The OnGuard Bulldog Mini U-Lock is definitely one of the best u-locks on the market.  The lock is very light weight, compact, and has a fairly high security rating.  As long as the cyclist takes care to lock up to something secure this lock will only be able to be broken with power-tools.I definitely love how small and light this lock is; I am a bicycle messenger and every bit of spac...

It can be hard to find a great pen that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  The Pilot G2 Pro pen is an excellent pen that is also quite cheap; the last two I purchased were only $3-4 each.  There are ink replacements available for the pen that are also very inexpensive. The Pilot G2 Pro pen has numerous strong points, including a comfortable grip, a simple yet smooth click device, and...

The Chrome Kremlin is a very large bag but is manageable no matter how little or how much is crammed inside it.  At 3000 cubic inches the bag will carry almost anything that one would want to have on their back.  Ideal for bicycle messengers and commuters, the bag has excellent features like one very large pocket along with a series of small pockets, including two sides, one inner ...

Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has been out for two years now and it is by far the best video game console currently available.  The price has recently dropped from $400 to $300 for the premium system, which includes everything that a gamer needs to get started, and the console's game library has never been better.The best reason to buy a 360 is the games available for the system; so...

The iPod Shuffle 2nd version is even smaller than before.  As far as I know it is currently the smallest commercially available mp3 player, and it works like a champion.The Shuffle's battery life is around 12 hours and it can be charged in very little time.  The capacity is only 1 gig but when it is used for what it was designed for, which is extremely portable music, it allows fo...

The Brooks B-17 Narrow saddle is a very well constructed bicycle saddle for anyone that is looking for something unique, long-lasting, and comfortable.The saddle itself is made of leather and the rails are constructed of high quality metal.  The B17 Narrow model has a slightly more narrow width than the normal B17; it feels like more of a racing saddle.The best thing about Brooks leather s...

The Exped Downmat 9 sleeping pad is by far the most comfortable sleeping pad I have ever used for camping.  Sometimes I woke up in the wilderness with better sleep than I would have had at home on a full size quality mattress.The pad is a bit expensive but the quality and comfort is well worth the price-tag.  The pad packs into a small stuffsack and is fairly light weight for how much...

Skate, a new skateboard simulation game from EA, has been nicknamed "the anti-tony hawk" by many people in the gaming community.  The game itself presents skateboarding in a much more realistic fashion when compared to the Tony Hawk video game series.The game has great graphics but the true appeal lies in the dual-analog control system that the game uses.  It is harder to pu...

Halo 3 is the most hyped up Xbox 360 video game of the year and it actually happens to live up to the hype.  The game is the conclusion of one of the most popular gaming trilogies ever made.  I was never really into Halo 1 or 2 but I'm glad I purchased the third installment to the series. The graphics in Halo 3 are quite amazing but could have been a bit better.  The sound qu...

The inexpensive model in T-Mobile's Sidekick cell phone line-up, the Sidekick iD is great for anyone that is into text messaging, mobile email, mobile web, and still wants to actually talk on the phone from time to time.The phone's keyboard and flip screen technology are two of the best qualities.  The keyboard makes it very easy to type fast and the key size is just big enough to ...

The Exped Venus II tent, although expensive, is a great expedition quality tent for a variety of adventures.  The single man tent is made of durable, quality material and the design is built to withstand the forces of nature.  I've had the tent survive 50mph wind gusts and I'm sure it could easily stand up to 70mph gusts, if not more. Once one has the hang of assembling the...

Neuromancer is William Gibson's first and best book.  It is the first book in the Sprawl trilogy and takes place in a distant future where cyberspace controls the world.  This is a very important science fiction book; Gibson basically predicted the future of the internet and many of his ideas became reality.The book is an excellent sci-fi story that blends action with a sort of te...

The Sidi Dominator 5 bicycle clip shoes are my favorite bicycle shoes.  The material quality is obviously suberb; the shoes can take a real beating in the cold or the wet and still look sleek in their jet black color.  These are cycling shoes and are great for people that are on and off their bikes; messengers, mountain bikers, cycle-cross racers, and commuters will all appreciate the...

The Hohner Special 20 is an excellent harmonica and is fairly inexpensive.  Most stores will have them priced between $20-25, which is great for how high of quality this harp is.  The sound quality is excellent.  This is my favorite harmonica to use; I've owned four Special 20s in different keys and find that my playing is better on these than on any other harp I've tried...

The Bell Ghisallo is a stylish bicycle racing helmet that does what it is meant to do: protect the brain and provide air ventalation to reduce head heat in hot environments.  This is a very light-weight helmet and once it is on your head it barely feels like it is there.The small padding on the inside of the helmet works efficiently but sometimes it feels like the helmet is putting too muc...

These Cannondale full fingered bicycle gloves are great for cold weather rides, but become useless when the temperature drops below freezing.  The glove is fairly simple construction but the material quality is nice for the price; I've used these gloves for two years and haven't had a major defect or tear.The style of the gloves is black and white, which looks strange because the f...

Clif Bars are the best tasting energy bars that I have found.  There are a lot of energy bars on the market these days and most of them taste terrible.  Clif Bars use organic ingredients and contain plenty of nutrients for anyone that is looking for a quick snack.  Clif Bars are also quite inexpensive for the nutritional content they contain; most places like REI or Trader Joe&...

Slaughterhouse-Five is an excellent book by Kurt Vonnegut that blends science fiction with true accounts of war.  The book has an anti-war feel to it; the horror and mass killing that exists in war is part of the main background of the story. Possibly one of Vonnegut's most famous novels, Slaughterhouse-Five is a very quick read.  I'm usually a fan of longer books but this ~20...

Dune, written by Frank Herbert, is an epic science fiction novel that is perhaps the most popular and important sci-fi book ever written.  The story contains an incredibly well-thought out universe with very interesting and unique characters, great dialogue, excellent descriptions, and one of the best stories ever written.  The plot is simply amazing.Dune is the kind of science fictio...

Virtual Light is William Gibson's first book in his second trilogy, nicknamed "The Bridge" trilogy.  It is a science fiction book that takes place in 2005, and even though it was written in the early 90s it feels as if Gibson accurately predicted some of the future technology that exists in the book.The story is fun and slightly complex but nothing as great as Gibson's ea...