Now that bikepacking is popular, everyone is getting on the extra bags or long rides game. If you are a reformed (or unrepentant) fixie kid, that means you've got a track bike kicking around with no waterbottle mounts. Enter the handlebar bag.

Look, if you're wanting an actual review, you're in the wrong place. I mean, "five out of five cogs, keep feet warm, go well in shoes, great socks" could be said about most of the wool two-thirds of my sockdrawer.

I've been cruising around on my All-City Cycles Nature Boy single speed cyclocross bike for about 3 years now. At various stages it's been bike camping, it's been my primary commuter,  it's been my trail bike, it's raced gravel grinders, it's raced a season of cyclocross, and it's even been carried over the barriers during a US National Championship race.

At $7, you might be tempted to think, why should I buy such an expensive bottle opener, when I can get free ones all over the place? Having been burned before by cheap freebie bottle openers, I have learned my lesson and like to say, "Buy once, cry once." 

I try not to tell myself this when I'm racing, because it's the most demoralizing thing you can think when you are seeing double from exertion, but cyclocross is a pretty dumb sport. Don't get me wrong, I have fun every time I'm between the tape, but it's still pretty dumb, for reasons that, if you know what the sport is, are as subtle as a hand grenade. CX Nats did not disappoint.

These funny named German rubberballs, Racing Ralph, Kojak, Rocket Ron, Muddy Betty , and the rest of the Schwalbe rubber gang and myself have a long lasting love/hate relationship. What about the Shwalbe X-Ones? Well let’s cut to the chase...

Nice to see a local review of the tires we all wished we owned this winter.