Prestacycle Prestaratchet Review

This seems to be my week to write about tools, and this minuscule ratchet is one mighty dragon slayer. It accepts the ubiquitous 1/4 inch bits, and makes inserting and extracting fasteners on a bike a quick and effortless process. It has become an indispensable tool in my armada, and I feel lost without it when I am on a ride.

The Prestaratchet is a reversible 1/4-inch drive mini ratchet wrench, and is made from steel with a plastic covered handle, weighs in at 28 grams, is approximately 11omm or 4 1/4" long and retails for $12.95. The ratchet doesn't come with any bits (bitless?), but they sell a chromed steel or professional hardened S2 steel bit set, which retail for $12.95 and $19.95, respectively. It is also available in kit versions, either as the Prestaratchet and normal bits for $19.95, and Prestaratchet and the PRO Bits for $29.95.

Measured Specs:

• Weight - 30.6 grams
• Length - 107mm
  

CDI Preset Torque Limiting T-Handle Review

During some winter downtime between snowstorms, I started to do some bike builds and upgrades, and I was doing lot's of part swapping, re-installs and tweaks. A great deal of this work involved using my home shop tools, and I was really enjoying using the CDI Preset Torque Limiting T-Handle. This clever little tool uses a built in cam-over torque limiting clutch, to prevent you from applying too much torque to fasteners, which reduces damage to components and frames, and allows tightening to exact manufacturer specifications. The T-Handle's are factory calibrated, and come in three color coded torque ranges, 4Nm (yellow), 5Nm (orange), and 6Nm (white), and retail for $30 each. They are made by CDI Torque Products, which is a sub-company of the Snap-on tool conglomerate.

When tightening a fastener to a component using the CDI T-Handle, it will click when it reaches the specific torque (4, 5 or 6Nm), and any further application of force does nothing other than cause more clicking noises, as the torque limiter prevents any additional torque application. When using a normal torque wrench the user needs to be careful with the acceleration and force being applied to the lever arm, as well not continuing once the specified torque is reached, all of which can cause over tightening issues. The CDI Preset Torque Limiting T-Handle takes the guess work out of applying too much or too little torque, and in low-torque applications, such as the assembly and adjustment of stems, handlebars, brakes, seatposts, etc., it allows precise and accurate tightening.

Honey Stinger Introduces Chocolate Stinger Waffle

February 21, 2012 - (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) – Honey Stinger, the leading manufacturer of honey-based nutritional products, announces the latest addition to their critically acclaimed and award-winning Stinger Waffle lineup - chocolate. The original Stinger Waffle was suggested by Honey Stinger co-owner Lance Armstrong and quickly became a favorite among runners, cyclists, triathletes and moms. The original waffle, along with the vanilla, strawberry and now chocolate versions all provide 160 calories of great-tasting, organic energy.

Spenco Debuts Spring 2012 Footwear Line

SPENCO DEBUTS SPRING 2012 FOOTWEAR LINE
Line includes first-ever full shoe option from leading insole manufacturer

WACO, Texas (Feb. 24, 2012) – Spenco Medical Corporation launched its spring 2012 footwear line. For the first time ever, Spenco unveiled a full shoe, the Total Support™ Siesta. The Siesta features the Total Support™ footbed contour – a biomechanically accurate shape that promotes foot alignment, offers motion control and Full-Contact Comfort™. The shoe is designed using a custom last that provides a relaxed, comfortable fit in the toe and midfoot with a snug fit around the ankle.

SRAM 10-Speed Grip Shift

At Interbike this past year, SRAM had World Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy Specialized S-Works Epic 29er bike on display, and it was sporting their 10 speed BlackBox Grip Shift shifter that he has been racing on. SRAM just announced they would be releasing a consumer version of the 10-Speed XX and X0 Grip Shift in April 2012. I used Grip Shift for a long time on my weight weenie bike, and it's still installed and running strong. I always appreciated the front shifting capabilities of it, since you could do a partial shift. I am looking forward to trying out a set when they are available.

New 10-Speed Grip Shift - UNRIVALED PERFORMANCE
The original SRAM Grip Shift burst onto the scene in 1990, when Greg Herbold used it to win the first-ever Downhill World Championship. As XC and DH racing grew in global popularity, elite racers grew to embrace Grip Shift. XC legends John Tomac, Ned Overend and Thomas Frischknecht swore by it. Downhill stars like Anne-Caroline Chausson joined Herbold in adding it to their arsenal.

GoPro HD HERO2 Review

The new GoPro HD HERO2 has quite a few excellent features on top of its already outstanding functionality, the most prominent being the 11 megapixel sensor, which is accompanied by a sharper glass lens, both of which result in photos and videos with increased clarity and sharpness, and more vibrant and realistic colors. The UI or menu system, has been revamped, and now has a simpler and more intuitive language-based interface, greatly easing usage. The camera is encased in their waterproof and durable housing, and has a plethora of mounting accessories, so that it can be attached to just about anything. It records in a vast array of high-definition video resolutions, frame rates, and viewing angles, making for an incredibly versatile camera.

HD HERO2
GoPro’s HD HERO2 is a POV (point of view) high-definition sports camera, and uses an 11MP HD CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) sensor, which is 1/2.3" in size. It uses a fixed-focus lens, which is made with professional-grade glass, and has a f/2.8 aperture. It can record video footage in 1080p, 960p, 720p and SD formats, and photos in several modes. It records data onto SDHC cards (not included) up to 32GB in size, and is powered with an internal rechargeable Li-Ion battery that gives around 2.5 hours of recording time. It has ports for a mini USB for computer connection and recharging, a mini HDMI and composite video for live streaming to a TV or other source, and an external microphone for higher-quality audio recording. The small and light camera is mostly made of plastic, and is encased within a tough and robust polycarbonate waterproof housing, which protects the fragile camera from impacts, shocks, and the environment. The housing attaches to an assortment of mounts, including a seatpost, curved and flat surface, wrist, tripod, vented helmet, and handlebar, and others, and usually snaps into the mounts using their proprietary quick-release buckle. It's compatible with all of their expansion accessories and BacPac's, and comes in three versions or kits, the Outdoor Edition (as tested), the Motorsports Edition and the Surf Edition, which all retail for $299.99.

OK Go Needing/Getting Video

The new music video from OK Go, made in partnership with Chevrolet. OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording. There are no ringers or stand-ins; Damian took stunt driving lessons. Each piano had the lowest octaves tuned to the same note so that they'd play the right note no matter where they were struck. For more information and to download the studio version of the song for free, visit http://www.LetsDoThis.com/stunts and http://www.okgo.net. Many thanks to Chevy for believing in and supporting such an insane and ambitious project, and to Gretsch for providing the guitars and amps.

Director: Brian L. Perkins & Damian Kulash, Jr.
Director of Photography: Yon Thomas
Editor: Doug Walker
Producer: Luke Ricci

How people were convinced to drink despite not being thirsty

Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports by Tim Noakes

This book looks like a very interesting read? I can't wait to pour over the entire thing, and get some of the more technical facts on the subject, and his conclusions and insights on things. I was never a big water drinker while bike riding, and usually I just like the flavor of the sports drinks to make drinking more appealing. My favorite powder mix is Cytomax Performance Drink, which tastes great and seems to me to have performance benefits?



How people were convinced to drink despite not being thirsty
Groundbreaking new book debunks myths spread by sports drink industry

Champaign, IL--According to Beverage Industry Magazine, sales of sports drinks in the United States now exceed a staggering $3 billion annually. Internationally recognized human performance expert Tim Noakes credits much of the rise in the popularity of these drinks to the industry's modern marketing tactics and the strength of a unique positive product image. Unfortunately, these tactics have also led athletes and fitness enthusiasts to falsely believe they are unable to naturally monitor their hydration levels and drink accordingly.

In the forthcoming Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports (Human Kinetics, 2012), Noakes debunks beliefs about hydration that have taken hold over the past 30 years. He shows how the past three decades have been not only a time of runaway success for the sports drink industry but also a time in which an epidemic of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), a potentially fatal condition caused by overdrinking during extended exercise, has struck endurance athletes worldwide. "If drinking during exercise was so important," Noakes says, "then why should a product that contains no unique molecules ever be taken seriously, especially if its core ingredients of glucose, salt, water, and a dash of lemon are present in even the most rudimentary kitchen?"

Club Ride Go Long and Days 2 Short Review

The Go Long is an excellent long sleeved jersey, with a generous cut, which is full featured, comfortable and offers exceptional sun protection, while the Days 2 Short are a nice set of shorts, which are simple, durable and have an effective waist adjustment system. All of their products use technical performance materials, that have great wicking and odor properties, and use stretchy material for the utmost in comfort, and movability. It’s interesting bike apparel, that encompass men’s and women’s jerseys and shorts, that are functional, and have enough fashion to allow you to wear it in a normal environment, with a sort of bowling shirt meets western flair, combined together in a nifty package.

VelEau LapelEau Review

The LapelEau is a magnetic tether reel system, which holds the tube of a hydration pack in place, but it allows to be freely pulled or retracted as desired, and retails for $12.00. The US made reels come from the originators of the classic badge reel, which have been used for many years to secure employee badges. I can't count how many times I have played around with my company badge, zinging it up and down like a yo-yo. The reel uses a military spec 3-strand nylon parachute thread, that has been cycled over 180,000 times, so it should have great durability.