Summer means something different for mountain bikers in Los Angeles. Unless you’re in Malibu, it’s not a great time of year to ride. Travis is not in Malibu, but he’s got ten products that will make the season more palatable.

I hate summer. And that makes sense, since I live in southern California. Still, that first sweaty ride is always a shock. Every year, I have to recalibrate my expectations. Below are ten goodies that are going to get me through until November.

 

Henty Enduro 2.0 Hydration Pack $129

This is one of those products that’s so smart, I wish I had a reason to use it all the time. But it’s only during the summer that I can’t make it from one water source to the next on only two bottles. So, I need to wear a hydration pack. Problem is, I hate wearing hydration packs almost as much as I hate summer. That’s why the Henty Enduro Pack is so perfect. It feels like a hip pack, but thanks to the minimalist shoulder straps, it can carry more weight more comfortably. And as a bonus, I can wrap the hose over my shoulder instead of trying to stow it across my waist like most hydration-hip-packs.

The Henty Enduro can carry a full-sized 100-ounce bladder. They now come with square-shaped lumbar reservoirs, but I kinda like the wider footprint of my traditional Hydrapack bladder. Most of that load is on my hips. The shoulder straps only there to cantilever some of the force off my belly, where an overloaded hip pack tends to cause the most discomfort. And the back panel actually rests just a bit off my back, allowing for some ventilation.

Storage on the Henty Enduro is minimal, especially with a full bladder. I can carry a granola bar, but not a tuna salad sandwich. But in the summer, I don’t need extra layers or spare gloves. And tuna salad gets a little dodgy after three hot hours in the saddle.

Specialized Status 160 Frameset $1,400 $419!! (When In Stock)

I did a bunch of parts-swapping last year while shaking up my bike collection, and I ended up with enough left over to build a big dumb mixed-wheel bike for park season. It’s not something I do often, but with Big Bear just a couple hours away, and a few secret jump lines in my local mountains, I’d be denying my roots if I didn’t own a mountain bike specifically for getting in the air when it’s too hot on the ground.

The frame is a Specialized Status, which quietly launched a few years ago with a grassroots marketing campaign. Specialized gave the bikes to a few of my generation’s favorite BMXers like Corey Martinez and Chase Hawk, but it was nearly a year before they’d give one to the media for review. A refreshingly punk-rock move from a traditionally corpo brand.

Also serving my roots are the Race Face wheels and Marzocchi fork. The Race Face Turbine wheels are criminally underrated. The unique Vault hubs offer a relatively lightweight way to get the benefits of large flanges, and the inside-out pawl system should, at least in theory, make for a more robust, longer-lasting freehub. And the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork is a fun throwback to my 2003 Kona Stinky. But its Grip damper works a lot better. And finally, this is the perfect bike to use my Aenomaly Switchgrade. If you haven’t seen them, these are elegant little lever-actuated gadgets that can adjust your saddle angle on the fly. It’s perfect for this bike, which spends lots of time on uninterrupted downhills when I want that dirt-jump saddle angle. It offers more clearance at the rear of the saddle where I need it most, and a more natural-feeling angle when low-posting. this one actually has a special surprise, but I’ll save that for when I review it.

Klymit Ridgeline Chair 89.99 $30!!

There are two types of overnight rides. The ones that are about the overnight, and ones that are about the ride. When I’m about the overnight, I bring a camp chair. Until this summer, it was a minimalist little REI number that’s great for sitting around in active conversation. But it doesn’t have a head rest, meaning it’s not great for letting every muscle in my body go slack and possibly even dozing off for a bit. I don’t yet have the grandpa-level sleep skills required to zonk out with my chin on my chest. But when I once took over someone’s Klymit Ridgeline chair after they’d retired to their tent, I almost immediately felt myself drifting out of consciousness. Ya know. In a good way.

From the neck down, it sits a lot like my Helinox-style REI chair. Sort of a four-point hammock that offers plenty of relatively stable support. When I’m talking or eating, I can be upright and aware. But if I dig the chair’s rear legs just a centimeter or two into the dirt, the whole thing reclines and it feels like a La-Z-Boy … as long as you judge it on the sliding scale on which all camping luxuries should be judged.

It packs down ok. The included bag has a bit of unnecessary bulk, so I usually try to tuck it into one of my longer roll-top bags with some softgoods wrapped around it for filler. And at 2.8 pounds, it’s what I’d call “worth it.” But again, it depends on the vibe. On multi-day rides, where weight and space are at an absolute premium, I don’t really miss it. I’m usually going straight from setup to cooking to bear-hanging to sleep. But on trail-work overnighters of social rides, this is now a must-have.

Benvo Mosquito Head Net $9.99 (pair)

Did I mention I hate summer? And it’s not just because of the heat. This is when the bugs come out. As long as you keep moving, they’re usually not a huge problem, but in this heat, sometimes it’s hard to keep moving. Or at least, hard to keep moving faster than the bugs do. So, I’m in the habit of stuffing my bug net into my pack on almost every ride these days.

 

It’s also a great thing to have for the swimmin’ hole loops I like to do this time of year. Strangely, bugs don’t tend to swarm when I’m soaking, but when I get out of the water for a break, they’re in full force. I’m a lot more likely to make the most of a summer ride if I can at least keep from inhaling insects every time I open my mouth.

Haayot Sunglasses $25.99

This isn’t exclusively a summer item, of course. But sunglasses are on-theme for the season, and I just found a $25 pair that isn’t terrible. After ordering seven equally cheap, equally ridiculously named Amazon sunglasses, I returned six and kept these. I don’t know why it’s so hard to make a pair of sunglasses that fit a human face, but every one I tried was either too high, too narrow, or too close. These are as near as I can get to the $200 glasses that once flowed like water at an action-sports-media office I used to work at. I’ve run out of those, and I’m too careless (and cheap) to buy them for myself.

The Haayots have replaceable lenses, though it’s a bit of a faff since you have to replace the nose piece individually. But at least the process is intuitive, and I don’t feel like I’m going to break them every time. Really, my only complaint is that they’re tilted back a bit too far, leaving the lower edge a little too open for debris. But at least my eyelashes don’t rub them, and my forehead doesn’t smudge them. Still, I’m always on the hunt for something better. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve found a cheap sunglass that works for you.

Gore, Assos and Patagonia kit

Most of my apparel is warm-weather friendly, but I’ve got some favorites for this time of year. This kit highlights my priority of light weight, sun protection, and layer-a-bility.

 

Gore C5 Vent+ Bibs (Discontinued. Replaced by C5 Opti+ $120 $84)

These Gore C5 Vent bibs are five years old now, but the other model Gore bibs I’ve used in the intervening years seem to have carried on the DNA of a slim fit, sheer straps, and a dual-layer pad. The C5 Opti seems like it’s the closest thing to the C5 Vent. Plus, like almost everything else in the bike industry right now, the Opti is on sale! It’s just lacking the perforations featured on this old model, but I honestly think the material does most of the work to keep me cool. More than any other bibs I own, these feel like they shed heat as soon as they touch the air. And they’re usually touching the air, since I do most of my climbs Lycra-out, dawning baggies just for a little extra protection on the descents.

Assos Trail Shorts (Discontinued. Replaced by Trail Tactica $155)

And the Assos Trail shorts definitely only offer “a little” protection. Like the gore shorts, these are quite thin, and quite stretchy. In fact, you might notice that there’s no snap or buckle or fly. These shorts have a yoga-style waist, something I wish more brands would do. It’s not ideal if you’ve got heavy stuff in your pockets, but riding with heavy stuff in your pockets is never ideal. They work fine during transition times from house to car and from car to bike, but once the pockets have emptied and the ride has begun, these are the most barely-there baggies I’ve ever used. Like the Gore bibs, this is an old model, but Assos still makes something very similar.

Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody $65

I’ve been steadily replacing all my riding shirts with lightweight hoodies. I stopped wearing short-sleeve shirts years ago because they offer sun protection, brush protection, and pair better with windbreakers to add warmth in cold weather. But the lightweight hoodie goes a step further by allowing you to proteck ya neck. I do wish the hoods were large enough to fit over a helmet, though. When I wear them under my helmet, they tend to build up heat. Thankfully, most of my climbs are on closed fire roads, so I’ll strap my helmet to my bar (often on top of my pack) and cover my head with the hood.

This one happens to be custom screen-printed by Erik Hillard, a board member of trail-care crew, Lowelifes RCC. That alone would make it my favorite, but the Capilene shirts’ fabric is incredibly soft and comfortable. It’s not technically a sun shirt because it doesn’t have a very high SPF rating, but I’m sure it’s exposing me to less UV than what most people wear. When the hood is up and I’m leaning down, it even keeps the sun off my face. Pair it with my sunglasses, I feel like a post-apocalyptic drifter, roaming the desert … in Lycra.

Aarke Carbonator $220 $183

Maybe it’s just because I was raised on soda (or pop, since I was raised in the midwest), but near the end of every hot ride, I’m consumed by thoughts of cold, fizzy drinks. Like most elder millennials, I’ve replaced my addiction to full-sugar flavors with an addiction to seltzer water. Not the healthiest thing to consume, but better than Coke Heavy. Except, I still was spending a lot of money on what was pretty much just water.

So, late last year, my wife had the brilliant idea to get this Aarke carbonator. It’s pretty much the same thing as a Sodastream, but it looks cooler and was on deep discount. It works with Sodastream cartridges, which we refill with a kooky service called Fizzfill. It’s only in LA and San Diego, but it’s just $12, which usually lasts us about three weeks. There’s probably a similar service in your area. If your household goes through as much sparkle water as mine, it should only take a couple months for one of these to pay for itself. Now, when I walk by those boxes of La Croix Pure, I remember we have La Croix Pure at home.

FFVII Rebirth $69.99

I have a fraught relationship with video games. I can’t help but feel like any time I spend playing them is time I should be spending on something else. That feeling got much stronger a few years ago when I went from being a 9-5 office worker to a 24-hour gig worker. There’s always something I should be writing or shooting or emailing. So, I usually play at night after dinner and dishes. But at best, that leaves me an hour window before I start to get drowsy. The solution, of course, is to play during the day, but that’s when I should be riding. In fact, my Playstation Network online ID is “Should_B_Riding.” So, I get most of my play time when I’m injured. Or currently, when it’s pushing 90° in the mountains.

That wasn’t the case in early March when I disposed of enough disposable income to pick up a Playstation 5 specifically to play nostalgia bomb, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I played the original in 1997, and it was a pivotal moment in my relationship with video games, anime, and storytelling as a whole. FF7 Rebirth, the second in a three-part remake, is a must-play for anyone who connected with the title as much as I did. It fleshes out the scenes and characters you already know, but stays faithful to their spirit. And the combat combines normal RPG menus with action-RPG hack-and-slash in a way that’s kinetic and engaging. And the voice acting is pretty good, but if you disagree, you can switch to Japanese voice acting, where you probably won’t be able to tell if it’s good or not.

Rebirth improves on the first installment, Remake with some more engaging combat, less frivolous side quests, and an open world that captures the freedom of the original game’s second act. I do think Rebirth suffers from too many systems and mechanics, though. There’s so much to keep track of, especially for casual players like myself. But there are tutorials for everything in the main menu, and combat simulations available pretty much any time you’re in a town. It’s easy for me to refresh my memory on stuff after taking a week or two off. I’m only a couple dozen hours in, and I’m taking my time, so I haven’t gotten to any pivotal moments (including the pivotal moment), but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s new and what’s not. I just hope I won’t have to buy a Playstation 6 to play the third installment.