Gettin' Toasty! with American Spirit Whiskey

Some of us didn't dodge the rain on the way in to meet at the shop, but the ride from the shop to the distillery was graced with clear skies!! The ride consisted of leaving from the Spindle ( you gotta pregame whiskey with beer, right?!?) and highlighted the unfinished part of the Beltline. The trail portion on the south side of Piedmont Park is hard packed dirt and gravel but as it extends past the backside of Ansley Shopping Center, it's riding along abandoned railroads on top of plum-sized, granite stones. 

After pushing through the large, loose gravel we were rewarded with the sweet smell of mash as we rolled into the bustling distillery. Greeted at the door by Chad who graciously dialed us into the goings on of the distillery that day. The days activities included tasting their line of aged and unaged whiskeys and a new apple brandy utilizing apples from Mercier Orchard in North GA, a tour of the Distillery with hospitable owner, Charlie Thompson and S'MORES!!!! My sweet tooth and whiskey tooth were in heaven! 

After sipping whiskey by the outdoor fire pit with our judgemental palettes, exchanging anecdotes with distiller Justin Mangalitz and his Red Man belt buckle he's had since middle school (arguably longer) and a group photo we were off to explore some new construction and back down the rough terrain that we love so much.

Look for rad new releases from American Spirit Whiskey ( www.americanspiritwhiskey.com/ ) later this year and be on the lookout for our next pursuit of "Gettin' Toasty!"

Guest User
Rapha Button Up

Rapha, a name synonymous with roadies, spandex, tights, and..well, you get the idea. However, they've started to sneak in a couple of commuter friendly offerings over the past few years; from sleek button ups to jeans, they've been tossing us commuters a bone here and there, and the bone landing at our feet was the Merino Button up.

The shirt has no pockets, more of a dress shirt in disguise with a basic flat front. This minimalist look is in line with Rapha's other commuter designs where they are very well thought out, straight to the point designs. Which is a nice change of pace from some other gear you'll find and keeps your wardrobe diverse.

In the past we've tested other 100% merino shirts, and over time they tend to wear holes after continuous use, not the case here, the merino has held up very well for over a year of commutes, long day rides, as well as a few hikes. The shirt gets softer as well, but doesn't sag as other merino shirts may do.

The Rapha team added some nylon on the shoulders, which beads water during a light sprinkle. If you get caught in a heavier rain, you'll at least have piece of mind when your shirt is soaked but you are warm and toasty until you reach your destination, and as merino does, it dries pretty quickly.

The shirt is solid, it's no frills, as most commuter shirts have pockets on the chest or on the lower back, Rapha keeps it simple, it's a great layering piece that does a great job of keeping your core warm, and when coupled with a wind/waterproof jacket, you'll find yourself reaching for it often in various weather.

Ezz-Eldin Hassan
Swrve Durable Cotton Shorts

 

As most cyclists have learned, riding in your run-of-the-mill cotton shorts can be fine, but after a few longer rides you can start to feel that seat start to wear, then more rides are taken and you're basically either back at the store or cutting off another pair of pants that probably didn't deserve it at the time!  This is a cyclists dilemma, Is it possible for me to continue cycling without having to: A. Spend tons of cash a year barreling through casual cotton shorts, or B. Break down and just buy a kit, and just have a change of clothes in a bag.  Well as a teacher who's life didn't go as planned and always liked throwing curve balls on pop quizzes and will ever-test your mental limits, the answer for those questions is, C. Buy Swrve durable cotton shorts.

 

 

 

I know what you're going to ask, "Why Spindlero, you just said cotton was a horrible monster to ride in, all you did was throw the word 'Durable' in front of it, what is this chicanery?!?!"  Well the Swrve team has developed a tough, resistant-abrasion cotton with an added 4-way stretch that allow superior movement that can handle light city rides with ease, but these baddies really shine on longer rides.

I received my pair in October of 2013, having already had the regular cotton shorts from Swrve, I was interested to see what additions/upgrades had been made.  So I met up with some buddies and took a 35 miler ride keeping it around 15-20 mph.  After a 30 minute break-in period the shorts really let loose, the stretch on these are amazing!  They'll move nicely along with your cadence without rubbing or irritating your skin, and they bounce back into form, there's no droop, no sag in these babies at all, that impressed me the most in the durable cotton material, even after owning them for this long and with continuous riding, the shorts are in the same form as they where when I ripped them out of the packaging!

 

 

 

 

Swrve has included standard additions that most of their bottoms have, the reflective belt loops for added visibility, the pen holders along both side pockets, the zip pocket, and the phone pocket under the right back pocket.  What I would like to see on these is to deepen the back pockets like the OG cotton shorts Swrve had that you could fit a U-Lock in, the durable cotton's have a pocket sized for a wallet but not really much else.  In the case of the phone pocket, while it holds my iPhone with Speck phone case just fine, I couldn't put it in there while riding, and even while standing the phone will protrude out of the top some, making it easy for those with sticky fingers to swipe it with ease.  It would be cool to maybe widen the phone pocket a little, deepening it slightly so the whole phone fits, and add a zipper/Velcro/button snap for extra security.

These shorts are really great for any conditions, except obviously the freezing cold, (unless your one of those guys that wears shorts all year long...ya crazy!).  They stand up well on those steamy hot days, they remain swamp free and comfortable while they breathe very well.  What I found surprising is how they performed in very strong rains, the shorts on the outside were of course soaked, but none of the water penetrated the material keeping me nice and dry!

 

But, as in a marriage, you brush the faults to the side and only look at the positives, Swrve has done a remarkable job in not only designing extremely bulletproof material, but making sure Men of all shapes and sizes enjoy them, the cigarette fit for the slimmer gents, the regular fit not only for heftier riders, but also for those with swollen quads from many years of riding, and finally the regular fit trouser shorts, which has a 9" inseam for those who like a little thigh with that biscuit!!  These shorts are not only Spindlero approved, but approved by every single customer that has come into the shop and purchased them, these are a top seller at The Spindle, we've already had people come back in not only to buy more pairs in Swrve's assortment of colors, but also speak of already riding 700+ miles in them without any sign of wear in sight!!

 

 

Ezz-Eldin Hassan