinksport store in 350 ml ($15.99) and 750 ml version ($19.99).

Summary

Combining the petroleum free design of stainless steel bottles with the double walled insulation of bottles like the Polar bottle, thinksport offers a high quality water bottle that keeps liquids either hot or cool for hours without condensation sweating or extreme temperature to the touch. While the bottle does a great job of temperature regulation, it’s unusual size make it of limited value to the cyclist wanting a plastic free replacement for bottles in their frame cages.

thinksport sells two sizes of their stainless steel, double walled bottles in 350 ml and 750 ml sizes and in a limited variety of colors.

Style and build quality

The thinksport bottle sports a classic design thanks to the shine of stainless steel. This material gives the bottle some heft and a finish that feels like a quality product. Because of the double wall design for insulation, the bottle is wider than non-insulated bottles of similar volume, however the hourglass design makes holding the bottle easy.

Function

The designers of the thinksport obviously put some thought into issues around filling and using a bottle like this. Since one of the primary uses is to keep liquids cold, it is nice to see a large mouth opening to allow standard ice cubes to be easily dropped in the bottle. Once filled, there is a wire mess cover to this opening that prevents ice from flowing out onto you when you drink from it. You can drink from the bottle either from the large screw off cap or a smaller, sipping opening with a plastic leash that keeps the lid from getting lost.

The removal mess interior cover stops ices from dumping back out on you while drinking.

The thinksport bottle is not lined in any way so there is no plastic taste or off-gassing. Conversely, there is no metallic taste either, a problem I’ve had with other metal bottles.

I was interested to see how well the bottle would do at temperature regulation as that has been my number one criticism of stainless steel bottles. While the true test will come during our Texas summers, I found the bottle did an excellent job of keeping water ice cold for 3-4 hours. This is considerably better than Polar bottles which tend to keep water cold 1-2 hours depending on ambient temperature. Also, as an added bonus the bottle is designed to handle hot liquids unlike most other sports bottles.

While the thinksport bottle exceeded my expectations on keeping liquids cool, the over-sized design of the bottle to achieve this makes it of limited usefulness to the cyclist. This size means the bottle does not fit in standard water bottle cages. The bottle also does not have a pop up drinking spigot as an option. Combined, this means on-the-bike drinking is pretty much impossible. For the cyclist, the thinksport bottle might be best used as a refill bottle for your cage bottles to keep the refill cold. Alternatively, those riding trails or riding socially may not mind stopping to pull out the bottle. (NOTE: I was sent the 750 ml version. The 350 ml, approximately 12 oz, may fit in bottle cages. It is unclear from the pictures on the thinksport site whether this would work.)

The FlashBack can be purchased online or locally for $39

My experience: Back in August, we did a profile of Brad Beneski, the creator of the FlashBak. He gave us a FlashBak to test out and review. I have ridden after dark with the FlashBak a dozen times mostly attached to the back of my Xtracycle.

Function: 4.5/5
Style: 2/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
Availability: The FlashBak is available at many Austin local bike shops or online from the FlashBak site for $32 plus shipping.
Summary
The FlashBak provides high rear visibility to riders especially in urban riding situations. While there was a quirk with the On/Off switch, it performed well it testing.

Function
The FlashBak tackles several issues with rear lighting on bikes: will people see you, how do you it’s on, how long will the batteries last, what happens if I fall off the bike? On the first one, the FlashBak handles very well by expanding the lighting area to a large rectangle with 10 LED lights instead of the usual 3-5 in a narrow plastic shell. Equipped with alligator clips, it easily attaches to your back pack or shirt or anything else you want to clip it to. Since it is intended to clip to you, you remain visible even if you are off the bike. There is also an On/Off switch with a light embedded in it that clips to your front so you can always see if the lights are working. Because the light array is on nylon strips, the FlashBak folds up easily for storage when not in use. It is also quite light and could be a good solution for the early morning runner.

The bright flashing rectangle of the FlashBak

On the road the light is quite bright compared to a traditional blinky. Part of this is the larger coverage and additional lights, part of this is the use of amber instead of red (Note: Technically, the law calls for red lights in most jurisdictions, but Beneski talk to the Travis County DA’s office which indicated the intent of the law is visibility, not color. We think it would be highly unlikely that you would ever be ticketed for this, but if you are in doubt, put a regular red light on your bike as well.) In group rides, you might want to ride at the back as the lights can be a little overwhelming or use a solid light instead. Which brings us to one of the few drawbacks. The FlashBak has no solid light mode. Part of this is because Beneski design is milking every bit of current it can to make the lights as bright as possible and a solid light would burn them out. This is really a non-issue for urban riding where there is ambient light and you just want to stand out. In truly pitch black situations, you probably want to go with a solid as some research indicated solid is better for approaching vehicle to judge distance.

My main design gripe is with the On/Off switch on the battery box. This secondary switch in addition to the lighted pinch switch on your shirt and is intended to prevent the FlashBak from coming on when stored. The primary switch is like a CamelBak straw in that you have to really pinch hard to engage it. This makes this secondary toggle switch a bit redundant. I also had problems with the secondary switch turning off the light while in a pocket or bag. I eventually clipped it to the back of my Xtracycle which became an issue as I couldn’t see the front On/Off light. At one point I had ridden several miles before noticing the FlashBak had been turned off. I’d recommend getting rid of this secondary switch all together in future versions. It is unnecessary and causes more problems than it solves.

The only other minor gripe is that the bulbs are not replaceable. They are estimated to last 100,000 hours so I don’t think they are going to burn out any time soon, but it seems like a pity to have to chuck this in the land fill when the lights burn out. Maybe FlashBak could offer a recycling program where you could send it back in for a discount on a new one or have them replace the bulbs.

All in all, it’s kind of hard to believe no one had come up with this solution yet, and it does a great job. I’d highly recommend the FlasBak to any transportation cyclists or night time jogger.

My experience

Function: 4/5

Style: 2/5

Build Quality: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Availability: The Helmet Lock is available for $12.95 or $19.95 for two at the Helmet Lock website.

Summary:

For those wanting to leave their helmet behind when they lock up, the Helmet Lock offers a low cost way to secure your lid. While not high security, the simple to use lock works with your bike lock to provide security in all but the most theft prone areas.

Function:

The Helmet Lock attempts to address an issue common with helmeted transportation cyclists: keeping up with your helmet. For those who don’t want to carry a bulbous piece of polystyrene around but fear their helmet will go missing, this is a good basic solution. The lock itself is fairly simple being comprised of a large steel nut with two rubber coated steel cables. Locking your helmet is easy by simply pulling the larger loop through a vent in the helmet until the nut acts as a stopper. Slip the loop through your bike lock and you’re done. The second loop aids in Helmet Lock storage allowing you to attach the lock to your bike lock through both loops when not in use.

While I think the design is straight forward, it will not provide complete protection in a high crime area. The thin metal cable is a good general deterrent but would be easily cut with bolt cutters. I also wonder how much of a target your sweaty helmet is for theft. Still, I’ve had spare tubes and half used patch kits stolen from my saddle bag, so there is no telling what is in the mind of a thief. The only other limitation of the system is what sort of helmet you have. If you are wearing a BMX style helmet with no vents or a high end road helmet with enormous vents, this system may not work for you, but for most this is a light weight, low cost theft deterrent.

The bright flashing rectangle of the FlashBak

We were sent several products to review over the summer and have been woefully behind on getting reviews written up for you. Look for reviews this week of the FlashBak, The Helmet Lock, and Global Ride: Hawaii Rides DVDs for riding on indoor trainer.

These days, though, we have diverged a bit. Elliott still uses Macs pretty exclusively and is a proud iPhone user. I don’t have any Macs at home right now, am using the Windows 7 Release Candidate on a cheapo Compaq and my phone is a BlackBerry 8900. Conflict! I like iPhones, really, they aren’t bad. I just can’t type any word with more than three letters without misspelling it on those touch screens. Especially with sweaty hands you get from things like, say, biking.

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing my usual morning news sites (courtesy of Viigo, naturally) and found this story on BerryReview about bicycle mounts for the BlackBerry Bold and Storm. Wow!

Image courtesy USBFever.com

So that’s great right? This must be what every bicycle riding nerd has been looking for. Way more useful than, say, a pocket. Confusing isn’t it? I’m glad these kinds of companies are thinking of us cyclists but I just don’t know what this is for. Obsessed texters who just have to get every second of typing in before the red light changes? Perpetually lost Google Maps addicts? Hmm.

The scariest part is actually this line on the product page:

This mount is not designed for use with aggressive or extreme bicycle riding. Decrease the risk of damage to your PDA from an accident by using a self made strap to further secure the PDA in the cradle is recommended.

Encouraging customers to use a homemade strap before they buy, huh? I bet USB Fever Customer Service has had some angry calls about this one, and I further wager that “aggressive or extreme bicycle riding” is probably not too far off from commuting to work on our pothole-laden Austin streets.

Fear not, iPhone users, you aren’t left out in the cold on this one either. Here’s your very own bike mount too!

Image courtesy USBFever.com

So there you go! BlackBerry and iPhone users rejoice! We can all join hands and share our experiences of mounting our $500 phones precariously on our bicycle handlebars!

I would actually like to hear some uses or experiences from these. Whoever posts the best use, or best harrowing phone on bike story in the comments will actually get one of these – your preference!

My experience:

Function: 5/5

Style: 5/5

Build Quality: 4/5

Overall: 5/5

Availability: Retails for $85 in Brown or Black at retailers who stock Velo Orange products or directly from the Velo Orange online store.

Summary:

Online supplier of retro bicycle components and accessories, Velo Orange, currently sells two models of leather saddles that are similar in design to a Brooks B-67, a wide saddle with springs best suited to an upright riding position. The saddles, called the VO Model 8 in brown and VO model 7 in black, retails for $85, a substantial savings over the $125 price of a B-67.

While the breakin period takes a little longer than a Brooks, the VO Model 8 is a well made, stylish saddle that deserves consideration if you are not set on the Brooks name.

Function

The VO Model 8 is a double single rail saddle that will fit most seat posts. It includes springs in the back for some suspension as well as a tension bolt for re-tightening the leather. One nice feature that is not on the Brooks is that the tightening bolt is an Allen style (hex) like much of the rest of the parts on a bicycle which means you don’t need a special tool to tighten the saddle. Brooks requires a special wrench which of course you have to purchase separately. The VO Model 8 comes with the correct Allen wrench included. The saddle also comes with a color matched string tie through in the middle of the saddle to prevent the sides from flaring out. This is an option Brooks owners often have to do on their own. Finally, metal loops on the back for saddle bags finish out this very functional, transportation focuses product.

The saddle itself feels much like the B67. I will say that the saddle does take considerably longer to break in than a Brooks. I like a firm saddle and have found the Brooks pretty much good to go from installation (others find the Brooks initially too firm and report a few week break in period.) The Model 8 took about a month of riding several times a week to get there. Now, it feels fine as it has contoured to my body.

Style and Build Quality

I found the style and build quality to be a match to the Brooks B67. The style of the leather is a little different with a more textured appearance. While I find the smoother leather of the B67 a bit more attractive, the texture surface does keep you from sliding around.

Instead of the small metal plate with the brand on the back, Velo Orange has had a larger “VO” carved into the seat. I think this was a good move as a metal plate would make the saddle look too much like a knockoff. In fact, I was riding with Marcus a few weeks ago, and he did not even realize it was not a Brooks until we started talking about it.

My one minor gripe on build quality is the occasional occurrence of squeaky springs. After about a month, I’d hear the springs squeak pretty loudly when I tried to pedal hard or I’d hit a bump. Brooks are susceptible to this as well, and a tightening of the saddle reduced this a bit.

Final Thoughts

Velo Orange has produced a quality saddle at a great price that will look great on your English roadster or Dutch city bike. As long as you can give up the Brooks cache and accept a little longer break in period, you’ll love this saddle.

As you may have read, during our review of the Axiom Transition Computer bag/pannier, we had a complete failure of the bag to stay on our standard bike rack, which caused extensive damage to my Hewlett-Packard laptop.

Now, I have uploaded a gallery of photos of the damage caused when the bag flew off the rack and landed on the road, damaging the computer. In addition, below is the response from the initial story’s comments from Axiom support, indicating that the bag was used incorrectly and stating they should “provide better instructions in the future.” You can see the photos above in the slide show, or on Flickr here.

Below is an excerpt from their support comment (you can read it in full at the original story):

Between the two hooks on this rear bag there should be a small piece of plastic, with three holes, that rotates, this is the Posi-Lock. When you put the bag on the rack and twist the Posi-Lock to the vertical position it will lock the bag into place making it almost impossible for the bag to eject off the rack, even through rough road conditions like train tracks or hitting a pothole. The Posi-Lock can be adjusted to three different positions so it will fit most conventional racks. The bungee with a hook is the quick latch and also is designed to keep the bottom of the bag from swinging out. When used properly the system has four points of connection: the Posi Lock, the two hooks and the bungee, creating a very secure system.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention; consumer feedback helps us make a better product for everybody. On the next run of bags we are looking at including a sticker or tag attached to the Posi-Lock to better explain the use of this system and to ensure that people know how to properly secure their bags.

Interesting response. Here’s what they say keeps the bag on:

Back side of the Axiom Transition bag

What the Axiom support person is referring to is the horizontal piece of plastic in the top center area of the bag. Would this work to keep the pannier in place? Maybe, but how would you know to use it?

Here are the printed materials that come with the bag:

Hm it's a "lifetime guarantee" (for the bag, not your computer) and a very basic marketing foldout.

That’s right, there are no instructions. So what’s telling you to use this piece of rotating plastic to save your computer from certain destruction? Nothing.

“we are looking at including a sticker or tag attached to the Posi-Lock to better explain the use of this system and to ensure that people know how to properly secure their bags” – Thanks a lot, Axiom.

How does an $80 bag turn into a $1000 bag? Read on.

Summary: The Axiom Transition pannier is an attractive, functional bag for urban commuters that unfortunately suffers from terrible design flaws. We cannot recommend this until they are rectified.

Axiom Transition Pannier

The Axiom Transition bag is a large-size computer bag pannier, designed to carry laptops up to 17″ in size. In fact, this is just about the only pannier-style bag I have found that was big enough to carry my (admittedly HUGE) HP Pavilion dv7 laptop.

A thin, svelte MacBook Pro my computer ain’t. At about 1.5 inches thick by probably 15 inches across, it is one big laptop. Since this one fits, I would guess that the Axiom bag can carry just about any 17″ laptop around – unless you’ve been lugging around the same portable since 1988.

The Axiom bag holds large laptops, but not THIS large.

When I found that the Axiom bag would fit my laptop computer, I was one happy cyclist! On my Azor Secret Service, the only solution I had found was to use an REI-brand big fat computer sleeve and throw that inside my Basil Memphis panniers. Not ideal, not lightweight, and not pretty either, as my laptop was so tall it regularly stuck 2-3 inches out of the top of the bag, making it so I could never close the panniers.

The Axiom system seemed like a much more elegant way to bring my computer to work at first glance. The bag is attractive, aerodynamic and fairly stylish. Both sides have triangular-shaped Axiom logos that double as reflectors for extra visibility. There is an inner removable liner to help hold smaller laptops in place, probably down to 14″ or so I would estimate. A front pocket protected by an oversized flap has enough room for your power adapter and a few small essential accessories. Also included is an arm strap that hooks to the side of the pannier, reinforcing the fact that this bag is meant to be easily removable from your rack and used as an arm bag of sorts.

The attachment system is where things go wrong on the Axiom Transition pannier. The bag is designed to attach at three points: two small hooks which fit over your rack, and then one long “springy” cord with a hook at the end, which is meant to fit over the bottom edge of your rack. Sounds good in practice.

In reality though, this system just doesn’t work to hold the rack on the bicycle, and my laptop paid the price for it.

On my very first commute with the bag loaded (I tested it over the weekend with lighter loads beforehand), disaster struck. Heading north on south Congress, it’s easy to pick up speed even if you’re a fat slow cyclist like me because there’s over a mile downhill section. I was easily going over 20 miles an hour when I hit a pothole near the State House apartments, and BOOM…

A heavy object flying off of your bicycle at high speed makes an interesting sound. For a moment, I wondered if a helicopter was flying overhead, actually. There was a huge, wooshing sound of rotating air and then a WHACK! as something very hard hit the ground behind me. I slammed on my brakes, almost losing control of the bike, and as my brain slowly put the event together, it dawned on me: this was going to be bad.

A nice bystander ran into the street and grabbed my bag, handing it to me. I thanked him, but I’m sure I was frowning. I didn’t even bother opening the bag until I got to my office.

When I lifted back the lid and surveyed the damage, I immediately wondered, “how the hell am I going to be able to afford this?” A spiderweb of thin, splintery cracks covered the top portion of the once-beautiful screen.

My computer has since been sent off to Hewlett-Packard repair, where they have given me an estimate far higher than what I paid for the computer originally. I’m still hoping to get it repaired locally, if I can get a better quote.

The Axiom Transition computer pannier is an attractive, feature-filled system that holds a lot of promise for urban commuters. Unfortunately, until they fix their fatally flawed mounting system, we at Austin On Two Wheels cannot recommend the product in good conscience. We encourage our readers to look for other, more secure alternatives.

So here’s your problem: You like the clean setup and simplicity of your single speed with road drop bars, but you’d really love to have more gear choices for when the rod tilts upward. In the past, your only option was a flip-flop wheel which involved having to remove and flip the wheel to change gears.

Well, single speeders Jtek now has you covered with the introduction of their bar end shifter for Shimano’s 8 speed internal Nexus and Alfine hubs. This is a very cool development as I’ve been thinking about building a touring/commuting frame with internal gearing on a road platform, but have been limited to shifters that only fit mountain bike handlebars.

Jtek offers the new shifter for $80 either directly from them online or through your local bike shop via distributors Quality Bicycle Products or Bicycle Technologies International. I’m ordering one of these to try out. Look for a review in the coming weeks.

Cervelo P4 Time Trial/Triathlon bike finally coming to market

This morning I headed down to the Austin Tri-Cyclist to join them for their regular 8:30 Saturday ride. I’m really out of shape right now, so it doesn’t take me long to get dropped on these rides but at least I get to start with a group.

Before I went off the back however I got to see Austin Tri-Cyclist owner Don Ruthven riding a brand, spankin’ new Cervelo P4 on its maiden voyage. Don is one of the first Cervelo dealers to get one of these time trial/triathlon bikes that created quite a buzz at Interbike this fall. I couldn’t keep up to see Don put it to the test, but I did hear his initial impression: “This bike feels really fast!” I’d think Don would know.

If you want to pre-order one of these bad boys, you can stop by the Austin Tri-Cyclist at 923 Barton Springs (across from Palmer Events Center). The staff at Austin Tri-Cyclist are also F.I.S.T. certified bike fitters so even if you aren’t laying down nearly $5000 for a P4 frame-set you can still get a great tri-bike fit.

My experience:

Function: 4/5

Style: 4/5

Build Quality: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Summary:

The B17 saddle is the traditional Brooks model for touring and road bike setups. As the oldest saddles in production with little changes since its introduction in the 1920s, I’m not expecting that what I say here will change a lot of minds or make changes at Brooks. Having said that, I think it is still worthy of an updated review. While the style of the saddle took a little getting use to, the quality of build and comfort in most riding positions is impressive. For general riding that does not include an aggressive areo position, this saddle is a fine choice.

Installation and fitting

The B17 has a double rail system that will fit most any seat post and is available as the same design with seat springs in the Brooks Flyer model. This saddle is geared toward the more bent over position of a road or touring bike (as opposed to the upright position the B67 is built for) so the best seat angle is level with the ground. Unlike most modern saddles, the top is not completely flat with the nose positioned slightly higher than the wider seat section. This means when you are leveling the saddle, you want to use the flatter back half of the saddle.

Many people, including Marcus, have talked about how firm these saddles are and how they required a long break in period. I think it is the rider, and not the saddle, that needs the breaking in. I swapped out my firm road saddle and felt almost no difference in ride quality. Granted, I prefer firmer saddles, but I was expecting at least some break in period and found none. Looks like riding every day pays off!

I find the saddle equally comfortable to my old saddle in all but one position: in the drops going aero. In this position or when riding on the nose, “on the rivet” as they say, the upward slope of the nose makes the saddle very uncomfortable in street cloths. This is less of an issue if you are wear shorts with a chamois. The B17 is not designed to be a racing saddle, so this is acceptable, but if you want to do club rides on a Brooks you may want to look at the Swift, Swallow, or Team models for more aggressive riding.

Style and Build Quality

The build quality of a Brooks is hands down great without exception. All built by hand in the same factory since the 19th century, they clearly pay attention to every detail from the rails to rivets to well formed saddle leather. (For more background on Brooks’ manufacturing or to simply drink the Brooks Kool-aid, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this video on the Brooks company. I’m not responsible for any flashbacks to high school science films!)

The style of the B17 took a little getting used to for me. I like the classic leather and rivet build, especially the copper rivets on my green special edition. This color has gone well with my celeste Bianchi. I didn’t however like the bulkier design of the saddle on initial installation. I was used to a svelte racing design, but eventually the classic look has grown on me.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a very comfortable saddle with vintage lines on your touring bike, you can do little better than the Brooks B17. The saddle delivers just as well as modern plastic and foam saddles, proving not all innovations are necessary better than the original.