Pogie Lites: Update

So, here I am using some lighter gloves and the Pogie Lites in pretty cold temps.

Not long ago I did a review here on Pogie Lites. (See HERE) Now this was before we had any "real Winter" going on here. So, recently during a ride to work I thought I should do an update, because obviously, we have had some pretty cold temperatures here of late with plenty of wind to go along with that.

I think I've fine tuned the Pogie Lite set up for Winter that works for me. Notice, I said, "...for me." This may not work at all for you or anyone else, so you will have to think the following information through and filter it for your own needs.

Okay, with that said, my thoughts were that with the Pogie Lites, I may have to use a bit beefier glove underneath to provide the right of warmth for my hands. So on a pretty cold day, (single digits) with a decent amount of wind, I rode with my heavier Seal Skinz gloves. I found out pretty quickly that was too much glove. The lack of any wind getting through the Pogie Lites meant my hands easily over-heated inside those gloves.

So, I switched to using a pair of lighter Seal Skinz gloves I have. Now on their own, I might get away with riding with these in the 20's and light to no wind. Maybe. However; with Pogie Lites I almost get too warm in the single digits with these gloves on. It's really easy to get a sweat on, even with sub-zero wind chills. So, I ended up loosening up the cinched up end, (the side facing the stem) of the Pogie Lites to allow a bit of flow through in regard to air. This pretty much solved my issues with sweating out and now I can easily ride in difficult conditions, (read- sky high heart rates), and for as long as I want without getting too hot and without getting even the least bit cold.

The Pogie Lites are now an indispensable part of my Winter kit.

This has proven to be a pretty cool set up since the Seal Skinz gloves I am using, (seen above), are allowing enough dexterity that I can easily adjust other items of clothing, and get into pockets, etc, without having to "de-glove" to do things.

I wanted also to reiterate how the Pogie Lites are easy to get into and out of. This wasn't the case with my old pogies, and try pushing back any other style of pogie. You cannot do that. Nor can you operate your controls outside of other normal pogies. You can with Pogie Lites. To my mind, since they seem to work for me in as cold a temperatures as I will want to ride in, why buy anything else? 

 I just cannot think of a good reason to use another pogie now. I'll admit, I thought maybe deep Winter cold would preclude my use of Pogie Lites, and I was completely at ease with that thought. However; it simply was wrong thinking on my part. In fact, if it were a situation where it got below zero for the ambient temperature, I would switch to my heavier Seal Skinz gloves and still use Pogie Lites.

Now for the disclaimers: My hands are generally warm anyway. In fact, I sometimes can ride bare handed in sub-freezing temperatures if it isn't windy. (Not often, but still.....) So, I have what I would call "warm hands" generally speaking. Many folks hands are freezing at 40°F, so I get it if you think this sounds like rubbish. Just adjust this review accordingly for how it is your hands generally are.

Also, I will again reiterate that Bike Iowa sent me this pair of Pogie Lites at no charge for review. They weren't expecting this update, or did they even know about it beforehand, so this is purely just my take on these things. I genuinely like them and they work for me. Again- this may not be something that works for you. 

Pogie Lites: Update

So, here I am using some lighter gloves and the Pogie Lites in pretty cold temps.

Not long ago I did a review here on Pogie Lites. (See HERE) Now this was before we had any "real Winter" going on here. So, recently during a ride to work I thought I should do an update, because obviously, we have had some pretty cold temperatures here of late with plenty of wind to go along with that.

I think I've fine tuned the Pogie Lite set up for Winter that works for me. Notice, I said, "...for me." This may not work at all for you or anyone else, so you will have to think the following information through and filter it for your own needs.

Okay, with that said, my thoughts were that with the Pogie Lites, I may have to use a bit beefier glove underneath to provide the right of warmth for my hands. So on a pretty cold day, (single digits) with a decent amount of wind, I rode with my heavier Seal Skinz gloves. I found out pretty quickly that was too much glove. The lack of any wind getting through the Pogie Lites meant my hands easily over-heated inside those gloves.

So, I switched to using a pair of lighter Seal Skinz gloves I have. Now on their own, I might get away with riding with these in the 20's and light to no wind. Maybe. However; with Pogie Lites I almost get too warm in the single digits with these gloves on. It's really easy to get a sweat on, even with sub-zero wind chills. So, I ended up loosening up the cinched up end, (the side facing the stem) of the Pogie Lites to allow a bit of flow through in regard to air. This pretty much solved my issues with sweating out and now I can easily ride in difficult conditions, (read- sky high heart rates), and for as long as I want without getting too hot and without getting even the least bit cold.

The Pogie Lites are now an indispensable part of my Winter kit.

This has proven to be a pretty cool set up since the Seal Skinz gloves I am using, (seen above), are allowing enough dexterity that I can easily adjust other items of clothing, and get into pockets, etc, without having to "de-glove" to do things.

I wanted also to reiterate how the Pogie Lites are easy to get into and out of. This wasn't the case with my old pogies, and try pushing back any other style of pogie. You cannot do that. Nor can you operate your controls outside of other normal pogies. You can with Pogie Lites. To my mind, since they seem to work for me in as cold a temperatures as I will want to ride in, why buy anything else? 

 I just cannot think of a good reason to use another pogie now. I'll admit, I thought maybe deep Winter cold would preclude my use of Pogie Lites, and I was completely at ease with that thought. However; it simply was wrong thinking on my part. In fact, if it were a situation where it got below zero for the ambient temperature, I would switch to my heavier Seal Skinz gloves and still use Pogie Lites.

Now for the disclaimers: My hands are generally warm anyway. In fact, I sometimes can ride bare handed in sub-freezing temperatures if it isn't windy. (Not often, but still.....) So, I have what I would call "warm hands" generally speaking. Many folks hands are freezing at 40°F, so I get it if you think this sounds like rubbish. Just adjust this review accordingly for how it is your hands generally are.

Also, I will again reiterate that Bike Iowa sent me this pair of Pogie Lites at no charge for review. They weren't expecting this update, or did they even know about it beforehand, so this is purely just my take on these things. I genuinely like them and they work for me. Again- this may not be something that works for you. 

Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party v2 Report

Schwag table at the Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Last year N.Y.Roll and I put on what N.Y.Roll dubbed as the "Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party". I was asked to help promote and facilitate it as the speaker. Our focus was to bring a light to the gravel scene and shine that also on beginners, or what we sometimes call "gravel curious folk", who wonder about gravel riding and if it is for them.

I figured it was only going to attract a few locals. If we got 35 people, or so I thought, it would be considered a success. Now, I have to say that N.Y. Roll thought it would be much better attended than that and in the end, he was right. We had standing room only and something like 85+ people up there!

So, with such an attendance and enthusiastic response afterward, we planned on doing the Expo again the following year. This attendance issue brought N.Y. Roll and I a lot of concern, and we were constantly bouncing ideas off one another for months leading up to the next Expo. Possibilities such as having vendors, maybe some media, and of course, a bigger venue than we had for "Year One". However; in our efforts to keep the event local, we were met with several road blocks.

Things like parking, alcohol serving limitations, how to cater food, space costs, and location of venues all were huge roadblocks for our event as we had meager resources for such big plans. To be sure, Cedar Valley Cyclists and Europa Cycle & Ski, both financial supporters in our efforts, plus our first year and eventual second year host, Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt, are to be commended for stepping up to the plate and helping us. Without them, nothing would have happened, but the resources we had, as wonderful as they were, didn't have the horsepower to launch the event to the levels we were thinking.

Attendees were treated to free Doughy Joey's Peetza courtesy of our sponsors.

In the end, the attendance issue really became our perceived biggest problem and the one that kind of has pushed us toward a new idea for this event going forward. That will be discussed later. The end result was that we came up with the idea to have two sessions and to kind of corral people into choosing one or the other to attend and we ran with that. This allowed us to use the same venue and its benefits. It ended up working out really well with comfortable amounts of room for everyone in both sessions. Had we run one session as we did our first year, the room wouldn't have held everyone that attended this year. Blame that on fire codes. It is what it is.

So, we had eleven presenters, some from first time events, and all are Iowa based events. We had BikeIowa.com, one of our sponsors, who sell the Pogie Lites I reviewed, and have a great calendar of Iowa based gravel events on their site as well. We also had a great presentation by Andrea Cohen of the Gravel Scouts. Both sessions were well received by attendees and everything went pretty smoothly. We had some nice schwag handouts with cool stickers, chain lube samples from DuMonde Tech, and slap koozies from Bike Iowa.

Doughy Joey's staff kept the pies coming and the beer flowing and accomplished all that smoothly and unobtrusively. The venue was excellent in that way. I think we maybe could have used a small P.A., but that would have brought it's own issues and we would have had a different set of problems there since the upper room we used isn't sealed off from the remainder of the public space there. All in all, it was the best it could have been. N.Y. Roll and I are grateful to the staff and owners of Doughy Joey's for allowing us the opportunity to put the event on.

Dan from the Snaggy Ridge 105 telling us how the gravel based event has affected Tipton, Iowa.

The takeaways I gathered from this Expo were many. I learned more about how gravel cycling events are benefiting small towns like Tipton, Alden, and Lynville, Iowa. I learned how initiatives to promote healthy living are affecting people in Grinnell, the Iowa City area, and Alden Iowa and this from gravel based events and organizations. I saw event directors with a lot of experience rubbing shoulders with inexperienced directors and LOTS of shared information was dispersed during the Expo. We also hosted Mark Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and his ideas along with those of Scott Sumpter of Bike Iowa are going to help shape what the Expo will become in the future.

Which brings me back to the point I alluded to earlier. The point about attendance. On one hand, we cannot really facilitate more people using the venue we have used. It is limited and we understand that. The event has potential to help more cyclists and event directors. It has the potential to help civic organizations and local governments to promote rural Iowa. The event has growth potential in terms of businesses involved in cycling and gravel cycling in particular. The potential is not going to be realized where we are now, so things must change to get this event where it has the potential to go.

What will that look like? Well, I cannot say for certain. We heard a lot of ideas, and there has to be more people brought into this to help guide the future of the Iowa Gravel Expo. One thing is for sure, maybe two- That is that Waterloo/Cedar Falls is probably not where the event will end up, although there is one idea floated out there which would make the event "multi-centered", so to speak. The other thing is that N.Y. Roll's and my guidance in this event is not enough, and has the distinct possibility of ending. It's something that has to be on the table for this idea to grow, and in my opinion, the idea is too good to be limited by my and N.Y. Roll's limited resources.

In the meantime, what N.Y. Roll and I have started is a success. We think, and many others do as well, that it is an awesome concept that has great potential. I know that I will be involved in the short term, at the least, in where the event goes from this point.

THANK YOU: Sponsors- Europa Cycle & Ski, Cedar Valley Cyclists, Dave Roll, Riding Gravel, Bike Iowa, Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt, Andrea Cohen/Gravel Scouts, Scott Sumpter/Pogie Lites, The Event Directors, DuMonde Tech, Mark Wyatt/Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and most importantly- all the attendees who came to learn more about Iowa based gravel events!

Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party v2 Report

Schwag table at the Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Last year N.Y.Roll and I put on what N.Y.Roll dubbed as the "Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party". I was asked to help promote and facilitate it as the speaker. Our focus was to bring a light to the gravel scene and shine that also on beginners, or what we sometimes call "gravel curious folk", who wonder about gravel riding and if it is for them.

I figured it was only going to attract a few locals. If we got 35 people, or so I thought, it would be considered a success. Now, I have to say that N.Y. Roll thought it would be much better attended than that and in the end, he was right. We had standing room only and something like 85+ people up there!

So, with such an attendance and enthusiastic response afterward, we planned on doing the Expo again the following year. This attendance issue brought N.Y. Roll and I a lot of concern, and we were constantly bouncing ideas off one another for months leading up to the next Expo. Possibilities such as having vendors, maybe some media, and of course, a bigger venue than we had for "Year One". However; in our efforts to keep the event local, we were met with several road blocks.

Things like parking, alcohol serving limitations, how to cater food, space costs, and location of venues all were huge roadblocks for our event as we had meager resources for such big plans. To be sure, Cedar Valley Cyclists and Europa Cycle & Ski, both financial supporters in our efforts, plus our first year and eventual second year host, Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt, are to be commended for stepping up to the plate and helping us. Without them, nothing would have happened, but the resources we had, as wonderful as they were, didn't have the horsepower to launch the event to the levels we were thinking.

Attendees were treated to free Doughy Joey's Peetza courtesy of our sponsors.

In the end, the attendance issue really became our perceived biggest problem and the one that kind of has pushed us toward a new idea for this event going forward. That will be discussed later. The end result was that we came up with the idea to have two sessions and to kind of corral people into choosing one or the other to attend and we ran with that. This allowed us to use the same venue and its benefits. It ended up working out really well with comfortable amounts of room for everyone in both sessions. Had we run one session as we did our first year, the room wouldn't have held everyone that attended this year. Blame that on fire codes. It is what it is.

So, we had eleven presenters, some from first time events, and all are Iowa based events. We had BikeIowa.com, one of our sponsors, who sell the Pogie Lites I reviewed, and have a great calendar of Iowa based gravel events on their site as well. We also had a great presentation by Andrea Cohen of the Gravel Scouts. Both sessions were well received by attendees and everything went pretty smoothly. We had some nice schwag handouts with cool stickers, chain lube samples from DuMonde Tech, and slap koozies from Bike Iowa.

Doughy Joey's staff kept the pies coming and the beer flowing and accomplished all that smoothly and unobtrusively. The venue was excellent in that way. I think we maybe could have used a small P.A., but that would have brought it's own issues and we would have had a different set of problems there since the upper room we used isn't sealed off from the remainder of the public space there. All in all, it was the best it could have been. N.Y. Roll and I are grateful to the staff and owners of Doughy Joey's for allowing us the opportunity to put the event on.

Dan from the Snaggy Ridge 105 telling us how the gravel based event has affected Tipton, Iowa.

The takeaways I gathered from this Expo were many. I learned more about how gravel cycling events are benefiting small towns like Tipton, Alden, and Lynville, Iowa. I learned how initiatives to promote healthy living are affecting people in Grinnell, the Iowa City area, and Alden Iowa and this from gravel based events and organizations. I saw event directors with a lot of experience rubbing shoulders with inexperienced directors and LOTS of shared information was dispersed during the Expo. We also hosted Mark Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and his ideas along with those of Scott Sumpter of Bike Iowa are going to help shape what the Expo will become in the future.

Which brings me back to the point I alluded to earlier. The point about attendance. On one hand, we cannot really facilitate more people using the venue we have used. It is limited and we understand that. The event has potential to help more cyclists and event directors. It has the potential to help civic organizations and local governments to promote rural Iowa. The event has growth potential in terms of businesses involved in cycling and gravel cycling in particular. The potential is not going to be realized where we are now, so things must change to get this event where it has the potential to go.

What will that look like? Well, I cannot say for certain. We heard a lot of ideas, and there has to be more people brought into this to help guide the future of the Iowa Gravel Expo. One thing is for sure, maybe two- That is that Waterloo/Cedar Falls is probably not where the event will end up, although there is one idea floated out there which would make the event "multi-centered", so to speak. The other thing is that N.Y. Roll's and my guidance in this event is not enough, and has the distinct possibility of ending. It's something that has to be on the table for this idea to grow, and in my opinion, the idea is too good to be limited by my and N.Y. Roll's limited resources.

In the meantime, what N.Y. Roll and I have started is a success. We think, and many others do as well, that it is an awesome concept that has great potential. I know that I will be involved in the short term, at the least, in where the event goes from this point.

THANK YOU: Sponsors- Europa Cycle & Ski, Cedar Valley Cyclists, Dave Roll, Riding Gravel, Bike Iowa, Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt, Andrea Cohen/Gravel Scouts, Scott Sumpter/Pogie Lites, The Event Directors, DuMonde Tech, Mark Wyatt/Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and most importantly- all the attendees who came to learn more about Iowa based gravel events!

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites Reviewed

A while back I mentioned that the good folks behind Bike Iowa had sent me some of their Pogie Lites. These are basically loosely based on the traditional "pogie", or handle bar covering, which keeps wind and weather off your hands to aid in keeping warm and dry. If you care to know the origins of this sort of product, Neil Beltchenko wrote a bit about the history of this product for Bikepacker.com and you can read that HERE.

Pogies for cycling have become big, stiffer, and somewhat unwieldy in some cases, making them useful only in special situations. Bike Iowa's Scott Sumpter saw this and sought to make a pogie that would be useful in other situations than Arctic type weather. A pogie that was more wide ranging in use, one that wouldn't be cumbersome to remove during a ride, or install during a ride. A pogie for four seasons and not just for flat bar equipped bicycles. Scott had a tall order, but now offers the solution he came up with called Pogie Lites.

Made in "Central Iowa", the $75.00 Pogie Lites are shaped much like traditional pogies with a cinch strap made of webbing which is on the end with the "Bike Iowa" logo. This end goes over your controls and cinches down on your handle bar. The other opening, the wider one, has a structure sewn inside, (a wire, I'm guessing) which keeps the opening, well.......open. This is important for ingress and egress for your hands during riding. This end also features a corded closure with a toggle to tighten the cord down around your wrist. This is similar in nature to what you'd find on most sporting outerwear jackets.

Pogie Lites on my flat bar Ti Mukluk

Bike Iowa claims these light weight pogies fit flat bars, drop bars, or the unusual Jones Bar, of which I have examples of all three here. First up we have a traditional flat bar set up here. I used my Ti Mukluk with the Pogie Lites.

They are super easy to install. The strap on the handle bar is easily loosened to get over the controls and easily tightened to seal out cold winds and weather. The extra strapping can be lodged in the hook and through a loop sewn into the collar. I was impressed with how quickly this all went.

The structure which holds the other end open allows you to sneak your hand in and draw up the pogie over your hand. There is a bit of a learning curve to this part, but once you get the hang of it, one handed operation is easy while the other hand is on the handle bar. While riding it is easy to pull out your hand for any reason and replace it again inside of the pogie. I have to say that you become painfully aware of how often you actually do this when you get pogies of any sort. Kind of like when you start out on a fixed gear bicycle, you are reminded how much of the time you are coasting. Anyway.....

Pogie Lites live up to their name in several ways. First off, they weigh about 3 ounces. The are made of a lightweight material, although it isn't specified on their website what it is exactly. The material is very flexible and that's where the magic of these comes in at. This lightweight, flexible material allows for a few things that typical pogies for cycling do not. One is how you can operate your bicycle's controls from outside the pogie. So, for instance, let's say that you removed your hand to swipe that pesky bit of mucus dangling from your nostril and suddenly you need to brake. You can by grasping the lever from the outside of the pogie. You simply just smash the fabric around the lever and squeeze as you would anyway. It isn't ideal, obviously, but in a pinch, yeah.....it'll work. 

The Pogie Lite on drop bars

This was very evident when I put the Pogie Lites on a set of drop bars so I could use the drops primarily. You can also put them on in the "opposite direction" so your hands would be in a primarily hoods position. But as I had them oriented, I could withdraw my hand from within the Pogie Lite and set my hands on the hoods. I could use the levers for braking and shifting, despite the fact they were covered up. Obviously, you could do this with them oriented in the other position as well, but I haven't tried them that way yet.

I also put the Pogie Lites on my Blackborow DS fat bike which has Jones carbon H-Bars. The Pogie Lites fit these bars very well and in the end, I think they actually worked the best with Jones Bars. But that was only by a slight amount. They really work great on about any bar. Well, just about any bar........

I will say that putting these on the drop bars was a challenge in the way I did it since the smaller end has to go on first, and it has to pass over the brake lever and hood. Some of these brakes with knobby hood protrusions, like SRAM Hydro levers, probably won't fit the Pogie Lites the way I had them oriented. That's only a guess right now though. We have a bike at the shop I should check this out with, but the Pogie Lites barely cleared the hoods on the Sora levers on the Breezer RADAR Expert. Obviously, they probably would be a no-go on levers with side exiting derailleur cables too. I doubt I'd like these on a Gevenalle equipped rig either. Finally, I could see where some folks just wouldn't "get it" when it comes to these as well. Like I said, there is a bit of skill involved in getting on with them and some folks just can't be arsed to figure things out. That's fine.

As far as comfort went, I kept the wind off my hands easily with the Pogie Lites. Therefore my hands were warmer. I didn't use my heavy gloves, but since the Pogie Lites are not insulated at all, I did wear some insulated gloves when I rode with temperatures varying from the teens to the 30's.

The Pogie Lites are really easy to install and remove, plus they are really very packable. You could fold them carefully and stuff them in a jersey pocket easily. Obviously there are a lot of places these could be stowed. I can see just having them along for almost any cool to cold ride in the country, for varied weather commutes, or for fat biking anytime unless it is really crazy windy, way below zero, or both. If that's the case, an insulated pogie is probably the best bet.

In the end, I think this is a very interesting, very useful product that gravel riders, commuters, racers, bike packers, or anyone that wants a bit of comfort in their cycling could make use of. It is a simple product, durable, and easy to take care of. Plus, it is made in the USA by some pretty cool folks I happen to know. That doesn't make Pogie Lites better, it's just icing on the cake, so to speak. Anyway, these are highly recommended. I like 'em.

 Note: I was sent the Pogie Lites for test and review at no charge by Bike Iowa. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites Reviewed

A while back I mentioned that the good folks behind Bike Iowa had sent me some of their Pogie Lites. These are basically loosely based on the traditional "pogie", or handle bar covering, which keeps wind and weather off your hands to aid in keeping warm and dry. If you care to know the origins of this sort of product, Neil Beltchenko wrote a bit about the history of this product for Bikepacker.com and you can read that HERE.

Pogies for cycling have become big, stiffer, and somewhat unwieldy in some cases, making them useful only in special situations. Bike Iowa's Scott Sumpter saw this and sought to make a pogie that would be useful in other situations than Arctic type weather. A pogie that was more wide ranging in use, one that wouldn't be cumbersome to remove during a ride, or install during a ride. A pogie for four seasons and not just for flat bar equipped bicycles. Scott had a tall order, but now offers the solution he came up with called Pogie Lites.

Made in "Central Iowa", the $75.00 Pogie Lites are shaped much like traditional pogies with a cinch strap made of webbing which is on the end with the "Bike Iowa" logo. This end goes over your controls and cinches down on your handle bar. The other opening, the wider one, has a structure sewn inside, (a wire, I'm guessing) which keeps the opening, well.......open. This is important for ingress and egress for your hands during riding. This end also features a corded closure with a toggle to tighten the cord down around your wrist. This is similar in nature to what you'd find on most sporting outerwear jackets.

Pogie Lites on my flat bar Ti Mukluk

Bike Iowa claims these light weight pogies fit flat bars, drop bars, or the unusual Jones Bar, of which I have examples of all three here. First up we have a traditional flat bar set up here. I used my Ti Mukluk with the Pogie Lites.

They are super easy to install. The strap on the handle bar is easily loosened to get over the controls and easily tightened to seal out cold winds and weather. The extra strapping can be lodged in the hook and through a loop sewn into the collar. I was impressed with how quickly this all went.

The structure which holds the other end open allows you to sneak your hand in and draw up the pogie over your hand. There is a bit of a learning curve to this part, but once you get the hang of it, one handed operation is easy while the other hand is on the handle bar. While riding it is easy to pull out your hand for any reason and replace it again inside of the pogie. I have to say that you become painfully aware of how often you actually do this when you get pogies of any sort. Kind of like when you start out on a fixed gear bicycle, you are reminded how much of the time you are coasting. Anyway.....

Pogie Lites live up to their name in several ways. First off, they weigh about 3 ounces. The are made of a lightweight material, although it isn't specified on their website what it is exactly. The material is very flexible and that's where the magic of these comes in at. This lightweight, flexible material allows for a few things that typical pogies for cycling do not. One is how you can operate your bicycle's controls from outside the pogie. So, for instance, let's say that you removed your hand to swipe that pesky bit of mucus dangling from your nostril and suddenly you need to brake. You can by grasping the lever from the outside of the pogie. You simply just smash the fabric around the lever and squeeze as you would anyway. It isn't ideal, obviously, but in a pinch, yeah.....it'll work. 

The Pogie Lite on drop bars

This was very evident when I put the Pogie Lites on a set of drop bars so I could use the drops primarily. You can also put them on in the "opposite direction" so your hands would be in a primarily hoods position. But as I had them oriented, I could withdraw my hand from within the Pogie Lite and set my hands on the hoods. I could use the levers for braking and shifting, despite the fact they were covered up. Obviously, you could do this with them oriented in the other position as well, but I haven't tried them that way yet.

I also put the Pogie Lites on my Blackborow DS fat bike which has Jones carbon H-Bars. The Pogie Lites fit these bars very well and in the end, I think they actually worked the best with Jones Bars. But that was only by a slight amount. They really work great on about any bar. Well, just about any bar........

I will say that putting these on the drop bars was a challenge in the way I did it since the smaller end has to go on first, and it has to pass over the brake lever and hood. Some of these brakes with knobby hood protrusions, like SRAM Hydro levers, probably won't fit the Pogie Lites the way I had them oriented. That's only a guess right now though. We have a bike at the shop I should check this out with, but the Pogie Lites barely cleared the hoods on the Sora levers on the Breezer RADAR Expert. Obviously, they probably would be a no-go on levers with side exiting derailleur cables too. I doubt I'd like these on a Gevenalle equipped rig either. Finally, I could see where some folks just wouldn't "get it" when it comes to these as well. Like I said, there is a bit of skill involved in getting on with them and some folks just can't be arsed to figure things out. That's fine.

As far as comfort went, I kept the wind off my hands easily with the Pogie Lites. Therefore my hands were warmer. I didn't use my heavy gloves, but since the Pogie Lites are not insulated at all, I did wear some insulated gloves when I rode with temperatures varying from the teens to the 30's.

The Pogie Lites are really easy to install and remove, plus they are really very packable. You could fold them carefully and stuff them in a jersey pocket easily. Obviously there are a lot of places these could be stowed. I can see just having them along for almost any cool to cold ride in the country, for varied weather commutes, or for fat biking anytime unless it is really crazy windy, way below zero, or both. If that's the case, an insulated pogie is probably the best bet.

In the end, I think this is a very interesting, very useful product that gravel riders, commuters, racers, bike packers, or anyone that wants a bit of comfort in their cycling could make use of. It is a simple product, durable, and easy to take care of. Plus, it is made in the USA by some pretty cool folks I happen to know. That doesn't make Pogie Lites better, it's just icing on the cake, so to speak. Anyway, these are highly recommended. I like 'em.

 Note: I was sent the Pogie Lites for test and review at no charge by Bike Iowa. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Friday News And Views

The new Donnelly "EMP" gravel tire

Look Out Kansas! Another Tire Has Been Influenced By You!

First there was the "Official Tire of Dirty Kansas", the Teravail Cannonball. (remember that?) Then there was the Flintridge Pro, another tire from Kenda Tires which was influenced by the Dirty Kanza 200. Now you can add another tire which has taken its cues from the flinty roads around Emporia, Kansas.

Donnelly's Donn Kellogg had told me about a new tire which would be named after Emporia's airport code, (that's how all Donnelly tires are named, by three letter airport codes) and here it is, the "EMP". It is supposed to be Donnelly's "most aggressive gravel road tire". It'll be out right around now in a 700c X 38mm size and next Spring in a 700c X 45mm size. Tubeless and folding beads at $72.00 and $47.00 respectively. No word on a 650B variant or skin walls. (Boo!)

This sounded like a good time, so I signed up.

Signing On:

Over the past weekend I signed up for two events that are happening next year. The first is the brand new Prairie Burn 100 which is happening in Grinnell, Iowa on June 8th, 2019. That's a week after the Dirty Kanza 200, in case you were wondering.

The Prairie Burn is going to be a loop format/lap type event. Non-competitive too. You just go out for a ride on 25-ish mile loops which all bring you back into Grinnell so if you want to stop after, 25, 50 miles, well, you can. Music and food with beverages of different sorts will also be going down at the same time in the city park. I plan on riding a single speed, so we will see how that goes!

The other event I signed up for is Gravel Worlds which will happen on August 17th. Of course, if you have been following this blog at all, you already know what I think about Gravel Worlds. The big deal this year is that Gravel Worlds is in its tenth year, so that's a big deal and I wanted to be a part of that. So far as I know now, I will contest that one on the "Bubblegum Princess". But that's nine months from now. Who knows what might happen......

Four season pogies?

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites:

First off, if you haven't checked out BikeIowa.com and you are a cyclist in Iowa or close to this state, what the heck are you doing? All the pertinent cycling news, events, and more is there for this state. Check it out.

Bike Iowa's own Scott Sumpter helped design,  test, and manufacture these new handle bar accessory items called "Pogie Lites".  They are coverings which are supremely versatile. Tested in the worst of conditions at Trans Iowa, Land Run 100, Winter events, and more, these items are refined and ready to help riders get more riding in under adverse conditions.

Scott and his partner, Jess, make these and sell them direct, or at select bike shops. I was sent a pair to test and review for here and RidingGravel.com. (Read about disclaimer below) I've been very intrigued by this product and have watched as Scott and Jess have tweaked out the design. The Pogie Lites are wind-proof, water resistant, and will fit on drop bars, staright bars, and Jones Bars. Whatta ya know! I have all of those!

So, be on the lookout for my thoughts on this product here and at Riding Gravel. I suspect they will prove to be a valuable asset for cold weather riding, which is what we have on tap now. I'll also say up front that I am not a big fan of traditional pogies as seen on fat bikes. For me, they just get in the way, and they are bulky, clunky things. I know many of you would never consider riding without them. I get it, as I have some traditional pogies and I have ridden with them. I'll definitely be doing a compare and contrast between the two types.

And Now For A Public Announcement: You've often seen my disclaimers- The "gloppy dollops of my opinion", the "I bought this with my own damn money", or the "I received this from XYZ for test and review at no charge. I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout".

Well, I have recently learned about how You Tubers are being paid by companies to receive products in return for positive reviews, mentions, and in some cases, to denigrate competitors products. I thought that was super crazy. I also am probably naive, behind the times, and not very smart. Anyway, I was sent an e-mail by a company just the other evening about a CBD product with a proposal that would include my receiving said product free and being paid in return for a review.

I flatly refuse to ever do such a thing for anybody. 

Just so you know.

Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

The new Donnelly "EMP" gravel tire

Look Out Kansas! Another Tire Has Been Influenced By You!

First there was the "Official Tire of Dirty Kansas", the Teravail Cannonball. (remember that?) Then there was the Flintridge Pro, another tire from Kenda Tires which was influenced by the Dirty Kanza 200. Now you can add another tire which has taken its cues from the flinty roads around Emporia, Kansas.

Donnelly's Donn Kellogg had told me about a new tire which would be named after Emporia's airport code, (that's how all Donnelly tires are named, by three letter airport codes) and here it is, the "EMP". It is supposed to be Donnelly's "most aggressive gravel road tire". It'll be out right around now in a 700c X 38mm size and next Spring in a 700c X 45mm size. Tubeless and folding beads at $72.00 and $47.00 respectively. No word on a 650B variant or skin walls. (Boo!)

This sounded like a good time, so I signed up.

Signing On:

Over the past weekend I signed up for two events that are happening next year. The first is the brand new Prairie Burn 100 which is happening in Grinnell, Iowa on June 8th, 2019. That's a week after the Dirty Kanza 200, in case you were wondering.

The Prairie Burn is going to be a loop format/lap type event. Non-competitive too. You just go out for a ride on 25-ish mile loops which all bring you back into Grinnell so if you want to stop after, 25, 50 miles, well, you can. Music and food with beverages of different sorts will also be going down at the same time in the city park. I plan on riding a single speed, so we will see how that goes!

The other event I signed up for is Gravel Worlds which will happen on August 17th. Of course, if you have been following this blog at all, you already know what I think about Gravel Worlds. The big deal this year is that Gravel Worlds is in its tenth year, so that's a big deal and I wanted to be a part of that. So far as I know now, I will contest that one on the "Bubblegum Princess". But that's nine months from now. Who knows what might happen......

Four season pogies?

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites:

First off, if you haven't checked out BikeIowa.com and you are a cyclist in Iowa or close to this state, what the heck are you doing? All the pertinent cycling news, events, and more is there for this state. Check it out.

Bike Iowa's own Scott Sumpter helped design,  test, and manufacture these new handle bar accessory items called "Pogie Lites".  They are coverings which are supremely versatile. Tested in the worst of conditions at Trans Iowa, Land Run 100, Winter events, and more, these items are refined and ready to help riders get more riding in under adverse conditions.

Scott and his partner, Jess, make these and sell them direct, or at select bike shops. I was sent a pair to test and review for here and RidingGravel.com. (Read about disclaimer below) I've been very intrigued by this product and have watched as Scott and Jess have tweaked out the design. The Pogie Lites are wind-proof, water resistant, and will fit on drop bars, staright bars, and Jones Bars. Whatta ya know! I have all of those!

So, be on the lookout for my thoughts on this product here and at Riding Gravel. I suspect they will prove to be a valuable asset for cold weather riding, which is what we have on tap now. I'll also say up front that I am not a big fan of traditional pogies as seen on fat bikes. For me, they just get in the way, and they are bulky, clunky things. I know many of you would never consider riding without them. I get it, as I have some traditional pogies and I have ridden with them. I'll definitely be doing a compare and contrast between the two types.

And Now For A Public Announcement: You've often seen my disclaimers- The "gloppy dollops of my opinion", the "I bought this with my own damn money", or the "I received this from XYZ for test and review at no charge. I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout".

Well, I have recently learned about how You Tubers are being paid by companies to receive products in return for positive reviews, mentions, and in some cases, to denigrate competitors products. I thought that was super crazy. I also am probably naive, behind the times, and not very smart. Anyway, I was sent an e-mail by a company just the other evening about a CBD product with a proposal that would include my receiving said product free and being paid in return for a review.

I flatly refuse to ever do such a thing for anybody. 

Just so you know.

Have a great weekend!