Beast of Burden
Off-road bike tours are tricky enough without top-heavy panniers throwing their weight (and you) around. Thankfully, you can get the load off with the B.O.B. Ibex ($389), a utility trailer with adjustable wheel suspension to improve handling and take the burden off the bike's frame. The chrome-moly frame is easily fitted by way of a quick-release attachment system, and the included 5,600-cubic-inch dry bag swallows loads of up to 70 pounds for all-condition off-road adventuring. Contact 800-893-2447; www.bobgear.com.
Easy Rider
Have a serious love affair with mountain biking? Marin's Mount Vision Pro ($4,000) is no cheap date, but this new 24-pound aluminum wonder is the lightest, fastest full-suspension cross-country bike Marin's ever built. Its oval monocoque frame and swing arm are designed with varying degrees of wall thickness to maximize strength in areas of high stress and reduce weight in other areas not subject to the rigors of rough riding. Components? The Vision is graciously rigged with Shimano's high-end XTR full hydraulic brakes, crankset, and derailleurs. Up front, Fox's top-of-the-line F100 RLT forks have a remote lock-out switch that "turns off" shock travel, which helps conserve your energy on steep climbs by eliminating the pogo effect. And with the QUAD-Link rear suspension at work, you'll have four inches of bump-eating ability to tame worst of obstacles. Contact 800-222-7557; www.marinbikes.com.
Get Hitched
Unless you're NBA-sized, rooftop racks present some operational difficulties for the less vertically well-endowed. That's where the Yakima Full Swing 4 ($400) comes in. The new hitch-mounted rack nixes cumbersome roof climbs altogether, using a dual-arm design that fits bike frames of nearly all shapes and sizes, while preventing bike-to-bike and bike-to-vehicle contact. Its DeadLock security system locks both bike and rack to the vehicle, and the entire assembly swings and folds compactly for when you need to back into a tight space. Contact 888-925-0703; www.yakima.com.
Cool Water
Remember when hands-free hydration was enough? Then we got nitpicky about taste, limited carrying capacity, and ill-fitting designs. CamelBak feels your pain, and offers the ideal remedy. The new Ventoux ($110) admirably provides 1,500 cubic inches of cargo space without the sweat-fest, thanks to a suspended concave framesheet that lets air circulate to help keep your back dry as you ride. The wide-mouth, 100-ounce OMEGA Reservoir is easy to clean and fill and, along with an embedded anti-microbial treatment and PureFlow drink tube, serves up water tasting as Mother Nature intended. Contact 800-767-8725; www.camelbak.com.
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The Man Who Knocked the Bastard Off
Edmund Hillary, a self-described "average bloke," made one of the 20th-century's landmark feats seem properly human and straightforward.
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