Handske's New Winter Gloves Are A Winner

 

By Alan Snel of Bicycle Stories and author of Bicycle Man the book 

It's the second week of February and depending where you are bicycling you will need a top pair of gloves to keep your fingers warm while also exhibiting a quality of nimbleness to change gears and apply the brakes.

I'm happy to say I have found gloves that I will use for every bike ride when there's a chill in the air, which happens here in the western suburbs of Las Vegas near Red Rock Canyon where morning temperatures are routinely in the high 30s during the winter months.

The company is Handske and the El Paso, Texas-based operation has come out with an outstanding new cold weather glove that retails for $54.99 -- a $5 increase over a previous winter model. But keep in mind the new glove has an updated water resistant top fabric. 

I like the gloves a lot. First, the design is attractive and my hands were warm when I used them for an early morning walk. Later in the day when I was cycling, the fingers were nimble as I easily shifted gears on my road bicycle on the famed Red Rock Loop outside Las Vegas.

None of Handske's gloves use velcro and the wrist cuff makes a tight seal to not allow any cold air to creep in.

It's a tight fit, but only at the beginning. Owner Sem Gallegos recommends stretching the cuff and I found as I wore the glove throughout the day it did allow for a more elastic touch to slide the hand in while following up with a nice tight seal.

Here's a Q and A I had with Sem:

Bicycle Stories: What was the philosophy of not using a velcro wrist band?

Sem Gallegos: We are not a fan of velcro, it wear fast and no longer functions correctly, secondly when washing with like items, it gets stuck to other clothing and can damage it. And lastly, but using neoprene cuffs, the is just the right amount of stretch to fit nice and snug over wrist, and this material does not wear to the point that it looses its dexterity. Running it as skin tight as possible traps more heat. Also some velcro closure are either too bulky or wrongly placed, that it causes discomfort in the wrist.

Versatile BioLites Work Wonderfully Both Indoors and Outdoors With An Aesthetic Touch

One of the most versatile lighting products I have ever used is the line of BioLite products that can be used indoors, outdoors or on car trips.

I keep two in my home and each one literally has replaced my indoor lights. And the beauty is that they can be re-charged whenever they are running low on juice. These lights are wonderful because you don't need a power outlet do use these lights.

I use my BioLites in my bathroom and bedroom.   

The BioLites also have a wonderful aesthetic touch because you can customize the colors and the design layout of the colors in the lantern, 

The one in the bathroom, the AlpenGlow of 500 Lumens, requires a push of the top of the BioLite when a nighttime bathroom visit is required.

It's amazingly convenient and aesthetically sweet at the same time.

I have a smaller 250 Lumen version in my bedroom that I use as a night light, but also it has enough juice to allow me get things done, too.

It should be noted that the BioLite is a great device for outdoors and camping, especially with concerns about wild fires and the subsequent fire bans.

Here's a nice rundown on the product's various specs:

• Available in 2 sizes: AlpenGlow 500 (500 Lumens), AlpenGlow 250 (250 Lumens)
• 8 Lighting Modes: Cool & Warm White (Dimmable), Candle Flicker, Single Color, Multicolor, and Cycling Color
• Battery Charge Out - allows you to charge your cell phone, or connect to other BioLite ecosystem lighting products (SiteLight Lantern, SiteLight String)
• AlpenGlow Hues - Lighting inspired by traditional mountain sunrises and sunsets
• Nesting Hook - allows campers to hang the lantern from a tree
• Price: $79.95 // $59.95
• Product Link: https://bit.ly/36TaiuD 

I also wanted to include an instructional video that shows you the product and its various light modes:

Bicycle Stories strongly recommends this product and a tip of the helmet to the functionality and aesthetics of the BioLite AlpenGlow that works wonderfully outside and even indoors as well. 

   

Saturday Morning's Bike Ride To Downtown and The Strip -- Photos Tell The Story

Most days I'm pedaling Red Rock Canyon. But most Saturdays, I hop on my tank-like steel, single-speed Surly Pugsley and cruise down (literally downhill 1,000 feet in elevation) to downtown Las Vegas before meandering on back roads to the Strip.

Downtown and the Strip are two different worlds, old school and new school.

I love the outdoor artwork of downtown, plus the creation of the new Circa hotel-casino. 

From downtown Las Vegas I pedaled on back roads that were parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard. I went by the Las Vegas Academy school, through the Huntridge neighborhood and literally biked through shopping centers east of Las Vegas Blvd.

I biked to The Sphere construction behind the Venetian and Palazzo before checking out the big wheel from the east side.

  

I made it to the Strip as I waited in the left-turn lane on Flamingo to get to Las Vegas Boulevard. Flamingo the road split Caesars on the right and the Bellagio on the left.

Once on the Strip, I pedaled south and it was great to see the Park MGM marquee with the no smoking message.

It was about 9:30 a.m. or so and the traffic was light. Though, there's always one mean-spirited douche bag motorist who drives a car and hates bicyclists, blaring his horn and acting like a horse's ass.

I always like to check out T-Mobile Arena. During any typical October, this Big Ice House by the Strip would be hosting Vegas Golden Knights NHL games.

But this being the age of COVID-19, the arena's exterior screen shares coronavirus messages.

I biked over to the Raiders stadium, but didn't take a photo. I have taken my share of photos of this palatial domed football playground.

Then it was off to bike west on Hacienda Ave. to Durango and Tropicana and finally to the 215 Beltway Trail that took me home.

Another Bicycle Man field trip and tale in the books.

If you'd like to buy my new book, Bicycle Man, just email me at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

Handske Short-Finger Gloves An Ideal Way To Get A Handle On Bicycling In Warm Months

It's Las Vegas in mid-August when the temperatures quickly zoom from the 80s at sunrise to the 100s by mid-morning.

Bicycling in this type of furnace heat conditions requires clothing that will handle the heat when pedaling.

That's why Bicycle Stories recommends Handske's short-finger bicycle gloves that I wore for the first time today during my daily morning ride on the Red Rock Scenic Drive just outside Las Vegas.

The Handske bike gloves are sleek and light, perfect for the intense heat that Las Vegas is famous for from April to November. They're also ideal for high-humid places like Florida and the other Gulf states.

These gloves have no Velcro straps. 

Just slip them on and off as a single piece of clothing for your hands. There are small tabs on the middle and ring finger sleeves to help you remove the gloves. 

There's also a terry cloth swipe wipe under the thumb that runs to the wrist.

There's no bulky padding that can sometimes shift in the glove material. Keeping it simple, the top panel is a lycra material and the palm grip is silicone. The palm veneer does a nice job gripping your handlebar. 

I asked Handske owner Sam Gallegos why he started the brand. He launched the brand on Kickstarter in 2017 and official got the Handske gloves in front of the media at the Sea Otter festival in April 2018.

"I started the brand for two reasons. In my 20 plus years of cycling journeys, I never found a glove that just fit right. Usually too baggy. And because most were boring colors. Out of that Handske was born to offer a well-fitting glove with attention to detail for certain necessary features and to connect the creativity of artists with the sport," Gallegos told me. "With out our collaborative effeort since our inception, we have worked with over 10 artists from all walks of life."

Handske is based in El Paso, Texas and these short-finger gloves retail for $25.99.

Take a look at these gloves I wore this morning. This is the "Descend" model.

Here's a pic of the Descend model off the Handske website.

They also come in a "Comic" model that is more colorful.

Handske launched the short-finger gloves in a short collection, with new designs in the works for s future release date.

For more information, https://www.handskegloves.com/collections/summer-gloves?utm_campaign=privy_1689798&utm_medium=email&utm_source=privy&utm_email=%40%40%40%40070AMBR8mUEh2hLEJAXssgNLE6H9pEhRO467kFrBOxvzvQlEn8BeTH65zA1N6eb2wT7fU%2FIkw%2FJVIyJKNJODgYRIodpIcg8OyUDyPYDbx7xOjtIFhefbQVJ0bNbwzWx66%2BOGoNBtlho%2F5Z7%2FyriQHPAc9RkqjsRJSxGoaveeYD%2BRVg4%3D#

Downtown at Sunrise

 

This morning I headed to downtown, where in the sunrise light I saw the new Circa hotel-casino illuminated.

In a state with an economy built on tourism and gambling, I've always been amused that gambling is called "gaming."

That's why I always enjoy stores that tell it like it like it is -- and what it is is gambling.

I also adored this bike rack on Main Street.

And there was something about this scene that said, "Old economy, new economy."

I began bicycling down las Vegas Boulevard and saw the big Welcome to Las Vegas structure that is being built in front of The Strat.

 

The Strip was quiet at 7 a.m. Kind of like how it was when so many people were bilking the Strip when it the hotel-casinos were closed in April and May.

Then it was off to the Raiders' new football stadium, which is a massive update from their previous Alamada stadium home.

Bicycling Great Basin National Park -- Most Under-rated National Park In U.S.

It's 113 degrees back in Las Vegas, so here I am climbing the eight percent grade of the Great Basin National park scenic drive.

It was closed earlier in the week for road repairs.

But today, it's back open and I'm working my way up the mountain for a closer peek at Wheeler Peak.

In my bicycle book, Great Basin is the most under-rated and most unheralded national park in the national park portfolio.

It has both Nevada's highest peak at Wheeler soaring more than 13,000 feet tall, while below there are the famed caves that are closed because of the pandemic.

Great Basin can be a little under-rated because it's so isolated, a good five hours north of Las Vegas off US 50 near the Utah border. There's a cluster of homes and a motel, restaurant and post office a few miles from the national park entrance in a community called Baker and that's about it.

But I love Great Basin's raw natural feel, grand vistas and out-of-the-way serene setting.

And of course, it decided to rain as I bicycled up the scenic drive. Not a hard-driving rain, just raindrops and a light pour as I pedaled up the steep grade.

Great Basin is Nevada's only national park. The state has plenty of terrific state parks like Valley of Fire. And to reach Great Basin from Las Vegas, you drive north on US 93 through the spine of Lincoln County, which has a nice collection of state parks at your disposal.

Red Rock outside Las Vegas is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, not the National Parks, while Mount Charleston is run by the US Forestry Service.

I strongly recommend Great Basin as a great get-away.

 
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Happy Father's Day and the Story of the Red Rock Notch

This morning on Father's Day the entrance to the Red Rock Scenic Drive was open at 6 a.m. -- not the 8 a.m. start time when the Bureau of Land Management reopened the scenic drive to motorized traffic a few weeks ago.

It was 6:10 a.m. when I was bicycling by the Red Rock entrance off State Route 159. I peered toward the red rock ridge, which has a notch in the middle. I love that notch, which allows beams of lights to shoot through the ridge at daybreak.

Funny, Red Rock has nothing to do with a summer job I worked to afford college. But whenever I see that "notch" in the ridge, I think of the "notch" in the garment patterns I worked on at the Liz Claiborne plant, where I worked with my dad.

I worked with my father for 3 1/2 summers though high school and college, driving the hour back and forth with him from suburban New York to north New Jersey. The Claiborne production plant was not too far from the Giants football stadium in the Joisey swamps.

My dad was a worker bee. Man, he worked in the garment business for many years working long hours every day. I witnessed it.

Julius Cznel survived the Holocaust as a little kid fleeing with his family to Siberia, lived in displaced person camps following World War II and came to the USA at age 14 when he began learning the garment business in school. His last name was changed to Snel when he arrived in the United States.

When Liz Claiborne created her brand and line of women's clothing, Julius Snel was the second person hired in the production house.

He raised three kids outside New York City. And my dad and I bonded well at minor league ballgames in Florida.

Happy Father's Day, Julius. Keep on pedaling.

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Read more about bicycling and life by buying Alan Snel's new book Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys. Email asnel@LVSportsBiz.com to order the book.