Adventure Ride Essentials – Check out our trusted reviews and seasoned opinions on everything from gravel tire recommendations to clothing and gear for gravel riding and adventure bikepacking. It’s all in adventure ride essentials from Off-Piste Mag.
Go Tubeless or Go Home If you aren’t using tubeless tires on your adventure gravel bike (or mountain bike), you should be. Imagine bombing down gravel descents and across rough ground without concern for flats. Going tubeless is the key to reducing tire issues on adventurous rides. Tubeless lets you run lower tire pressure without fear of pinch flats and… Read More
Merino Wool — Breathable. Lightweight. Warm Wool has been part of the adventurer’s layering kit for a very long time. So long, in fact, it’s sometimes associated with an old-school vibe. It turns out that wool’s natural temperature regulation, sweat-wicking and odor-fighting qualities are difficult to match with modern synthetics. Add the naturally soft and resilient nature of merino, and… Read More
The boom in gravel riding and adventure cycling has brought with it a fresh take on cycling clothing — jerseys and shorts that offer all the performance of technical cycling kit with a clean, simple take on the look and feel. You no longer have to settle for the race team or over-stylized cycling jersey that has dominated riding apparel… Read More
Showers Pass Cloudburst Rain Jacket Review We’ve all heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” Well, few activities highlight bad clothing as quickly as cycling in the rain. Riding a bike with any real effort puts waterproof, breathable claims to a serious test. It’s one thing to throw on a lightweight rain shell to… Read More
Showers Pass Apex Mountain Bike Shorts All the Mobility and Pockets You Need There’s no better way to declare your bike nerd factor than to show up for a ride clad from head to toe in tight-fitting Lycra shorts and a jersey. I wear my fair share of Lycra — it’s incredibly good for mobility and comfort on the bike…. Read More
Fellow Prismo AeroPress Filter Review For the dedicated coffee drinkers among us, little compares to the ritual brewing of the morning cup. We all have our favorite time-tested methods for brewing coffee in the backcountry or while on the road, and one of the best portable coffee makers around is the AeroPress coffee maker. This winter, I stumbled across the Fellow… Read More
Castelli Entrata Cycling Vest – Windproof Front, Breathable Back Cycling vests are essential gear for shoulder season rides – or any cool weather riding, really. A good vest balances breathability and wind resistance. It lets you control your temp on climbs and blocks cold wind on descents. With GORE Windstopper® across the front and stretch breathable material across the back, the Castelli… Read More
Adventure Bike Gravel Tires Reviewed So many choices. So little time. Choosing the best gravel tire is a bit like picking the right shoes for the day. It’s all about the terrain and surfaces that are on the agenda. When talking tires for adventure riding, maximum volume and width are key considerations. Tread is important, too. But volume is directly related to… Read More
GORE SHAKEDRY GORE set the standard to which waterproof, breathable outerwear is measured, and their latest innovation, GORE SHAKEDRY™, takes everything GORE-TEX is known for to a higher level of performance – waterproofness, breathability and lightweight construction. SHAKEDRY’s distinct design uses a GORE-TEX membrane as the face fabric and a 100% polyamide fabric as a backer. What does that mean?… Read More
Outdoor Research Helium Jacket – Ultralight, Packable Rain Jacket The wet weather has arrived. It’s not quite ski season, so full-on GORE-TEX ski wear is not really necessary. But if you want to head for the hills during shoulder season, you need some sort of waterproof jacket. The Outdoor Research Helium jacket sets a high standard for ultralight rain jackets,… Read More
Camelbak Chase Hydration Vest Review One of the big limiting factors when setting out on an extended adventure ride is water-carrying capacity. It takes a lot of water to stay hydrated on a 100+ mile ride. The obvious solution is a hydration pack. But when traveling light is your goal, most hydration packs are overkill. The Camelbak Chase hydration vest… Read More
Club Ride Mountain Surf MTB Shorts – Adventure Ride Ready Adventure pedaling season here in the Pacific Northwest runs nearly year-round. Come late March, big miles and long hours in the saddle are the norm. Big miles require quality bike shorts. Bib shorts are the style of choice for most roadies and endurance riders, but coming from the mountain bike… Read More
Wacaco Nanopresso – Portable Espresso Maker Strong coffee and adventure go hand in hand. When traveling and backcountry trips require packing your own coffee making supplies, you can go as basic as a cone filter or upgrade to the popular Aeropress. Both methods offer a solid approach to brewing a stout cup of coffee with its own merits. For those who… Read More
Coffee is a daily fixture for many of us. It fuels work. It fuels adventure. It’s a ritual. The art of making coffee in the backcountry and on road trips takes many forms. Regardless of how you make your coffee on the road, freshly ground beans definitely add to the quality. In my perpetual pursuit of the best possible coffee… Read More
Portable Chargers for the Backcountry Electronics in the backcountry are the norm. Apps like Gaia (GPS), Strava, Avenza and RidewithGPS turn our phones into worthy gps and navigation tools for adventure in any season. However, keeping electronics fully charged and ready to go on a multi-day backcountry trip requires back-up power options. There are many portable chargers and storage batteries on… Read More
