Section
Sports & Outdoors
Riding, running, and the everyday kit that lives between the trail and town.
Continental GP 5000 700x28 vs Schwalbe Pro One 28
Buy Continental 0101625 for two black 700 by 28 tube-type GP 5000s. Buy Schwalbe 11653975 for one black tubeless Pro One at 700c by 28. Read the sidewall.
Crankbrothers Stamp 7 vs Shimano PD-M520
Buy the Stamp 7 Small, model 16281, for a purple platform and shoe sizes 3 to 10. Buy the PD-M520, model PDM520L, for SPD shoes. Check the box for cleats.
Cygolite Metro 500 USB vs NiteRider Lumina 900 Boost
Buy the Metro 500 USB, part MTR-500-USB, for 500 lumens and a printed one-hour high mode. Buy the Lumina 900 Boost, model 6771, for 900 lumens, and unlock it before you ride.
Giro Register MIPS vs Bell Avenue MIPS LED
Buy the Giro Register MIPS, 54–61 cm, for 22 vents and a removable visor. Buy the Bell Avenue MIPS LED in the same size for the lighted dial. Measure your head. Retire either helmet after a crash.
Topeak JoeBlow Sport III vs Lezyne Macro Floor Drive
Buy the JoeBlow Sport III for a 160 psi steel-base pump and ball needles. Buy the Macro Floor Drive for 220 psi. Do not confuse it with the HV.
CamelBak Podium Chill 21 vs Elite Fly 550
Buy the Podium Chill 21 when you want a cold drink in one cage. Buy the Fly 550 when you want the short light bottle and you will refill. Confirm the sizes.
Lectric XP4 vs Aventon Level 4 REC
Buy the XP4 if the bike has to fold into a trunk or an RV. Buy the Level 4 REC if the week is a paved path and you will not carry 68.5 pounds upstairs. Look at both on SickEBike.
Osprey Duro 6 vs Salomon ADV Skin 5
Buy the Duro 6 when you want two 500 ml flasks in the box. Buy the ADV Skin 5 in the chest size the chart names. A bouncing vest is the wrong size.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs COROS Pace 3
Buy the Forerunner 165 for AMOLED and Garmin Coach. Buy the Pace 3 for battery and a noon-readable face. Lock GPS. Write the turnaround. Wear a sock that is not cotton.
Salomon Speedcross 6 review
Buy the Speedcross 6 for wet leaf and a rooty XC if the last fits. Mesh dumps a seep. GTX keeps a puddle in. Wear merino or a toesock. A rail trail wants a different shoe.
Run a Tuesday XC loop when days equal nights
Equinox day on empty XC grass. Wear a sock you already raced, lamp the dark start, and write the turnaround on the watch.
Ride a Monday gravel after the harvest trucks leave
First weekday of fall on empty county gravel. Pack waterproof bags, lock the cafe stop, and write the turnaround before equinox dark.
Ride a Sunday rail trail when the hardwoods turn
The crushed-stone corridor empties after Saturday. Wear a helmet you already fitted, lock the bike at the cafe, and treat early dark as the turnaround.
Climb outdoor crags before the October freeze
Late-September granite is often the best stone of the year. Wear a helmet, climb a face that actually dried, and walk off before the talus goes black.
Ride fall singletrack when the soil firms
Wait for the dirt to actually firm, ride a hardtail on real trail, set tire pressure, and write a turnaround because mid-September dark is earlier than July.
Gravel bike vs hardtail mountain bike
Buy a gravel bike for forest roads and mixed pavement miles. Buy a hardtail for real trail chunk and a first mountain-bike club. Tires decide more than the badge.
Trail-run the first cool September mornings
The first cool mornings are a sock that stays put, a spare that drains, a lamp for the dark start, and a turnaround on the watch — not a hiking boot under a run heading.
Fall gravel when the roads go quiet
After Labor Day, county gravel often goes quiet. Pack waterproof Ortlieb bags, lock the frame at the cafe, and wear a helmet a shop sized.