There's no denying the past twelve months have been exciting. Days after the launch of the S-Works McLaren Venge at the spectacular F1 HQ in Woking, Matt Goss stormed to victory aboard the Venge at Milan San Remo. A few weeks later I was back in Europe shooting a gritty, dusty Paris Roubaix. The Tour of California gave me my first chance to shoot a major stage race from a moto (alternately thrilling and terrifying me), then it was back to Europe for the press launch of the Tarmac SL4 in Switzerland with Roman Kreuziger. I struggled with the altitude at the US Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado but bounced back in the mountains of Utah as the Specialized Ride to Vegas knocked off a dramatic new route to interbike. I shot Levi and Alberto in California and then the new Specialized Lululemon camp and Bicycling Magazine features as the year came to a close. Not bad for what was my first year of shooting full time.

I remain critical of my own work but having just put the latest VeloDramatic photo annual to bed (Jens on the cover above), I think I got a little better. Certainly I've had to up my studio game and come to terms with lighting and more complex shooting scenarios. To that end I've been extremely happy with the Canon 1D MK IV and my Canon glass. The Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 and TT5s proved they could supply reliable wireless fill in a variety of working conditions, and I'm likely to add another four 430EX IIs to my speedlite arsenal to double my hi-speed sync output. I could have used them all shooting surfers at dusk ala Dave Black in Oceanside during a break from the recent team camp.

Last week I plunked down a healthy deposit for a Canon 1DX that's due out, fingers crossed, late March. I expect I'll get my body in the first or second shipment that makes it to Keeble & Shuchat. There have been no reviews yet but the specs really hit the sweet spot for me. Barring a negative AF assessment from the esteemed Rob Galbraith I'm fully committed. If it does miss the mark I've already decided I'll be switching to Nikon.

A+ for Apple

Technology didn't always help matters in 2011 but one company proved again and again that they deserve my business. I took the iPad2 plunge mid year and it immediately became an invaluable tool for navigation (Google Maps and Tour Trackers); showing clients dailies and wireless tethering; finance (mobile banking and TripCubby); not to mention the all-important video diversions needed to survive long trans-Atlantic flights in Economy.

My 15" MacBook Pro is nearly four year old and despite stuffing it with 6GB of RAM and 1.2 TB of internal storage (crazy how we take these numbers for granted now) it's having a tough time keeping up with the demands of my workflow. Now well beyond its warranty the video system abruptly died mid October. I took it to my friendly neighborhood Apple store and remarkably they confirmed they had a known video issue with the original mainboard. They wrote up the $500 repair then credited me for the whole amount promising a five-day turnaround. The next day, less than 24 hours later, the store called to say the repair was done and the MBP ready for pickup. Superb!

Now you could chalk this video resurrection up to luck, but twice during the year I had power bricks fail. The Apple mag connector is very cool, but like all cables eventually wires pull loose. Both times, with no prompting from me, Apple representatives replaced the adapters free of charge. In an age where service and customer loyalty are largely forgotten, Apple does all the little things to earn my trust. I don't think I'm alone and that's why Apple is doing so well.

Because of that experience my next laptop will be a Mac. In the last two weeks of the year I got very close to pulling the trigger on a new machine but held off because there's still no viable way to ingest images faster than the Expresscard slot on my MBP, and that slot is now only available on the 17" model (adding a tough-to-justify pound to my on-the-limit carry-on essentials). A Thunderbolt card reader may be the answer but so far no one has stepped up to make one. So I'm waiting for the Spring and the prospect of faster Ivy Bridge processors, rumors of a Retina display and USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt salvation.

B (Best Book) for MyPublisher

Fourteen months ago I wrote Going All in with MyPublisher. The New York based service still produces the best quality photo books I've seen but disappointingly they haven't meaningfully addressed the professional market yet. Last week I completed the third MP photo book since I wrote that piece; and it's worth noting again the pluses and minus of the current product.

Version 7.1 of the MP software is rock solid. My 86-page book contained 157 photographs. The application never flinched during the layout with plenty of shifting and swapping that occasionally froze earlier versions. With the MyStyles feature enabled it's possible to customize any of the MP layout patterns. Unfortunately the implementation of this very useful feature is hamstrung by two things. First, even though MP can toggle on a visual grid, there's no snap-to or true alignment capability, so getting really accurate sizing between boxes is difficult and tedious. Second, the MyStyles layouts cannot be managed, and if minute changes are made later on a subsequent page, additional versions appear in the MyStyles panel. Speaking critically this is symptomatic of MP's aversion to the mere suggestion of complexity, even when false simplicity (auto saving) is actually less intuitive and confusing.

Two page spreads are well supported, and very nicely realized if the rather expensive lay flat page option is chosen. Another small issue surfaces if a large file is shifted vertically with the hand tool. Because of the tight tolerances of MP's background auto-fitting routine this often leads to a yellow-warning border showing up on the left or right edge. Selecting auto-fit eliminates the problem but in the process shifts the image back to its original vertical positioning. MP should support a horizontal nudge left or right to solve this all too common layout problem.

MP has an image refresh feature but it certainly doesn't behave as it should. In my original article I indicated that any editing outside of MP that saves over a project image, should update the book image via the refresh command. It currently doesn't do this and frankly I can't figure out what it IS doing.

The last major difference worth talking about is the MP Bookshelf. I'm purposely choosing not to use the "MyBookshelf" label that MP gives this web site listing of previous orders because fundamentally it's NOT my bookshelf unless I can manage it. As the screenshot below shows, MP's order-centric model results in a confusing proliferation of the same book icons. I cannot delete any of them. MP even seems confused by it's own order-centric model when it renders its Order History and Order Details tabs. The default Order History tab presents a list view that naturally would lend itself to multiple reorders of the same book, except that even when a book has been reordered the list never has more than a single entry. Until the MP database recognizes "the book" as its record key, just take us to the Order Detail tab and save us a superfluous click.

One of the reasons why MP seems reluctant to allow us to delete books from the bookshelf, is that shared books truly have a life of their own. Once shared a book has no connection back to its creator. There is no aggregation of orders or visibility for the creator. Once shared a book can be reshared. This I believe is the crux of the problem, and why we can't manage the bookshelf. If we actually deleted one of our books, and that should imply deleting all book data, then dissociated shared books (and reorder opportunities) would go away. Philosophically, I believe book creators should have the ultimate control over our books. We should decide when OUR book cannot be reprinted regardless of when or how it was shared. MP really needs to change the way this works.

The bookshelf also is buggy. Books Icons can be "named" but right now the string length appears to have a completely useless 11-character limit and actually isn't saved. Clearly this needs more polish in addition to a serious rethink of the underlying database model.

Outside of large prints, books are the most impactful marketing tool for my business. MyPublisher continues to delight me with their end product but 2011 was a missed opportunity to develop a MyPublisher Pro offering. Blurb's ProLine gives a clear indication that the competition are taking the professional market seriously. If you're listening MP, it's time we had that conversation.

Adobe Gets a C

I was dismayed when Adobe's CS4 Master Collection wouldn't run on Windows 7. Then I was annoyed at the sheer ineptitude of Adobe's technical support system (horrible phone system, dropped calls, hours wasted with useless CSRs). Adobe's plan to require previous-version status for future upgrade eligibility was the bitter final insult in a year that was only rescued by the continuing brilliance of Lightroom.

Related rant. Having spent a decade in the Silicon Valley mines, I've seen the transparent self-interest that has outsourced tech jobs overseas, and the stupidity of mid-level executives who've gone along with a scheme that has undermined service, reduced quality and hurt usability, all in the name of a false economy that only serves to line the pockets of the guys who right their own checks. It's time we started repatriating jobs and paying better wages at the expense of C-Level compensation. I may be self employed with a strong entrepreneurial streak but OWS is on the right track. Better software and service may seem vastly removed from the criminality of wall street and too-big-to-fail banks but it's symptomatic of the same corporate miscalculation that's got us into this mess. Companies like Adobe had better smarten up or they'll be in for a rude awakening from a new class of nimble competitors like Pixelmator.

D - there's nothing Quick about QuickBooks

It's truly hard to imagine a company that can master the U.S. tax code and produce a wonderful product like TurboTax can screw things up so badly with a mature product like QuickBooks. With absolutely no compelling functionality to justify an upgrade to the latest version I was forced to do so to get compatibility with Windows 7. My 2009 version ran perfectly on Windows Vista 64-bit but wouldn't start on 64-bit Windows 7. The new product, thanks to some poor coding, obfuscated a relatively simple problem with online banking that prevented me doing any accounting for weeks following the upgrade. Again, I had to pass through multiple layers of useless support before I finally got to knowledgeable people who could diagnose the problem. Thanks to my UK pal Jon Moss, I'll be using FreeAgent as my accounting software in 2012. It's early but I'm already feeling good about saying goodbye to Quickbooks, even if I'm perversely looking forward to using TurboTax to dispatch this year's tax chores.

There's no escaping the fact that photography depends heavily on all this technology. Here's hoping that 2012's grade point average is better than this year's. Meanwhile I'm looking forward to getting off the computer and getting back to shooting.

Specialized made only 40 pairs of these black beauties for the Venge launch at McLaren. Now that I've photographed them in pristine condition I can get around to enjoying them. They are a nice reminder of a trip that included the amazing McLaren Technology Center, a good visit with my uncle and the highlands of Scotland and photographing Matt Goss riding the Venge to victory at Milan San Remo. Maybe Specialized have some commemorative Wellington boots for the upcoming Paris Roubaix assignment. Thanks guys.

ThinkTank Photo's Impressive Roller lineup (L to R): The cavernous Logistics Manager, the generous Airport Security V2 and the amazing Airport International V2

I'm still shaking my head in disbelief. I've been using ThinkTank's Airport Security V2 for almost two years now. Rolling into assignments, packing and unpacking the working layout of the bag blindfolded, flying domestically confident it would fit in any overhead bin provided I'm in the top half of the boarding order, and talking my way past the occasional airline employee intent on putting my gear at risk in the belly of the beast. Returning from France last summer I felt the rules closing in, and even though the overheads readily accepted the bag, I decided the next time over the pond I'd be traveling with ThinkTank's smaller International roller.

The Tale of the Tape

Externally the Airport International V2 measures 14” W x 21” H x 8” D versus the Airport Security V2 at 14” W x 22” H x 9” D. If this was a fight I'm not sure you'd give either journeyman a tale-of-the-tape advantage, but by shaving an inch off the height and an inch off the depth, ThinkTank has created a stealthier bag that really looks smaller without sacrificing its effective capacity. I call that magic. When gate agents are scanning the milling crowd for full-flight cabin victims, it's amazing how those extra inches stand out. By comparison the International should slip past that scrutiny as easily as a black-clad super model.

That was the theory anyway. When the bag arrived early in the week the visual difference had me convinced I would have to make some serious compromises in gear for upcoming assignments in the UK and Italy. The photo below shows the two bags sitting side by side: the incumbent fully loaded and the challenger in its stock divider configuration right out the box. I'll admit I sat staring at the two bags for some time before making my first move.

My go-to everyday Airport Security V2 layout (L) and the stock Airport International V2 (R) before divider reconfiguration and gear transfer.

The King Stays Put

My 200 f2 is king. I wanted its weight at the bottom of the International in the deepest part of the bag. ThinkTank's designers don't seem to have anticipated a horizontal layout quite like mine so I had to improvise a little with the divider piece normally used to seat a body and lens combo. Note to Doug and the designers at TTP, how about a horizontal divider for the bottom of the bag with an attached padded top flap to baby big glass. I've got something just like this in the bigger bag cannibalized from some other system long since sent down to the minors. With the 200 seated, the next challenge was to locate the two bodies. After some experimentation I built a central padded divider box that put them on the wings, hot shoes down/RRS L plates up (well protected), and from there the rest of the layout fell into place and my grin began to grow.

You can see from the inventory schematics below the only significant sacrifice was my 85mm f1.2. Given the versatility of the 100 and the beautiful wide-open performance of the 200 for portraits, I won't miss the extra weight and the sketchy AF performance of the 85 that limits its usefulness to static subjects. All my key gear safely stored, nothing strained or forced, and it's a good working layout. Loaded like this it weighs 35 lbs.

Click to view a larger image of the final layout.

What had to fit. Click for a larger view of the contents.

What didn't make it or isn't needed

Ogio's Tanker 9600 Will Swallow Everything Else

With the essentials safely billeted in the ThinkTank International, Ogio's mammoth Tanker 9600 will accommodate clothes, toiletries, my monopod, a collapsible softbox, three 430 EX IIs and a couple of Justin clamps. I stick the monopod inside a hard cardboard tube for extra protection and enclose a manifest for customs to minimize searching about in the bag to figure out what the electronics are. Of course flashes could be stolen, but it's unlikely. My final piece of luggage is the large Rapha backpack. It carries my laptop, 5DII chargers (2), one or two external HDs, card reader and cables.

My thanks to Ogio for supplying the Tanker 9600. I love the SLED system, big wheels and interior divider (though spoiled by camera bags I wish there were a couple more structural options inside). This trip will be a great test of the heavy lifter. I'll have a review of the Tanker next month.

My first two ThinkTank Rollers have provided exceptional trouble-free performance. Wheels, zippers and handles work as well as they did on day one and the resilient exteriors show no signs of wear or damage. I expect nothing less from the Airport International. It has already surprised and delighted me by absorbing the critical gear I need with me, and it gives me increased piece of mind that I'll fly under the radar through airports. With more than $15,000 worth of cameras and lenses safely stored in the bag, $329 is a fair price to pay for superior TTP design and quality. I wouldn't roll any other way. The ThinkTank International V2 Roller

In my early thirties I worked out at a gym down the street from my studio in Toronto. As far as gym's go it wasn't particularly social, the young business types it attracted were too busy for chit chat and wanted to get in and out fast. The girl on the stair climber had been coming in for months to occupy a spot immediately in front of the bike I habitually warmed up on. She was beautiful and completely unapproachable, isolated by headphones and manic exertion. Like clockwork ten minutes into my warm up she'd appear, step onto her machine with her back to the room and climb for an hour. She never said a word to anyone though everyone, male and female was aware of her presence.

I don't remember when it happened but one night there was a nod of recognition exchanged between us. At some point she'd noted the familiar guy riding off her left shoulder in the mirror; she never turned around but in the weeks that followed the reflected smile became a regular thing. I suppose it would have been easy to get off the bike and just say hello but the mirrored circumstances called for something more creative.

With a little assistance from one of the female staff I planned a novel introduction. I'd noted the format of the gym's minimal signage, tiny debossed metal tags discreetly sprinkled throughout the facility. I had a special sign made in that identical format which my accomplice matter-of-factly applied to the edge of the mirror in front of the stair climbing beauty. In 24pt type it read "Riders in the mirror may be more interested than they appear". It took the girl a minute or two to glance over at the newly applied tag, and I enjoyed watching her initial puzzlement give way to recognition before a big smile broke out and she lifted her eyes into the mirror to see me smiling back at her. I didn't have to say anything because I was wearing a T-shirt which read in mirror-image type "maybe we should have dinner". It was the first time I'd ever seen the girl laugh as she turned around to look directly at me. Mission accomplished.

The moral of the story. Sometimes you have to look at things differently to make an impression.

I think Outlier have done just that with their Pivot shirt innovation. The shoulder construction is noticeably different on the Blazed Cotton Shirt than anything else in my wardrobe. The pivot is not your typical set-in sleeve, instead it extends into a generous vertical panel that runs from shoulder to tail on the back of the shirt. You can find a great illustration of the construction on the Outlier site. Currently three of the four Outlier shirt designs featuring the pivot sleeve are in stock (The California Pivot Shirt, The Supermarine Rain Shirt and The Blazed Cotton Shirt). The latter two share the same cut and details, with the Blazed Cotton serving flexible fashion on or off the bike and the Supermarine Rain Shirt going beyond the call of duty to survive the occasional downpour with panache.

The slippery smooth face of the Blazed Cotton shirt is the product of mills in Austria and Switzerland. It gets the same Schoeller NanoSphere® treatment we've seen employed by our friends on Perren Street. From there the cotton is shipped to the U.S. where the experienced hands of the New York's garment district cut and sew the finished shirts. It's a very clean look, tucked or un-tucked.

Ordinarily I hate chest pockets... to my eye they look sloppy whether or not there's anything in them. On the subject of pockets I've been known to keep them sewn shut permanently for that very reason. The Outlier chest pocket, neatly hidden behind a sharp flap is more design detail than functional addition. Please don't put anything in it and spoil the clean lines.

The collar is sharply reinforced with stays, always the hallmark of a good shirt that will keep its appearance through many launderings. Show me a well-dressed man and I'll show you someone who knows his way around a steam iron. There may be no better way to gauge the craftsmanship of a dress shirt than to iron it. Poorly cut shirts are a nightmare on the ironing board, while well made ones lay flat and press true. Washed on a gentle cycle and line dried the shirt looks entirely presentable, but pass an iron over the Blazed Cotton and it snaps to attention.

Ultimately you can't beat cotton. While other man-made and natural fibers have made inroads into our closets, many of them have a residual itch factor that cotton is immune to. Do yourself a favour and order one of the pivots I think you'll be very pleased with the fit, finish and longevity of a beautiful shirt. I guarantee you'll spend more time wearing it than ironing it.

Loved this piece by Aaron Kuehn for the Los Angleles County Bicycle Coalition, limited 2nd edition print run is now open, but hurry these should go fast, just ordered mine. Brilliant I think. View Larger. Order Link.

Those of you tuning in for cycling coverage... this might be a good time to go clean your bike. Photographers you probably want to keep reading.

The Tour for Kika project is finally complete and the adventure documented in two 90-page volumes of photography, self published with MyPublisher.com. In the past year I've created six books with the service and I continue to be very impressed with the quality of the end product. Last week I received the first sample print of volume one, a step I always take before committing to a larger order, and as usual color and black and white imagery was accurately reproduced by MP's HP Indigo system. In a design career that now spans 25 years, I spent a decade designing for print within the reassuring confines of conventional prepress, I'm still amazed that a process that hides the complexities of calibration, dot gain, UCR/GCR and proofing (not to mention 2 am press approvals) from the creator actually seems to produce great results every time.

The deluxe hardcover (15" x 11.5") format I favor uses heavy (182 lb) premium paper that feels great and avoids any show through issues. And what the new image-wrap cover option loses in absolute reproduction quality to the dust jacket incumbent, it more than makes up for in durability. Dust jackets just don't stand up to repeat handling very well.

The MyPublisher client, which is downloaded to your computer, is simple, intuitive and highly optimized for the basic task of photo book layout. The latest version of the client (V5 on the PC) allows for greater manipulation of the stock page templates. It's a long way from the level of layout and typographic control of a dedicated page layout application like InDesign or Quark Xpress but it's solid.

Having just emerged from the Kika project and with Specialized's Ride to Vegas book up next I'm firmly behind the MyPublisher product but frustrated by missing features and a poor fit for the professional photographer. What follows is a list of enhancements and changes that would improve the situation. I hope the MP development team is listening...

MyPublisherPro - A Service for Professionals

Name any online service (Linkedin, Vimeo, Flickr are popular examples) and it's almost guaranteed there's a tiered service offering that targets serious, professional users. This is the biggest gap in the MyPublisher story. Early in 2010 the company announced a collaboration with Rick Smolan (founding photographer behind the day-in-a-life-of books). I was hopeful we'd see some immediate results from Rick's involvement but there's been nothing to date. I don't doubt that other professionals use the service but it's clear MyPublisher's business focus is serving the needs of end users and hobbyists.

I'd like to see MyPublisher address the professional photographer with a new B2B program, and I'd be willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars per year for the upgraded service. Here are some key elements I'd like to see addressed in MyPublisherPro.

Consistent pricing
MyPublisher is always running sales. I have never paid full price for a book and always time my orders to coincide with the semi-regular 40-50% off discounts. I'd like to see MyPublisherPro's get this baseline pricing, with additional discounts earned through a frequent-purchaser program. The more we use the system the more we save.

Book Sales for Profit
MP competitor Blurb allows photographers to mark up their books and provides the ecommerce infrastructure to collect and remit profits. If MyPublisher is reluctant to build this functionality then it should consider partnering with a service like Zenfolio (which I use and also rate highly). A MP, Zenfolio collaboration would be terrific.

It's worth pointing out the drawbacks of the current system.

1. Ordering a quantity of books (inventory) flies in the face of the on-demand model (and we're totally sold on on-demand)
2. A multi-book order cannot be shipped to multiple addresses, nor can a combined order of different books be shipped to one address. Re: the latter, MP users requested this basic ecommerce functionality in 2008 according to the forums.
3. The current sharing functionality is problematic, once a book is shared it lives on in the Bookshelf of the sharee and can be reordered with no credit or notification to the creator. Even worse the sharee can then share the book again. This may be fine for hobbyists but its a real non-starter for professionals who guard their copyright and never license or distribute their work without limits.

That leaves us with the unsatisfying option of handling payment independently and ordering books individually for shipment to clients. Unfortunately with all the MP branding, coupons etc in the shipment, it's entirely possible for my client to figure out my markup.

Ecommerce and Workflow improvements
I suspect that there's a PDF engine behind the MP "upload book" process, and that means that incremental/partial changes to an existing book are never going to be feasible. That said, it's very frustrating not to be able to upload a revised file to the system without creating a new order. A MyPublisherPro system has to be project centric, not order centric.

This would have the added benefit of better organizing the bookshelf. Multiple orders grouped with one project.

Improvements to the MyPublisher App
I've come this far, here's my list of features and fixes I'd like to see in version six.

And finally, one last note for MyPublisher product management and developers. I know exactly what you are up against. Prior to my recent career shift to photography, I spent a decade designing software UI. I headed the design group at Ariba and a team of interaction designers, user researchers, doc writers and curriculum developers. I understand the challenges you face, but there's a tremendous opportunity here to improve your usability and open a new line of business. I hope you're interested and I'm happy to talk anytime about MyPublisherPro. Bring on that NDA.

Preview the two Kika Books volume 1|volume 2

I lived in Rapha's short sleeved Fixed Shirt last summer. I needed just two of them to get by shooting on the road. Washed and hung to dry at night, the shirt was always ready for action the next morning... no ironing required. This season's Short Sleeve offerings in powder blue and pink up the style ante with the beautiful tailoring, stretch cotton fabric and details that are the hallmark of all Rapha products.

Unsure I could carry off the pink like the Continental's Ben Lieberson does on the Rapha site, I bought two XLs in blue and love them.

The Rapha shirt is matched here with a pair of Kühl Renegade trousers. The Renegades are super lightweight pants, styled with Kühl's signature articulated knee and relaxed fit. Rated at SPF 50 they have plenty of pockets: two front, two concealed and zipped side, two velcro-sealed rear and a cell phone pocket on the outside of the right leg just above the knee. My iPhone fits comfortably. I like the fact all those pockets don't compromise the clean lines of the trouser.

Last but not least I'm wearing a pair of Five Ten Spitfires, a versatile midtop skater shoe in Black split-grain leather and gray nubuck with a small RAF roundel. The shoe has a nicely padded heel collar, stealth traction sole, and killer good looks.

The Rapha Short Sleeve Shirt is $110, the Kühl Renegades $70 and the Five Ten Spitfires $90.

First the housekeeping. I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday to watch Spartacus ride away from a snacking (read inattentive) Tom Boonen at Paris Roubaix. The reaction of Dutch commentators summed up the winning move better than the images..."Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom" (2:25) one exclaimed in recognition that Cancellara was gone and Tom was hung out to dry. That makes two incredible race moves in as many weeks for the Swiss dynamo. And kudos to Specialized for notching a classic win on the Project Black Roubaix. I spent a whole day three weeks ago photographing prototypes of that frame ;-)

I can't mention Spartacus without saying how much I'm enjoying the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I don't know how the series will fare when it tries to capture major battle scenes, but while the focus rests in the intimate confines of the gladitorial school rife with plotting, murder and mayhem (did I mention sex) it's fantastic. Great performances by a stellar cast of veterans and newcomers. Might be a cameo role for the real Spartacus in season two if he slays a couple more opponents like he did in Flanders and PR.

After a brief intermission, I returned to the Spring traditions of the Masters where a sullen Tiger Woods was doing a bad Ray Charles impression with those ridiculous sun glasses, and hitting several un-Tiger-like shots that I imagine Ray Charles might hit had he played golf. Always a fan, he has diminished significantly in my eyes and unless he starts getting some good advice I fear he may go off the deep end like a certain Michael Jackson. He's already wearing one glove afterall.

Let's dispense with the strange glasses and look at some cool ones from Giro.

Giro Filter Sunglasses

First the basics. The Filter is Giro's newest model with a beautifully sculpted compact frame. I like the fit at the temples on this big head; secure but not too tight. The rubber nose bridge is firmer than its spongy counterpart on my Oakley Radars. I've had to purchase a replacement nose piece for the Oakleys in just under two years of use. I can't see that happening with the Filters.

Lenses are superb optics by Zeiss, known for legendary glass and by the way some beautiful manual primes that will eventually find their way into my camera bag. The Filters come with two sets of lenses. The Silver/Titanium frames pictured are outfitted with Rose Silver and Orange Selector lenses. Interesting story behind the development of the tints. Giro tasked Zeiss to come up with formulations that were relaxing to the eye while increasing contrast and depth perception. Performance, not cosmetics determined the eventual choices. All lenses filter the full spectrum of UVA, UVB and UVC light.

What really distinguishes the Filters from every other sun-glass system with replaceable lenses is what Giro calls their Pop-Top retention technology. I struggle to squeeze the nose piece on my Oakley Radars to release the single lens, worry about breaking the frame and end up with fingerprints all over them. As you can see from the four-picture sequence below, the Filters employ a unique cam to lock and release the lenses. It couldn't be easier and there's zero chance of damaging the glasses in the process. Really a clever piece of engineering that increases the likelihood you'll actually change lens tints under different conditions.

Since wearing the Filters those Oakley Radars have been riding in the team car.

Giro Havik II Sunglasses

Giro's Havik II sunglasses come in full and compact models to fit different faces and rider preferences. Personally I prefer the compact style, there's more than adequate coverage and a little more airflow behind the glasses (on my face) which is always good to avoid fogging. The Havik II feels a little more open and a shade lighter than the Filter. Having just said that I quickly weighed them confirming the Filter is 28g and the Havik II 26g. The sensitivity borne of years of club feeling. "That face is 2 degrees open" lives on. Wish some other sensitivities still worked as well.

Having experienced the sheer brilliance of the Filters when it comes to changing lenses I have to say it's hard to go back to the system employed by the Havik. You compress the nose bridge between thumb and forefinger on one hand and push it out of the frame with the thumb on your other hand. From there I still find it a struggle to apply the right force to disengage the single wrapping lens from the frame. I can't do it without plenty of fingerprints. Advantage Filters.

So there you have it. The Filters are available in 6 frame colorways (matte black, gloss black, silver/ti, gloss red, white/blue, striped tort*) and 5 lens tints. The Havik II Full: 3 frame colors (red, matte black and matte silver) and 5 lens tints. The Havik II Compact: 5 frame colors (matte black, gloss black, matte silver, pearl white, pearl red) and 5 lens tints. *not sure on availability

The Filters retail for $200 (2 tone frames are $220) while the Havik IIs range from $140 to $200 (most colorway/lens combinations are $170). If a compact frame size suits your face, I think the Pop Top feature on the Filters is well worth the extra cost.

If you've not tuned into Spartacus: Blood and Sand yet you might try watching the show wearing a pair of Giros with Orange Selector lenses. You get enhanced slave girl contrast and protection from all the blood splatter. I'm off to Sea Otter for four days, expect lots of imagery next week.

If you're still after more shots of the Prolight, look through the Copperopolis Race Gallery. Quite a few riders were wearing it.

Refer back to my earlier Point of Contact post for some context on my continuing search for the perfect long fingered glove. Well, I'm here to report I think I've found it. Of course some caveats apply: I've not worn the gloves for a thousand miles yet and they're probably best suited for moderate temperatures in the 50-70F range, but I'm prepared to go on record and declare the Giro LX LF glove is the best, long fingered cycling glove, period.

The LX is a premium leather glove (Pittards WR100X leather palm and uppers) with sleek styling that convinces me that someone in the Giro design department has an Italian mistress or two. Bellissima. The glove retails for $70 making it considerably more expensive than my go-to favorites like the Oakley Pilot ($20) and Specialized Gel ($40). Back when I was doing the glove summary someone asked me if I'd tried them, and I admitted I hadn't... I reached out to Giro and one thing led to another... culminating in a review series that began with the Prolight helmet last week.

All the Right Features

The LX is close enough to a second skin for me to type this sentence wearing them. And before you start worrying about me, I'm not wearing them around the house... much. Giro's trademark 3-panel palm reduces bunching as advertised. Finger seams and stitching are nearly undetectable, and overall finish, inside and out, is what you'd expect of a premium glove at this price point. I wear Medium in most cycling gloves, but a Small in the LX fits me perfectly (the LX is available in S, M, L, XL and XXL)

There's an integrated pull tab at the wrist to help get these beauties on; two strategically placed pads of 3mm Technogel in the heel and outer edge of the palm to cushion those sensitive areas without diminishing the fantastic feel when glove meets handlebar; the back of the glove features wool-blend stretch panels and a velcro closure along with a super-soft microfiber nose wipe on the thumb.

I can't find fault with them. They feel as good as they look and there's nothing above or below them on the price scale that's better. And if that wasn't enough, the little red "Giro tabs even match my Rapha red lighweight softshell jacket. If solid black isn't your style, the glove is also available in a Black (palm)/White(back) version. When things warm up a bit more I'll have a review of the equally impressive fingerless LX.

Giro may be best known for helmets, but they've got some spectacular stuff to complement the lids. Sunglasses are up next.