Aaron Gulley is a Nigerian-born travel and adventure writer. He has covered the world from Bali to Namibia for Outside and writes a regular column for the magazine about cycling and bike culture.
Published
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Look 695 I-Pack road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Shimano XTR PD-M985 Pedals.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Selle EMP Evolution Saddle.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Enve Mountain XC Carbon Wheels.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Crank Brothers Eggbeater 11 Pedals.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the CamelBak Charge 450 Pack.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Icebreaker SS Circuit Jersey.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Cielo Sportif by Chris King road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Five Ten Hornet shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Jett Raptor Shorts.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Look Keo Blade Chromoly Pedals.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the La Sportiva Python Slipper.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Black Diamond Hoodwire quickdraws.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the G-Form Bike Shoe Insoles.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Specialized S-Works Epic 29ER mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Specialized S-Works MTB Shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Giro Factor Shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Tomac Supermatic 120 mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Millet Wall 32 pack.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Castelli Body Paint Bib Shorts.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Spot Rocker SS mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Giro LX LF Gloves.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sugoi Versa Wind Jacket.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Yeti 575 Enduro mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Michelin WildRace'R Advanced Tires.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Louis Garneau X-Lite Helmet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Salsa Spearfish mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Metolius Wood Grips Compact Training Board.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Assos T FI. 13_S5 Bibs.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Scott Genius LT 20 mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Garmin Edge 800 GPS bike computer.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Castelli Viva Thermo Skully Cap.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Petzl Grigri 2 belay device.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Barrier Lite Jacket.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Osprey Viper 4 Pack.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Black Diamond Gridlock Screwgate Carabiner.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Fondriest TF3 road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Lupine Betty II 7 Light.
Tips and advice on what to look for and where to put your money when buying a road bike.
The current state of bikes. With increased infrastructure funds for bike access, more flow trails, and safer cycle, now is an awesome time to invest in a new ride.
Tips and advice on what to look for and where to put your money when buying a mountain bike.
Good physiological data helps you make the most of shorter training sessions, because you know exactly how hard you're working.
The fastest and most efficient way for multisport athletes to max their strength.
Getting fit doesn't have to mean more time training. Just more sweat.
This travel-ready routine should take around 25 minutes. Power through these six exercises ten times with no rest between moves.
Think you don't have time for a fitness routine? If you can block out a couple of hours during the week and some longer periods on weekends, the results will amaze you.
The biggest obstacle to reaching your fitness goals? That thing between your ears.
Now more than ever, the world could use some bright ideas. Like these.
If the thought of spending more for a quality bike than a decent used car makes you want to take up jogging, the Dakar will keep you on two wheels. The aluminum frame is stiff and responsive, and can take a lot of abuse. (We crashed ours into both…
You get Swiss precision detailing (incredible fit, impeccable flat stitching) with a price tag to match. This bib isn’t cheap, but the full-coverage design and chamois are the most comfortable we’ve tried for long days in the saddle. www.assos.com…
With help from the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, Specialized has overhauled this shoe with a newly contoured last, orthopedic footbeds, and a foot-hugging closure. “The most comfortable cleat I’ve ever worn,” raved one tester. specialized.com…
You can cram all your climbing gear in Mountain Hardwear’s Trad pack. The alloy-reinforced framesheet gives plenty of support for a 30-some-pound load, and the full-length daisy chain makes lashing on extra gear easy. mountainhardwear.com…
As many manufacturers pare down their bikes, Ventana goes gleefully big. Bouncing into the growing 29er fray—these mountain bikes sport XXL wheels for higher clearance and better momentum than you get with their 26-inch counterparts—the El Cap is a handcrafted, dual-suspension aluminum rig that soaks up bumps like an…
The question: Do you buy a mountain bike with big travel or less weight, stable angles or lively handling? Ellsworth’s Epiphany eliminates the compromise, riding an inspired line between cross-country and downhill. You get a bike with five-plus inches of front and rear travel in a package that weighs…
1. The Virtue Two debuts a radical new suspension system (dubbed Equilink) that offers more than five inches of active travel but has none of the drawbacks—no pedal feedback, no bob, and no extra weight—that plague most long-travel systems. It’s super-plush and, amazingly, still handles like a hardtail. 2.
The Modena is the first carbon-fiber stock road bike from Titus, a company known for its formidable custom-made machines. That may sound like a come-down, but consider this: For half the cost of most naked frames in the custom line, you get a complete bike (lighter than last year’s…
Tired of the Matrix-inspired graph-ics favored by most bike-apparel companies? Get your very own maillot jaune with this boldly simple polyester jersey. twinsix.com…
Meet the Houdini of bikes: On the trail, the Anthem is so smooth it feels as if the bike has disappeared beneath you. Giant brings Maestro, 2005’s award-winning suspension, to 3.5 inches of travel, creating a lightweight ride that thrives on all manner of terrain—especially fast, technical, roller-coaster singletrack.
Patches of dimpled fabric are supposed to cut wind drag. It’s hard to say if the gains are significant, but who cares? Just pulling on this sleek jersey makes you feel like an Italian racer. castelli-us.com…
1. The Mojo SL won this year’s award for one simple reason: It defies all categories and excels in every condition. It’s light enough to race cross-country, but with 5.5 inches of front and rear travel, it’s cushy enough for anything a sane rider would ever descend. 2. In…
One tester spirited away the Apache as soon as it arrived and only returned it a few weeks later, after we threatened to withhold his pay—and even then it took a few days. The Apache is simply one of the most fun cross-country bikes we’ve ridden, especially for the…
Attention, bicycle junkies: Whether you replace that quiver of bikes clogging your garage or just add to it, the Zirkel is for people who maintain a bike fund the way others stock a 401(k). This three-inch-travel cross-country cruiser picks up where Moots’s now retired Smoothie left off, with a…
After vanishing for a few years, Swobo is back and producing the same lust-worthy merino gear that built its reputation. These jerseys are cut generously, feel great on the skin, and, thanks to natural anti-stink properties, don’t need to be washed after every ride. swobo.com…
CROSS-COUNTRY REVELATION The Mach 4 is the first cross-country offering from MTB-design legend Chris Cocalis’s newly launched Pivot brand. It’s built around the same dw-link platform as the Gear of the Year–winning Ibis but tuned a bit firmer to stay active while eliminating energy-sapping pedal bob. The bike blasted up…
Long a champion of oversize aluminum tubing, Cannondale shifts gears to create an all-carbon rig that’s fast enough for testosterone-addled group rides but much more comfortable than its trademark metal frames on epic outings. With slack geometry, a moderately upright riding position, and the superior road-damping qualities of carbon…
Why pack 27 gears when you can crush your friends with just one? The Diesel’s list of features reads like a single-speed mantra: slick Formula Oro Puro disc brakes, dual rear cogs (16 and 18) on back for gearing options if the terrain turns testy, and Paragon’s trick slider…
In spite of the daunting name (note to Garneau: Don’t let the lab guys name things), these shorts work quite simply. The stout carbon-infused Lycra provides plenty of support but still wicks moisture on the hottest days. louisgarneau.com…
ALL-AROUND PERFORMER After each ride, we had to check the price tag—could a bike this good cost this little? Not only did Mongoose equip this four-inch ride with a plush Fox RP2 rear shock and smooth RockShox Recon Race fork; they also threw in a complete Shimano XT group, a…
What Amazon did for books, Leopard is doing for bicycles. By sticking with Web-only distribution, this small Bay Area–based bike manufacturer is offering teched-out, full-carbon race bikes at unheard-of prices. The CL1 is constructed of uniquely ribbed carbon tubing and has radically shaped carbon seat- and chainstays, resulting in…
The features justify the price. You get a carbon sole, Boa ratcheting system, and thermomoldable footbed that can be custom-shaped for the ultimate fit, providing long-haul comfort for epic days. 9 oz; www.lakecycling.com…
You think titanium bottle cages are a bit, um, extravagant. Your shorts: the Classic Pro, with solid construction, trim fit, and a workhorse chamois—all at a bargain price. descenteathletic.com…
BIG-WHEELED HARDTAIL In the age of compression rates and leverage ratios, Bianchi continues to produce refreshingly simple bikes. This aluminum hardtail is tough enough for the roughest trails but doesn’t need the constant tweaking of a full-suspension rig. The 29-inch wheels roll so smoothly, you can forget you don’t have…
Not everyone wants to race, so why are so many bikes constructed with aggressive angles and knee-wrecking gears? Schwinn felt your pain and responded with the Fastback Comp, a roadie with concessions to comfort that hardly sacrifice performance. The proprietary aluminum is rigid enough for effective power transfer, while…