GORE C3 Short Tights

The GORE C3 Short Tights ($79.99) are a sleek, fitted road short with a pop of color on the legs that is well suited to urban and commuter cycling under twenty miles. The ACTIVE Comfort seat insert in the chamois, which is a single-layer of foam shaped to provide the necessary comfort to the nether-regions of the more upright styles of the urban and/or commuter cyclists. It’s also ideal for mountain biking as well. If you’re a long-distance roadie who rides in the 50 to 100+ mile range, you’ll want to look at the GORE C7 Short Tights. In case you’re wondering, GORE offers three levels of seat inserts geared for time in the saddle and the rider’s position in the saddle: Expert (very dense), Advanced (medium dense) and Active (less dense)

Fit is what you’d expect from a mid-priced cycling short. It hugs the body comfortably without the stuffed sausage look and without any bunchy or excess fabric. This allows them to fit nicely under mountain bike shorts, knickers or a cycling skirt. On the legs, a wide, flat silicon strip holds the legs in place. I give props to GORE for adding the silicon strips because believe it or not, not all manufacturers put silicon grips on women’s shorts even though they always put them on men’s.  

Spurcycle Compact Bell

Along with common sense, every urban cyclist or bike commuter needs a bike bell. The ding! ding! ding! of a bike bell alerts your presence to pedestrians, dog-walkers, slower riders and, most important, motorists distracted by texting or talking on their phones. The Spurcyle Compact Bell ($39) is made of composite nylon with a brass alloy dome whose ding! crescendos to a long, loud and resonating CLANG! It’s so downright obnoxious and annoying that it’s truly the perfect bike bell. It’s also optimized for the flat bars of commuter bikes or any bike that uses a 22.2 mm diameter bar. 

Minneapolis, where I live, has always been a city with a thriving bike culture. Redfin named it the Best Bikeable City of 2020. Sadly, it is also one of the cities hit hardest by the COVID19 pandemic. When the stay-at-home order went into effect this spring, people took to the bike paths and side streets in increasing numbers for fresh air and exercise. When the stay-at-home order expired they stayed out there! Which is nice. Except that the increased foot and bicycle traffic makes a bike bell like the Spurcycle Compact Bell a very critical cycling accessory.  

GORE C3 Jersey

We all know that feeling (and look) of a cycling jersey that is so fitted it exudes the stuffed sausage look and its front hem barely covers a belly button. The GORE C3 Jersey ($79.99) is so not that kind of jersey. It’s the jersey that offers the functionality of a high-end performance jersey without the look and feel of one.

Specifically, it has a relaxed fit through the shoulders, a 21-inch belly button-covering front hem (on size small), versatile (for commuting and mountain biking), highly breathable (for humid rides), non-choking collar and soft. Yes, soft. The texture of the fabric, which is actually 100% polyester, feels more like a merino wool blend. For the urban and commuter cyclists, it has four highly functional pockets in the back: three unsecured (great for holding your iPod) and one secured zipper pocket for things you don’t want to lose, like a key, ID, credit card, cash or phone.

Thousand Heritage Helmet

The Thousand Heritage helmet is our favorite urban helmet because it speaks to us at its very core: It’s a company that is founded and owned by a woman (Gloria Hwang) and it’s a company that is committed to offsetting 110% of its annual carbon emissions and they partner with 1% For The Planet which supports environmental restoration and education. For the urban cyclist or commuter, it’s ideal for riding around town on upright-style bikes and fit is top-notch.

Among its cool features is classy faux-leather straps will not absorb skin oils and are easy to wipe clean with a wet cloth to wipe off dirt or grease compared to standard nylon straps. Moreover, it has a cut-out hole to slide your u-lock through and keep your helmet safely attached to your bike if you don’t want to carry it inside an office, shop or brew pub.

North Street Micro Pannier

Whether you’re commuting to work, out riding for the day, or maybe hitting the grocery store, you’ll need a pannier. The Portland, OR-made North St. Micro Pannier (from $99.99) is an ideal pannier. It is made with heavy-duty material with waterproof roll top for extra protection from the weather and clips on each side of the bag accommodate a shoulder strap, providing a convenient method of carrying the bag after it’s snapped off the bike. A bungee cord holds the bottom of the pannier securely on the bike should that city street or bike path become rough or bumpy.

When you get to your destination, you’ll love the simple (but very secure) mounting system: two simple, non-locking, durable metal hooks that hang from the top of the bike rack and lower metal hook. An adjustable strap and bungee attaches to the bottom of the rack for additional security and stability. The best sequence to attach is to clip the bottom hook first then the top. To detach, lift from the top first than detach the lower hook. 

SABRE Cyclist Pepper Spray

If you’ve been reading the news, you’ll no doubt have seen a lot of references to pepper spray. It’s unfortunate, but pepper spray is also an effective method for self-defense. Especially if riding at night. The SABRE Cyclist Pepper Spray ($14.99) comes on an adjustable strap that fits on your bike’s top tube, down tube or seat tube, allowing you to access quickly if needed. Should you need to use it, it has a range of ten feet and 45 spray bursts and its contents—an inflammatory compound called capsaicin—causes burning, pain and tears when it makes contact with the assailant’s eyes. If you want to have pepper spray on you at all times, like if you need to park your bike and walk somewhere, SABRE also offers Duathlete Pepper Gel with a reflective arm band.

Recommendation: Do not leave on your bike unattended and learn the correct way to use it.

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North St. Micro Pannier

The North St. Mirco Pannier is a heavy duty, waterproof, Made in the USA pannier. As a gift it will win over the heart of the bike commuter (or bike packer) in your life. Clips on each side of the bag accommodate a shoulder strap, providing a convenient method of carrying the bag after it’s snapped off the bike. Our writer Janet stores her locker room necessities, towel and flip flops in one of the bags, a change of clothes in the other. The hook and bungie cord mounting system are simple to attach to the pannier rack, and a bungie cord helps  the bags stay attached to the pannier rack when riding bumpy bike path. Northst.com | $100

Timbuk2 Especial Scope Expandable Backpack

The Timbuk2 Especial Scope Expandable backpack is weather-resistant, reflective and has a waterproof laptop pocket in the back panel and makes a welcome gift for bike commuters. As with just about all Timbuk2 packs, organization is outstanding. Catering to the serious commute, Timbuk2 added a deep pocket to securely hold a 24-ounce GSI Outdoors 720 Flip vacuum bottle full of coffee—a must for any serious bike commuter.  Timbuk2.com | $189

Fenix BC21R Bike Light

Easily the most safety-inspired gifts for bike commuters are bike lights. With its bright, broad beam of 880 lumens, the Fenix BC21R offers five brightness modes of Turbo (880 lumens), High (380 lumens), Medium (200 lumens), Low (100 lumens) and Flash (alternating 380 lumens and 100 lumens). What I love so much about this light is a power-saving feature called Intelligent Output Downshift that automatically shifts the light down to a lower setting. For enhanced safety on urban streets or trails, the Fenix BC21R is equipped with red sidelights that provide 180 degrees of visibility.  fenix.com | $75

Freshly Minted Socks

One of the most affordable and unique gifts for bike commuters are socks. Cyclist love socks with unique designs and Freshly Minted delivers on that. These hip, made-in-Italy cycling socks have mid-century modern designs and colors and they’re made (in Italy) for the cycling life. All socks are $20 and a portion is donated to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, also known as NICA. Jump here to the SpinCycle News to read more about NICA to get more kids on bikes. Thefreshlyminted.com | $20

Pear Izumi Pursuit Attack Tight

At $65, the Pearl Izumi Pursuit Attack Tight is technical tight is perfect for those with a limited budget–or wants to give a bike commuter a gift with the capacity of multi-purpose use. If you look closely, the Pearl Izumi Pursuit Attack Tight does not come with a chamois. Before you completely dismiss the lack of a chamois, allow me to explain why this is a good thing: I use these for running! But you can also wear them with any padded cycling short and certainly for mountain biking. pearlizumi.com | $65

WileyX WX Valor Sunglasses

One of the best gifts for bike commuters is protective eye gear. According to writer Erica, WX Valor sunglasses are sunglasses that don’t mess around. Made of Shatterproof Selenite Polycarbonate lenses that meet MIL-PRF-32432(GL) ballistic standards, they are durable and tough. They also meet ANSI Z87.1 high velocity and high mass impact standards as well as US Federal OSHA 1910.133(b)(1)(1) standards. What do all the above numbers mean? The WX Valor can withstand the weight of a 1.1-pound projectile dropped from a height of 50”, which ensures your eyes are protected from unexpected impacts. They withstand the impact of a .25” diameter steel ball fired at 150 fps or .15 projectiles fired at 640-660 fps. In simple terms, these sunglasses are practically indestructible.

RydeSafe Reflective Decals

Winter is not the best time to commute by bike. It’s more like the season of red targets on the backs of cyclists. An investment of $30 worth of stickers artfully placed (or in my case, plastered) on the bike of bike commuter will transform him or her into a two-wheel freak show. When car lights hit it, the bike illuminates like a Tron bike and can be seen from the space station. What motorist isn’t going to take notice? rydesafe.com

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Of all the North St. bike packing fleet that I have reviewed–the Tool Roll, the Micro Pannier, the Pioneer 9 Hip Pack–the Fuel Pouch is my favorite

What I Liked

Fill ‘er up

When jersey pockets don’t offer enough room, or an item that can’t be trusted to jersey pockets because it would be easily tossed out of a pocket or fall out during a crash (read: keys or a cell phone), the North St. Fuel Pouch provides a great option to store those valuables. Riding with the pouch on my top tube made it convenient when I needed something quickly like gels or my phone to snap a picture. 

Tough Love

Like all North St. bags, the Fuel Pouch is weatherproof and made with tough Cordura nylon and reinforced variant X-Pac sailcloth. This helps the bags to retain their strength and make them resistant to tears and scuffs.

The Amazingness of North St. Bags

Curtis Williams, North St.’s founder and owner, is the sole designer of all the bags. Since he’s also an avid cyclist, it’s safe to assume he knows that cyclists need high-quality bike bags that are functional and durable. He also prides himself on offering his entire workforce—four stitchers, one cutter, one fulfillment and hardware assembler (who also does all North St.’s customer service and retail support), and one sales and marketing coordinator—a livable wage.

Keep in mind this all takes place in Portland, OR, not exactly known for being a cheap place to live. This team of eight Portlanders average around thirty bags and fifteen upgrades (pockets, straps, etc) per day that they sell direct and through specialty outdoor gear and bicycle shops.

USA-made and Lifetime Guarantee

The North St. Fuel Pouch is slapped with a “Made in USA” tag proudly sewn on the outside of the bag. All North St. Bags are built tough for long wearability and come with a lifetime guarantee.

What I didn’t Like

Velcro

I have a thing about velcro. It can easily become a lint receptacle, with the fuzz ruining the close-ability factor. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get the pouch 100 percent snug against the top tube and stem, which lead to some flopping of the bag throughout the ride.

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A big plus for me is the color options. You’re not stuck with just black as a color for the bags. North St. Bags offer so many color choices to suit your mood – I snagged the limited edition Blaze Orange for extra visibility on the road (CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?) and so that I can locate the smaller bags (fuel pouch and tool roll) when tucked inside the pannier bag or hip pack. The majority of the North St. Bags product line are also available with custom colors and printed patterns, which is fun. They’re made to order and available in about a week.

I tested out the products through the summer and into the fall, which gave me a chance to try the bags out in various weather.

What I Liked

Heavy-duty Material

The North St. Bags Micro Pannier is made with heavy-duty material with waterproof roll top for extra protection from the weather. The clips on each side of the bag to accommodate a shoulder strap, providing a convenient method of carrying the bag after its snapped off the bike. I’ve stored my bathroom necessities, towel and flip flops in one of the bags, and when it came time to visit the ladies room for a nice shower, all I needed to do was stash my change of clothes in the bag and head off to un-funkify myself. 

Lightweight

The bags are smaller and more lightweight than other pannier bags, which is both a pro and a con. Because the bags are smaller, I was able to ride through single track without much of a snag on a bush. The bag has a bungee cord to hold the bottom of the pannier securely on the bike, which allowed me to ride down the bumpy single track without worrying about the bag popping off my bike. 

Mounting System

The hook and bungie cord mounting system were fairly simple to attach to the pannier rack, and the bungie cord helped the bags stay attached to the pannier rack when riding a variety of terrain. For example, if I needed to lift my wheels over a small tree branch in the middle of the trail or ride down a curb, the bags didn’t fall off the bike.

Made in the USA

North St. panniers are handmade in Portland, OR and their products can be custom made in addition to their stock panniers and bags.

North St. is just an Amazing Brand

Curtis Williams, North St.’s founder and owner, is the sole designer of all the bags. Since he’s also an avid cyclist, it’s safe to assume he knows that cyclists need high-quality bike bags that are functional and durable. He also prides himself on offering his entire workforce—four stitchers, one cutter, one fulfillment and hardware assembler (who also does all North St.’s customer service and retail support), and one sales and marketing coordinator—a livable wage.

Keep in mind this all takes place in Portland, OR, not exactly known for being a cheap place to live. This team of eight Portlanders average around thirty bags and fifteen upgrades (pockets, straps, etc) per day that they sell direct and through specialty outdoor gear and bicycle shops. And the month of October just happens to be their tenth birthday month!

Lifetime Guarantee

All North St. bags are built tough for long wearability and come with a lifetime guarantee. Click the link for a run down of all the durable fabrics North St. employs in its bags.

What I didn’t Like

Size. As mentioned above, the pro of the pannier bag is that it is small enough to allow a ride down single track. But the small bag is a con as well – you’ll need to be very choosy about what you back in these bags.

Shoulder strap not included. Unlike other pannier bags, shoulder straps do not come with the bag, but can be purchased ($14.99). 

Final Thoughts

When your bike packing excursion presents the opportunity to pedal off the road and into single track, the North St. Micro Pannier bags are the hero of bike packing bags.  And that’s why I like this system so much – if I can ride dirt or venture into the woods on my bike, then I’m a happy girl.

The product offering of all North St. Bags bags are weatherproof and made with tough Cordura nylon and reinforced variant X-Pac sailcloth which helps the bags retain its strength. 

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