Shimano Alfine and Velocity Halo Dyad

A set of wheels are in for review and in the midst of getting installed on the famous Salsa Casseroll.   Utilizing a Shimano Alfine groupset I have been piecing together in the past 6 months, and the new Velocity Dyad Halo reflective rims.

The wheels and review are also based all around the Shimano Alfine groupset, as I’ve been interested in internally geared hubs (IGH) since trying the Civia Loring with SRAM i-Motion.  Combine the IGH and a Dynamo front hub for a motion powered front light.

Once my new Surly “Open Bar” and Salsa stem arrive for the bike, it will be ready to rock and roll.

nuun is a electrolyte replacement, with a little flare.  These little tablets come in 8 flavors, and are kept in plastic tube to keep them readily available on long rides.   With available flavors like Kona Cola, which tastes exactly like Coca Cola, and Lemon+Lime, tastes like Sprite, or Banananuun.  My personal favorites will always be the fruity styles like Citrus Fruit or Tri-Berry.

The flavor isn’t the only unique feature of Nuun.

What’s in nuun?

Active ingredients                                                 level (mg)

Sodium (carbonates)                                                    360.0
Potassium (bicarbonate)                                              100.0
Calcium (carbonate)                                                      12.5
Magnesium (sulfate)                                                      25.0
Vitamin C                                                                          37.5
Vitamin B2                                                                        500mcg

Photo Credit : nuun.com

A Family Product

In my household my entire family, except the dogs, have used Nuun.

My kid’s put Nuun in their water bottles for hot days on the lacrosse field, they got a big kick out of the soda flavored tablets.   As a parent we know our children need more than water, but Gatorade often creates a backlog of bathroom problems with the amount of sugar and extras.   In the past we have used various supplement electrolyte water enhancers.  This is the first one that is easy to deal with, no big tub and scooper, and can be kept in a pocket or purse.

On the Bike Experiences

My first Nuun trial was on a 95 degree day, with very hot water and their lemon lime flavor.  It was horrible.  I can’t blame the Nuun as drinking hot water was horrible enough, but hot Sprite flavored drink was pretty darn bad.

My second experience I put it in a Camelbak insulated bottle and made sure to shake it up a ton before setting off on the bike. I felt like I was cheating the whole ride as I was drinking a “soda pop” but at the end I had no groggy headache from dehydration, and at night I had no cramping from lack of salt in my buddy.

Overall Feedback

In my family we all liked it.  It was simple to use, the design of the tube was easy to store in bags, purses or hydration backpacks.  Some of us liked certain flavors more than others, so make sure to test out different ones.

No carbohydrates.   This was a big thing for me, as for some reason my stomach doesn’t like me to “drink” my carbs, yet it doesn’t mind me pounding down tons of bread and such on the bike.  No matter, my stomach was happier which made me ride much better on a hard ride.

One tube has 12 tablets inside, and on average these tubes cost about $8.  Nuun currently has a buy 3 for $19.50, plus they allow you to mix and match what flavors you like.

The Con’s

After calling every bike shop within 30 miles, most of them didn’t know what Nuun was, and none of them carried it.    The closest I found was the Camelbak Elixir, which looks and plays the same drumbeat.   Starting a trend isn’t a bad thing, but special ordering your food every order can be a hassle.

Is this Nuun or the distributors problem?  This is a separate topic, but it doesn’t matter how good a product is, it needs to be available and bike shops need to know what it is.

Visit nuun online or on Twitter @MinistryofNuun

seat bag

I spy the SoulRun Tool Roll

There are many of these sort of these rolls or burrito style bags out there, but this one by far has the most style points.  Custom made for you!  Their average bag goes for around $20, and they also make larger ones or specific ones for your tubular tires.

Features:
- Larger pocket for a road or mountain tube.
- Medium pocket for tools and tire levers
- Tiny little pocket for patches.

- Cotton Duck fabric construction. Heavy material same as Carhartt.
- 1″ Tubular Webbing with a Quick Release closure.

Keep your tools from getting lost in the the bottom of your bag or stashed in your jersey pocket.

Dimensions:
-Open: 12″(w) x 10″(h)
-Closed: About the size of a wallet, depending on how much you stuff it.

I’ll have more photos and a full review once the one I am ordering arrives!

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When I suited up, I did something that I tell all customers not to do – I put on a brand new, never tried, pair of bib-shorts.  The shorts were awesome, black and white, matching my team jersey perfectly.  I was very wary of the brand new shorts, so I lubed up well with the DZ Nuts chamois creme.

Results

My arse, nor soft tissue areas, bothered me at all.  It seems that I found a tri-fecta, between the Gore Power Bibs, DZ Nuts, and Fizik Vesta saddle.

I’ve now used the DZ Nuts a few times and can say it is doing its job.  Reminding me a lot of the Assos creme, minus the build up of extra lube.  The Assos seems to thick for women but DZ Nuts really does the job well.

Official Rating

4.75 out of 5 : Would of ranked higher if I could of sourced the DZ Bliss, womens specific type, but everyone was out of this.

Originally I really thought the saddles were a joke, we would try them out on a few bikes and see what happens.  The women and triathletes fell in love.  All the pressure from the frontal soft tissue was separated back into your two sit bones, where the weight belongs!  Women were able to get into the aero position or drops of the handlebars without cutting off circulation.

This saddle is still towards the end of the saddles I automatically go through in my fit process.  I think there is a need for them, but find they can be too wide and long term will be modifying the shell of the saddle so not to hit the groin or tendons of the inside leg.  Soon the saddle will go on a personal bike of mine so I can give you a true review.

Do you know any women using this seat? If so, what are their thoughts and feelings?  Where do they feel pressure, if any?

Initial Feel

The very first feeling of the saddle is the firm, yet padded support.  This is a good feeling as I don’t like a saddle that I sink into. If you sink too much into a saddle your sit bones are no longer holding you up and the soft tissues are left holding you up.  This saddle hasn’t seen more than an hour and a half of consistent ride time so we can only tell how the padded feeling holds up.

The “pressure relief channel” seems to work so far.  It isn’t a cut out so if I rock into the drops I can feel pressure on my soft tissue areas but to this point there has been no numbness or pain when this pressure happens for an extended amount of time.

Look & Design

The saddle is an eye catcher.  Subtle enough, but if someone walks close enough to see the top of your saddle they will stop and ask, “WHAT?!“  This exact story has happened to me with everyone that has seen the saddle.  My only worry about the eye catching colors are they will bleed over time into my white bib shorts.

Closing Thoughts

Sitting initially on this saddle I didn’t think “this is the one,” but that never has happened before with any of my favorite saddles. There are always fine tuning with the bike fit and trying different angles and fore/aft of the saddle.  BUT I didn’t sit on this saddle and feel horrible pain, nor did I feel pain after 25 miles.  The jury is still out on this saddle but I will check back with you as the fit is modified and more miles are logged.

Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack
$79.99
Overall : 4 out of 5 stars.
Pros : Durabilty, storage/pockets, replaceable inner liner.
Cons : Size,  heat/sweat in the summer months.

For the past few months I’ve been using a my Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack for a variety of things.  The gym, going to work with my laptop, and even in the front of the Civia Loring that I was reviewing. You also may want to read the Introduction to the Review on the Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack.

How the Bag Fits

One common issue I had with the Banjo Brothers bag was the size.  It was meant for taller folks, or maybe just bigger folks.  It fit my height at 5’10 fine, but it fit my girlfriend at 5’5 horribly.  The length of the bag would either hit her below the hips, or push up on her helmet pushing her head down.

Use and Abuse

The bag has had some type of use almost daily for the past 2 months.  My favorite use of the bag was in the front basket of the Civia Loring, as it fit perfectly in the basket!   The bag is holding up just fine and would do well for someone needing a daily bag that would hold up under the elements.  The fact the inside water proof liner is a replaceable is a huge plus as well.  I’ve had bags with a waterproof sleeve sewn inside, if you busted through the sleeve you would have to get a tailor to fix it and waterproof it.

Storage, Pockets and More

Front and Pockets

The more I used this bag, the more pockets I found.  In fact a buddy told me that the side pocket held a water bottle perfectly only 2 weeks back.   There’s places to hold your keys, phone, pens and wallet.  Inside the main compartment is just one large pit, which I prefer.  I can shove shoes and clothes in there, or fit a good amount of paperwork and my laptop.

Final Thoughts

The bag for myself I like.  The color, the material and the many uses suits my fancy.  I like multi-use products and being able to spread the love of a bag through many different paces.  The bag is hot in the summer, and keeps you warm in the winter.  Any large messenger bag does this these days though.

$79.99 is a great deal on this bag that should last for many, many years.   If you are gifting this bag, make sure it is going to fit the person.  If they live in the South and plan on commuting many miles in the hot summer, maybe pick a different bag with a better “off back” suspension system.

This product was given to me at no charge for reviewing.  I was not paid or bribed to give this review and it will have my honest opinion or thoughts through out.

Grease Monkey Wipes utilize an all natural, sustainable citrus formula that harnesses the power of Mother Nature to handle heavy duty cleaning. Our wipes clean without the use of harsh chemicals or environmentally, unfriendly solvents.

My first use of the Grease Monkey Wipes was during a degreasing of my chain and cassette using a product, El Duke Degreaser, that is under review at Commute By Bike.  As you can see from the video below you can see the total time to clean up my moderately greasy hands took 1 minute and 18 seconds.   A few things you can’t tell from photos or a video is the smell and feel of the wipes.

Smell : Using a citrus base the wipes of course smelled..citrus.  It wasn’t an overwhelming smell but pleasant.
Touch : The wipes feel much like baby wipes, the kind that are fuzzy but with a plastic base.  They feel strong and I’ll test out their strength as I clean my chain off with them under my next test.

Final Thoughts :

These wipes will be very handy for your saddle bag to use after you change a flat or put your chain back on. They are individually wrapped so as sustainable as they claim the waste is high if you use them often.  I wish they would make something in a bulk form, much like a baby wipe, that you could keep in your shop or throw in a small zip lock, reusable, bag.  As I mentioned I’ll be putting the wipes under various test including chain cleaning, crayon lines off the wall and anything else you guys could come up with.

Tim at Grease Monkey Wipes added a discount code for my readers (I do not get anything from this)
Get up a 15% discount for them at our store: Just use code ‘shopgirl’ at checkout.

This product was given to me at no charge for reviewing.  I was not paid or bribed to give this review and it will have my honest opinion or thoughts through out.