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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The Comparison

If you are searching for a new helmet, sometimes it’s nice to have a comparison to other brands or items of similar appearance. I happen to own a Bern Berkeley helmet, and will compare it with the Thousand Heritage helmet for this review. Another similar-style brand is Nutcase.

Weight

When I pulled the helmet out of the box, I immediately thought it seemed heavier than my other helmet. Not judging solely on feel, I pulled out my food scale and saw that I was correct. The Thousand Heritage helmet came in at 426 grams, whereas my Bern helmet is 369 grams. For me, the weight of this particular style of helmet doesn’t matter.

I solely wear this style of helmet when I’m commuting and riding around town on my upright-style bike. The weight could be something to consider if you use drop-bars. When I use drop bars and pedal longer distances, I wear a lighter helmet, so I don’t strain my neck. I have a Smith helmet for this particular purpose.

Sizing

I have a small head. Like a fluffy cat, if you get me wet, you will realize that my head is most appropriate for child-sized helmets. I was nervous when Thousand told me their smallest helmet was the 54 -57cm. They told me it did dial down, but my current Bern helmet is a 52-55.5 cm helmet and dialed-down, it is still too big.

As such, I was expecting this to be enormous on me. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on the Thousand Heritage helmet and, indeed, it dialed down further than the Bern helmet. It fits snug to my head, and I’m thrilled about it. The dial mechanism is the easy-to-turn knob in the back so tightness can be adjusted quickly as you are riding. If you are cranium-challenged like me, rest assured the Thousand helmet will fit you.

Comfort

I found the fit to be comfortable but there is less padding than some other helmets. It has four strips of material-covered padding which is more similar to the aerodynamic road helmets rather than the puffier 1/2″ thick foam padding you may find on some other skateboard-shaped helmets. The padding helps form the cooling channels which are meant to help with ventilation. Nonetheless, it feels just as comfortable as any other helmet I’ve worn and the lack of the puffy foam does make it much cooler.

Visor

The visor on the Thousand helmet is shorter and not removable, whereas the brim on the Bern helmet comes with a removable kit. The bill is longer than on the Thousand helmet. I feel that Bern’s visor is too long for my liking and often blocks my field of vision. Thousand’s visor did the job well when the sun is overhead and still allows me to see everything.

Ventilation

I was skeptical about whether or not the Thousand Heritage helmet would provide enough ventilation, given the lack of holes that you see, particularly compared to Bern’s helmet. However, I didn’t notice much difference and found them to be comparable in ventilation.

As mentioned above, the way the padding is arranged in this helmet also helps with airflow or as Thousand calls it, “cooling channels.” As noted on Thousand’s website, it also provides a sleeker design, and I agree. I have ridden with this helmet from temperatures now ranging from 40 to about 80 degrees. I’ve been primarily biking around the city, doing errands, bike tag games and my regular commuting, lengths of 20 – 40 miles. I didn’t note it to be too hot and ventilation felt spot-on.

Strap Material

The faux-leather straps on the Thousand helmet are not only classy, but appear to stay cleaner than the nylon-straps on most helmets. Faux leather will not absorb skin oils and these straps are easier to wipe with a wet cloth to wipe off dirt or grease.

Cool Features

One of two unique features the Thousand helmet has is the cut-out hole to slide your u-lock through and keep your helmet safe. Thousand’s anti-theft guarantee backs your helmet. If it gets stolen, you get a replacement for free! I never leave my helmet out (for worries of rain, etc.), but I do think it is a well-thought-out feature to include.

If you are going to work, a social outing, or perhaps any place you don’t want to carry your helmet around with you, this feature is key. You slide your u-lock or cable lock right through the hole and then lock up your bike with the helmet on it per normal. No one will be cutting the straps and running away with your helmet.

The second is the Thousand buckle. Thousand’s clasp is magnetic and slides rather than the regular “pinch-to-release” clips used on most sporting equipment. This feature could help someone who has arthritis, hand injuries, or even a lack of hand strength/dexterity. Thousand also notes that you are less likely to pinch your skin like with other helmet buckles and I didn’t not experience any pinching. My hair did get caught in it sometimes, but I have experienced this with both types of closures.

Eco-Friendly

Back to my note on sustainability, Thousand states it is committed to offsetting 110% of its annual carbon emissions and they partner with 1% For The Planet which supports environmental restoration and education.

Thousand indicates they work directly with their supplies partners and track the origin of their materials, ensuring they work with manufacturers of integrity. And my favorite part? The helmet box is also the shipping box. Thousand will not be sending you a Russian-doll type box situation like we experience with so many other products that we order online.

Will You Make the Switch?

I love the fit of the Thousand Heritage helmet, and compared to Bern, it actually fits! I also thoroughly enjoy the stylish design and the brim that doesn’t obstruct my view. I am planning to keep riding with my Thousand helmet around Minneapolis. They may have made me a convert!

To check out other styles and order a Thousand helmet, visit their website.

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