If you’ve ever spent time in a bike shop, you know the name Outdoor Gear Canada (OGC). Founded in 1979, OGC is an exclusive distributor of premium cycling products. Their distribution channels include nearly every bike shop you’ve ever been to. OGC is headquartered in a LEED-certified office and warehouse complex in Montreal, where it also assembles Opus bicycles. Below, OGC and ML offer a preview of the latest cycling gear (road, gravel, mountain) for 2024.
Bell Sanction 2 DLX Helmet
Bell has been in the helmet game for a long time and their latest offering is this full-face helmet aimed at the casual bike park rider—someone who isn’t ready to blow $500 on a helmet, but wants a full-face just the same. The most impressive part of this helmet is its price point and the inclusion of MIPS. This system reduces rotational motion to the brain in the event of a crash and is integral to nearly every high-end helmet these days. Along with that, the helmet has 14 vents to stay as cool as you can in a full-face helmet. Overall, if you’re the type that doesn’t always wear a full-face but needs one a few times a year, this is a killer choice.
Blackburn Mammoth Mini Pump
Let’s face facts: Mini pumps can be a drag. They take forever to get your tire up to the pressure you’re looking for, and they’re annoying to use. But when you need to fix a flat on the trail, you simply can’t beat having one along for the ride. And the Mammoth Mini Pump is a winner. For starters, it’s for Presta valves only. This is huge. So many pumps feature some kind of adapter system that will work with both Presta and Schrader valves, but why? Who is running Schrader valves on their mountain, gravel or road bikes these days? Nobody. And the adapters that run on both valves often only kind of work for each. If you’re switching back and forth, figuring out which is which is a pain (unless you’re a bike mechanic). Buy a pump that works with the valves you use, and avoid adapter issues.
CamelBak Podium Vacuum Insulated Bottle
Nothing’s worse on a hot summer day than a water bottle full of tepid water that tastes like off-gassing plastic. That’ll never happen with this vacuum-insulated, stainless steel water bottle. It fits a bottle cage perfectly, looks awesome and most importantly, keeps your drink cool. And the high-flow cap and no-squeeze design will keep you hydrated and happy all summer long.
CamelBak Chase Adventure 8 Vest
If you’re not the water bottle type, but prefer to have a reservoir on your back, the lightweight Chase Adventure 8 Vest is perfect. Not only can you pack 2 litres of water in the Crux reservoir, the Quicklink Hydration system delivers 20 per cent more water per sip. The pack itself features another 6 litres of strategic stow options for gear, phone, snacks and more. Be ready for anything with the Chase Adventure 8 Vest.
Fasthouse Blitz Swift Glove
The crew over at Fasthouse has been creating cool, tough gear since way back in 1968. And their current gear is as practical and cool-looking as ever. One of the most annoying things about bike gloves these days is when you have to take them off to use your phone. Not so with the men’s Blitz Swift Glove: the index finger and thumb feature Clarino fabric, allowing you to pinch, zoom and scroll on your phone without taking them off. Lightweight and ready for abuse, there’s one more box these gloves tick—they look cool too.
Giro Rodeo Glove
Don’t let these light and thin gloves fool you; they provide protection in all the right places. They feel like you’ve got bare hands on the bars, but the burly knuckle protection provides—as Giro likes to say—“lightweight protection for heavyweight terrain.” Made with post-consumer materials, they also feature touchscreen technology on the fingers so you can quickly get great footy of the homies, without pulling your gloves off. Available for women and men.
Unior Multitool EURO17
Every time I get a new multi-tool, I think, Finally, this is the last multi-tool I’ll ever need. And then I lose it, break it, bend it, or bike companies introduce another chain size, bolt configuration or Torx bolt size. So I know this is not my last multi-tool, but until I need a new one, Unior’s EURO17 will definitely do the trick. Featuring Hex wrenches from 2 to 8 mm, Torx wrenches at 20 and 25, a Phillips and a flathead screwdriver, plus multiple spoke wrenches, it also has a Schrader and Presta valve tool—and a chain tool that isn’t heinous to use. Light and compact, you can pack this (along with your burrito) in your internal frame storage and forget about it until you need some trail-side assistance.
Vittoria Terreno Zero Gravel Endurance Tires
The Terreno Zero Gravel Endurance tires are designed with gravel riders in mind. They’re fast, durable and stable. Combining the speed of the Vittoria Corsa road tire, the grip of the Terreno Dry gravel tire and 360-degree puncture resistance, these tires are perfect on well-groomed gravel. Created with rubber and graphene, the latter effectively fills the gaps between rubber molecules creating a structure that’s lighter, more efficient and more durable. These tires are tubeless-ready and can be run with Vittoria’s Air Liner tire inserts to further prevent punctures or any sort of tire issue.
Polar Vantage V3 Smart Sports Watch
Way more than just a timepiece, the Vantage V3 from Polar is a military-grade outdoor sports watch for explorers and adventurers. Dual-frequency GPS allows offline maps that can help you find your way during any expedition or outing. And Polar’s Elixir Biosensing technology keeps track of your vitals and performance, complete with a comprehensive suite of training and recovery tools. This thing will tell you when to eat, when to sleep and help you meet training targets for the week or the entire year. The high-resolution touch screen is scratch-resistant and the watch boasts extensive battery life (i.e., 140 hours in Eco Training Mode). Above and beyond all that, this thing looks awesome.
For these items and more, click here for Canadian retailers near you.
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