I’m a bit of a greenie at heart. I ride a bike for fun, but also to reduce greenhouse emissions, and I have an obsession with natural fibres and fabrics. So it’s with great pleasure that I’m able to introduce Icebreaker’s new cycle shorts. These beasts are made mostly from merino wool, but with high-quality Lycra panels along the inside of the legs and crotch area to alleviate friction-related issues. Merino fibres are much softer than standard wool fibres, so contrary to popular belief surrounding wool blends, there is no itchiness associated with wearing these shorts. Do yourself a favour though and wash them before you wear them for maximum comfort. The chamois is of excellent quality and the stay bands around the legs stick nice and firm to the skin so your shorts don’t ride up (this is particularly important for keeping your tan line unspoiled over the summer months). They’re available in two lengths—short and three-quarter—and the waist band is nice and wide so it doesn’t dig into your gut. As with all Icebreaker products, they won’t stink after you wear them.
Obviously a lot of thought has gone into the design of these shorts. It is, in my opinion, groundbreaking cyclewear design, which Icebreaker will no doubt be improving on year after year, as they do with every other quality product they bring us. And remember, Icebreaker is New Zealand made; it doesn’t get much better than that! MEGAN DIMOZANTOS
VIDEO | How Santa Cruz Designs Full Suspension Bikes
Janet Kan November 21, 2022
Kiran MacKinnon is a human dyno. When Santa Cruz Bicycles needs to test, experiment and validate suspension then Kiran is the one of the main people we call on to do that work. Not only is he an extremely talented bike rider and incredibly knowledgeable about suspension, but he can actually interpret and translate what he’s feeling in a way that he can communicate to the rest of the engineering team. This enables them to cross-reference the data they’ve collected with real life, on-trail experience to build better bikes and provide the right setup for our riders. We’re constantly refining our VPP™ suspension as well as the damping tunes shocks we spec on our bikes in order to make sure our bikes ride really, really good.
