PEZ Holiday Gift Guide #4: Ekoï Winter Socks and Shoe Covers, Shimano Shades, Cycology Gift Cards, Syncross Taillight, Chris King Titanium DropSet™, Fizik One-to-One & Elitewheels Wheelset
PEZ Holiday Gift Guide #4: The PEZ Holiday Gift Guide returns with even more perfect picks for the cyclists you love: Ekoi winter socks and shoe covers, Shimano Technium sunglasses, Cycology gift cards, Syncros Campbell 100 rear light, Chris King releases titanium DropSet™, One you. One saddle. Fizik One-to-One and Elitewheels’ Drive Helix SS carbon wheelset.
Ekoï Winter Socks and Shoe Covers
Ekoï Outlast Winter Socks – $39.99
Not too hot, nor too cold…just the right temperature Ekoï winter Outlast® socks combine the best of Outlast® technology with the natural properties of merino wool to provide your feet with constant thermal comfort (from -10°C to +15°C / 14 – 59° F). Proactive Dual Thermoregulation Outlast® material forms a thermal barrier when it’s cold and a cooling effect in warmer temperatures. As a result, your feet are kept in a temperate microclimate throughout your ride, regardless of changes in temperature. The 30% Merino wool content, a naturally thermoregulating and breathable material, optimizes the thermal balance.
Ekoï Neopren High Elastic 2 Winter Shoe Covers – $94.99
A revolution! The new winter cover shoes has no zipper thanks to the new highly expandable neoprene membrane.
- Effective down to 0°C / 32°F
- Road model (not suitable for mountain biking)
- Velcro closure under the sole
- Fore foot reinforced
- 4 sizes : M (40-41), L (42-43), XL (44-45), XXL (46-47)
Chuck Peña PEZ sez: The Ekoï Outlast Winter Socks are a merino wool blend. Like other pieces of kit I have made with merino wool, they are soft against bare skin. And I know from experience how good merino wool is as a thermal insulator.
Feets don’t fail me now!
But what makes these socks different is the Outlast material that it works in both directions – cooling or heating depending on the situation. They’re perfect for rides that start out on the cool side but warm up during the ride. One thing I really like about the Outlast Winter Socks is that they’re surprisingly thin for winter socks.
Combined with the Outlast Winter Socks, the Ekoï Neopren High Elastic 2 Winter Shoe Covers aren’t just insulating against the cold, but the neoprene construction means they’ll keep your feet dry if you encounter road water/splash. I admit that I’m no longer willing to endure the kind of winter riding that the Outlast Winter Socks and High Elastic 2 Winter Shoe Covers are intended for, i.e., temps down to freezing, but can attest that they’ve done their job for my toes and feet (which get cold relatively easily) on some Lowcountry rides with the temps in the 40s, overcast skies, and some wind.
Yes, the socks are tall! But if you’re wearing this combo, you’re likely also wearing tights/leg warmers.
One thing I’m a fan of is that the Ekoï Neopren High Elastic 2 Winter Shoe Covers are zipper-less. No zipper means no entry point for cold/wet. You pull them on before you put your shoes on and then fit them over your shoes (watch the video below).
Shimano Technium CE-TCNM2 Sunglasses – $124.99
PEZ Sez: I’ve always had a thing for white frames shades for my riding eye protection – which just happens to be 1 of the seven different frame colors and 4 lens colors offered in Shimano’s line of five different models of eyewear.
The big deal here is the lens quality as the new lightweight, BPA-free polyamide lens material offers a higher Abbe value and lower refractive index, providing superior visual clarity, enhanced contrast, reduced glare, and vivid color transmission for optimal vision in any riding condition. I’m paraphrasing the Shimano website with that block of text, but I can confirm the lens clarity is excellent.
Functionally – the arms have a light snap / bump as they lock into either the open or closed position, which helps keep em secured to your head. The lens is interchangeable as expected. My testers came with the orange Ridescape RD (Road) Lens, which basically makes everything look more blue than I expected. This lens is great for bright & sunny days, but I was glad they came with a clear lens for the darker days that we have around PEZ HQ in winter.
I also liked the full-frame design just because I think full frame glasses are cool, and adding to the functionality – they also offer great protection thanks to the larger coverage. Fogging up has not been an issue either thanks to the slight cut-outs at four corners of the lens.
My only complaint is that the nose-piece is not adjustable, and I could use a slightly narrower version than comes stock. But the glasses still stayed in place and didn’t slip down – they just sit a bit closer to my face than I prefer.
Finally – what really blew me away was the that these weigh in a 28grams – that’s 1. oz! Very light indeed.
- Lightweight: Full-frame, well-fitting eyewear designed for all-day use and protection.
- Enhanced Protection: Single-lens design offers a wide field of view, shielding eyes from wind, dust, and debris.
- Clear Vision: Ventilation slits reduce fogging, while a hydrophobic coating repels water and sweat. Abbe value is a measure of the lens material’s dispersion of light.
- Secure Fit: Curved temple grippers and a reversible nose pad ensure stability, complementing modern trail helmets.
- Cycling-Specific Lenses: RIDESCAPE lens options enhance colors and highlight terrain features for various riding conditions.
Oh and one more thing – if you’re like me and so done with how much packaging gets used for products these days… the these Shimano glasses – unlike so many other premium sunglass lines (the kind who send you a way-too-big bomb-proof box which never gets used to store them in) – ship in a simple cardboard box just big enough to fit the glasses.
• More info see the Shimano website.
Elitewheels’ Drive Helix SS Carbon Wheelset
Elitewheels’ Drive Helix SS high-performance wheelsets feature lightweight Sapim CX-Ray aero bladed spokes, S&S ceramic bearings, and their own ratchet hubs.
Undulating rim profiles enhance stability in crosswinds and improve high-speed cornering. The rims feature an ETRTO-compliant reduced hook design, promising the benefits of a hookless wheelset including aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance, without sacrificing safety.
Each wheelset is UCI approved and has undergone more than 20 additional tests, ensuring durability, longevity, and performance. Wheels are tested in the pro peloton by Elitewheels’ six sponsored UCI Continental teams.
The brand is rated 4.9/5 on the review site, TrustPilot, offers free shipping to 90+ countries, and has a worldwide dealer and service center network.
Syncros Campbell 100 Rear Light
Lighting up your ride has become essential in this age of demented drivers, to much traffic, and shifting into a life phase that values personal preservation above all. And it’s a lott easier to avoid said idiots when they can see you – hence the bike lighting category is now well served with many options for small, powerful, and easy to use lights.
Personally, I like my tail light to be positioned as high on the bike as possible – and Syncros (a brand whose founders I used to ride with back in the day) has one of the coolest setups I’ve seen. The Campbell rear light is horizontal in shape, and sits snugly under the rear of the saddle, between the rails. Even better that is allows room to attach an saddle bag, or if you go with their Multimount system, you can fit light, fender, and a saddle bag in any combination or all three.
Syncros says: Our rear light is the Campbell 100, designed to be a minimalist integrated light for use on Syncros saddles. Utilizing our integrated mounting system in a variety of options whether you want to pair it with a saddle bag, fender, both or mount it on it’s own. With 5 running modes, it covers every riding situation from forest off-road ride to city commuting. In light sensitive mode, the built in light sensor enables it to shift to the most efficient running mode between “to see” and “to be seen” depending on the ambiant lightening. The USB-C port allows you to plug the light to higher amperage ports, shortening the charging time compared with standard Micro-USB ports.
It offers five different running modes – High / Medium / Low / Flash / LIGHT SENSITIVE, and the 100Lumen output is plenty bright.
Key Features
- 5 modes incl Light sensitive
- COB LED
- USB-C charging
- Saddle mounted
- Weight – 43g approx., bracket excluded
More info at Syncros.com
Cycology Gift Cards
Shopping for someone else but not sure what to give them? Give them the gift of choice with a Cycology Clothing Gift Card.
Our Digital Gift Cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Our e-gift cards have no additional processing fees.
Chuck Peña PEZ sez: As the PEZ himself aka Richard Pestes has previously said: We’ve reviewed a LOT of Cycology kit, and consistently found it to be well made, well tailored, and well purposed – whether it’s technical riding kit like jerseys, bibs, baselayers, socks or gloves – or casual apparel to wear at the pub, BBQ, or under whatever pants you’ll pulled on today. It’s always fun.
Fun is definitely the operative word when it comes to Cycology. And what I said about Cycology kit the first time I reviewed their kit still stands: [Their] kit is fully functional and up to snuff. To be sure, Cycology isn’t the highest of high end kit … but it’s not trying or pretending to be. What it is is bang-for-the-buck high value kit that works and won’t break the bank. In other words, quality kit that most riders can afford.
My most recent reviews of fun stuff from Cycology have been their Reborn Jerseys and their collaboration with Bont that puts Sarina’s designs on the Bont Vaypor shoes.
Matchy-matchy Cycology 8 Days Reborn Jersey and Bont Vaypor shoes
Black and blue Velo Tattoo
Put a little fun in your favorite cyclist’s stocking with a Cycology gift card!
Chris King Releases Titanium DropSet™
Chris King Precision Components has released a limited quantity of titanium headsets for bikes with internal bearings. For years, King has offered their alloy DropSet™ for these bikes. This is the first time the category-defining headset is available in titanium.
“Most of the new, carbon road and gravel bikes have internal bearing designs,” said King Design Manager Jay Sycip. “When bearings aren’t pressed securely into a cup they shift and move and lose preload, which makes them move, creak, and eventually fail. The DropSet™ solves that problem.”
Renowned for the durability of their components, King has upped the ante by producing these headsets in titanium. They come in a matte finish with a matching titanium bolt.
“Everything we machine now is either aluminum or stainless steel, but we made titanium headsets for a long time,” SyCip continued. “We’ve never made a titanium DropSet™, so we thought this was a fun time to manufacture these limited-edition components. We love the result, and we know a lot of riders will be eager to put them on their bikes.”
Like all King’s headsets, the titanium DropSets™ feature King’s patented GripLock™ bearing cap. The GripLock™ preloads the headset independently of clamping onto the steerer, so it retains preload far better than the competition and is impervious to the ill effects of load spikes from large hits and heavy braking. This means smoother steering, fewer adjustments, no creaking, and a longer lasting headset. GripLock™ also takes the guesswork out of preloading a headset, because the bearing preload force is independent of the clamping force.
Chris King’s Titanium DropSets™ are available for a limited time via the King website.
One you. One saddle. Fizik One-to-One
FIZIK ONE-TO-ONE.
Let us build a saddle as unique as you are with our bespoke One-to-One program.
With One-to-One, you’re just a few steps away from personalized saddle comfort. First, an expert bike fitter records in-person pressure data in real time, determining your ideal saddle shape while highlighting any pressure points. Then, we design, print, and deliver a truly custom saddle fine-tuned to your exact riding needs. In short, we build your saddle.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ONE-TO-ONE?
Our One-to-One dealer network is always growing. Head to the link below to find a participating location near you—and book in your fit session to start your journey towards custom saddle comfort.
Note: If you have other experiences with gear or something to add, drop us a line. We don’t claim to know everything (we just imply it at times). Give us a pat on the back if you like the reviews or a slap in the head if you feel the need!
PezCycling News and the author ask that you contact the manufacturers before using any products you see here. Only the manufacturer can provide accurate and complete information on proper/safe use, handling, maintenance, and or installation of products as well as any conditional information or product limitations.
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