Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Twin Six Standard Super Thermal Jersey:

Twin Six just came out with a cool/cold weather top called the Standard Super Thermal Jersey. It tickled my fancy because it isn't your standard issue thermal long sleeved piece and it isn't a soft-shell jacket either. It falls somewhere in between those two things, in my opinion. 

Twin Six says it is a "jersey", and that's really closer to the mark than "jacket", but this isn't something you'll want to wear on cool Summer mornings or on Sunny Fall days either. This is more of a "shoulder-season" piece, in my opinion, and paired with a wind vest, it about does everything I'd want in terms of Fall to Winter temperature cycling. 

It's made from a fleeced-up Lycra that Twin Six bills as "Lycra Wool". It is not really wool, so don't let that trip you up. I'll have a bit more to say about that in a moment. But for now, here are the bullet point features:

• Back brushed insulated Lyrca Wool body
• Two-ply collar with zipper garage
• Easy-pull semi-autolock zipper with full length insulated backing
• Three deep back storage pockets with additional hidden internal zipper pocket
• Designed for temperatures below 45˚F
• Silicone gripper around the bottom to hold everything in place

Sizing: Twin Six has a super-helpful and accurate sizing chart, but let me say this, "I don't believe I am a 3XL." But that's how this is sized. Yeah....I am a big guy, but no way am I a 3XL in anything else in this world but cycling clothing. That's not just a Twin Six thing either. That's industry-wide. 

That's super-weird and not very size-inclusive, by the way, since 3XL is the largest size on offer and I know a lot of cyclist bigger than I am. That said, this thing fits perfectly. Could we have called this an "XL" and made two even bigger sizes? That would have been nice for some folks, I bet. 

GT in the Standard Super Thermal Jersey

Impressions: The fleeced interior of this jersey is really nice and I wore this as a jersey using only a base layer under it (A Twin Six one, natch) The "Lycra Wool" is actually kinda like wool in how it feels against the skin. At least when new. We'll see how it launders and feels after several rides. 

The sleeves are a great length and I have pretty long arms. In the saddle the arms, shoulders, and back are perfectly situated on my body and there is no restriction to movement whatsoever. The sleeves end in nice, flat cuffs which will integrate with gloves well and not sag or get in the way. 

The zipper is "good" and doesn't seem like a cheap one. No two-way zipping here, and it is a jersey, so I would not expect that feature. However; some may have wanted that. Personally, I don't care for that sort of thing, but to each their own. Finally, that zipper has a nice pocket, or as they call them "garages" to hide in and it won't bite you or pull your beard hairs, should you be sportin' such. 

Riding: The cut is short in the front, long in the back, so it fits while you are riding very well. It sits just right, and I never felt the need to pull at anything or readjust the jersey. That's a good sign that this is designed and put together well.

I used this on a cool Fall morning with temperatures just above 40°F and with little wind. Still, I mated the Super Thermal with a Twin Six wind vest to cut down on any wind intrusions that might make me chilly. I rode a combination of cityscape, bike tails, single track, and out in the wide-open for maximum wind exposure. In all instances I was very comfortable. 

Good back pockets, by the way, and there is a hidden, zippered pocket for a credit/debit card, keys, or other small items. So far this is a winner and I look forward to wearing this piece a lot this Fall and layered with other things this Winter. 

Oh! And I payed full-pop retail for this which is $140.00. So there.

Ergon GP1 Evo:

Saturday I reported in my "Two Things" post about the new Ergon GP1 Evo grips. This bit of today's post will just be a brief ride impression for this new grip.

Okay, so I have to give you all a bit of my background in issues I have with my hands so there is some context for this. I am a bicycle mechanic and have been for a long time. I have pulled on, banged on, twisted, and gripped tools with my hands on an almost daily basis for all of those years. My hands have suffered some damage for sure. 

Then there is the fact that I have not got a lot of "meat" on my mitts. They bruise easily and I have a propensity to bust open veins at times which can really hurt. Then due to my age and injuries I have a bit of arthritis in my right thumb joint. Riding regular handle bars, especially flat bars, with "normal" grips is hard to do, and even with drop bars, I can get numb hands very quickly. That or my hands just hurt, which can be a problem.

I usually just try to shake it off, move my hands a lot, or change tape/grips. Ergon's GP1, the originals, helped a lot with all of my hand issues on my flat bar bikes.  But these new grips feel better than any other grips I have tried.. They are really a better grip than the original GP1. Too bad there isn't a drop bar version....

I'm going to keep on trying these out in different situations and maybe swap them over to a different bike, but so far, I am really getting along with the new GP1 Evo. 

The Gryphon Mk3 has an Enduro outboard bottom bracket.

Enduro Bearings:

The Enduro bearings I have been testing in the Gryphon and the Standard Rando v2 have been an interesting experience. Kind of a tale of two experiences, really. 

The tale of what went into the Standard Rando v2 can be read HERE. That bike got a load of Enduro stuff put into it and then I rode that bike in a metric ton of Summer drought induced gravel dust. 

The Gryphon has been doing duty as a truckster, of sorts, carrying around this load of stuff of late. Between the two bikes I have noted different things. The Gryphon Mk3 experience with that MaxHit bottom bracket has been an eye opening one. I used a Shimano compatible outboard bearing type bottom bracket on that frame and it has 100% eliminated that weird "rumble" I get with every Shimano outboard bearing bottom bracket I've ever tried when pedaling hard or under a heavy load. This Enduro bottom bracket is noticeably smoother and easier to rotate. I would not hesitate to use one of these MaxHit outboard bearing bottom brackets again. 

Now as for the Twin Six, that bike has a PF-30 type insert with a Shimano compatible bearing. The bottom bracket screws together and has been dead quiet despite all the grit and dust. However; it still has a slight "rumble" of the sort that I eliminated with the Enduro bottom bracket in the Gryphon. The T-6 bike's crank spins great though. Better than with the previous Wheels Manufacturing bottom bracket. 

The jockey wheels, bottom bracket, and head set are all Enduro products on this bike.

The other Enduro components, the derailleur jockey wheels and the head set? I cannot tell any difference at all. I mean, the drive train spins in the stand far more freely, so I know that it is better from a friction standpoint, but honestly, you cannot feel that. Same with the head set. It hasn't given me any troubles, but neither did the Cane Creek head set that was in there before this. 

Maybe the jockey wheels are worth a few watts? I wish I could say that definitively, but I have no way to measure that. Plus, those jockey wheels are very expensive! The head set? Great head set, but probably overkill here. If I lived where it was wetter, or if this bike saw a lot of snow or gritty mud that maybe would help this headset stand out. 

I suppose it is more durable, being that it is stainless steel and from the MaxHit line, so that means it should last a long time and stay smooth. That's worth something if you plan on keeping a bike for a long time and want minimal maintenance. 

So, MaxHit outboard bearing bottom bracket? Big thumbs up. The Press Fit 30 one? Good, but the Wheels Manufacturing one felt as good. The jockey wheels? Meh... If you are a racer looking for those elusive watts? Then yes. The head set? Yeah.... That could go either way. It's good, but there are so many good heads sets and it's hard to say "you gotta get the Enduro one!" when it really doesn't seem to be all that different in practice.