It's product review night

We are going to review a couple of products today that is needed by every cross racer on the planet.  It is easier to write reviews that write race reports for this simple reason: who wants to read another report about how an out of shape dad raced to a bottom third placing while yelling FU at the leaders putting you a lap down right?

Avid Shorty Ultimate Brakes
So just like every other cross racer on the planet, we have something to bitch about at every race.  Most involve the best Belgium beers, who should have won the last GVA race and why do my brakes not stop me and all of a sudden I went ass over tea kettle at the hairpin.

We have all rode on Spookys, XT's, Suntour XC Pro, Avid shorty 4's and any other brake on the market that might slow you down but all they did was increase your pucker factor and cause the front fork to shake and shimmey more than a hulu dancer on the last Elvis in Hawaii show.


So about 2 years ago, our friend Chris Shotwell had these trick brakes on his bike but since he is so fast we never really got a great look at them.  So we got him drunk after a race and looked at these things.  They were cool, really cool because you could make them wide for mud and they stopped and you could also make them tall and narrow for regular riding and they stopped.  Imagine that, a brake that actually works.

Fast forward 2 years and these things have finally hit the market.  Now, we are racers, so we want these for free right?  So we ask, hey Shotty, can I have some of these cool brakes for free.  His response:  chirping crickets.  Ok, I get the picture.  So I drop my hard earn cash on a set of these and could not be happier.  Setup is super easy, detailed instructions sheet and Ti bolts to boot.  Plus they actually stop when you need to. 

You need to have these brakes on your bike.  Chris has put his heart and soul into these things and his job at SRAM is contingent on you buying these things.  Plus, if they are good enough for Stybar (World Champ), Nys (Cross God), Tim Johnson (US Champ), Shotty (designer of these great brakes) and this fat kid, they are good enough for you too.

A couple of minor points to the brakes:  You have to have a T-10 Torx wrench to adjust these from tall to wide.  Most bike shops dont carry this and it is somewhat hard to find.  The ti bolts are somewhat soft.  Brian got ham fisted with his and rounded one off but it is still useable.  But other than that, call up your local LBS, CXWorld or whoever you get your stuff from and get a set quick or dont blame your subpar equipment when you blow another corner and bitch about this after the race.

Outlaw Earth Messenger Bag

So while part of the Frites team was in Vegas for Interbike and CrossVegas, we ran into Ashley over at Outlaw Earth.  She has a Golden CO based company making some of the best messenger bags around.  You might have seen some of her handy work last year at the CO State Cross Championships.  She made up the bags for the podium finishers.  This is the bag of choice for the Frites team this year.

There are 3 sizes to choose from.  Brian and Dash have opted for the larger size while I pack better than they do and went with the medium size.  I also opted for the newest custom model for the USGP and could not be happier.  Made with very heavy and durable Cordora, reflective straps, waterproof material to protect your stuff, big buckle so you dont hang your self trying to get it off and big zipper pockets on both sides of the flap, you can store all your valubale things:  Iphone, Droid X, EPO syringes and your coupon for buy one get one free over at the Skylark for the Tuesday night PBR special. 

Ashley also has some bags on sale that might fit your fancy also.  Give her a shout and she can hook you up, also follow her on twitter @outlawearth

We here at Frites HQ like to support CO companies as much as possible.  Coming soon, more local products to review and pimp to the people.  See everyone down at BV next Sunday.  First race that "means anything" so hop in your car and go for a drive in the mountains and support this race.