MTB REVIEWS » Miscellaneous

Camelbak Elixir Review

Brian Mullin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:22:04 +0000

I started using Camelbak Elixir when they accidentally sent me a batch instead of an anticipated test hydration pack. I am sure glad the mix up happened, else I would never have tried the product. I had always prided myself on only using water during rides, and I found most sport and hydration drinks either too sweet, sugary or just plain bad tasting. The Camelbak Elixir was a welcome surprise, and is pleasant tasting, with a mild sweetness, is easy to use, and actually offers athletic benefits due to its electrolyte additives.

Camelbak Elixir
Elixir contains a special blend of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals to help maintain body fluid balance, for optimal athletic performance and normal metabolic functioning. Your body requires water, and during vigorous exercise you lose water through perspiration, along with vital minerals and electrolytes. You can re-hydrate faster and more efficiently drinking an electrolyte rich water. Elixir is sugar free, so you don’t get the usual sugar boost from most sport drinks followed by the inevitable bonk. The lack of sugar also means no sticky residue in your water bottle or reservoir, so cleanup is easy. The self-dissolving effervescent tablets are suited for the mountain bike set, since one tablet per 24 oz of water works nicely for a hydration reservoir, but the tablets can easily be broken apart for water bottle usage. Elixir comes in a plastic tube that contains 12 tablets, costs $10, and comes in three flavors, orange (caffeinated), lemon-lime, and berry (my favorite).

Impressions
The product is very easy to use, just add a tablet to 24 ounces of water, and it fizzes up. I never found the small addition of gas from the effervescence an issue in either a hydration reservoir or water bottle, since a slight burp or drink took care of the issue. For a water bottle, it’s easy to break them in half, and add to the typical 16 ounce bottle. They worked with either room temperature or ice water, the latter was nice in the hot summer weather. Berry and lemon lime left the water clear with a slight haze, while orange left an orange tint.

My Wife got a kick out of my statement, “water was boring tasting”, and that Elixir’s flavor and mild background sweetness (and slight tartness) made me drink more water on a ride. I tend not to drink enough water, and it sort of forced me to drink more often since it tasted good. On rides, I noticed the electrolyte performance kicked in towards the end of my rides, and I cramped less and could push harder on long climbs. It sort of gave me an extra boast of strength.

I liked the berry flavor the best of all, and thought the orange was a bit chemical tasting, while lemon lime was fine (more lime), although it had a slight bitterness to it. They all had some astringency, which made them more palatable without the sticky residue in your mouth. The orange does have caffeine and other ingredients that energy drinks usually contain, and I found it useful during some rides, but I preferred the additional electrolytes in the other flavors. The very mild sweetness, was in the background, and left no sugary feeling in the mouth nor stickiness in the water containers.

Elixir uses three sweeteners, Sorbitol, Acesulfame potassium and Sucralose, the latter two are considered artificial. A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. You can find reams of information on the internet on the health controversy on these substances, but in moderation they can have their place. Better fitness through science!

Sucralose is 600 times as sweet as sucrose, and was discovered in 1976 by scientists from Tate & Lyle, in collaboration with Leslie Hough and Shashikant Phadnis. It is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose, which converts three of the hydroxyl groups to chlorides.
C₁₂H₁₉Cl₃O₈

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol which is 60% as sweet as sucrose, and is slowly absorbed by the body, was first discovered by a French chemist in the berries of the mountain ash in 1872. It is obtained by reduction of glucose, changisweetness, was in the background, and left no sugary feeling in the mouth nor stickiness in the water containers.

Sucralose is 600 times as sweet as sucrose, and was discovered in 1976 by scientists from Tate & Lyle, in collaboration with Leslie Hough and Shashikant Phadnis. It is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose, which converts three of the hydroxyl groups to chlorides.
C₁₂H₁₉Cl₃O₈
Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol which is 60% as sweet as sucrose, and is slowly absorbed by the body, was first discovered by a French chemist in the berries of the mountain ash in 1872. It is obtained by reduction of glucose, changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group.
C₆H₁₄O₆
Acesulfame potassium is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, and was discovered accidentally in 1967 by German chemist Karl Clauss at Hoechst AG. It is manufactured by the transformation of an organic intermediate, acetoacetic acid, and its combination with the naturally occurring mineral, potassium.
C₄H₄KNO₄S

Bottom Line
All in all, I really liked Elixir, it was great tasting, was refreshing, easy to use, left no residue, had no overwhelming sugariness, and extended my athletic performance and recovery. The major benefit, outside of the electrolyte replacement, was that is made me drink the required amount of water on a ride (easy to drink).

Overall Rating: 4 Flamin’ Chili Peppers

MSRP: $10 (for a 12 tablet tube)

CamelBak Elixir – Supplement Facts

Specification	Orange	Berry	Lemon-Lime
Serving size 1 tablet	6 g	6.1 g	6.1 g
Servings per container	12	12	12
Calories per serving	10	10	10
Carbohydrates	2 g	1 .3 g	1.3 g
Sodium	340 mg	420 mg	410 mg
Potassium	125 g	70 g	70 g
Calcium	0	33 mg	33 mg
Magnesium	0	18 mg	18 mg
Manganese	0	1.4 mg	1.4 mg
Chloride	0	68 mg	68 mg
Vitamin C	120 mg	86 mg	86 mg
Riboflavin	.9 mg	0	0
Niacin	5 mg	0	0
Vitamin B6	2.5 mg	0	0
Vitamin B12	3 mcg	0	0
Biotin	150 mcg	0	0
Pantothenic Acid	5 mg	0	0
Taurine	100 mg	0	0
Caffeine	70 mg	0	0
Inositol	30 mg	0	0
Glucoronolactone	25 mg	0	0
Guarana seed	25 mg	0	0

Berry and Lemon Lime Ingredients: Citric acid, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, artificial (berry) and natural (lemon lime) flavors, sodium carbonate, sodium citrate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, sodium benzoate, polyethylene glycol, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, manganese gluconate

Orange Ingredients: Citric acid, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, natural flavors, sodium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, polyethylene glycol, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, taurine, caffeine, acesulfame potassium, inositol, d-glucoronolactone, guarana, biotin, calcium-d-pantothenate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, ridoflavin-5-phosphate, cyanocobalamin

Vincero Design Magnetic Water Bottle System – First Look

Brian Mullin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:54:05 +0000

Occasionally, something a bit different, unique and intriguing comes along in the bike world, and one of that is the Vincero Design magnetic water bottle system. The system is comprised of a water bottle with a slot (female) on one side that has an embedded magnet, and it mates to a magnetized rail mount (male) which is attached via the water bottle bosses to the bike. The slot and the rail align with each other, and the strong magnetic pair keeps the bottle securely attached.

I finally got around to test out the system today, and I was truly amazed how nice it worked. The installation of the system was simple, just attach the rail mount to the water bottle bosses with the wedge pointing down. Fill up the water bottle, and mate the bottle slot and rail mount, and it’s ready to go.
The water bottle pulled off with a slight tug (they are strong magnets), and only required about an inch of movement for it to release. The bottle has a nice valve, and a gentle squeeze started a fast flow without any drips. When I put the bottle back towards the mount, it seemed to get sucked right onto the wedge without me doing many positioning. It was literally 3 quick steps to get a drink of water, pull the bottle off, squeeze a drink and position over the mount. Even when I got it positioned slightly off the mount, with the bottle nose high, it didn’t seem to make much difference. My ride consisted of some stutter bumps, tree roots and other jarring terrain, and the bottle securely stayed on.

edge16
The wedge shaped rail mount is known as the edge16, weighs 16 grams, and is made from a carbon fiber composite and uses a rare earth magnet. The edge16 is small, light and looks trick (love the carbon weave).

edge 16 Specifications:
* Weight: 16g
* Height: 11.76mm
* Length: 78.13mm
* Width: 23.24mm
* Finishes: Carbon Fiber Weave or Gloss Black

S24
The s24 water bottle mates with the edge16 mount, utilizing an embedded rare earth magnet, and is one half of a strong magnetic pair. The S24 weighs 85 grams, has a 63mm wide mouth, uses a trick silicone valve, and is 100% BPA, DEHA, and DEHP free.

S24 Specifications:
* Volume: 710ml (24oz.)
* Weight: 85g
* Height: 218.44mm (without cap)
* Diameter: 73.02mm
* Cap Diameter: Standard 63mm
* Colors: Bottle – Opaque, Cap – Black, Opaque

Final Thoughts

The system is amazingly easy to use, and requires 3 simple steps to get a drink. No longer was I required to yank the bottle out of a cage, twisting and pulling through a large amount of travel, and then jamming the bottle back into the cage when I was done. The rough terrain that I rode did not eject the bottle, so it sat securely on the mount. The S24 bottle itself had an excellent draw, without any leaks, and mated perfectly to the mount, connected through the strong pair of magnets. The edge16 mount was small and unobtrusive, and looked sweet with the carbon weave. The Vincero Design Magnetic Water Bottle System is pretty darn cool!

Vincero Design url: http://www.vincero-design.com/products/detail/Overview

Velo Cache and Rakk Storage Stand Review

Brian Mullin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:59:44 +0000

For the last several months, I have been testing and enjoying the sweet Velo Cache and Rakk Bicycle Storage Stand from Feedback Sports. The storage rack allows you to hang 2 bikes (optional to 4) from its strong and well made aluminum column, through the use of their dual rubberized arms. It’s perfect for the garage, home shop or in the house, but hopefully not your bedroom? It’s free standing, so there is no need mar the walls or ceiling. An excellent product to free up floor space!

A rack is a torture device, slang term for breasts, rock climbing gear, billiards frame, amplifier holder, antlers, etc.

The 2 piece columnar rack is made of anodized aluminum for strength, durability and weight, and comes in black or silver. The basic 2 bike model has a 3 legged base, while the optional 4 bike version uses 4 legs for additional stability. Each bike is cradled with a set of 2 steel arms, that have a rubberized holder at their end to protect the bike frame. The arms can slide up and down the main column, and can be set height independently depending on the frames geometry or needs of the user.

Specs
Height: 84″ (2130 mm )
Base footprint: 2 bike – 23″ x 32.5″ (580 mm x 830 mm ), 4 bike – 36.5″ x 38″ (925mm x 965mm)
Support arm length: 10″ (250 mm )
Column width: 4″ triangle (100mm)
Load capacity: 40 lbs. per cradle set (18 kg)
Weight: 2 bike – 22.5 lbs. (10.2 kg), 4 bike – 27.8 lbs. (12.6kg)

Installation
Putting the rack together took a little longer than expected considering how few parts there were, but once it was bolted up, it was incredibly sturdy and bomber. Basically, you bolt up through a bottom plate, then the legs and into the bottom of the column. It took some effort to get the bolts lined up through the legs and meshed (tough part) into the lower column. The version for 2 bikes uses 3 half length legs, while the 4 bike uses 2 half length and 1 full length leg (pseudo 2 legs). The two main column sections are then bolted together with a simple plate and a set of screws.

The cradle arms are attached on the back of the unit with small screws and a rectangular plate that fit in 2 long grooves located on the rear. Getting the screws aligned and into the plates was a bit tricky, else the plate would drop out of place. I found a center punch helped to hold things in place while clamping things together. Once attached, the arms can be moved up and down as desired. I did not like the use of Phillips head for the screws, which purposely are made to cam out (Phillips were engineered that way), and it seems prone to issues? I would prefer some Hex or Torx heads? The arms will likely not end up being parallel with each other due to the shapes of a frame, so it might take a few trials to get them set properly.

Impressions

The footprint taken up by the 3 legs is a tad smaller than the 4, but the additional stability of the 4 is worth the loss of floor space (its not much). In addition you can add the extra arms for 4 bikes when desired. The 3 legs do allow a closer proximity to a wall for the rack.

The arms are nice and rubberized so nothing harms the frame, but the scooped ends might be a tad tall (2.5″ but squishy), and may not squeeze into some oddly shaped frames? It a simple to task to put the bike on the arms, you just sort of plop it on them, although the pedals can bang into the column on occasion depending on the crank arm alignment. I did use the arms quite a bit when I was working on tires.

The arms sort of cradled the wheels, so I could work on things, and they sat at a nice and useful waist height. Setting up tubeless tires with this method was a breeze, with easy access to open the valve stem to add sealant, while keeping the wheel stable and vertical. You could also toss things on them when needed, as a sort of hanging rack?

I tossed all my bikes on and off the unit, and as long as the ground was stable I never any problems nor issues. There is a small leveling rubber screw on the bottom of one leg, to even things out if required. The unit is a tall, but it is easy enough to move around for different placements or rooms. It can hold 40 lbs bike in each arm set, and even when placing bikes high or low, the legs and column kept everything nice and stable.

Rakk
Feedback Sports also sent along another storage and display stand, named the Rakk. The Rakk is a small and unobtrusive unit, which is sort of a high tech kick stand, that you usually see in bike stores. They can be daisy chained together, for multiple bikes. It easily folds up into a compact unit, and it can hold almost any bike made (not giant snow tires).

Weight: 5.3 lbs. (2.27kg)
Size: 17.5″ tall x 13″ x 13.5″, 3″ tall when collapsed

It is simple to use, just place the rear tire in the bottom slot, give a good hard push (especially for fat tires), and let the wedge cradle the back of the tire and the bike is held with decent stability. The arm is spring loaded, so it will easily pop onto the tire. I have never had a bike fall over in one as yet? I really liked it for temporary storage when I need to place a bike out of the way. I started to use it for basic storage of the bike that I happened to be riding more regularly, whatever was the flavor of the week. It was an extremely handy stand for around the house and garage, and you might even bring it along for base camp on road trips or at races. No longer do you need to lean a bike up against something, just waiting for it to fall over? The Rakk gives you a secure, useful and fairly cheap stand to hold a bike.

Bottomline
I have mostly used the Velo Cache freestanding rack in my indoor home shop and storage area, but anywhere you store bikes (usually a garage) it will be a great addition. It frees up storage space and keeps the bikes out of the harms way. The adjustable rubberized arms protect a bike, and the movement allows varying frame shapes and sizes to be held. I really enjoyed the ability to use the arms as a wheel holder, which was not an engineered in function! The sturdy legs, heavy duty materials, impeccable build, and great engineering all add up to another excellent product from Feedback Sports. The small Rakk stand was a very handy unit, and I was extremely happy with it, it was the one that used quite a bit for my “go to” bike.

Strengths
-Sturdy
-Well built
-Rubberized arms
-Multiple uses for arms
-Handy (Rakk)

Weaknesses
-Phillips head screws
-Rubber arm scoops might be to tall for some frames

Velo Cache=>

Rakk=====>

Buy a 2 bike Velo Cache

Buy a Rakk

Velo Specs
2 Bike stand: black or silver – $169.99
Gear Storage Basket: load capacity 10 lbs. – $24.99
4-bike expansion kit: 4 arms and long leg – black or silver – $39.99
Arm cradle pair – $21.99
Velo Cache url: http://www.feedbacksports.com/products/velo_cache_storage_stand.aspx

Rakk Specs
Black, silver or white – $41.99
Rakk url: http://www.feedbacksports.com/products/rakk_storage_stand.aspx

Turbospoke Review

Brian Mullin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:47:48 +0000

Did you ever use clothes pins to attach playing cards to your fork or chain/seat stays so that they stuck into the spokes? It made a lovely clicking noise as you zoomed down the street. It might be an age thing, since I grew up in the 60′s, but I sure loved doing it when I was a kid? I put them on my lovely banana seat Sting Ray as I recall?

by permission http://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/

The other day I was poking around somewhere in Cyber world, and I came upon a product that was a tricked out version of the same thing. It is known as the Turbospoke!

The Turbo Spoke is basically just a small plastic holder that clamps to your chain stay, and you insert these industrial strength cards (in place of playing cards) into the holder and out into the spokes, and then there is a fake plastic exhaust pipe that amplifies the sound. The cards are known as ‘Motocards’, and they come in 3 shapes to give you a slightly different tone, or maybe noise is the better word? You can also adjust their insertion point into the spokes for more sound adjustability. The cards are named the T100, T250 and T500, and the varying shapes give rise to “different engine sounds”, well at least that what they call it? It certainly doesn’t thump like my Aprilia V Twin or my old Ducati 916? However, they are just playing cards hooked up to a fake plastic exhaust pipe!

The exhaust pipe does sort of look like my Aprilia Tuono, and it even has a big bore coming out the pipe to mimic a motorbike. The kit does come with a slew of stickers (flames, etc.) so you can accentuate your exhaust pipe if you wanted, but I liked it just plain. Now if my daughter got a hold of the stickers, it would be blinged to the max!

So what does it sound like? The video sort of gives you an idea into the unique sound of the unit, and it does have a sort of motorbike sound to it, especially coming out of the exhaust pipe.

Turbospoke Overview from Brian Mullin on Vimeo.

Ok, I doubt it will stay on my bike for very long, but it was kind of fun breezing around the neighborhood with it on my bike, and I am sure more than a few people thought I was slightly deranged. It should morph its way onto my kid’s bikes very shortly, right where it belongs!

Conclusion

It’s cheap, fun and sort of silly, but it was a total hoot. The Turbospoke brought back vivid memories of hooking playing cards onto my bike. I think any kid or a silly adult will get a kick out of this unit!

It certainly makes a unobtainium bike look trick?

MSRP $24.98

http://www.turbospoke.com/

Traveling with a bike

Brian Mullin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:28:37 +0000

I was heading out to Thousand Oaks California for my Nephews Bar Mitzvah, and I really wanted to do some mountain bike riding while I was there. My Father In-Law has a cruiser bike, but getting to hit the nice singletrack in their local neighborhood was more my cup of tea! Although they do have some wicked steep hills in their neighborhood, and the cruiser bikes gearing makes for some good training. Last time I came out that way I drove with the family, and I brought my bike with me. This time I was flying, so I had to think of a way to transport it. I didn’t feel like paying an oversize charge for a normal size bike box/crate, so I decided to try and get a bike suitcase that stayed within the maximum luggage size, which is a 62 inch girth (length+width+height). Ritchey makes a soft sided case for their breakaway bike, but it hard to come by and a bit pricey for what you get. I had seen an S and S Machine bike metal case that has the proper regulation size. After speaking with S and S, I ordered up their 10″ Butterfly Latch hard case, which has a size of 26″x26″x10″.

Taking the bike apart (the breakdown) wasn’t much of a task, and it only took me around 30 minutes. I simplified some things, so I took off the brakes and rotors. Here are all the pieces, parts and tools all laid out ready to pack, along with lots of padding! My Mojo is relatively easy for breakdown, but I think most any 26 inch full suspension bike will follow the same basic steps. The only difference would be how the rear triangle gets broken down so that it fits in the case.

To begin the loading process of packing the case, I deflated the wheels and placed one in each side, putting the rear wheel in the deeper side with the cassette facing down.

I found it was best to compress the fork and hold it down with a strap. It was a bit difficult getting a 150mm fork to fit properly without that trickery, and it was easier since the DT Swiss EXC 150 collapses to 90mm using its Launch Control system.

When I broke down the frame, I took the air out of the rear shock, and disconnected it from the upper link (I later I found it easier to just take it off completely). I then removed one lower link bolt (rearward), plus one set of the upper link bolts (front set). I was then able to fold the bike back upon itself. You might be able to fold it more if you had a quick disconnect (cable splitter) for the rear derailleur cables, otherwise the cable housing binds a bit. Note, per the recently departed Sheldon Brown, Derailer, Not Derailleur!

Note: this is where another bike might deviate from the same steps?

The hard part was making the bike frame sit in the case! Move the frame one way, and it sticks out to far, move it another way and you can’t close the case. Then a wheel or some other part would move. It took me several iterations to get it just right. Somehow, when I re-packed to come back home nothing quite fits the same? I think with good practice it would be a no brainer?

And my head I’d be scratchin’ while
my thoughts were busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.

I put all the small parts in a little box, it makes it much easier to keep track of things. Of course on the way out, they opened the case for inspection, and somehow the little box opened partially so I had little bolts floating around in the case. On the way back home, I used rubber bands around the box, so that it would stay shut. And of course don’t forget the proper tools for putting it together and taking it apart! When I was done, the entire bike, tools and case came in at 47 lbs., so to meet the 50 lbs. weight limit you may need to carry the tools in other baggage depending on your bike weight.

Conclusion

The S and S Machine case was very durable, and easily met my purposes for traveling with my bike. Knowing the way that baggage gets tossed around, it’s nice knowing that your bike will be protected from most abuse. The bomber handles are easy to use, and they spring back flat against the case when not in use. It has a handle on top for hefting and lifting it around, and another one in front that is used to pull the case on its wheels. The rear wheels, which are recessed slightly, make it handy to pull the case around, since when it is full it’s a large, heavy and bulky case (heck it has a full bike in it). The very simple butterfly latches work well, and you don’t have to worry about them accidentally popping open. I highly recommend this case, it makes traveling with a bike a breeze.

MSRP $396

Weight 14 lbs

Butterfly Latch hard cases Specs

———————————————

-The shell is made from textured black high density polyethylene which is extremely tough.

-Industrial style handles and hardware for high strength and durability.

-Two rugged steel butterfly latches that can take a beating without breaking.

-Padlock tabs so a regular or TSA approved padlock can be used.

-Heavy duty recessed ball bearing wheels.

-Wheels are placed farther apart than any other case we offer for extra stability when being pulled.

-Wheel pockets “molded in” instead of “cut in” for extra durability.

-Durable, full length, piano hinge.

-Rugged spring loaded steel flip out handle for pulling the case.

-Rugged spring loaded steel flip up handle for carrying the case.

-Molded in feet so they can’t be broken off and they are farther apart for added stability.

-We stock all the latches and hardware so in the unlikely event that something gets damaged, it’s repairable..

-No liner so it can easily be washed out after that mountain biking adventure.

-Lighter than our original hard case style so you can carry more cargo inside without exceeding the weight restrictions.

-Available in a combination edge / side pull version

-Made in the USA

http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_hard.htm