Alrighty – cracks knuckles – finally I’ve been thrown the keys to the website and now is my chance to prove myself as a tech writer. Consider this my application to join the Geek Warning podcast in 2025. I too have opinions about wax and internally routed headsets along with puns galore. I’m going to fit right in.
By way of introduction, I’m Escape‘s head of Platform and Product. The IT guy I guess! That doesn’t really qualify me to write product recommendations but I do have many years of experience as a cyclist. I ride bikes every day across road, gravel and mountain bikes. When I’m not riding I’m consuming information about cycling. I’m a pro racing fan, a certified tech geek and I’m performance-curious.
Long before I was an employee at Escape I was a huge fan of these “favourite things” articles. They were an annual highlight. I love reading about other people’s product experiences and I’m thrilled to share some of my own this year.
In no particular order:
Fizik Tempo Decos Carbon
To give you an idea of my shoe preference here’s a bit of history:
- 2018 – Giro Empire ACC in white
- 2021 – Giro Empire ACC in white (not a typo, bought a second pair)
- 2022 – Rapha Classic in white
In summary, white shoes, classic looks. Laces.
Sadly my appreciation for the lacy vibe has been outweighed by the need to run the laces through the washing machine on the regular. It was time to get a BOA-based shoe.
Buying shoes and helmets can be annoying. The chances of local stores having the appropriate model and size are slim. Fizik had been on my radar for classy looking shoes for a while so when I saw a local deal on the Fizik Tempo Decos in my size I headed right over.
The fit was good in the store. The shoes are pretty minimalist and light. Tightening the BOA causes the large tongue to wrap nicely around the top of my foot. I had concerns about the cleat placement based on some Powerstraps I use on the trainer. As it turned out, the range of motion for the cleats was beyond any other shoe I’ve had and it was simple to get the cleats settled into position.
On the road the shoes disappear. Despite not being top-of-range they look and feel premium. Being carbon-soled, there’s no issues with stiffness while being comfortable enough for longer rides.
I was a little concerned that the single BOA may cause some fitment or comfort issues but nothing has eventuated. I feel like this is a typical example of the cycling industry which often dictates that you must have X (dual BOAs) when Y is actually just fine for most applications.
Price: US$300 / AU$400
Chocolate Milk
Over the past year I’ve been on a quest to improve my nutrition for riding.
The primary motivation was to get myself through some significant bucket list endurance events. I was also keen to see if I could finish decent training rides without feeling completely wiped for the rest of the day.
These days I consume endless Bellis Bars along with litres of Bulk Nutrients Sportsfuel 101 while riding. However my favourite nutrition addition has been drinking chocolate milk as my post-ride recovery drink.
My mum used to buy me litres of chocolate milk when I was younger because I “needed to bulk up a bit.” While I appreciate the support, the effect of all that sugar on a teenager’s skin was a bit of a nightmare, so I stopped drinking it.
Learning that chocolate milk has tons of carbs, protein and electrolytes was very welcome news. My local service station attendant has become very familiar with me parking up and grabbing a Big M at the end of a ride. I normally drink it while sitting on my bathroom floor looking at Strava after my ride.
The good news is that all of these nutrition changes have really helped. If I get my fuel right I can still be a regular human being after longer rides. The fact that chocolate milk gets me there is great! Just look at those nutrition stats!
Of note, there are non-dairy options which are also great but they’re typically a lot lighter on the protein.
Price: $4 AUD
Specialized Crux Comp
If I was writing this a year ago you’d be subject to some gushing about my Specialized Aethos. However this year has been about the evolution and revelation of my Crux.
I’ve owned the Crux since the start of 2023. Normally my bike purchases involve a lot of deliberation and planning but this was a snap-decision due to a sale on the base-model (11-speed Rival) and some matching Roval Terra CL wheels. I splurged on a fancy crankset, mainly to get on my preferred 165 mm cranks due to a lack of SRAM crankset stock.
For the first year I enjoyed the bike but never really loved it. This saddened me given the bike’s reviews and the greatness of my Aethos (some gushing, sorry).
The opportunity to head to the Spring Classics was as a chance to repurpose the Crux into a cobblestone crusader. Silly flared handlebars – gone. Pathfinder gravel tyres – swapped for 35 mm Continental GP 5000s (with inserts).
The unexpected result was a pretty ripping 1X road bike which was also perfectly happy on the rough stuff. Suddenly it was a blast to ride.
Cobbles were gobbled and once back at home I was reluctant to put the original tyres back on. I rode some pretty significant gravel rides on the GP5ks, and had a great time! Being able to blast along the road on the way to the gravel was heaps of fun. The only downside was some sketchiness on chunky gravel and loose descents.
I’ve recently swapped to some 42 mm S-Works Pathfinders for a series of more significant gravel rides and events. I miss the responsiveness and agility of the GP5ks but I’m happy to report that the bike is still heaps of fun. Descending and cornering on the loose stuff is now something to look forward to.
All that to say, the thing I’ve grown to love about the Crux is its versatility. With a few simple tweaks you can transform the bike for a wide variety of use-cases.
There’s some more tweaks on the radar to really get it where I want it. One day I’ll swap to an electronic groupset to remove one of the cables. I also have an inexplicable desire to add some aero handlebars. And I’m keen to get a second wheelset so I can swap back to the Contis on a whim.
Price: US$3800 / AU$5200 for complete bike. US$1750 / AU$2600 for the wheels.
Lezyne Floor Pump Dual Valve Head
I’ve owned a Lezyne Steel Drive floor pump since 2013. Long enough to have developed some kind of relationship with it. It’s quirky to use and the gauge is crooked after I replaced it in 2020.
The pump came with a speed chuck for quick connections to presta valves but I’ve never used it as it would blow off the valve every time. So I’ve been screwing the pump onto valves near daily for 11 years.
Discussion on Geek Warning and the Escape Collective Discord had me thinking about replacement pump heads to make life a little easier. Chatting with Dave (Rome) had me looking at options that ranged between $50 to $120. The whole pump was $90 which reminded me that Dave has premium taste.
So I ignored his advice and bought the cheapest option I could find – Lezyne’s Floor Pump Dual Valve Head. It was $20 and it’s been marginally life-changing. Swapping the head was easy, it clamps on tightly and still allows me to clip the hose away in the little storage hook on the pump. A no-brainer upgrade if you’ve got a Lezyne pump.
Price: US$10.99 / AU$20
maap alt_road cargo bibs 2.0
Despite being a big fan of maap’s alt_road collection I never got on well with the bibs. No matter how I tried to adjust them I could never get everything squared away comfortably. A bit of a mystery given maap’s other bib lines work well for me.
Recently maap released an all new version of the alt_road cargo bibs and I was fortunate to have a bit of store credit hanging round for purchase. Being able to try them on at the nearby maap Lab was also a bonus.
I’m now a few rides in and am happy to say that these are some of the best bibs I’ve used. Apparently they’re based on maap’s pro bib line and this is evident in the premium fit and feel. I bought them for off-road use but have started wearing them on road rides whenever they’re out of the wash.
The price is a bit crazy, and the plethora of pockets on the back seems a bit over-engineered, but I’d still highly recommend them. These will be my go-to for future longer rides and I might just have to try their pro bibs if they’re much the same.
Price: US$310 / AU$400 😳
Specialized Trail Thermal Jersey
I’ve never really paid attention to Specialized’s apparel but coming across a sale (have you noticed a theme with all my purchases?) had me trying a few items. The Trail Thermal Jersey has been a highlight. It’s surprisingly warm for its weight thanks to the Polartec Power Grid fabric and it’s just the right fit for feeling cruisy on the mountain bike without any bulk.
On the bike I’ll wear it with a variety of base layers depending on how cold it is. With a regular base layer it’s a good option from ~10° C to the mid-teens. Once you get warm you can get a bit of ventilation with a generous side zip. There’s a zipped pocket inside the pouch but the jersey’s fabric doesn’t have a lot of structure so putting something like a set of keys in the zipped pocket just makes them bounce around. I don’t really use it.
It’s so comfortable I wear it all the time, riding or otherwise. There’s a really good chance I’m wearing it right now.
Price: US$89.99 / AU$95 (currently on sale!)
This is the fourth installment in our annual “Favourite Things” series. We’ll be rolling these out into December. You can read other entries in this series here, and please share your thoughts in the comments.
Did we do a good job with this story?