Gear Check :: September

Great gear for your fall fun.

Message in a Backpack

While most messenger bags have an over-the-shoulder strap, Crumpler’s Mahoubar was designed backpack-style so you can carry lots of stuff securely while riding your bike. This big, bad boy holds up to three legal-size binders with plenty of extra pocket space for food, tools and all of your daily essentials. Made from heavy-duty, water-resistant denier nylon, the Mahoubar is also plenty comfy to wear with a padded back, padded adjustable shoulder straps, adjustable chest strap and a quick-release webbing waist belt. $125. Crumplerbags.com

 

Bodibeat

Fitness freaks addicted to tunes during workouts: We bring you Yamaha BODiBEAT. This audio player does more than cycle through your playlist. Upload songs as normal, and this smart machine will choose songs that match your running or walking tempo, work with your heart-rate monitor to choose songs that encourage you to move at your optimal aerobic fitness level, or tell you to change pace according to a pre-set music plan. Or you can just use it to listen to tunes in Music mode. Your playlist never gets old because BODiBEAT is always mixing it up according to what you’re doing. $300. Yamaha.com/bodibeat

 

Sweat Off Your Back

Keep cranking all day with the Camelbak H.O.S.S. The 100-oz. reservoir helps you stay hydrated, while the new D.V.I.S. back panel promotes better ventilation than previous incarnations by lifting the pack farther off the back, making it ideal for a hot-weather epic. The new wide design also helps keep your gear distributed evenly across the back for better stability. $140. Camelbak.com

 

Affordable Optics

Serfas Optics’ new line of eyewear offers bold looks on a budget. The company, known for its background in bike accessories, has produced 81 high-performance and active-fashion glasses, many with up to four interchangeable lenses. The Mirador ($50) combines four full-wrap lens options with a durable, sleek frame. Head out on your road bike with the Pavement ($50), which sports a top half-frame to improve field of vision when checking your bike computer. Serfasoptics.com

 

Winning Smell

Technical fabrics need special care to last a long time, and we all know that getting some of those items to smell even neutral (not to mention good) after a tough workout is a Sisyphusian feat. WIN sports detergent uses an oxygenated cleaning technology to eliminate the bacteria and odors that overwhelm the fabric. Even better news: WIN is biodegradable based on OECD standards. $6.99 for a 21 oz. bottle. WINdetergent.com