I've been an avid fan of that other bottle manufacturer for years. Those polycarbonate bottles have taken some real abuse over the years and keep chugging along. Replacing them was like losing an old friend. But here's why I love the sleek new stainless steel water bottles from Kleen Kanteen:

1. No risk of BPA (or other plastics leaching into your body)
2. fully recyclable
   
3. fits in the bottle cage
4. just big enough for ice, but small enough to be lip worthy
5. dishwasher can't kill it
   

Simple, elegant, durable, safe. Klean Kanteen is a winner for grab and go hydration. You can get them in a growing variety of colors, but I like the standard silver bullet.

*don't toss your old bottles yet: consider using them for non-potable fluids, Fido's water, in the shop/garage, and road trip bladder emergencies*

buy it from Amazon HERE

Nothing impresses your peers and colleagues more than business cards (I think Bill Gates said this, but I could be wrong). It's like a mini résumé, and it's even cooler when you do the move where you squeeze it between two fingers to offer it to people. You can pretend to be pretty much anyone with a convincing business card. I personally have successfully impersonated many high-ranking politicians and business types.

So if you want to seem as important as possible, and don't we all, visit MOO.com and print yourself up some personalized business cards. You can upload any image you like (within reason) to the front, and write anything you like (within reason) on the back. MOO even links up to sites like Facebook, Flickr and LiveJournal to transfer your photos.

You can choose between two sizes, the dimensions you normally see for business cards, and the MiniCard, which is smaller, yet somehow more dramatic. Either way, the printing looks fantastic, and the finish is nice and glossy, so you'll be well on your way to climbing the company ladder or making someone you hate jealous.

Available on MOO from ~$20

Call them what you will: pousenger bags, man-purses, hipster packs. The messenger bag is one of the hot items to have if you're a commuter these days. Whether your ride to work or school is a few blocks or an hour, the shoulder-slung design of messenger bags is meant to afford both comfort and style. I sling a lot of electronics on my commute, so for me, the protection of my gear comes first. Crumpler bags have the competition beat for armor. They may be almost over-padded- -but then again good gear isn't easy to replace.
 

A comfortable task chair is worth it's weight in gold. For many of us, it's our most frequently used piece of furniture. If you can't free yourself enough to stay comfortable, your next best move is to find a chair that works with your body instead of against it.

Meet the Mirra chair from Herman Miller. My seat of choice for the past 2 years, I regularly log 10 + ache-free hours a day in one. Sitting in my Mirra is like slipping on my favorite pair of jeans, and it's been like that since day one.

Designers at Studio 7.5, used the results from an extensive 3-D Body Anthropometry study in order to build a chair that's passively adjustable. Say what? Basically, they used data from scans of thousands of actual body types to design a chair that fits just about anyone - with minimal adjustment.

The resulting Mirra is packed with features that allow it to instantly adjust to your body, continuously correcting its support. With it's TriFlex back, AireWeave seat, and Harmonic tilt, Mirra does just what Herman Miller worked to achieve: sit on it, and it fits. Want to fine tune? You can adjust the arms, lumbar support, height, forward tilt, and seat shape until you feel like a cosmonaut adrift in space.

The Mirra's form was not sacrificed for its function. It's a beautiful piece of furniture with a contemporary feel that's at home in any office. The finish fabrics are very durable, easily cleaned, and have required no other maintenance. Best of all, the Mirra is fully recyclable, built using the cradle-to-cradle design protocol. When I finally do retire my beloved Mirra,  it can be disassembled and reborn as a jet-pack for future commuters, or my great grandson's new hoverboard.

This is one instance where exceptional value comes at a price. Expect to invest as much in your Mirra as a modest priced laptop. But believe me, there's no better investment you can make to increase your daily comfort and productivity. And chances are, you'll be using your Mirra long after you've retired that laptop.

Buy it at Sit4Less from ~$550

There are some things I can't leave the house without. When I'm facing a long day, knowing I've got a few cups of my favorite hot java with me smooths out the morning.  I've let it go six hours and the four cupfuls of goodness inside were still steaming. At a half-quart, my Stanley Thermos fits easily in my bag aside the other essentials: laptop, sketchbook, pens, pencils, bike lights, and sweater.


In addition to doing an admirable job with my brew, this thermos looks pretty tough. Lacking the sensitive and subtle lines popular in many of 2008's designs, this style of this thermos can be summed up in one word: Moxie. Stanley has been making them since 1913. That's more lunch hours than I can count. And I don't think it matters much to them if my jobsite is a computer lab. A guy's gotta have his coffee.

The Alien DX 27 updates the original Alien (the Grandfather of all commuter ultra-tools). With 27 functions, it includes everything you need to make almost any repair to just about any kind of bicycle. From derailleur and brake adjustments to snapped chains, all are quickly addressed, allowing you to get back on the road to your destination faster than AAA.
There are plenty of imitators out there, but the Alien DX 27 shatters the laws of physics to pack in more tools than the closest competition. My personal favorite feature is the tool's ability to come apart into two pieces that can be used as tire levers. Even the plastic tool carrier joins the action, turning would be extra weight into extra utility. It's genius.

With an extra tube and the Alien and in your bag you can be sure you'll get home in time for dinner. When you get there, break it out one more time and use the included bottle opener to celebrate your preparedness.

The Topeak Alien DX 27 is available online for $36.59.

It feels good to max out a sketchbook. For me, it's the mark of a consistent workload. When I hit the last folio, I'm sure to go back through the pages and see what I came up with in the weeks before. Those forgotten scrawlings remind me of countless possibilities and options missed in the shuffle.  

There's much to love about a Moleskine sketchbook: their compact size and excellent binding are reliable favorites; and the quality of the acid-free paper is consistent whether I'm using the thinner weight in the plain model or the ultra plush pages of the drawing notebook. I tend to favor the stiff cover/heavyweight blank page options, but I've enjoyed the lined and gridded models on occasion as well.

Having just finished out my Moleskine today, I am looking forward to picking up another
as soon as I can.



Moleskine notebooks average out between $12-16 dollars, depending on the model and size.

Things that bring me extreme anxiety:

1. Not having access to the Internet.
2. Not having my laptop with me at all times.
3. The thought of breaking my laptop because I take it everywhere to avoid having anxiety about not being able to get on the Internet.

My mountain bike is my weekend heavy hauler. When you've got three shopping bags and a loaded backpack to lug from the market, the last thing you want is a flat tire slowing you down. These are my go-to tires for errand day.

At 2.3 inches wide, this rubber keeps the ride cushy the whole way home. The tread pattern is perfect for the bike lane, and the jaunt across gravel paths at the park.

Their design reminds me of old-school BMX tires, which really up their cool factor for looks as well as performance; they're smooth on the acceleration and absolutely stable in the turns. And they last a good while. I'm well into my eighth month with the pair I have, and I haven't yet come home with melted ice cream.