The endurance sports community is a rather tight-knit group of athletes and select companies in a competitive market that still grows. Alameda Runners likes to interview the companies behind products you’re probably already familiar with, and have grown close to a few companies, but always want to reach out to new companies.
I’d like to give kudos to a few different companies that have helped here and over at TrailsEdge.
– Hydrapak – An East Bay company (we especially love the local people) with a focus on hydration storage products. Some initial thoughts and a basic review will be published sometime soon on a Hydrapak product, while we look to learn more about cleaner hydration.
– Specialized – A bike manufacturer giant well known among athletes, it’s great when companies like Specialized want to help. I appreciate when big companies take the time to answer our questions, because it’s obvious Specialized could focus on bigger interviews with publications that have significantly bigger followings. Here is the Specialized Twitter account – (Specialized Twitter)
– Icebreaker – I like when companies I’m not familiar with can step up and help contribute to the community. I’m not familiar with the company — but know three simple things:
1). Icebreaker uses Jam Media Collective for PR representation, and Jam has proven to be a solid PR firm.
2). Review upcoming, but from first glance after ripping open the package, Icebreaker is good quality stuff.
3). Be prepared to spend. Along with Icebreaker’s superior quality comes a higher price tag that will probably scare away many athletes.
– Honey Stinger. I work with GU and Clif on a frequent basis, but it’s nice to show other companies love whenever I can. I recently got in touch (after too long of a time) with the Colorado-based Honey Stinger company, and will have some questions answered for an upcoming series of stories. (Honey Stinger)
– Greenlight Apparel. We previously interviewed Greenlight and learned more about the company’s social efforts overseas. The East Bay-based company also is helping print a few custom tech shirts that we’ll be wearing out and about this summer.
The warmer weather and longer nights helps get more people active, and Alameda Runners hopes to keep introducing companies you may not have worked with. We’re going to mix in the athletic superpowers with smaller niche companies catering to certain outdoor markets.
Lance Armstrong ruled the roads of France every July, seemingly dropping his biggest cycling rivals with ease. The Texan polarized the pro peloton and European race fans with his sometimes brash, cocky attitude that later gave way to a more relaxed, embracing Armstrong.
As his career winded down, Armstrong began to open up to the media on a more frequent basis; unless they asked about doping allegations, which would often earn nothing more than a glaring look of disgust.
The cancer survivor has heard it all before, but former teammate Tyler Hamilton’s interview with 60 Minutes. The timing of the interview comes as the federal government continues to investigate Armstrong to determine if he committed doping violations.
The Selle Italia bike saddle manufacturer is a well known company aimed at racers, enthusiasts and commuters alike. We posted a quick tidbit from the company yesterday, and will wrap things up today with the full interview from Selle.
Only the expensive and super shiny bikes normally ship with Selle Italia saddles, so an upgrade might be necessary to see the SI logo on your bike. Is the upgrade worth it? Do cyclists need to really focus on the saddle when upgrading?
Sure, a bike saddle is something that we overlook in favor of wheels, tires, and other bike components that receive more attention. Even if many of us seem to overlook the saddles, Selle Italia and other manufacturers want athletes to be aware of progressive effort to make even better saddles.
For example, Selle Italia invests years of research into its increasingly sophisticated products — and is on the forefront of cycling technology — but is often imitated (though never successfully) by competitors.
“A year or more after S.I. introduces a new design or model you will find the most popular S.I. models are copied and offered at lower prices. The copies are similar in shape and style but because they don’t have the development cost nor do they use the same materials, the product is less than satisfactory for the cycling community.”
Don’t think there is a difference from the higher-end saddles and the cheaper, less reliable models? Selle Italia obviously warns riders that they’ll notice a difference between a properly-manufactured saddle and some cheaper knockoff:
“Selle Italia uses a Ryslan and Nylon N6 for the base of the saddle. This allows the saddle base to ‘flex,’ a key component for comfort, whereas the lower priced products use “plastic” that do not flex. The same goes for the foam, cover material and rails. S.I. uses full grain leather or Lorica for high end covers to help the saddle breath and remain cool. Most other companies use a synthetic cover that can build and retain heat making it very uncomfortable for the rider. You can buy less expensive but you can’t buy the quality or ride less expensively.”
Selle Italia also is staying busy in 2011, and hopes to continue making and marketing products for interested athletes. For the rest of 2011, Selle Italia also has something the company hopes bike-riding fans will be happy about.
“Selle Italia is just now shipping a new model of saddle with a single rail – SLR Friction Free MONOLINK. The future of saddles is the Monolink as it reduces friction between the rider’s leg and saddle and allows the rider to increase power to the pedals through a re-design of the base and nose that can’t be achieved with a normal rail. Selle Italia will continue developing the MONOLINK through other models to be introduced in the future.”
If you want to learn more about the unique design of the Selle Italia Monolink, here is a review (published on BikeRadar).
To wrap things up, Selle Italia had this to say about proper saddle sizing:
“Remember, today’s bikes have been designed to provide the rider with the most performance for the energy created by the rider. The problem is the high pressure tire, deep wall rim and super stiff frame all transmit the road vibrations and shocks to the saddle/rider. Finding the right saddle to do this for a particular rider and bike is time consuming and requires patience. The perfect saddle is out there – the cyclist just has to find it.”
Saddles such as the Selle Italia Monolink are reserved for only a sliver of people riding bikes — but the company urges riders to make sure they’re riding on the appropriate saddle.
Alameda Runners recently caught up with Selle Italia, a well known cycling saddle maker, in an effort to figure out if purchasing a quality saddle really matters.
It’s clear that having a good quality bike saddle is necessary for comfort while riding, but many people never bother to upgrade from the stock saddle. When it finally comes time to see what’s out there, it can be extremely difficult to make the right choice when shopping around.
Here is a tip from Selle Italia about choosing the right saddle (maybe even cost effective?) for casual riders:
“A saddle with a long rail and flexible base but with a synthetic cover is acceptable for someone that is going to ride an hour but may find the same saddle not adequate for rides of 2 hours or longer. SELLE ITALIA is offering a lower priced saddle assortment using their high end technology under the SPORTOURER brand. The product assortment is focused on those riders that want a little more “flex/padding” and are quite comfortable for casual cyclist. Retail for the SPORTOURER brand is between $40 and $90 (w/leather cover).”
Also of note, the Selle Italia representative that helped us also shared his own commuting tale:
“I ride the SPORTOURER ZOO GEL FLOW on my commuter bike and find it comfortable for the 3.5 mile jaunt from home to work. Many people find the FLX series (men and lady specific) to be very comfortable because it has a lot of padding but I find it has too much padding for my riding. Note – SPORTOURER saddles are not lightweight using FeC Alloy (high carbon steel) rails, elastomer suspension and lots padding that all add weight to the saddle.”
Alameda Runners will have a full interview with Selle Italia posted soon, with a stronger focus on saddles for road, mountain and triathlon bikes.
It’s time to clean off your bike that has collected dust all winter, and get back into the swing of things now that we have warmer weather.
The City of Alameda has miles of amazing streets, bike lanes and trails, and more of you are getting out there, but there is still a major concern that must be addressed (as always). Bike safety is important but is unfortunately overlooked by many people riding on two wheels.
I see adults and kids alike — parents can’t teach children safe riding if they don’t know the laws — riding around Alameda in a dangerous manner. Careless, speeding drivers on small roads mixed with reckless bike riders can lead to disaster that should be easily avoidable.
A recent post on Alameda Patch discusses the importance of bike safety classes in the SF East Bay. Besides wearing a helmet and bright colors, there is something else that is overlooked that is easy enough to help incorporate into your riding skillset.
“Even more simply said, it’s ‘be predictable and be visible,'” said Bonnie Wehmann, a local Bay Area bike advocacy expert. “If people narrow it down to being predictable and being visible that will be their best defense for avoiding crashes.”
Just like we have before, Alameda Runners plans to continue preaching safety. We love the outdoors. We are fortunate enough to have people love us. It is our responsibility to return to them safely.
This time of year has Memorial Day and National Running Day serving as two significant events able to get Americans (and athletes) out and about in local, state and federal parks. It’s a great experience to be able to visit a properly-funded, well-maintained park available for us, but it’s a joy we may soon miss out on.
State parks are under fire by Gov. Jerry Brown, but a federal issue related to funding was awarded to the State of California like a contract. Since the money and contract are both related to the land deeds, Gov. Brown could be in a breach of contract. It’s an interesting roadblock that I’m sure the suits in Sacramento will look to circumvent in whatever manner they can this summer.
I think it’s a tragedy Gov. Brown wants to shut down state parks, though can’t say I’m really surprised. Local and national politicians are trying their best to waste money while keeping money flowing into their own pockets, so expect more park funding issues later.
Meanwhile, Pres. Obama is folding under continued political pressure to stop millions of acres of land from receiving federal support. It’s an interesting issue when millions of dollars and lots of public land is at risk of being severely mismanaged in the near future.
Bike safety is an important topic that should be covered year-round, but it’s increasingly important now that more of us are dusting off bikes in the garage.
As someone that both drives and rides a bike around Alameda, I see frightening behavior from both sides — and it’s these chaotic, reckless moments that could be avoided. Here is a helpful video that covers the three most likely incidents facing cyclists:
I’ve learned to naturally assume drivers don’t know I’m there, as many drivers clearly aren’t paying attention when behind the wheel. Sadly, I’ve had drivers intentionally open a car door in front of me, or intentionally pinch me off when trying to turn right.
Be aware — and stay safe — out there this summer, because we don’t want you to end up a human hood ornament!
Nutrition is absolutely important for athletes to consider when they’re exercising, adding the proper fuel can help give you the right push towards a new PR.
I recently wrote a story on TrailsEdge that goes into the basics of nutrition for athletes still trying to make sense of things. I’d like to expand on the topic of sports nutrition a bit while also offering some great reading material.
Rather than ramble about different things, hopefully providing a few links to outside sources will generate inspiration that can be used in your own personal workouts.
Nutrition is more than just what you eat and drink while exercising, and it’s easy to overlook. Most athletes carbo load and taper with great care, but ignore other general nutrition guidelines, so I included a few ideas on food choices as well.
Active.com has a list of “8 common mistakes” athletes make and “how to fix them” to ensure you’re properly fueled.
I usually prefer to stick with products aimed specifically at sports nutrition, but the “alternative carb sources” story published at Runner’s World is a good read.
A post on the Umass helps stimulate ideas related to basic post-race foods, “ABCs” of baked potatoes, and some basic food eating tips for people on the road. This marathon site lists the benefits of a ‘good’ diet, and what marathon runners should and shouldn’t eat.
RoadID is using the Tour of California as a strong marketing platform to help make sure athletes always have their emergency contact information with them.
The biggest North American bike race enters its critical time trial stage tomorrow, several RoadID athletes and ambassadors are currently in California. As such, this also marked the perfect time to launch a new RoadID product, as a high amount of US attention is focused on Versus.
The RoadID Wrist ID Slim is a new model — and is the slimmest RoadID available — which can be worn by kids and adults alike.
With its stylish and comfortable silicone band, you will be tempted to make a lifestyle statement and wear it 24/7. Like all our ID products, The Wrist ID Slim can be laser engraved with your emergency contact information and is available in both Original and Interactive versions. There are seven different colors to choose from. You (and your kids) will love wearing The Wrist ID Slim.
Craig Hummer and Bob Roll talk about RoadID:
I know many of us end up running, riding, and exploring a long distance away from home, so having a RoadID is important if something happens. If you’re unable to purchase a RoadID or similar product, we at least recommend making sure you have contact information available in case something does happen.
We whipped up a short story in the past that highlights the importance of wearing RoadID when you’re out exploring the world.
Editors note: I wear my road ID for all of my long runs. I am thinking of getting another one to hang from my bike. There is the security concern but if you wind up injured on the side of the road, it is nice be identifiable.
East Bay’s own GU Energy recently added the Chocolate Raspberry flavor to its Roctane brand of energy gels, a newer product aimed at ‘ultra endurance’ activities.
The new flavor utilizes a blend of Amino Acids to help reduce lactic acid build-up, and some other science mumbo-jumbo to help limit muscle damage.
“We are pleased to introduce this flavor in response to the widely voiced demand for a chocolate Roctane option from athletes across the endurance sports world,” said Brent Mann, GU R&D Director, in a press statement. “The unique, yet subtle tartness of our all natural raspberry flavor, brings balance to the bold profile of the real, dark chocolate.”
Originally introduced in 2008, the Roctane line is aimed at fueling you for your especially demanding adventures. There are five flavors in the Roctane family, and the Pineapple flavor is still one of my favorite energy gels to enjoy while training.
The GU Chocolate Raspberry flavor is now available for $2.50 per packet — and Alameda Runners has a box to sample.
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Lance Armstrong ruled the roads of France every July, seemingly dropping his biggest cycling rivals with ease. The Texan polarized the pro peloton and European race fans with his sometimes brash, cocky attitude that later gave way to a more relaxed, embracing Armstrong.
Only the expensive and super shiny bikes normally ship with Selle Italia saddles, so an upgrade might be necessary to see the SI logo on your bike. Is the upgrade worth it? Do cyclists need to really focus on the saddle when upgrading?
For example, Selle Italia invests years of research into its increasingly sophisticated products — and is on the forefront of cycling technology — but is often imitated (though never successfully) by competitors.
Active.com has a 
East Bay’s own 
