Skiis & Biikes - Ontario

Cover Your Butt: A guide to buying skipants for the 'not so average' person

Buying ski pants might just be the runner up to shopping for swimwear. Not exactly something we all look forward to as it can pose a problem for the short-legged, long-legged or anyone who does not conform to the ‘average’ body type. Skiis and Biikes believes that we all deserve great clothing to ski in, regardless of size and body type. We go out of our way to find basic black pants for men and women in a variety of sizes and lengths. All pants in our assortment are warm (minimum 40 g insulation), waterproof and breathable. We bring in a variety of brands and fits to suit many bodies. It is best to shop early for the best selection and please provide us with your feedback. We are often pushing our suppliers to expand their size ranges and sometimes they need to hear it from you too!

 

-Valerie

Product Testing: MOUNTAIN FORCE SKIWEAR

Mountain Force is a new ski clothing company from Switzerland, introduced in Canada last season. It broke out on the scene with super luxurious stretch fabrics inside and out paired with a new ceramic heat-reflective coating, making the garments incredibly lightweight but warm and comfortable.

 

As the ski clothing buyer for Skiis and Biikes, I thought the jackets felt so lightweight that I was pretty skeptical to buy it for the first season. A friend had tested a jacket and pants at Mt Tremblant (brrr) in January and assured me that she was warm as toast. I was blown away by the beauty and innovation in the product, so went ahead and put it into the stores for 2008/2009. Still, I was curious about the performance of the product so I arranged to test a suit myself on an upcoming trip to Whistler.

 

I was traveling with a friend who was also wearing a Mountain Force suit. It was a great opportunity to compare notes. While the conditions varied from fog to blizzard, the suits were comfortable in all conditions. My friend added a couple of extra layers underneath while I was pretty comfy with a base layer and single midlayer. 

 

The fit is fantastic and very slimming, as a result of the low loft insulation. The snow and water shed instantly, including bums after the dreaded wet chairlift. Because the garments are 100% stretch from the inside out, they moved with us, felt completely unrestrictive and retained their shape. Breathability was excellent in the warmer, foggy conditions.

 

Overall, we rank this new brand very high. The fit, fabrics and innovation score 10/10. Mountain Force will be arriving for men and women again this fall in all stores.

 

-Valerie

 

2010 Product: Sram XX

            In 2008 Shimano released the Shadow deraileur. It was one of the best improvements to their line up in about 5 years. It was only a few years ago that Sram really took hold of a large part of the cycling industry. They have been very well known and highly respected for their 1:1 shift ratio, sleek looking design, and light weight components. In their top end, which in Shimano would be LX(SLX) XT and XTR is the Sram X7, X9 and XO. Now for 2010 Sram has gone above and beyond with the new XX which puts the XO and even the Shimano XTR to shame! The XX line up features everything from 10spd MTB drivetrain to Ultra light suspension and hydraulic brakes. Take a look at the line up you could expect to see for the 2010 summer riding season!

 

http://www.sram.com/en/XX/products/

If you arent ready to jump into the 10spd or take out a second mortgage for the XX sram has revamped their XO and Truvativ race line up with unique color schemes that could make any bike stand out and get hit with a big boost in performance. Not to mention the potential price drop with the new XX on its way.

http://www.sram.com/en/designyourride/

Greg

 

Suunto Product's

Suunto is a company that produces fitness and outdoor oriented watches much like Polar. However one of the biggest benefits to the Suunto products is the price. Suunto watches with full heart rate functions sell for as little as $130.00. The other great thing about the Suunto product is that the product has a water proof seal that is just as good as the Polar watches but the operator is able to replace pieces like batteries them-self while with the polar, the product must be taken to or sent to an authorized Polar Repair location in order to keep the warranty valid. The Suunto comes in a number of different models. This particular review will focus specifically on the active/fitness line of products.

These products are as follows:

Suunto T1

Features

1.   Heartrate
2.   Calories Burned
3.   Memory

Suunto T3

1.   Heartrate
2.   Calories Burned
3.   Memory
4.   GPS, BIKE, FOOT, CADENCE, PC POD compatible

Suunto T4

1.  Heartrate
2.  Calories Burned
3.  Memory
4.  POD Compatible
5.  Personal Trainer

Suunto T6

1.  Heartrate
2.  Calories Burned
3.  Memory
4.  POD compatible
5.  Personal Trainer
6.  Altimeter/Barometer 

The watch I personally own at the moment is the Suunto T3. And have been extremely happy with it. The initial set up of the watch can be a little confusing for those who cant quite get there head around technology. The watch has a total of 5 buttons on it and has a very sleek look to it. Once the watch has been set up with all of the personal information it requires it is very easy to navigate through. You have full access to each section of the watch, be it POD functions or Heartrate functions you can view everything in each mode. The heart rate belt is very comfortable to the point you forget your wearing it. The PODS range from $60.00-$200.00 and all function very well.

PODS

GPS POD

- This pod reads well and is very accurate. It is quite pricey at $200.00 retail but if you are looking for GPS function watch, lightweight, compact it is worth the buy. The only complaints I have about the POD is it takes a few minutes to gather a signal and wont start reading until then. Also it takes a sensor reading every 1-2 seconds and when going through trails on bikes I have noticed that it gives less accurate readings on speeds if you are going around sharp 180 degree corners.

BIKE POD

- Gives good readings but doesn't mount well to a lot of fork units. $70.00, Not worth the money unless it mounts to your bike well.

ROAD BIKE POD

- Cleanest looking sensor I have ever seen. The Sensor itself is your front Bike axle and has superb reading's. $70.00. Definitely worth the buy!  

CADENCE POD

- Still at the same price of $70.00 this POD has great range and gives good accurate readings. If you are a serious cyclists and want to work on training, this is a great buy!

FOOT POD

- Compact design fits securely on your shoe laces. Gives strong accurate readings consistently. At $80.00 this is worth a buy. 

If you are a Triathlete or a multi sport enthusiast, Suunto offers a TRI pack which gives you all needed PODS (only offered with T6) and small packages that can be purchased after as well, ranging from $150-$300.00

Definitely a company worth checking into. Great bang for your buck, you really cant go wrong.

Greg