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Best of Adventure: Road - Gear | Trends | Destination
1. The iPod Control
Harman/Kardon Drive + Play
Finally, a solution to fumbling for tunes at 70 miles an hour (113 kilometers an hour). The Drive + Play ($200; www.driveandplay.com) connects your car stereo and iPod via an easy-to-read menu screen and a convenient hand controller.
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2. The Running Shorts
Editor's Pick: Best Comfort
Pearl Izumi Maverick
The feather-light microfiber shell and thigh-covering eight-inch (20-centimeter) inseam are reasons enough to recommend the Maverick shorts ($40; www.pearlizumi.com), but the liner clinches the deal. Buttery soft, the inner short provides a level of support rarely felt in running togs.
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3. The GPS
Lowrance iWay 250C
Most dashboard units cost $700 or more, but the iWay 250C ($350; www.lowrance.com) goes for half that and includes maps of North America, a 3.5-inch (9-centimeter) screen, 2-D and 3-D displays, voice guidance, an SD card slot, a picture viewer, and an MP3 player.
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4. The Bike Computer
Editor's Pick: Best Innovation
Garmin Edge 305
As the world's first GPS-based bike computer, the wireless Edge 305 ($380; www.garmin.com) maps your route, records waypoints, registers elevation gain, and doles out training information. |
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5. The Running Shoes
Asics Kayano 13
Even with all the new-fangled running shoes on the market, we have to give kudos to the updated Kayano 13 ($135; www.asicsamerica.com). The 13th gen of this perennial fave maintains its near-perfect blend of stability and fit as well as its spritely weight (just under 13 ounces [369 grams]); but now it has slightly more cushioning at the heel, making it the top all-purpose runner out there.
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6. The Road Bike
Giant OCR1 W
Really good women's road bikes are hard to find, and none can be found for the steal of a price of the OCR1 W ($1,100; www.giantbicycles.com). The frame is aluminum, the fork carbon, and the components ultradurable Shimano 105. But the key is the geometry, which is proportioned for women's shorter torsos and longer legs. You'll never suffer awkward "unisex" frames again.
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7. The Rescue Knife
Gerber Hinderer Rescue
Designed by a firefighter for firefighters, the Hinderer Rescue ($120; www.gerbergear.com) is less a knife and more an insurance policy.
The blunted blade cuts swiftly through seat belts, comes with a nine-piece tool kit and a window punch, and is easily handled while wearing gloves. Put it in your car and hope you never have to use it. |
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Photographs, from top: James Westman (2); Courtesy of Lowrance; Courtesy of Garmin; Courtesy of Asics; Courtesy of Giant Bikes; Courtesy of Gerber
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