Holiday Gift Guide

With the holidays right around the corner, as a spouse/family member/friend of a triathlete you may wonder what to get for them. To simplify the effort, think of it this way, your triathlete can never have to much gear.

The place to begin is to visit your local bike shop and seek out the resident triathlete/gear expert/bike nut and see what they would look for in a gift. Most shop employees have everything and when they are looking for new gear, it is the crazy cool stuff that triathletes want.

Here are just a few ideas:

Under $10

To keep things on the cheap, nutrition is always needed. Justin’s Nut Butter comes in 1.15 oz. squeeze packs that can be used out in the field during your workouts. With 9 different flavors, there is always a great choice out there. These come in packs of 10 for $5.99 and are available online or at your local bike shop

Honorable Mention: Nuun Hydration Tablets, Yankz Lace Systems

Under $50

If I had to pick one piece of my gear to have on a desert island, it would be my 2 bottle Helium Belt from Fuel Belt, Inc. Fuel Belt is the authority in hydration belts and the latest generation is by far the best yet. Not only does it fit great and hold 20 oz. of fluid, the small pocket is perfect for nutrition and an iPod. These belts come in at $41.95 and right now you can purchase them through www.fuelbelt.com for 10% off.

Honorable Mention: Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon Water Bottle Cage

Under $100

Bike stuff is expensive, that is just the way it is. That doesn’t mean you can’t “pimp” out your ride with some killer accessories. Nothing says Bling on a bike like Nokon Cable Housing. This German product comes with an internal sheathing and aluminum “Pearls” that link together to form the outer casing. Nokon housing is ideal for the the tight bends on tri-bikes and looks absolutely amazing.

Honorable Mention: X-Lab Torpedo Mount and Cage

Under $1,000

Powermeters are available for under $1000, thats right, it is. The iBike Aero comes in at $899 and accurately measures how much wattage is produced through a complex series of mathematical calculations utilizing a mini wind tunnel on the front of the unit. By mounting this small, cell phone sized unit on your stem the rider gets all the power data of its significantly higher priced competitors

Honorable Mention: Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheelset

Under $5,000

Buy a Bike: Cervelo P3; Specialized Transition Pro or whatever fits your fancy!

Honorable Mention: Shimano DI2 Groupset

Under $20,000

Go ahead, build your dream bike. Start with a Storck Aero frameset (comes with aerobars). Shimano DI2 gruppo and a set of Zipp Zedtech wheels. The $4,000 SRM Dura Ace powermeter will fit your data needs nicely. This is the best of the best and even if you aren’t fast, you will look good!

Honorable Mention: Buy a car

The Company Car - 2009 Cervelo P4

Tips for Winter Riding

With the winter rolling in (although it is 70 degrees right now), here are few things to know about continuing to ride outside:

1) Prepare your bike for winter riding. For example, run wider tires or studded tires with lower tire pressure. If you are thinking about a second, winter bike, get a cyclocross bike. They can run really wide, very nobby tires and can be ridden off-road, which is a whole lot warmer than road rides.

2) Apparel is key. Think a) Base Layer - This is designed to wick the moisture away from your body. A wet base layer will make you even colder than no base layer. Also, companies such as Craft make these in different levels based on how cold and how long you will be out. b) Thermal Layer - This is what keeps you warm on top of the base layer. This is based solely on how cold it is. c) Element layer will keep the wind and weather outside your body. This is so incredibly important because wind chill makes a huge difference.

3) Winter riding shoes are a killer idea since they are typically a bit bigger to allow thick socks, are weather resistant and can take a beating. Much more pleasant to destroy winter clothing than you shiny riding shoes that you race in.

4) If possible, try to change your work schedule so you can ride mid-day. Light becomes an issue as the days are getting shorter.

5) Here is a good rule of thumb..."there is no such thing as a cold riding day, just poorly chosen apparel.

Happy Winter Riding!!!