Know More. Ride More.

The Shoei X-15 is here

Here's a little secret. The Shoei bling everyone's psyched about has been around overseas for quite some time, known as the X-SPR Pro.

Still, having the helmet make its way over to the states as the successor to the popular X-14 is a big deal and is great news for our intermediate oval heads.

And predictably, all of the reviewers have been falling over themselves giving the X-SPR Pro high marks. Great noise isolation, materials, weight, FIM rating (pfft FIM), etc.

Champion Helmets pitted the X-SPR Pro against the venerable AGV Pista GP RR and came away with a clear win for the X-SPR Pro. Great visor mechanism, super light weight (yeah, even lighter than the carbon Pista) and fantastic noise isolation tipped their scales to the X-SPR Pro.

Honestly, any manufacturer's top helmets are a good bet so long as you've got a good fit.

Ducati’s We Ride As One Event

Ducati is hosting their 2nd annual We Ride As One event on May 6th.

Check out your official local Ducati club (there is Gotham Ducati in NYC) to see what they're planning for the event.

Should be a good one!

This is your route from Bikes & Breakfast @ 9W Market

The 1st Sunday of the month in the NYC area usually means a start at Bikes & Breakfast at 9W Market. Where you go after is up to you but this route has served my crew and I well.

It's not a long ride (about 2 hours total not counting what you do before/after) but presents tons of options throughout the Bear Mountain area and east of the Hudson.

Naturally, you'll start at the legendary 9W Market. Three things to keep in mind here:

1. Sunday mornings get busy here so the earlier KSU/ (kick stands up) time you and your riders have, the better

2. It is busy and overrun with cyclists so I'll leave you to your own preconceived notions on what that means

3. Officially, Bikes & Breakfast at 9W is just the first Sunday of the month but unofficially, you will always find riders here in the AM on most Sundays and Saturdays

Grab your breakfast/coffee, wait in line for the bathroom (hint: there is another bathroom outside behind the lunch grills), and head out north on 9W to 287. It's not an awfully exciting start. You'll be tempted to stay on the Palisades but that would mean hitting Kanawauke Rd after Lake Welch Pkwy; try to avoid that section as it's super bumpy and you'll be tempted to go faster.

You'll hit Kanawauke Circle, Kanawauke Rd (do a few laps if foot/car traffic permit), then take 17A to head to the twisty Arden Valley Rd. AVR is more technical than Kanawauke but less that Perkins Memorial so watch your speed/cornering if it's your first time.

You'll run through Bear Mountain (including a stop at the tower on Perkins Memorial) but watch for traffic & Forest Rangers; it can get pretty busy on weekend afternoons. Head over the Bear Mountain Bridge and take 202 down to Peekskill Brewery for a well deserved brew & food.

From there, you've got tons of options:

1. Head back to the city via Saw Mill River Pkwy, 87, or Sprain Brock Pkwy. You can even had back across the river and retrace some of your steps to head back, especially if traffic into the city is a factor.

2. Head up to Cold Spring for a cafe and take 301 East to Sloop for another fantastic brewery.

3. Keep the ride going and head back over the bridge to the roads around Storm King

Here's the Google Maps route.

We love this route and have done it in its entirety and sections at a time. Kanawauke is a great, quick blast, and Bear Mountain is fantastic on a sleepy Monday morning. Storm King is a monster in its own right./