Chrome jackets are unfredly

So pretty soon plants will be producing fresh air, occasionally the sun will shine and we'll be pedaling across the the countryside in search of brew pubs or artisan coffee shops.

 

Right now I am just waiting for the last snow storm to fade away.  

I'm glad for my extra wheel set with studded tires.

It looks like this guy is going to have more work removing the zip-ties from his tires than I will changing mine.  That light string on the wheel looks totally professional ghetto.  I have never seen it in action but am anxious.  I'd never seen anything even close to that design.

     I've been hoping for warmer weather so I can use and show off my new clothes.

During the winter, I took advantage of  Chrome Industries off season sales and bought an IKE Windshirt.  I wanted one for a while, but just couldn't talk myself into paying full price.

Actually, I was being cautious because I was so disappointed in the other "wind" jackets I had bought.  They always have proven to be grossly overpriced piles of shit. My Pearl Isumi was a heap of tissue thin nylon with loose tacky stitching, trashy delicate zippers and a well hidden reflective logo to proclaim it a certified waste of FRED's  money.  I knew I had thrown $100 in the toilet the first time I wore the damn thing.

The Chrome shirt, on the other hand, is a nice garment.  We're not talking Dior or Lauren, but not bad at all. Rather than a flimsy nylon, the jacket, or shirt, is made of a polyester woven into a wool looking sorta fabric that is soft,pliable and comfortable to wear.  It has real breast pockets and a button down collar, all of which are adorned with military grade snaps to hold things together.  It has a zippered pass through back pocket on the elongated back, and elastic pull cords to seal the bottom around the hips..

 While  the weave of the fabric is more substantial and therefore, warmer than other wind jackets, it is semi-permeable.  That problem is addressed with a supplementary layer of nylon inside the front to confuse and discourage the most persistent of winds.

The part I like best of Chrome's clothing is the double pull zipper.  It can be adjusted up from the bottom to regulate circulation and keep the jacket from bunching up while you ride and .  I'm always adjusting and moving the zipper around to show off when other people are there.  Nobody ever seems to notice or ask.  The one discouraging thing about the shirt is the lack of "pit zips."  You can't really open up the arm pits for ventilation, but the holes that are there seem to be more than adequate so far.

  I love this jacket, and may buy a second one in a different color.  It looks like a real person shirt, not the outer shell of a spandex hamster.  CAt $125, it's a bargain compared to a $100 Trek or Pearl Izumi pile of crap.