This "basic" crew is one of my favorite Items on the Giro New Road line. The CA Ride crew has the most function out of the rest of the line. Giro's Nycore fabric is a merino wool fabric with a nylon core to help the shirt maintain its shape, stay lite and wick away moisture. The design of the shirt is quite understated and casual. the light colored blue and grey stripe is a great fashionable touch,Giro CA Crew Review though the placement of the stitching is right below and just above the chest, making the seam placement pretty strange. after a while it becomes an after-thought but still there brushing agaist your underboob, wierd.

My favorite features are the rear jersey pockets, which Giro sophisticates with the title of Skeletal Pocket Construction, solid. Man these things come in handy!! For some reason we always end up hitting the grocery store with this thing on and stuff it to the brim. It works as a great casual jersey, nothing to fancy but has all the functionality of a jersey sans the zippers and vacuum sealed fit. I wish I could say the same for the front pocket ( maybe they should put that Skeletal Pocket Construction on it as well ;). After using the rear pockets several times they still keep their shape and structure. Contrarily, after placing my iPhone in the front pocket for a ride, the little guy stays stretched out, acting as a mini wind sock. after washes it tightens up a bit but the pocket is small and not really big enough for the phone so its not really worth the risk of having my phone fall out.

The wicking properties of merino wool allows this piece to be worn over and over again without constant washing. I've gone weeks without washing as long as it wasn't A great t-shirt for the spring and fall seasons, keeping the body insulated while regulating body temps. The greatest thing about the giro line is that each piece can be worn interchangeably with any piece on the line. I usually rock this tee with Giro's Lead/Gum Republic shoe to create a flawless fashionable fit. A great way to add a touch of color to your life.

Thanks to Jarell Williams @nothingbutfixed for the photos!

Years ago skate brands, such as DC, came out with several models of jeans and cuts using Coolmax denim. The stretch and feel were incredible. The fabric moved with the body while staying breathable and durable. Its amazing designers haven't used the fabric for bicycle specific apparel until today. Today, our Spindlera, Jenni Bedel, dawns a pair of Dish Jeans made with the Coolmax denim and put them through the daily grindringer. in true Spindle fashion.

I was super stoked when The Spindle asked me to test out some new performance denim for women. Over the past 3 years I have been extensively searching and researching for the perfect pair of jeans. I bet if you polled a bunch of women, most would agree: the denim struggle is real. I have shimmied, jumped, shaken, squeezed, squatted into many pairs with mostly disappointing results. My ideal jeans are stylish, fit well, and easy to move in for cycling too. From designer denim to raw denim, to various styles and brands of cycling specific womens pants – nada. Are my standards unrealistic? Of course they are, but that’s how I roll.

All that being said: Dish has made the closest to perfect pair of denim – honest. These jeans are a perfectly solid dark denim with no funny stitching or whiskering and with just the right amount of stretch. They’re comfortable. The rise isn’t too low and the inseam isn’t too short. One really cool feature of the Dish jeans: the fabric is made with Coolmax performance fibers to keep you cool while you’re out being awesome.

After wearing these jeans (obsessively) for months I can’t recall ever feeling super sweaty or super cold. I noticed that I wasn’t spending half of my bike rides thinking about how I couldn’t wait to put on more comfortable pants. It was almost like wearing my favorite pair of yoga pants. My Dish jeans were getting so much ride wear that the outside leg seams did start to show some give. They seem to be holding up just fine, but I assume that will be the first thing to go when hit their denim breaking point. My conclusion? Coolmax fabric actually lives up to its performance promises, and it might be obvious by now – but I’ve found a champion in my denim quest. Will the search continue you ask? Of course it will (like I said – that’s how I roll) but for now I will be wearing and tearing my Dish jeans indefinitely.

Most commuters are pretty well versed in what to expect when buying a cotton pants, buy 'em cheap, and burn 'em fast.  It's unfortunate evil that many of us USED to deal with, we're now shelling out extra money on pants that last for years while still maintaining the good looks we bought them for in the 1st place!  With that, and the ever-growing cycling culture in the US, brands are more quality-driven then ever before.

Within in this group is a company out of Colorado called 'Upright Cyclists', barely a year old, they've come out of the gates swinging with their line of urban cycling gear.  The design is sleek. simple, and made to ride everyday.  These folks were kind enough to send over a pair of Division Pants over to The Spindle Slaughterhouse to be tested.

Generally some companies will rely on a cotton/spandex blend to get them through the stretching and pulling that go with a daily commute, Upright went a step further with triple stitching and extra fabric on the gusseted crotch, the two points that tend to wear first, and they do stretch nicely, although it really doesn't feel like they would when you slide them on.  The divisions skew from the norm of being 'low rise', they are designed with a higher back and lower front to coincide with your positioning while riding, and does not effect your comfort once you get off the bike, although I will admit it did take a little time to get used to having my pants up right below my belly-button.

Other features includes darted knees for extra bend and comfort while riding, and for safety, the division pant steers away from the normal reflective fabric along the seam of the cuff, they've actually added a reflective piping along the cuff of the pants, which surprising gives more visibility on night rides.  Also, there is an added DWR (durable water repellant) finish that did very well when I got caught in a light rain, and once I reached the house the pants only took around 15 mins to dry, but in the case of a downpour, they got pretty soaked and took over an hour to start feeling a little better, but they're not advertised as being waterproof but you know we got to do it anyway!!

An interesting feature are the buttons, they are on every pocket front-to-back, which I'm a big fan of on the back since it prevents your valuables from falling out, the front was the part I was a little confused about, although they do save your pocketed items, it's another feature that I wasn't used to so it took a few runs to remember they existed when I tried to pull my phone out!

All-in-all the Division's are a solid purchase, they are a nice, comfortable relaxed fit, but not baggy so fabric isn't everywhere while hustlin' through the streets!  So they would work well with those of you with thicker riding thighs, that way you don't have to go up a size waist-wise, saving your belt holes from being in spots they have no business being in!

Kickin around in the newest line of commuter shoes to grace the Spindle shelves are the Quoc Pham hardcourts. These are the latest sod compatible shoes with the Mission Workshop seal of approval.

At first glance the subtle styling is quite understated, yet I still get great compliments on these guys. its black on black on black look also goes with pretty much everything I wear on a regular basis. These shoes have been through a lot and they show very little wear. Lets get this review started, bit by bit!

Lets start with the Cordura-like, woven nylon upper. This ballistic, abrasion resistant nylon holds strong against furious concrete scrapings. A few gravel slide outs and over the bar ventures have ensured valid testing of these shoes….. and my face…. and my body. But as Led Zepplin says, " the shoe remains the same…" …. thats right…. right?!? The weave, though extremely sturdy, breaks in like an old tennis shoe while maintaining its steel cage like protection. The first thing to break structure is the leather tab, gracing the company's logo. This has zero effect on the shoes function but adds little ear-like flaps to the outside of the shoe.

Heel cups are usually the first thing to go out on shoes, tearing and breaking little pieces of plastic in to the shoe on a regular basis. Not the Hardcourts. These maintain structure without being too rigid. Also on the rear of each shoe, is a reflective strip for safety purposes. Here in Atlanta, law says you must have a front light and a rear reflector, these will do as your rear reflector if yours gets broken or stolen.  Personally, we see no substitute for a obnoxiously bright rear light, but these may get you home and away from the strong arm of the Law.

Now for the sole, and man do these baddies have sole! the balance of stiffness and comfort are incredible! Thick soles so your cleats don't tap, great flex in the midsole but stiff enough to mash it in the fastest traffic. Working in these sukkas for over 13 hrs a day is testament to their comfort and to still be able to stand at the bar of our local watering hole after those 13+ hrs is pretty damn amazing. The rubber sole itself is thick and grippy, good enough for those emergency BMX brakes when your chain pops or you brakes are in need of dialing in. With all the trekking that has been done in these badboys its amazing that all the adhesive binding the upper to the sole has no sign of ever coming detached.

Said to be water resistant, we didn't really see too much water shedding on our rainy day rides. Water will sneak its way through the tight weaves and soak right into your socks and feet, so wear merino woolies on those cold rainy days. That said, after arriving home, slipping a rag in to each shoes will ensure they will be dry and ready the next day of street bashing.

Photography above provided By Jarrell Williams

They're also great for crushing cans!

When we first brought Giro into the shop, this simply designed shirt caught my eye.  This is a straight-forward, understated garment, but what exactly makes it conducive for cycling? "This shirt could possibly make me look good" is what went through my head...

The tight lines and fit of this shirt are truly amazing. The 3% of Lycra really allows the shirt to move with you while the "ride position stretch pleats" are helpful when reaching for the bars. This shirt lives in fall and early winter. Paired with a thin base or mid layer and a shell, you're solid gold on those colder days/nights.

This is a smooooth lookin' shirt and fits in flawlessly in any situation. The addition of the the placket hiding the buttons and hidden snap front pocket, give this shirt a sleek, modern look.  The site describes the shirt as chambray-like, I disagree. The fabric is much more rigid almost like a tight denim. This is advantageous on those windier days, the tight knit keep the wind minimal while still allowing it to cool you off or keeping that body heat in. The fabric itself is durable, allowing reckless folks like ourselves to eat shit (i.e. ass over bars, face bounces, slide outs and the so ons and so forths) and walk away with very minimal damage to the shirt. The Mobility shirt is pretty easy to maintain as well. Simple messes are just a swipe with a wet cloth away from being clean again. Luckily, it dries on the quickness.

Although this shirt is stylish and perfect for the metropolitan commute, we do wish it had a few more features. The chest pocket is the only available storage and will not snap shut with an iPhone sized mobile phone. No other pockets. The buttons are unfortunately not as tough as the fabric, wishing now that there were a couple of backups sewn into the shirts. A simple zipper pocket in the back or side would be great, but no cycling specific cues come out of this shirt. For the price tag, a little storage would go a long way.

photos by Jarrel Williams

@nothingbutfixed