atourgates

While I've never paid full price for any of them, there are two pieces of kit in this review that I have, and love. I own 3-pairs of Patagonia Dirt Roamer shorts (all bought on-sale for between $50-$70) that are my favorite mountain biking shorts. Their critical flaw for a pair of shorts with a casual aesthetic (you could get away wearing them for a post-ride drink without looking out of place in most casual settings) was the lack of pockets on earlier editions. All mine just have the single zipper pocket (where my phone goes during rides), and no "normal" side pockets. Looks like they've added side pockets, so, they should be just about perfect. I've also been slowly trying to replace my cotton tees with Moreno-wool tees whenever I see a good deal. That means I've got Moreno tees from 4-5 different companies, and Mons Royale is my absolute favorite. If I was loaded, I'd throw away all my other undershirts and tee shirts, and replace them with Mons Royale Moreno tees. They're super comfy, and do an amazing job of wicking moisture and avoiding smells. In normal non-COVID times, I take an early morning flight from Idaho to Los Angeles a few times a year. On those days, I wake up at 4 AM, get on a 5:30 AM flight from my home town to Seattle, transfer to another flight to LA, and make it into the office around 11 AM. Then I spend there rest of the day working, typically followed by an after-work dinner, and maybe drinks with some friends. You can imagine that after all that, when I get undressed in my hotel room at night, there's an odor or two. The last time I did the trip I wore my Mons Royale Moreno wool t-shirt as an undershirt. When I took it off after a 19-hour day and 2 plane flights, I couldn't smell a thing. I even took a shower, came back, and re-smelled it to make sure my nose wasn't lying to me. It was the damdest thing. My socks? Biohazard-level awful. My shirt? Not a scent on it. Anyway, IDK if that means anyone should spend $90 on one of their jerseys. But if you have the chance to grab any of their Moreno shirts on sale, and you don't like stinking, do it.

@cougar797: I mean, the EU just opened itself to tourism from other EU member countries and a list of other countries that have done well in containing COVID (including Canada), but specifically (and sensibly) excluded the US from that list .

I mean, if they'd specified that they were using my entry fees to do TOTALLY AWESOME STUFF I would have been fine with it. It really comes down to communication.

Yeah. I've kind of given up hope of leaving the country until: 1) There's a test that can be easily, reliably, and quickly administered at border crossings. 2) There's a vaccine. The other scenario, where America somehow realizes we need to take this seriously and it won't just magically disappear one day, seems too far fetched to believe. Also, happy birthday Canada.

@kinematix: Unless you know differently, I think the Smuggler will have interference with a 210 x 55 fitted in it. Some discussion here: https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=208890&pagenum=1 I have a 210 x 50 DPX 2 on mine, and it's a great ride. But I would have definitely gone with 210 x 55 if I thought I could have gotten away with it.

@thegoodflow: I certainly hope there is a Smuggler replacement coming. I'm a very happy 2019 Carbon Smuggler owner, and with a DPX2 it's a great all-arounder. The Smuggler's a fantastic bike, but has a frame-weight that puts it at a disadvantage to other similar bikes (actually heavier than a Ripmo). I'm much more-often surprised at how well the Smuggler eats up rough terrain, than I am worried that it isn't enough bike. But, pretty regularly I do use up all 140mm of front travel, and every once in a while I wish for a bit more travel in the back for the rough stuff. There's a pretty big gap right now between the 120mm/120mm XC-focused Spur and the 150mm/160mm Sentinel. Another 29" model somewhere in the middle is basically my ideal 1-bike quiver, and I hope Transition comes out with a new bike in that sweet spot soon.