With this being a ladies issue we thought we’d delve into the ladies specific gear sections of the major cycling brands and hand pick a few gems for you. Here they are…
LIV Race Day Jersey
Look and feel like Jolanda Neff in LIV’s Race Day Jersey, if looking fast is half the battle then with this on you are halfway there. It looks amazing, and is cut and tailored to the female form. Giant’s LIV brand is gaining momentum here in SA, but you might have to wait a little while for this beauty to hit our shores, so keep an eye on your local Giant dealer because their South African distributors tell us that the bigger Giant dealers will be getting special LIV sections, or mini-in-store-concept stores, to ensure that you’ve got a great range of ladies specific gear to choose from. Visit www.liv-cycling.com for all the info and to check out the extensive range of gals gear.
Specialized Women’s Andorra Pro Short
More and more girls are ripping up the trails, and so there’s a growing need for baggie ladies gear too. Specialized have a great range of products in their Andorra range of ladies trail gear, but our pick is the Andorra Pro Short. It features a removable chamois liner, two zippered vents on the thighs, three zippered pockets (with extra layer of mesh in the bottom of the pockets to prevent your key or multi-tool working a hole in the bottom of the pocket), Velcro waist adjustment tabs and they’re constructed from Deflect UV 50+ fabric. They come in Purple/Light Teal or Carbon/Pink colour schemes which had us looking up the colour teal, but then they weren’t designed for colour-blind brutes like us. Find out more at www.specialized.com.
The Bell Vela Helmet
No helmet, no ride is a mantra we like to repeat and if you’re new to mountain biking, a helmet should be purchased with your first bike and cycling shorts. A good first lid is the ladies specific Bell Vela Helmet. It has all the comfort and safety you’d expect from a helmet with an attractive feminine design. The Ergodial fit system ensures a firm, snug and comfy fit at the simple turn of a dial and the visor is removable so it can be used for riding on the road or the mountain. And it meets EN 1078 safety certification. To purchase the Bell Vela Helmet and other cycling gear online visit www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za.
Pedro’s ICM Multi-tool
Make sure you finish every ride, regardless of what the trail throws at you with Pedro’s 17-Function ICM Multi-Tool. It’s made from heat-treated tool steel and features a superior anti-corrosion finish to keep the 235g tool in tip top condition for years. It includes 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm Allen Keys, 3.2mm, 3.5mm, and Mavic M7 spoke wrenches, chain tool, bottle opener, flat and Phillips screwdrivers, two tyre levers, and a T25 Torx (those star shaped wrenches), so if you are the kind of girl to fix her own bike on the trail or bat her eyelids to a passing guy, like Full Sus contributor Di Carolin, with the Pedro’s ICM Multi-tool you’ll be secure in the knowledge that you’ll have what you need should anything go wrong, and it’s backed by Pedro’s lifetime warranty. Go to www.cycleman.co.za to check out the full Pedro’s range to tools.
32Gi Endure Energy Tabs
If you’re going to be going on longer rides and need an affordable energy source that’s easy to carry, easier to eat and really works then look no further than 32Gi’s Endure Energy Tabs. We’ve tried and tested them and would recommend them with confidence to anyone. The tube contains 10 x 5gram chewable tablets, and if you’re not too fussy you can just pocket a couple of loose tablets for any ride of over an hour to keep your energy levels up. They’re low GI, suitable for diabetics, don’t lead to energy spiking and don’t contain any animal derivatives, for you veggies out there. The Endure Tabs come in orange, lime, raspberry and peach flavours. Find out more at www.32gi.com.
Garmin FR70
Track your training and racing with Garmin’s FR70 sports watch and heart-rate monitor. If you’re getting more serious about training there’s no simpler way to keep tabs on your fitness gains than by using a heart-rate monitor. The FR70 comes in a bundle with the sports watch, heart-rate strap and monitor, a foot-pod and a USB ANT Stick™ to synchronise your activities to the amazing Garmin Connect activity analysis website. If you need advice on how to effectively use your heart-rate monitor read Dr Mike Posthumus’ coaching column on it by going to www.fullsus.co.za/creating-hearth-rate-training-zones/. For more information on Garmin’s heart-rate monitors and cycling specific devices visit www.garmin.co.za.
