Field Tested: Bonk Breaker

Gear testing can burn a lot of calories. Luckily, a bunch of tasty trail snacks have found their way to Outside's offices along with all the gear. Here's one of our favorite new discoveries:

Bonk Breaker (12 for $22)
Verdict: Excellent
The world needs another energy bar like I need another white cotton race t-shirt. Which is to say, not much. But I'm still pretty excited about this  company. First off, Bonk Breaker bars not only taste good, they also taste like food. Real food. Not an energy-rich chewy food-like substitute. The bar is a basically a peanut butter and jelly sandwich smashed into a calorie-dense, brownie-like nugget. It's smaller, tastier, and more moist than most other bars out there, meaning it's much easier to scarf down before or during a workout and doesn't need a liter of water for a chaser. It has 250 calories, with 9 grams of fat (1 gram saturated) and 35 grams of carbs—which is just to say it's really packed with energy. For context, that's 20 more calories than a Clif Bar, but with six more grams of fat and five fewer grams of carbs.  It also has 170 mg of sodium—great for sweating athletes, not for couch potatoes--and 8 grams of non-dairy (soy) protein. I've been eating these bars regularly before early morning runs, and they sit quite well in the stomach. Unlike most other bars, Bonk Breaker is moist--runners or cyclists can easily eat it with a dry mouth--which is probably due to the extra oils in the peanut butter. There's more fat in the bar than others, but it's not unhealthy fat, and frankly if you are training hard or have a metabolism like mine (always burning hot), the extra real-food calories you get in a bar like this are more important than a few extra grams of fat. Don't worry: You're not getting chubby on my watch.   

Here are the ingredients from the Peanut Butter & Jelly bar, with a special decoder from yours truly:

Ingredients: Organic Rolled Oats [FT Decoder: Organic Oats, like, what's in your...oatmeal], Brown rice crisps (brown rice flour, malt, salt) [FT: What those Whole Food shoppers eat, instead of Fritos], B -Breaker TM (Brown rice syrup, Natural crunchy peanut butter [peanuts, salt], honey) [FT: very healthy and natural sweeteners], soy protein isolate [FT Decoder: Non-dairy protein, so easier on most stomachs], Blackberry jam (blackberries, pure cane sugar, fruit pectin, citric acid) [FT Decoder: pretty much the same stuff you put on your sandwich], flaxseed meal [FT Decoder: so healthy it's scary], brown rice flour, evaporated cane juice, sea salt [FT Decoder: What is this, Wolfgang Puck's?!].

Note, the lack of junk in the food. No fructose corn syrup, unpronounceable ingredients, or chemicals with x's in the name.

The news is the company just came out with a new Chocolate Chip version, which has a similar nutritional profile, and which tastes even better than the original. I like alternating the flavors so I never get sick of PB&J. If I did that, I'd probably starve to death. --JUSTIN NYBERG

Field Tested: Scott Spark Limited

Guest reviewer in the Field Tested column this week: Aaron Gulley, the deputy editor at Outside's Go and a very committed gear head. Aaron finished a really impressive 48th in the grueling Leadville 100 race this year (out of 653 finishers) on Scott's top-of-the-line full-suspension bike, on which he will here hold forth. 

Field Tested: Scott Spark Limited
From: $8,200
Verdict: If you can afford it, don't think twice.

Bike racers love to say, it’s not the bike that matters, it’s the engine. And while I generally subscribe to this noble truism—as in, stop your whining and go train harder!!—on Saturday, while I was racing the Leadville 100, it occurred to me: If the bike doesn’t matter, why were all the fastest guys humming along on high-end cross-country racers that cost as much as a new car?

For this year’s LT100, my second consecutive attempt, I traded out the 5.5-inch, 26.5-pound all-mountain ride that I raced last year for a top-of-the-line Scott Spark Limited, which the company graciously lent me for testing this spring and summer. I’ll get slightly ahead of myself to say that, by the time I splashed through the course’s last mud puddle, I had trimmed 51 minutes off my 2007 time and had an immeasurably more enjoyable race. Sure, there were lots of factors: the cool weather, the overnight rain that lead to perfectly tacky conditions on the course, a different training regimen, and successful nutrition (as in, no barfing up my food this year!). But I also firmly believe that my relative success came in no small measure thanks to the Scott. This bike is, quite simply, one of the most stunning pieces of technological innovation on the mountain bike market today.

For a course like this, which climbs some 14,000 feet on predominantly dirt roads at elevations between 10,000 and 12,600 feet, you want to ride something light. (Extra heft amplifies the effects of the thin air.) I weighed my Scott Spark Limited at a head-slapping 21.19 pounds, with pedals. To put that in perspective, in the weeks leading up to the race, the cycling media reported with some incredulousness that Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong—who, by the way, went on to finish first and second respectively—would both be riding sub-23-pound bikes. When I read that, I had to weigh the Scott again. Yep, still 21 pounds!

The real story of the Spark, however, is what you get for that nominal weight. I imagine numerous racers were riding bikes lighter than this, but those were either stripped-down hardtails or bare-bones single speeds. The Spark is a four-inch (front and rear) carbon race bike with at-your-fingers controls for the fork lockout and three-stage shock. Put another way: This frame is so light (3.4 pounds) that Scott had plenty of latitude to add extras like bar-mounted controls. The frame is extremely rigid for its featherweight, but the single-pivot suspension still swallows up the rough descents. Kudos to DTSwiss: The carbon XRC 100 fork is incredibly light (and sexy looking!) but plenty stiff for my 155-pound frame; and the Scott Nude TC shock (which the Swiss company builds) allows you to switch from fully open (for descents) to traction mode (medium stiffness for improved climbing) to fully rigid (for zero power loss on pavement). The wheels—comprised of the new DTSwiss 190 Ceramic SL hubs mated to Ritchey WCS rims—felt snappy and light going up (I believe these weigh an ungodly light 1250 grams for the set; and you can feel it!), without compromising any durability or tracking going down. Two other wicked features: 1) The integrated carbon seat post shaves some weight and looks damn cool; and 2) the integrated carbon bar/stem combo is one of the wildest developments I’ve seen (though it makes it tougher to get the right size; incidentally, this bike fit me perfectly). Oh, and I love Magura Marta brakes; the action is crisp, and the large, 180mm rotor up front provides incredible control.

On the course, I loved the lockouts, as I could instantly transform my full-suspension ride into a veritable road bike, making it much easier to pull along with a paceline on the hard-pack rollers. Not to put to fine a point on it, but having all of these controls on the bars is such an advantage. Dozens of times, I saw other riders reaching down on their frames to flip their ProPedal switch or turn off their shock lockout, and more than once they ended up either slowing down to do it or nearly crashing in the process. Going uphill, which we did a lot, I found myself passing other riders frequently. The traction mode on the shock really helps the bike’s rear end grip the trail, and I could feel how light those wheels really are. But unlike many guys on hardtails, who had to pick their way down some of the trickier spots, I could throw the full-suspension down the rockiest hills, thereby preserving my hard-fought placements on the descents.

Speaking of fast descents, one of the figurative high points of the race came about two miles from the summit of the Columbine turnaround, when Dave and Lance zoomed by me (already 30 minutes ahead of me). Man, were those guys moving! And contrary to what he said before the race, based on the intent scowl on his face, Lance was definitely “in it to win it.” That makes Dave’s success even more impressive. This was his sixth consecutive win at Leadville, but riding Lance off the wheel has to rate as a career highlight. In fairness, it’s also clear that Dave probably wouldn’t have finished quite as fast—he shattered his old course record by 13 minutes, finishing in 6:45:05—without Lance to help him push that pace. (Lance finished two minutes after Dave.)

As for me, I finished in a sprint against my training partner, who caught me in the final mile (and pipped me at the line!), to take 48th place in eight hours and 16 minutes. It was about what I had expected, though I had hoped to be a touch quicker. Knowing that I was riding the ultimate bike for this course, I have nothing to blame except my legs and my tenacity. So for Leadville 2009, I guess I’ll have to work harder on that engine.
—AARON GULLEY

Field Tested: Tacx Fortius VR Trainer

Twenty-one switchbacks on the legendary Alpe d'Huez. I can tell you what it's like to ride them. I just did. Last night. In my living room. Perched on the amazing Tacx Fortius VR Trainer.

To give you a sense of it, and to best simulate morale-crushing winter weather, we put together a little video in the ugliest indoor area we could find: the basement at Outside. Note that the video mistakenly describes the price as 760 dollars -- those are Euros, we meant to say. But more on that later. Check it out:

I was a VR-is-all-virtual-and-no-reality kind of guy, too. But this simulator takes stationary riding to whole new level, and promises more in the future. The basic idea is to provide a life-like riding environment indoors. To do this, Tacx, a Dutch pro-level maker of trainers and accessories, threw a motorized brake on the flywheel, and hooked it up to a power pack that communicates information between your trainer and your PC (note to Mac users: you're not invited). What you see is what you pedal. Resistance adjusts to match the incline on your screen, from out-of-the-saddle 12 percent verts to coasting descents. Go ahead and bomb: crashes are unlikely.

The first generation of software, which still comes with all the VR trainers (and is not pictured in our vid), puts your choice of mini-you on your choice of mini-bike, and when you peddle, you watch mini-you go around like a punch-powered toy horse at the county fair. Even with web-connected real-time racing against actual people, and optional steering, it can still feel like you're playing an aerobic form of Wii, or stuck with a new interface for Second Life. But then someone had the breakthrough idea that became Real Life Video.

For it, Tacx went out and filmed famous bike routes before major stage races. The Alpe d'Huez is featured in Alpine Classics, one of 14 DVDs currently available, sold separately (from $45, aebike.com). Climb the Gavia, the Mortirolo, and the Mont Ventoux. Race the Milan San Remo, the Flanders Tour, and Amstel Gold, complete with rowdy fans. Or, if you're not up to racing just yet, go on a training ride. In Almeria, Spain. With Team Rabobank.

And coming soon, even better. Tacx is calling it RL training, as in Real Life, the kind you see on MTV. What they mean is: you take your GPS, clock your normal training rides (or whichever you want to download from web sources like MapMyRide), and plug 'em in to the trainer. Your favorite rolling lunch-time loop? So what if it's dark out: you can ride it at home. Might as well just run the whole thing off of Google street view -- wait, Tacx probably heard me.

The Fortius is the mid-range of three VR-ready trainers, and costs €760. From your local retailer that can mean well over $1000, and rising as the dollar continues to plummet. Worth it? No more watching The Big Lebowski (again) while loading up on LSM through the winter months. This thing ain't no Wii. More like wow.

--Matthew Fishbane

Field Tested: Brooks Barbican Messenger Bag

Brooks Barbican Messenger Bag

$399

Verdict: Get one, if you can afford it.

One of my colleagues, John Bradley, noticed this  messenger bag at a trade show and we've been looking for a place in the magazine for it ever since. Why? Because it's just beautiful. Messenger bags are pretty simple—you've seen one, you've seen them all—but this one stood out to us. It offers the basic features that you'd want in a utilitarian bike bag, but with a classic, Old World style that gets noticed. 

Case in point: Here's a recent day in the life of this bag.

8:27 a.m. -- As I am walking out the door to ride to work, my girlfriend comments, "Nice bag. Is that a keeper?" (Nope. We return editorial samples).

8:49 a.m. -- As I walk past Outside's front desk, Odie, our receptionist, and Elena, one of Outside's accountants, both stopped their conversation to comment. "Ooh, cool bag!" they said. I often blow past reception in a rush to get to my desk, but that day, we start chatting.

6:15 p.m. -- I ride the the local organic market for some quick groceries for dinner—there's just enough room in the bag for a short dinner list. I notice a kid sort of staring at me in the cereal aisle.  He's about 11 years old, wearing bike cleats and holding an ancient helmet. Later on, we're both at the bike rack. After working up some courage, he shyly says, "I like your bag." Nice kid. I felt like tipping him.

But beyond fashion, the Barbican also pretty functional. It's is made with waxed canvas, so it's both reasonably water resistant and quite durable—designed to take some wear and tear and only look better. Inside, it's lightly padded, and divided into two sections, one of which can hold a laptop. There are a few pouches on the outside of the pack, hidden beneath the lid flap, but all are open-topped, so they aren't ideal for securing valuables or electronics in pick-pockety places. For a touch of extra security, there's a small, discrete zippered pouch under the lid. The lid doesn't latch (only via four light magnetic buttons), so it's also really not designed for securing bulky loads. The shoulder strap doubles as a waist buckle for extra stability while riding, as well as two large leather-wrapped pads for your back.

All in all it's a great, stylish messnger bag—just durable and comfortable enough to be practical for most casual riders, and good-looking enough to give even random strangers a reason to say hi. The price, though, is a little silly—$379 for medium, $399 for large. If you put a premium on style, though, you get a lot of class for your money. www.brooksengland.com

--JUSTIN NYBERG

--Bottom Two Photos by AMBER TERRANOVA

Field Tested: Tech4o TraiLeader 1 Watch

Tech4o TraiLeader 1 watch
Tester: Justin Nyberg
Verdict: Mixed

No, the TraiLeader watch from Tech4o isn’t perfect. But for a watch that gives you some basic tools for backcountry use, and costs just $140, it’s a pretty good deal. 

First, the positives: The watch is remarkably light, at about two ounces, so it’s a good pick for the ultralight set. The display is big, about the size of an old 50-cent-piece, with large font for easy reading on the move. It’s also very slim, so it doesn’t feel awkward under a base layer, and has a subdued style that works in the bar or office and isn’t always screaming, “I’d rather be trekking!” The plastic housing is rugged enough for normal levels of abuse, but I wouldn’t go hand-jamming with it. (One peeve I had with the design: The rubber wrist strap comes free of its band all the time, and flaps around until you slide the band back into place. The band is simply too loose to keep it secure. The only fix is to cut the extra strap off.)

The TraiLeader has a ton of trail-ready features: some work great, others not so well. On a three-day through hike of the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico, the altimeter feature was impressively accurate. I checked it repeatedly against our topo map and a GPS unit. Despite daily weather changes (which can affect the barometer that’s used to calculate altitude) and a route that yo-yo’d between 13,000 and 10,000 feet, the altimeter was accurate within about 50 feet throughout. (The key was to recalibrate at a known altitude every morning before setting out.)

The alarm was loud enough to roust us for an early morning start (Tip: keep your watch in the tent pocket, not on your wrist, where it’s muffed by your sleeping bag). The timer is helpful when we were starving and wanted to know exactly how much time remained until that dried beef stroganoff was ready. The temperature gauge seems pretty accurate and is helpful. It can’t get an accurate reading unless you take it off your wrist and strap it to a backpack for about four or five minutes, but that’s not a big hassle. There’s also a stopwatch feature with laps for those who’ll be taking the watch for trail runs.  It’s certainly light and close fitting enough to feel good on the fly.

The good part: that’s most of what you’ll need a watch to do in the backcountry. The bad part: the rest of the features are either a little tough to operate or didn’t seem very reliable.

If you buy a TraiLeader, expect a fair bit of head scratching as you try to navigate the watch’s many features. If I didn’t have a product representative to call (twice) to walk me through certain features, I would still be somewhat puzzled about how to get them to work, or how to interpret them. There are nine major features: altimeter, barometer, compass, speed/distance tracker, timer, stopwatch, dual time, alarm and current time. Each of these has sub-displays and settings menus, some have alternate units and start/stop features and personal adjustments—all of which require a lot of practice before you stop pressing wrong buttons and wreaking havoc on your data. For example, the Lap/Reset button starts your distance tracker, but will reset it if you hold it down. The Start/Stop button just cycles through display options. This problem is being fixed in future generations of the watch.

The most disappointing feature in the TraiLeader’s back of tricks was the barometer. Case in point: the barometer registered a reading in Santa Fe of about 23 inches, which was a lot different from what the nearby airport was reading (30 inches). There are a few ways to explain this, but none are very confidence inspiring. The watch attempts to make short-term forecasts based on barometric fluctuations (Atari-like graphics of a sun, clouds or rain) but these simply weren’t reliable enough to use in making decisions. Since there’s no alarm to alert you to sudden fluctuations in pressure, you have to keep a close eye on it yourself. To predict if a storm is coming, you already need to know how to interpret barometric readings, and look for trends in the barometric log (where pressure is registered each hour and stored) on your own. Quick quiz: Do you know what a drop of 0.1 inches over three hours means? It means either a major storm is coming and you better give up on the summit, or your watch is misinterpreting your altitude gain as a low-pressure system and the weather is going to be fine—your call! 

It’s hard to tell whether the speed/distance tracking feature on the watch is accurate in the backcountry, and we never got a chance to check it over a known distance. But it’s certainly not very good in varied terrain. The watch counts how many times you swing your arm, extrapolates how many steps you took, and multiplies that by the length of your stride (you have to program your stride length beforehand, and it’s only accurate if you always keep the same stride length). If your stride shortens on hills, it’s not going to be anywhere near accurate, and the sensor is completely baffled if you use trekking poles. With even strides, on flat ground, the counter does accurately register each arm swing and records reasonably-accurate distance estimates, but in the real world it also registers every mosquito-bite scratch, pack adjustment and brow swipe as a step forward. The resulting pace and cumulative distance figures are a boost to the ego, but maybe not what you’re paying for.

At the end of the day, I’d still recommend the TraiLeader as a good entry-level trail watch, simply because it’s light, gives decent altitude readings, will wake you up for an alpine start, and, you know, tells time. I’d simply forget about the distance and speed tracking features, take the barometric readings with a grain of salt, and expect to take some time learning what buttons do what on any given screen. Then I’d stop futzing with it and just enjoy the hike. $140, www.tech4o.com  —JUSTIN NYBERG

For other watch reviews, check out our Buyers Guide watch reviews here.

Have you tested this gear? Do you have comments? Let us know your opinions below.