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 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.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Arc'teryx S-220 LT Harness.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Specialized Allez Comp road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Ergon GX2 Leichtbau Carbon Grips.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Mammut 9.6 Climax Rope.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Bianchi Sempre 105 road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Specialized S-Works Prevail Helmet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Giro XAR Helmet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Cannondale CAAD 10-1 Dura-Ace road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sidi Spider Shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Trek Top Fuel 9.7 mountain bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Club Ride Go Long Jersey.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Wilier Triestina GranTurismo road bike.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the WTB Nano Tires.
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.
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.
Tips and advice on what to look for and where to put your money when buying a road 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.
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.
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.
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.
kona zing deluxe $2,000 Better known for its rock-bashing, mud-splashing models, Kona gussied itself up for 2006 with a series of new road bikes, including the Zing Deluxe. The teardrop-shaped 7005 aluminum tubing has more crackle than a box of Pringles, which made us grin on the uphills, where…
Inexpensive but not cheap, these kicks looked as good as new after a month of all-mountain abuse. It’s a solid starter shoe you won’t outgrow quickly. 13 oz; www.shimano.com…
A SMARTER WAY TO RIDE You know those glorious and rare outings when you think only about riding—and not about your bike? That’s what every ride is like on the carbon-fiber Epic. This year Specialized became the first major bike company to manufacture its own rear shocks, and their redesigned…
RACE-READY CARBON If you place speed above all else, consider this hardtail. The 986 may be Look’s first foray into the off-road world, but as their road bikes have proven, they know their way around carbon. With dramatically shaped tubing—faintly hexagonal in the top and seat tubes and broad in…
Produced by a Basque collective in the heart of Spain’s Pyrenees and raced by Iban Mayo’s Euskaltel-Euskadi team, Orbea bikes are like cask-aged single-malt: They’re all about small-batch quality. With the Mitis you get classic European geometry — a stretched-out cockpit and a glute-engaging position — freshened up with…
The S-Works iteration of the Boa ratcheting system is the best we’ve tried, providing a secure fit whether you’re screaming down singletrack or plodding through a hike-a-bike. 11 oz; www.specialized.com…
ALL-MOUNTAIN LIGHTWEIGHT Maverick is to the mountain bike what Apple is to the personal computer: the underdog that insists it knows a better way. And we’re not arguing with a Mac Pro, or the Durance. Designed by Paul Turner, creator of the suspension fork, the Durance combines Maverick’s brilliantly simple…
In a sport where rock can fall like hail, every gear list should start with a helmet. The comfy Wild Country Rock Lite helmet is available with an optional polycarbonate covering ($15) that can be affixed for extra rockfall and weather protection. wildcountry.co.uk…
Road This value-priced lid kept testers cool (28 vents!) on even the most sweltering days. www.louisgarneau.com Bummer: Not everyone will love the exposed-foam look.
Sidi has long made bombproof shoes for mountain bikers and the Blaze is no exception. With two sturdy Velcro straps and a rugged plastic sole, these synthetic leather cleats will simply not succumb to trail abuse. 12 oz; www.sidiusa.com…
ONE-GEAR WONDER If you think a four-bar linkage is a night on the town, the Lewis is for you. This aluminum-framed single-speed hardtail is all about simplicity, with one gear, a smooth, quiet trail manner, and no complicated rear suspension to maintain. But it’s not a complete Luddite. You still…
Eventually, you’ll probably own multiple pairs of shoes for different types of rock, but at first you want something with a flat last and ample support that’s agile in a variety of conditions, like SCARPA’s Thunder shoes. scarpa.com…
Road The Haxial’s mesh liner conforms to every head shape, and you get Italian panache to boot. www.trialtir-usa.com Bonus: The aerator plate blows cool air onto your noggin.
Unlike most cycling gear, which is either solid black or blue (thrilling!) or garish enough to offend your dog, Twin Six’s line of high-performance, retro-hip jerseys won’t make your partner cringe. www.twinsix.com…
Thanks to a supple kangaroo-leather upper and this season’s best application of the wrap-around Boa lacing system, this cleat is comfy as a slipper but still stable and responsive. lakecycling.com…
Black Diamond’s Aspect harness has intelligently designed seams that don’t dig or chafe, while the three speed buckles provide maximum safety and flexibility in a light, affordable package. bdel.com…
Road Here’s a top-shelf road helmet masquerading behind a midlevel cost. The removable mesh interior, one-handed twist-lock adjustment, and scant weight (11.2 ounces) are the types of features normally found on models twice the price. www.rudyprojectusa.com…
Articulated sleeves don’t bunch or restrict mobility while you’re riding, making this one of the year’s most comfortable jerseys. Bummer: The Transformers-inspired graphics may not suit all tastes. www.sugoi.com…
With a buckle closure and carbon sole, these have all the features of a top-end cleat—except the staggering price tag. bike.shimano.com…
Sterling’s 70-meter, 10.1-millimeter Marathon Pro rope strikes a good balance between lightness and durability. sterlingrope.com…
Mountain Scraping the bottom of your bike budget? The Slant blends surprising performance (21 vents and the secure ErgoDial fit) with sleek good looks in a killer value. www.bellbikehelmets.com…
The ultimate summer jersey: The soft MicroSensor fabric wicked sweat well, and the mesh panels kept air circulating—even at high noon in Tucson. www.pearlizumi.com…
If you log big mileage, buy this bargain shoe. The thin carbon sole is stiff, but it never put our feet to sleep—even after six hours in the saddle. cannondale.com…
We also like Black Diamond HotWire Quickdraws. The key-lock gate on the top ‘biner won’t catch on bolt hangers, while the wire gate saves weight. bdel.com…
Mountain Benefit from trickle-down technology with the Hex. It has chunky mountain styling, a removable visor, and the same superior fit (courtesy of the Roc Loc 4 system) featured on Giro’s top-end lids. www.giro.com…