Whatcha Listening To?

OK, I admit - I wasn't convinced that Yurbuds would be that great.  I held out for a while, but when it was time for a new set of headphones for my iPhone (for some reason, I tend to chew up the ones from Apple), I decided to give them a try.

Wow.

Wish I had tried sooner.  I used several other brands before Yurbuds, and either they slipped/slid out of my ears, the acoustics were bad, or they stopped working after 2-3 runs.  All rather annoying.  Yurbuds has figured it all out.  Great sound, great quality, and THEY DON'T SLIP!  I bought the one with the 3-way control, have logged some heavy miles through heat and cold, and have had zero problems.  They have moved into the 'essential training gear' category and are one of the first things I pack for a trip (right after my RoadID, of course).

When the time comes for a new set of headphones, or you even just want to upgrade and get rid of the problems, look into Yurbuds.  Well worth the loot.

Garmin Night

I was able to attend a Garmin Night at Landry's last week. Dave from Garmin was there, giving insights into products as well as updates. My big interest was in the Vector, the Edge 800, the Forerunner 910 and Garmin Connect.

Vector - I love the idea of a pedal-based power meter - a lot easier to swap between road and trainer bikes. I'm curious about how power will equate between hub systems and pedal systems - will my 150 watts measure out the same (that is, will I get an immediate bump in my power output as it is measured directly - didn't get a chance to ask this)? Also, downside is I'm a big Speedplay fan, and it's Look compatible. Still looking at a January ship date. Guess they didn't want any benefit from launching over the holidays...

Edge 800 - I use this and love it. Found some new functionality I didn't even know I had. Also had a chance to look at someone's 705. Glad I didn't purchase that...

Forerunner 910xt - as my 405cx is giving me issues, and only has 8 hours of battery time (good for Challenge Roth, bad for Kona), I am interested. Plus, I like the better swim tracking, as my current tracks are rather comical. The ship date keeps slipping due to one component supplier stuffing up. The most I could pin Dave down was 'Spring' - which makes it a great birthday gift for me.

I admit, when it comes to Garmin Connect (their free, web-based product), I have not taken the time to really explore. Dave spent a few minutes on some of the new functionality, and it's nice. Maybe not as multi-functional as Strava, and (as best I could tell) it doesn't give you what category your local hill is, but it works and is easy to use. I now can also check out local routes to get me out of my 'all right turns' ride.

Best part? My buddy Vinnie was there.




For in-depth reviews of all Garmin products, check out www.dcrainmaker.com

It's All Aero

I went to Landry's Bicycles in Boston a few days ago where I had the opportunity to listen to Mark Cote from Specialized - he's the aero guru for Specialized and has been quoted all over the place following Crowie's win in Kona.  It was a fun talk; he may not be a marketing guy, but he's so excited about his products, he draws you in and you want to cash-in the trust fund to pick up a Shiv (Or the McLaren Venge - a cool $18k, if you have it burning a hole in your tux pocket).  I also had the chance to chat with him afterwards; he's very personable and his enthusiasm for all things aero, triathlon and biking come through.  Some things I learned:

--  The integrated water bottle on the Shiv is pretty darn cool.

--  If you're not using a water bottle cage, remove it - it's more aero without the empty cage.

--  The biggest thing you can do to improve your performance is a good bike fitting.

--  Aero position is only as good as long as you can hold it (see above).

If you have the chance to see him at your LBS, make it a priority!