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Bontrager Apparel Product Spotlight: by K8

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The Bontrager Old Man Winter Shoe: Very well thought out winter riding shoe. Retail $299.99 – OMW Shoe

  • A high-performance inForm Tundra last fit opens up the toe box for thicker socks.
  • Water resistant main zipper with 2-strap hook and loop closure system
  • Vibram outsole for sure-footed traction and long-wearing durability
  • Fleece-lined, removable inner bootie with 200g 3M Thinsulate insulation
  • 4-way stretch upper with waterproof, breathable OutDry® membrane
  • Anti-draft, elasticized ankle cuff with toggle-cord closure
  • GnarGuard outer protection fights away trail brush and debris

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Bontrager OMW Glove, Retail $179.99 – OMW Glove

  • Over mitt made of Profila Stormshell material powered by OutDry®
  • Inner glove features Profila Wind fabric sandwiching 200g 3M™ Thinsulate™ Platinum Insulation
  • Profila Dry glove lining powered by 37.5™ active particle technology and Merino Wool
  • inForm design with GelFoam reduces pressure and hand numbness
  • Back of hand zippered pocket holds disposable warmers for added warmth
  • Absorbent nose wipe on thumb
  • Adjustable wrist closure on over mitt, pull-on closure on liner
  • eSwipe technology for seamless interaction with touch screen electronics

 

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B2 Neckwarmer, Retail $34.99 and B2 Beanie, Retail $24.99 – B2 Neck Warmer B2 Beanie

  • Profila Dry powered by Merino Wool and 37.5™ active particle technology
  • Versatile for wear over face, head, or neck (Neckwarmer)
  • Low profile design for easy layering

Some Thoughts…

Well hello friendly fatti fans, I’m back to review the super sweet Bontrager OMW gear.  At first glance, they are eye catching products and of course you want to pick them up and spin them around in your hand.  The packaging of the products sets the pace for some amazing products, well thought out and well executed.

k8The Bontrager OMW Winter Riding Shoe has some stunning features that Id like to share. First and foremost the shoe is designed as a two part shoe. Sneaky and creative ! The inner liner allows for a nice soft  & warm laced wrap with excellent support around any shape foot. No tongues to get annoyed by and no zippers to rust out and ruin from the elements. I would describe this inner shoe similar to a wrestling shoe with a soft sole for walking if need be. What I really liked about this liner is that as you synch up the lacing it is adding support throughout the entire foot. Now the exterior boot, is made of some super tough material.  The water resistant zipper is a a strong, long lasting zipper. There are also two additional Velcro straps which add support especially in the upstroke of your pedal. The tall tongue and added ankle gator effect truly keep the elements at bay for the long haul.   The sole of the main boot is a rugged solid Vibram sole and it really makes a huge difference to have this shoe versus the typical mountain or road winter riding shoe. No more slipping around on plastic bottoms. No more worry about stepping into the deep pow on an uphill you can’t make !  This boot is truly the cream of the crop for the fat bike scene.    One detail I would like to really emphasize for both the inner liner and the main boot is that the stitching and seaming is done very well. There is no evidence of glues or frays. After owning many expensive shoes I appreciated the fact these are very well made.

I did test the boot in multiple conditions. I found it very versatile by simply changing my sock thickness. I found it very comfortable and that I can wear it on a long ride without my legs feeling fatigued. I did fat bike rides, road rides, commuter gravel ride and just walking around in them with my kids riding their fat bikes. Overall I would say this is a must have boot. A little bit heavier than what a road winter shoe is but you get so much more out of it.  I loved the traction of the sole off the bike. Hands down it would be hard to beat the design that has gone into this boot.  One last feature that I really like is that you can mount a blinky light to the back of the shoe. Very thoughtful and I did use that a few times.

The OMW glove is set up very similar to the shoe. A two part construction with smart versatility and great fabrication.   The inner liner hosts a warm five finger glove with leather grip. It also has a smooth tip pointer finger touch for use with your phone. Great feature !  The thumb hosts a fuzzy wipe for all those runny nose days or clearing off your glasses at the drop of a hat.  There is a sweet elastic band around the wrist area that is not too tight but fitting enough where nothing is getting deep into the glove.   The outer mitten shell also has the fuzzy wipe area on the thumb and the pointer finger touch which I really appreciated while out on the bike.  I wore these fat biking and I found that my hands got a bit warm in just the liner but I can that in many demographic areas they would be perfect riding gloves.  I do really like the shell mitten because it did keep the wind off my hands on the nice long road rides. No need for a toastie hand that’s for sure ! One side note, my hands did sweat while in these gloves but I want to let you know the gloves dried out extremely fast, can be turned inside out very easily allow air to get at the fleece.  I wore these gloves back to back and had no smell or weirdness develop. I also tested them for machine wash and they did very well on a regular cycle and air dry.

So to sum things up, if you are in the market for some long term super nice and amazingly designed gear, look no further than the new Bontrager Old Man Winter lineup. You won’t be disappointed.  Have a question about any of the products? Post them below and I’ll be sure to get back to you asap.

2 Responses to Bontrager Apparel Product Spotlight: by K8

  1. Summittoppler March 30, 2017 at 9:41 am #

    Looks like quality kit! Nice review.

  2. Lars Danner March 31, 2017 at 10:46 pm #

    Why no size 50?

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