The crew at Teva sent over a pair of their new shoe – the Links for our review. This shoe was created with the Teva Mountain Games in mind. With this being their 10th anniversary year they introduced their first bike shoe and a freeride shoe at that.

Let’s stop for a moment and think Teva and think shoe. Yep. A bit of a blank. Teva brings up the sandal with an ankle strap. Perfect for the river.

Alright, history lesson over.

The Links arrived and on they went. Fresh out of the box and safe for the house so I wore them all night. None of that new shoe burn.

Next morning. Off to the gym and so it went. They are my go to. Love them and use them a bunch. We went camping this weekend and they were perfect for all of the activities.

The colors are a bit much. They sent two pairs of shoe laces and the grey pair is going to be in full effect and soon. After two weeks of use there are no concerns with durability. Stitches and glue are holding up – as they should.

Next time up will be all about the bike. We will let you know how they handle the pedal and help push power.

Check them out here: Teva Links

Before I dove into the training I enjoyed a car free weekend. On Saturday I rode my rapidly diminishing strand cruiser down to King Harbor in Redondo and jumped on the Body Glove boat Disappearance and took a ride over to Catalina. My buddy Mike and I volunteered for the Catalina Classic Paddleboard race and enjoyed a weekend on the water. Once we were back onto the bikes we went to the Manhattan Pier for a body surf. Epic summer surf. Super warm temps. And I finished the weekend off with a ride home.

But as you can see above – that bike is wrapped in electrical tape, has a milk crate attached with zip ties and a decreasing collection of spokes. Day dreaming I found this sweet Globe Bicycle by Specialized. It is called the Live 3. And this is why I would like to use one: no chain – riding along the beach helps me appreciate a chain-less option; a legit front rack – being that I work from home I ride over to the stationary store to pickup computer paper and supplies or over to the post office – a rack like this would be perfect; classic design – the style looks very Belgium without the Euro prices.

And finally, I love the whole contest idea Globe is using to get bloggers like us at Outside All Day to blog about the bike to earn the right to use one. That is perfect online marketing. Let’s all admire the Live 3…

So I am hoping our daily traffic average of 130 unique visits and 4,000 monthly visits stacks up well and we want to thank our readers for getting us to this point. We hope you are always finding relevant information and inspiration to get outside. Next up: LAX to Austin and three days of rest. Once I get back I am heading into this past week’s burn area for a mountain bike ride on the Epic. Hopefully the smoke has dissipated.

Matt S
Outside All Day

Our friends over at Outside Magazine have posted their Summer Buyer’s Guide. If you are trying to figure out what sleeping bag to pickup for your affair with the Sierra or pair of boots for time in the Rockies then head on over to the buyer’s guide and get an educated opinion.

Since that time I’ve fallen in love with the company and their products. Everything they do is:

1. Easy to install and size. I did everything myself and I’m a tool weenie.
2. Looks great! Both my road and mountain set-ups are pretty much the best ever. They kill anything Old Man Sellers could ever muster up from his vintage collection of 1993 vintage mountain bikes.
3. Is super comfy but with high performance. I race*

The boys at SDG Saddles recently posted their 2009 bike saddles and seat posts catalog. It’s worth the click, these guys know how to build bike product.

Go to:
http://www.sdgusa.com/2009catalog

If you’re in the market for a new post or saddle SDG is who you should be supporting. They love cyclists and the local biking community needs to back that.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

*That was a joke, you should have been laughing.

Product Weaknesses:
Weight- If you are a weight weenie sorry but it’s on the heavy side. If the bike is being built for racing one might get frustrated with a bike that is 23-24lbs. This is about the average wight of our builds composed of Shimano XTR and Sram XO components, Stan’s No Tubes Wheelsets, and a lot of other expensive carbon/weight weenie junk.
However, if you think about the frame and how it comes with a front derailer, bottom bracket cups, and headset 6.14 lbs is not too heavy.

Similar Products Used:
Titus Racer-x (4″ travel)
Titus Motolite (5″ travel)
Pivot Mach 5 (5″ travel)
Pivot Mach 429

The Bottom Line:
The bike rips! It’s a 4inch bike on steroids… It can be ridden like a trail bike with its slack angles and fantastic suspension system.

Rating: 1-5

For more information go to: www.pivotcycles.com

-DSheek
This bike makes me love riding!

-DSheek
It’s a keeper!