Category: Clothing Reviews

Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Review

I have had my Patagonia Men's Houdini® for a little over 6 months now and am confident that it lives up to the claims and great reviews on the web. The Houdini is a super light weight, breathable, wind resistant shell with Patagonia’s Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish.  It will keep you dry in anything less than a solid rain.  Here on the southern California coast we commonly get mist and heavy fog.  The jacket performed flawlessly in this weather, keeping me from dusting off the heavier rain shells for my morning rides.  weighing in on the kitchen scale at 125g confirms that my XL Houdini is indeed a flyweight.  Whether on my back or on the bike the load is barely noticeable.
The chest pocket serves double duty as a stuff sack. 

Stuffed size is a little bigger than my fist when fully compressed.  The compact and cleanly packed size means that I keep the jacket with me.  It literally lives in the frame bag on my Roadeo,  and has been my bail out layer more than once this season.  Our weather has been a bit unpredictable this year.  Many mornings I leave when it is dry, only to have rain and mist set in later in the ride. 

The strongest use of the jacket is as a windshell, complementing a solid layering system.  I will wear it from the start if the temps ate below 45deg F.  It wards off the initial chill why getting warmed up.  The full zip is perfect for controlled ventilation if you find yourself getting hot midway up a climb.  When the temps are below 40deg I can wear the jacket the whole ride without getting clammy inside.  Often the morning temps will be much colder in the canyons, with swings as wide as 15 degrees lower than the higher ground. 

There are only two things I would change.  The hood is great when really cold, below 30, but is a wind catcher the rest of the time.  I ball mine up and tie it off with the adjustment cord.  A stuff pocket would be nicer.  Also, the XL fits me a little big.  While perfect for hiking or walking, it flaps a bit in the wind.  This is not bad enough for me to exchange it, but if I buy a second it will be a large. 

Added bonuses, online shipping is free since the price tag is over $75, this season offers orange and green for higher visibility and as always the Iron Clad guarantee ensures satisfaction.  Mine was a gift from my wife last summer, and has become and integral part of my gear since then, and yes I like it enough that I think about buying a backup. 

Roadeo Grocery Ride – Fjord Flannel Review

Another incredible day, and I had an hour and a half window for Opie(grandpa) to baby sit.  I decided to combine errands with the workout.  I have a 15 mile loop that lets me hit two grocery stores.  Total load and therefore spending are limited by taking the Roadeo.  Temps were in the low to mid 50s and wind was crazy, one of the days where you have a headwind more than 3/4 of the ride. 

The layering system for errands is pretty different from what I wear for my morning or non-errand rides.  Most of the time I am layered up in some combination of merino wool and polyester to fend off the morning chill.  When I know that there is going to be more stop and go, time in stores etc. I wear what most would consider normal street clothes.  Flannel being one of my favorite of layers for the cooler months.  Today I busted out my new Patagonia Fjord Flannel Shirt in Fusion Orange that the wife picked out for me as a Christmas gift.  This is their heavier flannel, and just happens to be a great color combo for playing in traffic.  I ride most of the year in long sleeves for sun protection.  In the winter, flannel provides a great top layer with just a little wind resistance and the ability to quickly adjust buttons or roll up sleeves as needed.   Today there were more than a few adjustments as I had everything from a 15mph tail wind to shady cross winds and then a tail wind home.  This shirt ROCKS, it is the first heavyweight flannel I have added to the rotation in years.  I have three older ones in the closet, one 8 years old, like silk and covered in patches.  I can only hope that this shirt goes the distance as well

Two stops and about 35 lbs of groceries later I was on my way home.  As discovered this past weekend, judicious placement of the load has had little detrimental effect on the performance of the Roadeo.  This time I was pushing the limit up front with 10lbs, a gallon of tangerine juice, up front in the acorn bag.  Another 15 -20lbs in the rear and the frame bag stuffed with rice pasta, yogurt and salsa.

One thing that really helps with the loading, comfort and stability is getting the Rivendell Jack  Brown 33.3mm wide tires back on the bike.  The added cush soaks up absolutely everything between the crappy roads and the rim. 

I have been pushing the limits of how I ride this bike loaded.  Rivendell states that they will not put you on a roadeo if you are over 250lbs.  I would likely agree that around that weight load the bike becomes compliant to a point where you really need to be paying attention to what you are doing.  At the moment I weigh in at about 220lbs.  I am working to get that down another 10 lbs and use this as a nimble allroad touring bike for the summer. 

Have fun, and get outside!

Update: The shirt is gone for the saeson, What is left in flannel is going fast at the winter sale, time to buy your AC cotton, review coming soon