Cool Bikes and Gear for Summer 2025
- We gathered some hot bikes, gear, and accessories to keep you looking–and feeling–cool on warm summer rides.
- Bikes, fanny packs, bibs, and eyewear: read our gear picks from Cascade staff and STP Ambassadors.
Paul Tolmé
Summer is for cycling.
Whether you’re training for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic presented by Alaska Airlines and Zenni Optical or commuting by bike, a new piece of gear can improve your comfort and performance while keeping you cool in the heat.
Read our picks for supercharging your summer cycling–from sun sleeves to a lightweight Bosch powered folding e-bike.
Hip Packs
“Fanny” packs are a great alternative to stuffing tools and clothing into the back pocket of your cycling jersey.
The Transport Hip Pack from Seattle brand Grayl has four liters of storage space and a BottleLock Tie-Down System for securing a jacket or metal water bottle. $119.95, grayl.com
Water Bottles and Cages
Soft plastic HDPE bike bottles leach chemicals that give your water a foul taste. Due to health concerns, some people are switching to inert stainless stainless steel bottles.
The Earthwell x Grayl 27 oz (800 ml) water bottle is heavier than plastic–but it’s got no forever chemical flavor. $29.95 grayl.com. Numerous Cascade staff swear by their Bivo stainless steel water bottles. $34 at REI.
Secure your metal water bottle with a Looney Bin bike cage, which has a click-wheel adjuster to prevent your bottle from bouncing out on bumps. $26.95 from Grayl.
Eyewear
Why are prescription sunglasses so expensive? Because one company dominates the eyeglass market and has near-monopolistic control of eyewear pricing.
Enter Zenni Optical, an STP presenting sponsor that is among the upstart eyeglass companies offering lower prices by selling direct to consumers. I got a pair of prescription Zenni sunglasses for $40. Zennioptical
If you don’t need prescription glasses but want comfortable, tinted eyewear for summer cycling, Cascade Communications Director Sara Kiesler swears by her Goodr Cycling sunglasses. They’re fashionable, hold securely, and don’t break the bank. $35, goodr.com
Rearview Mirror Glasses
TriEye makes cycling glasses with tiny rearview mirrors for riders who dislike helmet or handlebar mirrors.
TriEye’s View Sport Photochromatic Sunglasses adjust their tint for bright or dim conditions–and they enable you to quickly glance behind without turning your head to see cars or fellow riders. $149, Trieye.com
Suspension Seatpost
Biking on rough roads can be a real pain. With 35 mm of travel, the Shockstop City Suspension Seatpost absorbs small bumps and allows you to remain seated instead of standing when your rear tire hits a crack.
The Shockstop City is ideal for heavier commuter bikes or e-bikes, while weight weenies can upgrade to the lighter and more expensive Shockstop Pro Race. $179.99 and $299.99, respectively. Redshiftsports
Lightest Bosch E-Bike
Bike Friday calls its All-Day folding electric bike the lightest Bosch motor powered e-bike on the planet. We tested an All-Day for two weeks in Seattle and found it to be a fantastic commuter bike–easy to lift and store and FAST to accelerate.
Weighing approximately 33 pounds, the All-Day we tested had top-of-the line drivetrain components: Class 1 Bosch Performance Line SX motor and SRAM Apex AXS wireless electronic shifting.
Custom-made in Eugene, Ore., the All-Day folds easily and can be packed into an airline suitcase. This is a bike for individuals who can afford to pay top dollar for a custom frame built to your specifications and equipped with the components of your choice. The version we tested costs $8,008, while the base model All-Day starts at $5,200. bikefriday.com
Electric Bike Curious?
Why drive to the store, school, or office when you can pedal there on a Tern electric cargo bike? Join Wombi and Cascade for an informative event featuring Cascade Board Member Hanoch Yeung of Best Side Cycling on June 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Kick the tires on a variety of Tern electric bikes available with a Wombi subscription. Space is limited for this FREE event for Cascade members. RSVP to secure your spot.
BMC Gravel Bikes
BMC is sponsoring Cascade’s Iron Horse Gravel Ride on Aug. 11-12 and partnering with Cascade to offer members big discounts on its URS gravel bikes through Cascade Bicycle Studio and Element Cycles.
The URS has clearance for wide, 47 mm tires and mounts on the fork, toptube, and downtube for frame bags and bike packing utility. Sign in at Cascade.org and go to the Member Benefits Portal to see the BMC discounts.
Gearboxes and Belt Drives
During the recent Winthrop Gravel Tour, I got a lot of questions about my Priority 600HXT, a low-maintenance, belt drive hardtail mountain bike with thumb-tap gearbox shifting. The 600HXT, $3,999, is the first production mountain bike in North America to specify the new Pinion Smart.Shift electronic shifting system.
If you want to learn more about Pinion gearboxes and belt drives as alternatives to chains and derailleurs, read my review of the 600HXT on singletracks.com.
Good Reads
The hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a favorite of bike advocates, have written a book: Life After Cars, coming out in October and available for pre-order now.
“The never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs,” reads a blurb, “among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world.” $26.04 on bookshop.org
Exciting news: Cascade is partnering with The War on Cars to host a podcast taping at Town Hall Seattle in early November, with a member/donor event and book signing at Cascade. More details to come in late summer or early fall!
Bone Conducting Headphones
Cascade doesn’t allow headphones on its Free Group Rides because they reduce your safety and ability to hear. Even so, some people choose to wear them while riding out on their own.
We tested H2O Audio’s waterproof Tri Pro Multi-Sport bone-conducting headphones and found them safer than earbuds in terms of allowing you to hear the world around you. Designed for triathletes and swimmers, they loop around your ears and rest on the back of your neck. $199.99, h2oaudio.com
Ambassador Gear Tips: Bibs, Hawaiian Shirts, Sun Sleeves
We asked our STP Ambassadors what gear they are using while training to ride 207 miles from Seattle to Portland. They offered a mix of cycling specific technical wear, sun protection, and some Aloha vibes.
Killer Rays
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, so protect your skin. “I’m fair skinned and I hate the feel of sunscreen, so I cover up where I burn easily,” says STP Ambassador Kelly Linman. She wears white Sun Arm Sun Sleeves to prevent sunburn and keep her forearms cool. $40, pearlizumi.com
For a more festive vibe, STP Ambassador Wenmei Hill wears colorful 8 Days Sun Sleeves. $24.95, cycology.com
To protect her neck, Hill wears a reflective Shine On Bike Bandana. “I can use it to wipe off sweat, clean my glasses, and soak with water to cool my neck.” Bonus: the Shine On has diagrams showing basic bike maintenance. $36, fourrabbit.com
Hydration
When not training for STP, Ambassador Lisa Charlebois is an entrepreneur who sells her own high-carb electrolyte drink mix designed by her food scientist husband. Hummingbird Fuels has just five ingredients: sugar, citric acid, sodium citrate, salt, and natural flavors. $22.50 for a one-pound, 10-ounce bag. Hummingbirdfuels
Hydration Vests and Bibshorts
Hydration packs have been popular with mountain bikers for decades. Due to new lightweight designs, a growing number of road riders are donning them as an alternative to water bottles.
“Hands down this is my favorite piece of gear,” STP Ambassador Evan Kniestedt says about his Salomon Active Skin 8 Hydration Vest. “The only downside is it covers any fun jersey you may be wearing.” $115, rei.com
Ambassador Sal Ponce swears by his Aero Tech cycling bibs. Bibshorts loop over your shoulders and don’t sag or bite into your belly, providing a more comfortable fit for people with big bodies while offering a soft chamois for your posterior. $199.99, aerotechdesigns.com
Hawaiian Style
To remain visible, Ponce wears bright and flowery Aloha shirts from Ahlos, a Hawaiian brand that specializes in colorful technical wear for construction workers. “They wick well and are fun,” he says. $40 to $55 depending on style, ahlosapparel.com
Want more gear recommendations? Check our 2024 Summer Bike Gear post.
Got a dad bod? See the gear recommendations from Dad Bod Cycling in our previous post.
See you on the roads and trails this summer!
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