I am a major creature of habit. Once I find something I like, I stick with it. Why do I need to try something different on the menu when I know what I like, will completely satisfy me…and I don’t care if I have ordered the same thing from that restaurant for the last 8 years. This applies to my morning breakfast routine as well. For over a decade I never ate breakfast and then I realized that eating breakfast is a major key to actually losing weight…it doesn’t make logical sense but believe me, the nutritionists know what they are talking about. So I started having a vanilla protein shake every morning for the last 3 years. It never tasted that great but it would hold me over until early lunch and all those magazines and websites say that endurance athletes need our protein shakes. Well, recently this habit was thrown for a complete loop when my wife introduced me to Yoplait Frozen Smoothies.
My wife gave me a drink of her smoothie and I told her “that is what a protein shake should taste like.” It was delicious to the tongue. Then I realized that all I needed to do was add the protein powder to the mixture and I will have “what a protein shake should taste like.” Wow, my mornings are now greeted with so much more sunshine. The product is easy enough to make. Just dump the contents in to a blender and add 1 cup of milk…it makes two 8 oz. servings.
Personally, the smoothie ends up being too thick, especially when you add the protein powder. So I add nearly 2 cups of milk along with the protein powder and I also add a dash of cinnamon. This makes plenty of smoothie for both my wife and I.
The nutritional values appear to be fairly healthy. Admittedly, I am not the most knowledgeable about nutrition and feel free to steer me in the right direction but the fat calories are minimal and it gives me daily fruit.
The cost of this product could be considered criminal. I have seen it from $2.70 – $3.50, which means my wife and I are spending almost $25 just on breakfast for the week and that doesn’t include the price of milk. I enjoy this product and will probably continue to purchase it but I am already considering other breakfast options due to the cost. Someone pointed out that it is cheaper to go to McDonald’s or Jamba Juice, but Jamba Juice isn’t open at 6:30 in the morning.
The Bottom Line ~
If you would like to throw a different breakfast into your breakfast rotation or add some deliciousness to your protein shake, definitely give this product a try. It is a little pricey but I will repeat…it is delicious to the tongue.
Do you have an experience or comment about this product?
Please help fellow athletes by leaving a comment.
In this day and age there are many more threats to the endurance athlete than ever before. Drivers who are doing everything but driving. Strange medical conditions that can suddenly flare-up. Equipment breaking and causing someone to go down totally unexpected. Given all these factors, the Road ID is a simple and very effective piece of equipment/clothing that EVERY athlete should own.
Now I will be the first to admit, I never had a Road ID and wasn’t planning on getting one. I actual won a gift certificate at a local race that allowed me to get one. I was really excited to go online and order one for myself, because I had always seen the commercials and advertisements. They have many different styles to choose from – for even the most picky of people. There website is very easy to use and their shipment time is exceptionally fast – I was more than impressed.
Now I blurred out some of the information because I knew you guys would try to prank call my family. There are many great things about this product that I really like:
You can put up to six lines of information (They even suggest putting a little inspirational line at the bottom – hence, “Pedal Damn It!”)
This particular one is very, very comfortable to wear. I never take it off because I often forget it’s there.
It looks really sharp. I’ve had many compliments on how cool it looks and it has been a conversation piece with many people I meet.
It might just save your life. Most cyclists say it’s not a matter of if, but when you get hit. (Unless you’re like Kris – who only rides on a trainer.)
I think another excellent point to remember is that when you are running/biking does your family know the exact route you will take? Do you know all the emergency contact information for the people you ride with? Probably not. You might say, well I have a cell phone. Will it survive the crash? Do you have a password on it so it’s locked? Will they be able to find out who you are without having to call 20 people?
The Bottom Line ~
This product is a no-brainer. Not to mention a much better option than always riding with your driver’s license. It’s simple, yet effective – the mark of a good idea. Plus at the price they charge, it’s more than affordable. This product would make a great stocking stuffer or Christmas gift – and it may just be the gift that keeps on giving. I definitely recommend this product. Just make sure you don’t misplace it – it won’t do you any good unless you wear it.
Do you have an experience or comment about this product?
Please help fellow athletes by leaving a comment.
Of all the equipment endurance athletes will purchase, one standouts – both for expense and for the shear number of hours you will spend on it. It’s a swear word for most cyclists and triathletes. It’s almost winter here in the northern hemisphere and hopefully you are beginning your base training now or in the near future. Your trainer can make the indoor training experience less or more painful, depending on which one you purchase.
This review is specifically geared towards athletes debating between the Cycleops Fluid 2 and the Kinetic By Kurt Road Machine. Both are fluid trainers, which for serious athletes is the only way to go. It’s true that they are a bit more expensive than magnetic trainers. This cost, however is worth it because they are much more durable and much more quiet. (ask Kris’ wife which trainer she likes better when he’s working out at 5:30 am)
The tricky part about trainers is that it’s a very subjective measurement – typical in the form of a more “road-like” feel. In my opinion, no trainers feel “road-like” at all. So let’s do away with that right up front. I will refer to the feel of a trainer as it relates to overall resistance.
Our Methodology:
Who can actually buy two trainers to test them out side by side? Well, we did. Ok, actually I own the Cycleops Fluid 2 and Kris purchased a Kinetic by Kurt Road machine on a great sale from REI. So we road our respective trainers for one week, and then we switched and used the other trainer for the next week.
Video Review:
The Results:
First of all, we both agreed that the trainers are excellent quality, construction and both give you a great workout. We don’t feel like you could really go wrong with either one, but there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to either trainer.
Resistance ~
The biggest and most important difference we both felt, was that the Cycleops Fluid 2 had a much more difficult resistance curve. We both noted that we couldn’t keep as high (harder) of a gear when using the Cycleops Fluid 2. I’m not of the belief that harder is necessarily better. I want a trainer that will produce similar heart rate results in similar gears as when I’m riding on the road. This was not the case with the Cycleops Fluid 2 and was a little bit disappointing.
Stability ~
The next biggest difference came in how securely the trainer holds the bike. The Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine was bomb-proof. We both noted that it solidly held our bikes with virtual no lateral movement – especially when really going all out and pushing a tough gear. The Cycleops Fluid 2, on the other hand, had a significant amount of lateral movement that we both felt and didn’t really enjoy. I think the reason for this lateral movement is the quick release feature that Cyclops has on their fluid trainers. The Kinetic by Kurt has a slower method of hooking your bike up – but it produces a very secure connection with your trainer. The Cycleops Fluid 2 has a quick release that makes getting your bike in and out quick and easy, but creates a less secure connection with your bike. The key question we felt was, how often do you really need to get your bike in and out of the trainer really quick? Perhaps if you use it to warm up right before races this would be a big decider. A quick release is nice, but certainly not as much a selling point as Cycleops makes it out to be. This quick release also pushes the Cycleops frame out, so that on later models (not tested here) they’ve added an adjustable leg to compensate so the frame won’t tip. We didn’t observe any of this in the Kinetic by Kurt and wonder if it will cause any long term weakness in the Cycleops frame. (If so, I guess I’ll be buying a new one in the future)
Setup ~
One place where the Cycleops squarely has Kinetic beat is in bringing the roller to your back wheel. With the Kinetic by Kurt you have a knob that you have to slowly twist until it butts up against your tire. We found that we could never really tell if we had the same amount of pressure on the tire each time we used it. Thus, were we getting a similar resistance experience each and every time? Also, it was simply annoying to have to sit there and twist and then see if you got it close enough and if you have to put more on or back it off a little. With the Cycleops you set it up once and then there is a handy flip on the switch that brings the roller into contact with your tire each and every time. This is a smart feature and one you should only have to set once and then never worry about again.
Spin Down ~
The final area we noticed a difference was in the spin down time of the trainers. We noticed that the Kinetic had a much longer spin down time, so that if you stopped pedaling for a few seconds, your wheel didn’t immediately stop. While this isn’t necessarily a major selling feature, it did represent a real-life feeling when riding on the road and the ability to keep your bike moving forward without immediately stopping.
We feel like both have a similar noise level. Now we didn’t test it with a decibal meter, but with our good 4 ears we didn’t feel as though there was a significant difference.
The Companies:
Kinetic by Kurt guarantees their Road Machine units will never leak. They have a simple, easy to understand lifetime guarantee to the original owner and they stand by their equipment. You can read their policy here.
Cycelops, on the other hand guarantees their trainers for life, but has a lot of exceptions and requirements you must meet. For example it doesn’t cover normal wear and tear and has many annoying stipulations. Much more of a pain. You can read their policy here.
The images of the company are quite different. Kinetic seems to have a younger, more common cyclist look and feel. Cycleops on the other hand has a very high-brow, sleeker image and the big gun professional cyclists behind them.
The Bottom Line ~
Taking everything into consideration I would recommend the Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine. It’s a little bit bigger and bulkier. The bright green design can’t be missed, but in terms of overall performance where it counts, I enjoyed (if that’s possible with a trainer) the Kinetic by Kurt experience more. I also like that you can change the flywheel to a heavier one for more intense workouts and that they offer a simple lifetime guarantee – a nice little insurance policy on this piece of equipment that you just spent the entire month’s grocery bill on.
Do you have an experience or comment about this product?
Please help fellow athletes by leaving a comment.
Most of the equipment for Endurance Athletics happens to be extremely expensive. Why should your chamois lubricant be any different? DZ Nuts retails at $24.00 for a 4 oz. tube, or 120 mL (it sounds like so much more when you put it that way!) Because of their brilliant and very funny marketing, I couldn’t resist trying it any longer. That, and they had a special at LOTOJA packet pick-up for $15 bucks – just a little more wallet friendly.
Basically this is the equivalent of high viscosity gold, but does it deliver? That depends on what you are looking for out it. First and foremost it works very well to help you avoid chaffing and saddle sores – especially on longer rides. Be Forewarned: This cream has a more than mild tingling sensation when you apply it to your undercarriage. At first I found this to be a very unsettling sensation. Not unlike the sensation you get when applying icy hot to your upper thigh and you accidentally get some where you didn’t intend to. It isn’t as intense as icy hot, but is a definete shocker if you’re use to a regular chamois cream.
That being said, as I continued to use the cream, I actually started to enjoy the refreshing, enlivening feeling it provided. Although it claims to be odorless, it has a very mild, minty hint to it. Not overwhelming at all but a rather nice, natural and clean smell. It does heat your junk up ever so mildly, but then this produces a cooling sensation later on in your ride – especially on warmer days.
Basically, this is premium product. You are paying for very brilliant and humorous marketing – just visit their website or read the bottle to see for yourself. It bills itself as an all-natural product (a nice plus), and it makes you feel like you’re adding just a little bit of luxury to a rather base task. If you don’t mind the price tag then it is a great way to go. If you are just looking for an effective chamois cream I believe there are other less-costly options that are just as effective.
It does pose an interesting questions however. Are you going to spend your extra money on better equipment or on an undercarriage lubricant. Keep things in perspective and remember that no one can see what you put on under your shorts.
This is one of those nice to try products, but certainly not a necessity.
Do you have an experience or comment about this product?
Please help fellow athletes by leaving a comment.
My wife gave me a drink of her smoothie and I told her “that is what a protein shake should taste like.” It was delicious to the tongue. Then I realized that all I needed to do was add the protein powder to the mixture and I will have “what a protein shake should taste like.” Wow, my mornings are now greeted with so much more sunshine. The product is easy enough to make. Just dump the contents in to a blender and add 1 cup of milk…it makes two 8 oz. servings.
The nutritional values appear to be fairly healthy. Admittedly, I am not the most knowledgeable about nutrition and feel free to steer me in the right direction but the fat calories are minimal and it gives me daily fruit.
Basically this is the equivalent of high viscosity gold, but does it deliver? That depends on what you are looking for out it. First and foremost it works very well to help you avoid chaffing and saddle sores – especially on longer rides. Be Forewarned: This cream has a more than mild tingling sensation when you apply it to your undercarriage. At first I found this to be a very unsettling sensation. Not unlike the sensation you get when applying icy hot to your upper thigh and you accidentally get some where you didn’t intend to. It isn’t as intense as icy hot, but is a definete shocker if you’re use to a regular chamois cream.
