PDW Staff Picks 2025
It's time for another round of PDW crew favorites! Check it out for a glimpse into our bike and non-bike lives, plus a few pics of an adorable puppy...
What’s a PDW product that makes your #everydaycycling better? How about a Life Pick you’ve been enjoying recently?
BigZag. I did not think I needed or wanted to carry a Nalgene bottle on my bike before owning this. I have a bunch of bottle cages and a ton of bottles, having water with me isn't an issue. But for reasons I can't figure out, I really like having this cage and all that water. It might be because I'd like to keep my skin looking as nice as possible as long as possible. That means I need to drink lots of water and stay out of the sun. Ok, I've now figured this out, I like the BigZag because skin care.
My current Life Pick is a documentary; Eno. About Brian Eno. Chunks of footage from Eno's personal archive and a long interview between the documentarian and Eno are randomly grabbed and cobbled together by a computer program to create a new film, unique to each screening, over and over again. I've seen this three times. Brian Eno is a Global Treasure.
I was so excited when the Drinkamabob was released last year. I’m 5’0 so my bike is small and there’s limited water bottle capacity, but with a Drinkamabob or two I have extra real estate around my basket. Items I’ve carried in my Drinkamabob include: my morning smoothie, a jar of peanut butter, a road soda (wink), a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, homemade salad dressing, and cooking fuel on a bike tour.
Outside of biking I’ve been really enjoying long runs. Nerds Gummy Clusters have gotten me through some of my bigger days. The sweet, the sour, the crunch, the gum. Yum.
I carry everything I might need for the day on my bike: rain gear, layers, food, entertainment. My baskets and bags fill up fast, and cargo space is limited, so when I stop for groceries or come across a cool ground score, there's often not much room left. The Cargo Web solves that problem - I don't have to choose what to leave behind, because I can just pile it on, secure it with the net, and go!
My life pick is the PBS cooking show America’s Test Kitchen. It’s so relaxing, like a bubble bath for your brain. I'm in parasocial relationships with all of the chefs. After a long, cold, rainy ride home, unwind with a few episodes and learn how to make a killer pot pie, plus which brand of Dutch oven is king - as if we don't already know ;). Support your local public broadcasting!
Sammy's pick is the Timber to Town large ZigZag basket. Hers is currently customized with a waterproof cover and blanket for cold, wet winter commutes.
She would also like to give a shoutout to Tricky Trainers dog treats (cheddar flavor), which she finds are a good distraction when she wants to bark at other dogs walking by PDW HQ.
I'm a big fan of the Everyday Rack. As a taller rider, not many racks position panniers far enough back to keep them out of the way of my heels, but the geometry of the Everyday rack gets them well out of the way.
When I'm not biking I play a lot of hockey, so I have to give a nod to True custom hockey skates. I bit the bullet and got a pair in 2018 after going through skates every year or so, and these made-in-Canada skates have been bombproof and super comfy going on seven years now.
Like our Wiggler-in-Chief and the PDW DJ, I LOVE living the basket life, and the Timber to Town Zig Zag basket keeps me a happy cyclist. Pair it with the Loot Bag, and I’m good to go and ready to hit the grocery store for next week’s food haul. Oh! I also can’t live without my Watch Your Back mirror. I proudly embrace my inner nerd and mirror it up.
My Life Pick lately is ditching all technology, news, music, etc., and just getting out on the trails (by foot or bike). Hearing myself breathe, smelling the nature smells, and disconnecting. Pretty zen, eh?
____
Very zen indeed. Enjoy some extra Sammy pics to chill you out before this holiday season. Who even cares about bikes, we know what you really came here for!
Presenting Sammy, aka Sammich aka Small Dog aka Side Eye Sammy:
