Bike gear, training, and news

According to State Representative Ed Orcutt of the state of Washington, bicyclists should be liable to pay tax to improve and maintain roadways not only because they use said roadways, but because their excessive breathing from the act of riding leads to increased CO2 emissions. To Ed Orcutt, this increased output of CO2 is akin to pollution – that is to say, bicycle riders are contributing to the greenhouse effect and, to stretch that statement, to global warming. You’d think this is a media hoax, but nope, this man made the statement before you in an email to bike shop owner Dale Carson.

Read the full story about bicyclists causing pollution by breathing CO2. The upshot to this argument about breathing, CO2, and pollution relates to levying a tax for bicyclists for improving and maintaining roads.

Naturally, if you agree with our genius Ed Orcutt and his view on the science of global warming, then you will be all for levying a tax on runners. At least where I run, I’m on the road 95% of the time. And we know that runner expend more calories per hour than bikers, by which we can therefore conclude, there must be more waste product in the form of exhaled CO2 produced. From which we derive the natural result that runners cause more environmental damage than bikers, since they breathe out all that awful CO2 while they are exercising.

There is the basal metabolic rate of oxygen consumption and CO2 exhalation to consider. I’m not sure if Mr. Orcutt has factored that into his thinking.

What about electric bikes? Of course, they use the same roads Ed Orcutt is lobbying to be made taxable to bikers. Let’s assume a cyclist on an electric bicycle pedals just enough to increase his heart rate by 30% over the basal rate, whereas on average cyclists say double their heart rate, which would be a 100% increase. Then I suppose electric bike riders should pay 30% of whatever tax rate the brilliant Mr. Orcutt proposes.

Wait, what about people out walking their dogs at night on public roads? Those dog walkers and those canines are certainly breathing, and by gosh, they are on the same roads as the bikers and runners, so any and all dog owners must pay some additional roadway maintenance tax, too.

And so on. Well, let’s see what comes of this story!

I was told about Hermes Bikes recently, a new-ish bicycle manufacturer that focuses on mountain bike designs. Like they say on their website, you can “ride with the gods” on a Hermes bike – the namesake being that of the Greek god Hermes, “the fast, efficient, mischievous and magical messenger” god of all Greek gods. My friend likes to jump off 10 foot walls, so he and his crew are always keeping up with the latest and greatest names on the bike scene. Hermes Bikes is notable for their use of nanotechnology in laying up carbon weaves for their ultra high performance framesets.

Hermes mountain bike are built out with KCNC accessories – that is, they get top shelf components. The Hermes bike designers make use of not only carbon but also aluminum, titanium and scandium, created blended frame designs putting stiffness and compliance right where it’s needed. Check out the Hermes photo gallery to see some of their bikes built up.

You can also follow Hermes Bikes on their Facebook page. They make a point to address social issues as well as environmental issues when it comes to designing and building their bikes. Being a newer bike company, you won’t find their bikes in your local bike store quite yet – but be on the lookout, they’re coming. And for now, you can always ask for their product catalog and order directly. My high riding friends, ever keen to try out the best bikes, are eying a Hermes bike right now, and I’ll report on it when they get it – and I get a chance to ride it.

I’ve recently felt a lag in energy and got some blood work done. Turns out, I’m healthy as a horse, yet there were some problems. My vitamin B6 and B12 levels are low, as well as vitamin D – substantially. That’s surprising, seeing as I live and train in sunny south Florida. I started looking into supplements with an eye toward athletics, triathlete formulations in particular. And that’s when I found Triple Pulse, a brand new company that turns out to have a beta offer for new site visitors.

Triple Pulse is a tech startup of sorts, having worked with pro athletes from triathlon, running, rowing, soccer and more to formulate sport-specific nutrition for optimal, well, everything. Optimal pre-, during, and post- workout nutrition and performance. They sell their supplements in monthly packs called stacks, which are packaged to make it easy to keep track of what to take and when.

From what I’ve seen about the products at Triple Pulse, I’ll be able to get the vitamin D I need – along with calcium to help absorption, which their products are formulated to help. And I’ll get those B vitamins I need, which should bounce my energy back. I sure hope. Right now, as part of their launch, they are offering a beta coupon – it’s code beta10b and you can save 10% on your first order of Triple Pulse stacks using it.

It’s new for 2013, and we’ll see how Triple Pulse works its way in the biking and triathlon world this year. The website looks great, and the product offerings look to be spot on, so I’m game to try.

I was looking for a specific bike stem today when I found a company I’d not heard of before, Pilo CNC. They do precision machining of bike parts and are based in Israel. I was taken right away by the pictures, so then I delved into the site to learn more about the brand. Their line of stems looks great, like the Pilo MTV V-Stem which comes in two colors.

Check out this aluminum bash guard which comes in many colors. It’s interesting to look closely at the detail and note the unique designs. The staff at Pilo do tech support to help out at races, such as Roc d’Azur in France. There are a few articles on the site describing their 6061 T651 aluminum products, as well as proper installation techniques.

You know all the big brands out there – it’s refreshing to see a successful smaller company specializing in custom fabricated parts, which is exactly what Pilo is doing.

Angela Durazo has had quite the life journey to becoming a sponsored age group triathlete. She was a professional model, to start, and competed in triathlons and other events as a side interest. At one point, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which can wreak havoc on muscles, bones and joints. She is overcoming these struggles and has launched herself as a competitive age group triathlete, and the good news is, Sinclair Import, the exclusive distributor of Argon 18 triathlon bikes, is her newest sponsor.

Let’s rewind for a moment, though – the rheumatoid arthritis is hard enough, but Angela is also a MRSA survivor. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is a staph infection that won’t react to usual antibiotic treatment. So yeah, this is one tough woman! And of course, attractive to boot – she may just give Alexandra Paul a run for her money at IMH one of these years if she works up to that distance. For now, Angela has a full 2013 race schedule planned, and while she hasn’t hit a podium yet, she is a rising force in her 2-year triathlon career. And remember – she’s racing with RA, and that is no easy feat. She’ll be flying along on her Argon 18 tri bike this season, thanks to her new sponsor.

We’re 24 hours away from what may be the news story of the year, Lance’s interview with Oprah on her OWN channel. By the way, Oprah said in an interview tonight that since interest in the interview is worldwide, it will air on her oprah.com website at some point for all to see. So if you don’t get OWN on your TV, worry not. In advance of the interview, I was looking around for, well, random things on the web related to Lance, when I found this satirical robot product, the Armstrong-o-Tron.

Now you know Lance is facing scrutiny from so many angles – hard-core cyclists, cancer patients and survivors, and oh yeah, the press – so it’s fun to see a little tongue-in-cheek humor poked at the situation. Read about the Apology Module, a robotic improvement, and the Defendant Module upgrade, which the site says is in standby mode.

Tomorrow night, we’ll see part 1 of 2 of what Lance has to share with Oprah and the world. We’ll see how many of the Armstrong-o-Tron facial cues actually occur while he reveals to Oprah and the world what the story is from his biking past.

I’ve raced 3 seasons now in the Brooks Racer ST 5. What makes it unique compared to other running flats is that it is a stability shoe. That is, like cushioning or motion control running shoes, the Racer ST series is built specifically for those that usually run in stability shoes. That means there is a beefier midfoot support structure by way of a wedge of denser material, which helps prevent over-pronation. Most running flats are, well, unclassified with regards to cushioning, motion control, or stability: they are flat and purposely lacking as much material as possible! For those triathletes and runners who are looking for a lightweight, true running flat that just happens to have stability, read on about the Brooks Racer ST 5.

My first pair was in yellow. I liked that because I live in Florida, the sunshine state. Next year’s model was bright orange. It was the perfect shoe for University of Florida fans!

That’s the pair I raced in all of last year. For 2013, it’s nice to see a more traditional color scheme, which is the first picture above. Priced at just $89.95 at TriVillage.com, the Brooks Racer ST 5 is a downright affordable option to the other high end racing flats out there. And yes, I put it in that group – this is a high end shoe, no doubt. Any shoe that can stay under 9 oz. and set up as a racing flat, yet offer stability which so many of us runners need, makes it a top of the line shoe.

It’s not a true triathlon shoe, by the way. I run in them without socks, including a half Ironman one year. My feet got pretty beat up, but I made the run in what was for me a record time. Still, they are not a true sock-less shoe. You can easily break in the Racer ST and run in them for sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, but make sure you get in some runs before race day so that your feet can acclimate.

So if you run in stability shoes and are looking for racing flats for 2013, definitely check out the Brooks Racer ST 5.

As I start thinking about the 2013 triathlon racing season, I started looking at various training plans. Generally, I do my own thing, but it’s good to consider what set plans are out there that include one-on-one coaching. I added the keyword “pro” in one search and found a triathlon coaching website designed for triathletes to train like a pro for all sorts of distances.

Graham Kerswell is the coach, and he motivates his charges in all sorts of tri distances: Ironman, half Ironman, Olympic and sprint. He also does pure run coaching. Graham started as an every man, a self-proclaimed couch potato, but shed 50 lbs. and completes up to 25 athletic events per year. With this experience, he figured out what motivates him, and how he could share his passion with top athletes. His site is Iron Trainer – if you’re looking for a coach or training plan for your 2013 triathlon season, Graham may be the guy for you.

Think you’re a hard-core cyclist? See how you stack up against “The Rules” on the Velominati website. Like rule #31: “Spare tubes, multi-tools and repair kits should be stored in jersey pockets.” Part laugh, part tongue-in-cheek, and part “wait, that’s true!”, the Velominati Rules are a must read.

If you’re serious about being seen at night while riding, this is the light you want. It’s been written up in many bike website reviews as one of the brightest lights out there. And owning one myself, I can say, it’s true! Choose from one of five operation modes, and clip it on your clothing or used the included bike seat post mount. No batteries to buy, it’s USB rechargeable. Best of all, we’re selling them one day only for $29.50!

With this light, you won’t need batteries. It includes the USB cable as well as a wall adapter, so you can charge it up in a normal outlet or at your computer. There are 2 tiny buttons, and while one review said they were hard to work, I found it fine to run and, if anything, helpful to have small buttons to prevent accidentally switching modes. I used to do that if I just bumped a top side button on my old light.

Is this light bright? Don’t look directly at it, it’s blinding! One reviewer mentioned that maximum brightness is achieved when it’s pointed parallel behind you, which makes sense. I think most lights are at their brightest when aligned pointing straight back. I’ve run with it in my hand at night many times, and I get way more leeway than when I run with a white light. This light is seriously bright!

We’re having a flash sale, today only, get this Cygolite Hotshot 2W for only $29.50!