Chris Writes.

Clearly, I’m not the only one who will write a list like this.  Heck, I’m not even close to the most qualified to write a list like this.  I’m offering it up as a short retrospective, if only because this has been an excellent year of riding my bike (amongst other notable feats, like moving in with a girl for the first time).  There have been many rides, thousands of miles, and lots of hills. The death ride was tackled yet again, I rode a full stage of the Tour de France a few days before the big boys came through, and yet I missed the Tour of California on account of being home sick.  I raced cyclocross, and finished fourth not once but twice.  And through it all, I’ve managed to get through another year without seriously injuring myself.  Cheers to that, eh?

Pilarcitos CX #4 - photo credit Gnat Harris

So as a tech-geek gear hound, I thought I’d draft up a list of my own personal top products of 2009 – awards of sorts, for bike-related products that I’ve felt were the best items I’ve added to my quiver of bikes, or to my cycling closet, in the past 12 months.  Feel free to leave comments telling me what I forgot, or what I should try in 2010.  Happy new year to all.  May 2010 bring even more great rides and great memories.

Best wear-always piece of gear: Rapha wool baselayer.  These ultra thin merino wool baselayers are softer than the edge of a rainbow, and contain some sort of new zealand magic that perfectly regulate core temperature.  I treated myself to a three-pack of these, and I’ve worn one on every ride since then.

Best season-extending piece of gear: Rapha softshell gilet vest.  Two points for Rapha; I bought two items from their catalog, and despite the cost, they’re worth every cent. The softshell gilet vest fits perfectly, cut high in the front waist so it stays flat when you’re riding, the pockets are perfect and plentiful, and its an ideal layer for those days that are on the precipitous edge of discomfort.

Best retro-cool gear: Avid Shorty Ultimate cyclocross brakes. Leave it to the guys in Chicago to take what was supposed to be an antique technology (cantilever rim brakes) and redesign it in a way that makes even the most ardent gear hag drool blood. Weightless, beyond powerful, and cleverly adjustable to account for rear heel clearance, these are what every Grafton and Paul brake from 1996 dreamed of being.

Best wore-it-out-so-bought-it-again gear: Specialized All-Conditions Armadillo Elite tires. They’re race-worthy tires, not as elegantly compliant as a cotton-casing perhaps, but entirely capable in, as the name reads, all conditions. The secret joy of these 700c rubber circles is the Armadillo Elite puncture-resistant ply under the tread, which adds something like 20g per tire, but means that you’ll not likely ever puncture.  As winter tires, or simply as insurance year round, the thrill of being glass/thorn/tack/nail-proof is something I can’t recommend enough.

Best Finally-got-around-to-it gear: BG Fit.  Ok, technically not gear, but worth it’s weight in whatever your currency, this year I finally got it together and got myself professionally fit to my bike – the same fit trusted by the pros on Team Saxo Bank, and soon, some of those Astana guys too.  Read more about my fit experience here, then go find a Specialized shop that can do it for you.  Astonishingly better.

Best new nutritional supplement: Optygen EFS Liquid Shot.  Discovered this in the schwag bag of Levi Leipheimer’s gran fondo in NorCal.  A tasty, slightly thinner viscosity gel in a easy 5oz flask, this stuff was aces as I nursed it along the 100-mile course, and finished without cramping or any stomach upset.  Definitely ideal for those long days in the saddle.

Best New Awesome Gear: SRAM XX.  I used to race a 2×9 setup when I was racing mountain bikes, and I’m a big fan of the 2-ring setup for dedicated XC riding and racing.  SRAM has taken that idea, and a dozen other absolutely elegant design tricks, and created a dedicated XC racing group that is without parallel.  Favorite details include the shifters and brakes sharing a bar perch, the massively powerful brakes, and the OMG light 10-spd cassette.  In every way, incredible and worth the acclaim it’s earned.

Best post-ride brew: Lagunitas IPA.  California, while entirely screwed in many ways, does have a fantastic beer advantage over most of the rest of the world, with arguable cases to be made for Oregon, Belgium, Germany, and Czech Republic.  Post ride libation choices abound, and there are plenty I enjoy, but like a favorite old t-shirt, there is something fantastic about it that keeps me going back, again and again, never disappointed.

Best speed-enhancing product: Zipp 404 wheels.  I’ve had these for a full year now, and I can’t imagine living without them.  It’s the hollow sound they make as they roll underneath me, the unflinching rigidity they add to my bike, and the absolute badass-ness they add to my bike’s appearance.  Plus, in a cross wind, they’re like having a sail tacked perfectly in the gust, pulling you along as if some sort of divinity lived in your hubs and was hamsterwheeling you forward, off the front of the group.  Bonus points for my “skullz” wheeltags, which make them even more extra badass looking.  Sometimes, they make children cry, just on appearance alone.

Best extravagance: Campagnolo corkscrew. A birthday present from my sweetheart, this monstrosity of a corkscrew makes short work of the cork from any Brunello or Barolo, no matter the vintage.  The chainring bolt pivots are a subtle but polite nod to the cycling foundations of this marvelous bit of metalwork, and it never fails to elicit oohs and aaahs from visiting dinner guests.

Best battery-powered gear: Garmin Edge 705*.  A single unit that tracks GPS data along with heart rate and cadence, this admittedly bulky computer probably offers more power than the first PC I owned, and it’s an absolutely incredible way to track ride data.  An asterisk is added because I have reservations about the mount design, which breaks all too easily, but they’ve since updated it with a more robust version that I’ve heard is good, but I’ve not yet tried myself. Also, the new Garmin bike computers rely on a totally new mounting system, which looks pretty solid.