I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like a bit of the ol’matchy-matchy look when it comes to my riding kit.
It’s probably from all the old DH world cup reruns of Cedric and Peaty rocking neon skinsuits that got me hooked. But at the end of the day, black goes with everything, and that has been my default color choice for some time now. Recently though, I realized the only way to be stealthier was, of course, camouflage.
Winter riding in Bellingham, WA feels like its own sub-genre of mountain biking at times. It’s usually not that cold once you’re pedaling, but the mud can be more pernicious and penetrating than a tar pit. It sticks to everything, creating multi-layer stacks of soil and rock that sometimes stay in the fibers of your clothes for seasons to come. After years of resorting to fancy rain pants and jackets, I thought they were the only solution to staying even just sort of clean in the winter.
The first ride in Fox’s Flexair Pro Fire Alpha Jacket and Defend Fire Pants was in a mild rainstorm with temps around 45 degrees Fahrenheit—very muddy and wet, but not too cold. I was worried I would just sweat through everything, making this first experience in the new gear semi-worthless. But to my surprise, the first thing I noticed was the overall breathability and comfort while pedaling.
[continued...]
From Freehub Mag
At our core, we are mountain bikers and adventurers. Luckily for others, we are also storytellers, builders and advocates for all things bike, and we strive to bring mountain bike culture to the like-minded masses through our magazine and website. People are what drive our sport, and their stories are what motivate us to produce our printed publication, short films and web content. Whether it’s the tale of a world-class athlete, legacy of a local trail builder, or delineation of a struggling community turned mountain bike mecca, these are the narratives that drive innovation and inspiration alike—and the stories we love to tell.
