Reviews by User: Stephen Tam (46)

These are my favorite brakes. The levers have good ergonomics and fit your hand well. Easy bleeding and not as messy since they use mineral oil.

Great design that works and it's small to fit in that jersey pocket. The inflation hose unscrews and stores away in the pump body. Positive connection for the valve and doesn't take long to inflate. Ditch the CO2 and reduce your carbon footprint.

Easy to load by yourself. The rack is a lot cheaper than back surgery....that's what I tell my patients. Nice that you can remove the main portion of the rack and save a few bucks on gas as well. Easily adjusts to your kayak and it's a lot easier to strap since it's at lower height. Great design.

Easy in, easy out in dry, wet, or whatever.

Shifts well but don't run it for cyclocross. The mud won't clear and shifting diminishes.

Stiffest crank arms around. BB preload adjustment couldn't be easier. Put them on and go. New titanium carbon chainrings last twice as long. Replacement rings are pretty spendy but at least the bolt pattern is a 104 standard so you can use other chainrings.

I got this to charge my Garmin Edge GPS for my bike. It barely even added any charge to my gps unit and then wasn't even mildly charged after a day in the sun. I needed to recharge my gps since I was riding in a different country and it failed me. Sent mine back and think that I'll wait a few years until someone gets it dialed.

This is the most comfortable child carrier backpack I've worn. It has a lot of adjustments to get the fit just right. The seat for the child is nice because it is a seat instead of a hole you drop your child into. Plenty of room to bundle your little one up and still fit (took ours snoeshoeing).

These are the same shape as the XTRs but a little heavier and less coin. They have adjustments on the levers and the blade has a good shape to it that fits your fingers just right. Easy to bleed too.

These shoes are warm when it's dry and cold. They work well when really wet out too but your feet will eventually get cold. I wore booties over them once and they were way too warm. Fit is good (I have wide neutral feet).

They are the lightest but they sure know how to keep a wheel on your bike. Smooth lever action and easy to use.

Great rear derailleur. Shifts are concise and positive. The spring is harder than Shimano's standard rear derailleurs so it's crisp. Durable too! I can't tell any difference between the XTR and XT shadows on my bikes (other than price and weight).

Love these wheels! It's a toss up between these and the Mavic Crossmax SLRs. These wheels are a little lower profile since they aren't as flashy. Also they are more vertically compliant than the SLRs. Just as stiff though when you're cranking out of the saddle. I chose these over the SLRs for the BC Bike race and was not dissapointed since they were super comfy over the duration of the week.

When I was using dual control I used these. They were flawless in performance and I liked that it didn't take up the entire handlebar to mount everything. Every now and then I would hit my knee on the disc brake res on the underside when my rear wheel would spin on steep climbs out of the saddle. If you like dual control, these are the best.

This rear derailleur design was the standard for years and works great. It still works really well but I think Shimano outdid themselves with the Shadow. If you're using dual control get this derailleur.

The rotors last a long time. No frills but they work really well.

These rotors are great! The CL allows easy on/off especially if you are traveling by air and stuffing your bike in a case.

Super comfy and it you get them molded they get even better. Shimano shoes fit me well (wide neutral foot) and the carbon sole it stiff and transfers the energy where it needs to be!

Light, durable, and the handle is comfy.

Best hitch mount rack I've ever used. Easy to load the bikes and it can dip down to access the rear of the vehicle. Don't forget your lock keys....it happened once after we were getting picked up after a stage race....but we were still able to put the bikes on their sides and strap them on the rack to get them home. Stable too...the bikes don't move around and get dinged or scratched up.

Decent coverage but I was wanting a little more around the ears and back of the head in the winter. Seam is down the center and can put pressure right smack in the middle of your forehead.

The best glove I have ever worn! Super comfy, not over or under padded, good velcro closure don't interfere while wiping your nose, etc., excellent fit.

Great construction on this bottle and BPA free. Don't put hot/warm liquids in these since there is not insulation. The only issue is the sippy top is a little finicky....then again Klean Kanteen didn't design it.

A little on the tough size to squeeze and the nozzle gets dirt in there (if you ride off road). I like the idea of a BPA free bottle though. Good construction and it's durable.

These gloves will keep your hands warm in dry conditions but when the weather turns wet they palms soak up moisture (Only the backs of the gloves are water resistant). I am not overly excited about the gel lite padding in the palm. It felt like I had a palm goiter.

This jacket does a good job at repelling the rain and keeping warm (I wore a long sleeve base layer and short sleeve jersey for temps ranging from 35-45 degrees F). The snap down tail is nice on those wet days. Breathability is decent. If you're looking for more warmth perhaps look at some thermal jackets instead.

Great ergonomics. The hoods fit right in your hands and the blades are comfy during braking. I love the clean cable routing too.

Good caliper but the spacing washers are just a pain sometimes....all in the name of lightness. For less coin and minor added weight, the XT's are easy to adjust and do not require the spacers.

Good choice if you don't want to shell out for XTR. Blade has the same feel but the weight is a little more than XTR so you'll just have to pedal a little harder (if you can even tell the difference). Calipers are easy to adjust and the levers offer some adjustment to dial in the feel you prefer.

Great levers. Blade is contoured just right. No frills, fancy anno, just plain good ol' braking like it should be.

I run these in clincher and tubular for cross' as well as trail riding on my cross bike. They hold up well and very durable even using as low as 26 lbs (on my cx tubies) and kissing the rim a couple times a lap.

Total work horse of the Shimano line. If you don't want to sell a kidney to get XTR the XT's will get the job done. When riding I can't tell the difference between the two cranksets. Replacement rings are more affordable. The price of an outer XTR ring is almost the same price as this crankset.

These are great cranks. The middle ring lasts twice as long as the previous generation....and the arms are stiffer as well. The only problem I have is that replacement rings are expensive. Luckily on this crankset the bolt pattern is a standard 104 so you can use other rings if needed.

This is a great saddle (for my shaped derriere). It's not the lightest but it sure if comfy for long rides.

I agree.....just buy one. Best rear derailleur Shimano has put out (the XT shadow is really good too). Durable and mighty sexy looking on your rig.

Best triggers around. Use them with a shadow rear derailleur and get some crisp shifting. It's nice that they added the adjustment but I didn't need them. If they were omitted they could shave a few grams if you're into that sort of sick and twisted thing.

These are some of the toughest and fastest XC wheels around. I'm 155 pounds and run them tubeless. At the beginning of the race season I got a flat spot in them when I tagged a rock. The wheels stayed straight and I finished the season on them including the E100 in Park City, Utah. Seems like Mavic fixed the cassette drag problem (the earlier versions of the freehub would gum up and back your chain up when you attempted to coast). Great wheels. Highly recommended.

It's light. If you're running a single front ring it does a decent job keeping your chain from coming off the outside of your ring....but you'll need an inner guide to keep your chain totally in place. Only problem is they are fragile....I munched one when my chain somehow got lodged in between the ring and guard which caused it to splinter. An aluminum one would be more durable but the FSA sure looks better.

Fits just like the Bell Sweep. The straps are a little finicky to get totally flat. After a few minutes of mild frustration you can get them flat against the contours of your head. Bell tends to fit heads with a round profile. Comfortable and plenty of vents that you can stick your glasses in.

These jersey offer a good athletic fit. Not too long in the back either so if you load your pockets up they won't end up in the front. Full zip is fantastic although and nice durable zipper would be preferable.

Castelli has changed their sizing a little bit. I wore a medium in the older sizing and now I wear a large because the mediums looked like kids shorts and I couldn't even get them over my calves (I'm 5'7" 155 lbs). Chamois is pretty thin....more like a wafer and it only lasts about two to maybe three hours in the saddle before you feel like you have no chamois in your shorts at all.

These are my favorite bib shorts of all time. Fit is perfect and true to size. Chamois is like sitting on a sofa and will last a long time and doesn't feel bulky at the same time (I tend to like the chamois that make you drop your saddle a few millimeters). Wore a fresh pair of these everyday at the BC Bike race and had no issues with saddle sores or discomfort.

Best leg warmers I've used. The new gripper leg band is super comfy and wide. Material is thick and warm. Ankle zips are always a good thing too. Order them in the same size you would for your shorts/tights.

These are some of the most comfortable knee warmers I have ever donned. Material is thick and warm. The new leg grippers hold well without feeling like they are attempting to tear your skin off. Order these in the same size you would order your bibs/shorts/tights.

Overall quality is good but the design is bad. Where the uppers and toe are stitched together creates a seam that digs into your metatarsals. I had no skin left on my pinky toes after using these. Not sure if they even tested these before they went into production. Would not recommend if you prefer comfortable feet. I'll try to add photos when I have more time.

Concept is good...it's nice having a warmer short when it's cold out but the lycra just isn't holding up. My set of bibs have been piling after the first ride. Some areas, that don't even touch the saddle, are randomly piling. I suspect these will last for one cold season but that's about it. Figured for the price they would last a little longer. Chamois is okay. It's comfortable for a couple hours but doesn't seem to seal or hug your goods very well (even with good amounts of assos chamois cream).