The Cyclo-Club is a brand new membership-based website for cyclists created by cyclist and personal trainer, Graeme Street. You may recognize his name because he also developed the Cyclo-Core and Cyclo-Zen training programs that I’ve reviewed before (and still use almost every day.)

What Cyclo-Club boils down to is a cycling website and club rolled into one. First of all, it is a website, and it’s full of information from training plans and advice to a nutrition center. Secondly, and just as important, is that it’s very similar to an actual cycling club. You have to pay your dues, but once you’re a member, you get all the benefits - members-only discounts, personal discussions with experts and more experienced cyclists, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get from being a part of a group.

Now, let’s look at exactly what you get as a member:

Cyclo-Club Departments

It’s a big club alright! Just check out all these departments:

Quick Workouts. As you can imagine, this section is full of workout ideas that are quick. For the most part you could do these in 10 minutes or less - for example, I looked at the “8 Minute Cyclo-PLAYGROUND Workout” and the “Cyclo-CORE At the Desk Energizer Workout.” Each week there are new “quick workouts” added to the Club, and this could be the most useful and practical department.

Training Center. This is a big section full of articles, special reports, videos, secret tips, and more. It contains everything from training and racing tips to complete training plans. Most of the training info comes from Graeme, although some pro cyclists contribute, too. For example, there is a “5 CROSS SECRETS OF A PODIUM FINISH” special report from Jeremy Powers, a pro cyclist on the Jelly Belly team.

Nutrition Center. The Nutrition Center has features and articles from the experts at Hammer Nutrition. There are lots of thorough articles along with some audio interviews and other neat things. Of course there are articles that mention Hammer’s products, and some of the articles are a little long, but there are good insights and interesting points as well.

Techniques & Drills. This section is similar to the Training Center, but it focuses more on technique and technical skills. Various pedaling techniques are covered, but I was hoping for more mountain biking advice for technical singletrack, too.

Ladies, Let’s Ride! This section features Georgena Terry, founder of Terry Bicycles and women’s cycling expert. It covers various cycling topics related to the women’s cycling market along with a variety of cycling information from a woman’s standpoint, such as, “Ladies, shopping for a new bike?” and “WSD bicycles and 650 Wheels.”

Coach Al’s Corner. This advice section is from Coach Al, a triathlon coach and 8-time IRONMAN finisher. He covers off-season training, riding and training skills, racing information, and nutrition for before, during, and after you train, all from what he learned over the last 25 years in the sport.

Some of Al’s articles include “Improving Core Strength and Stability to Avoid Injury” and “One Leg Drills: Muscle Firing Action!” and “Triathletes: Get Stronger - Run FASTER!” (There’s some good info there; this is another of my favorite sections.)

Bike Fit Pro. This could be my absolute favorite section though, thanks to Paul Swift of BikeFit.com, who shares his bike fitting tips and videos. It covers a wide array of bike fit principles, from bike fit basics to intriguing fit methods I’ve never seen anywhere else. This guy knows his stuff!

Features include “Video Fit Tip: Road Bike Brake Levers” and “Bike SIZING & Bike FITTING — What’s the difference?” and “Trouble Shooting - Quick Fix Chart.”

Tech Reviews. This is the obligatory product review department. Right now it contains reviews of wheels, saddles, and a couple 29″ bikes Graeme started riding, but I’m sure there are more reviews in the works.

You Can Fix it! This section features bike repair and maintenance tips and tutorials, with most of them on video! The head mechanic is Levi Bloom of BloomBikeShop.com. His articles cover basics of setting up a home workshop, basic repairs like fixing a flat tire, and intermediate/advanced repairs like adjusting derailleurs.

More Stuff From Cyclo-Club

Along with the specific departments, you get lots of other cool stuff and member benefits.

Discussion forums. All topics are up for discussion in the member forums. The forum participation is still on the low side, but the nice thing about the restricted access is the friendly environment - these forums aren’t full of trolls who like to bash people for no reason. Sometimes the club experts even stop by to answer your questions!

Member blogs. There are a variety of blogs for you to enjoy if you like to read personal stories and experiences. Graeme Street writes a cycling entrepreneur blog, Cat 1 racer Josh Liberles (Colavita Sutter Homes) writes a “Watch Me Race” blog, and then there are many others like The Dad Racer, MTB Chick, etc. The blogs are entertaining, although I didn’t see any commenting system built-in.

Contests. Yes, you get to win stuff! Submit tips or submit recipes and you could win prize packages, such as a Cyclo-Club jersey or a nutrition sampler pack from Hammer Nutrition.

The Downloads Center. Oh man is this good! You get to download all kinds of good stuff, from exclusive interviews and round table discussions to the actual Cyclo-Core line of workout programs! (Big files though!)

Members-Only Discounts. Members get certain discounts, like a hefty discount on all Cyclo-Core workout programs and training plans, and there might be a discount at the Hammer Nutrition store and some others, although I haven’t figured that out for sure.

Cyclo-Club Pricing

The base price to join Cyclo-Club is $10 per month, but you can save $20 by paying for a whole year in advance (that’s $100 instead of $120.)

To get some of the best features, go with the Platinum membership. As a Platinum member you’ll get more free downloads and access to private forums where Graeme Street and other experts are available to answer your questions. That is about $200 a year (no monthly payment option,) and it has a limited membership, but go for it if you can.

I mean, it is $200, but you get access to download over $1000 worth of the Cyclo-Core line of products! How can you pass up that deal? (Of course, I still prefer to have the actual DVDs to watch, but still, it’s a steal.)

My final verdict is…

Cyclo-Club is an awesome website for being so new. The $10 monthly fee is not bad at all considering the content - especially with all the free video downloads of the Cyclo-Core workout programs!

While some departments were low on information, I have a feeling the club will keep expanding and providing even greater value to the members. The only reason I wouldn’t recommend this is if you have no time whatsoever to log-in to the website. However, you apparently have the time to browse CoachLevi.com, so take a look at Cyclo Club!

Official website: www.cyclo-club.com

Looking for a low-price chamois cream? There are a few good options out there that don’t require you to pay a premium price for a tiny tube, and Queen Helene’s Cocoa Butter Creme is one that I love.

Considering that the point of chamois cream is to prevent chafing, I don’t see a good reason to buy something special. Lots of skincare products provide the same function but cost 50-90% less!

Queen Helene’s products are a great example - good stuff, but cheap and can be easily found online or in stores like Wal-Mart. This 15oz jar was about $5. (While Assos chamois cream is an astonishing $22 for a tiny 5oz jar.)

This Cocoa Butter Creme is a blend of natural cocoa butter and pure lanolin, two ingredients that do wonders to protect and moisturize your skin. It just so happens that it has another use…

The Chamois Cream Test

The benefits of cocoa butter and lanolin make this a great substitute for expensive chamois creams!

All you have to do is apply a thin layer of the creme to your crotch/butt before a ride, and any chafing problems should vanish. I’ve been fortunate enough to not have any serious issues with saddle sores, so I rode for years (doing some 100+ mile rides) without any sort of chamois cream. But now that I have seen the light, I won’t go back!

When I first started using this stuff, I just piled it on, thinking a thick layer would be like having extra padding. Well, all the excess just oozed through my shorts, so I decided a thin layer would do the trick, and I was right. (The point is not to add extra padding, but to lubricate your skin.)

Queen Helene’s does the trick on 3 hour rides, but the benefits seem to fade on 4-8 hour rides, especially on hot, sunny days. In that case you might want to reapply along the way.

Problem is, a 15 oz jar of this isn’t something to carry in your jersey pocket. So, for reapplications on long rides, you might want to carry a small 2oz tube of Udderly Smooth.

But a jar of Queen Helene’s Cocoa Butter Creme is a great thing to have in your medicine cabinet!

(And Queen Helene uses no animal testing and they are an environmentally concerned company, for what it’s worth.)

My final verdict is…

This is a great chamois butter at an even better price. If you don’t want to spend lots of money on high-end chamois creams, or if you’ve never tried chamois creams, get some of this today! It’s cheap and the 15oz jar lasts forever!

You can use it all over your body, too. It feels good and rubs in nicely. It’s great for soothing dry or wind burnt skin. How can you resist?

Official site: www.queenhelene.com (they do a whole line of skin creams)

Buy online: at Amazon.com

Have you ever jumped on your bike in the morning, enjoyed a peaceful commute, and received a warm welcome at the office, complete with cheering fans and a disco ball?

I haven’t, but that doesn’t mean you can’t! Maybe this dream commute will be realistic someday! (The half about the car commute is dead on, though!)

Learn more about bike commuting and join team Wonderbike at FollowYourFolly and of course, check out New Belgium beers if you are of legal drinking age.

And don’t forget - Bike to Work Week starts today!

Despite going in the wrong direction with the low-calorie G2, Gatorade is back on track with their latest addition, Gatorade Tiger.

At first I thought this new formula would make me as strong and fast as a tiger, but it’s actually named after Tiger Woods. Becoming a top pro golfer doesn’t sound bad though, so I decided to test this out…

The big change with Gatorade Tiger is that it contains 25% more electrolytes than normal. I’m all for an increase in electrolytes, but what does that have to do with golf? Do golfers even break a sweat?

A better question though, is “does the minuscule electrolyte addition make any difference?”

The sodium content in Tiger is 135 mg (vs. 110 mg in Gatorade) and the potassium is 40 mg (vs. 30 mg in Gatorade.) So that 25% increase translates to 25mg more sodium and 10mg more potassium per serving. That small increase, the slightly new flavors, and a picture of Tiger Woods is all we get with Gatorade Tiger. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s worth a shot.

Gatorade Tiger Taste Test

The Gatorade Tiger flavors consist of Quiet Storm (grape), Red Drive (cherry), and Cool Fusion (lime). While those flavors seem typical, they are slightly new and different variations on the tried and true flavors. Continue reading for the full details…

Red Drive: First of all, Red Drive smelled good and then tasted even better. It is actually a cherry/citrus blend, and it’s probably the best blended flavor I’ve ever tasted! It’s much better than the Gatorade X-factor series of blended flavors.

If I can remember correctly from my childhood, Red Drive tastes a lot like Hawaiian Punch! It’s not quite what I expected from Gatorade, but it’s good! It’s nice and sweet, you don’t notice the extra salt, and it has a clean aftertaste, too.

Quiet Storm: This seems to be a grape/citrus blend, although grape is definitely the dominant flavor. It reminds me (yes, another childhood memory) of when I would mix orange and grape Kool-Aid powders together to make an awesome flavor!

As with Red Drive, the good taste and clean aftertaste make this Gatorade’s best grape flavor. It’s a bit lighter than the regular Grape, so if you crave super strong, sweet grape flavor, stick with plain ol’ grape. But I’m certainly a fan of this.

Cool Fusion: This is a lime flavor, but it’s unlike other Gatorade lime flavors because it is key lime. It’s kind of different and a little sour, but I think I’ll still drink it occasionally. It doesn’t taste much like a key lime pie, but it does taste a lot like the key lime pie flavored yogurt.

I found this to be best for during or after a workout when your senses are heightened, because then you really get to taste the flavor. While I still prefer the lime version of Gatorade Rain, this is worth trying, especially if you want to try new flavors.

Overall I was most impressed by the cherry/citrus blend used in Red Drive, so I’ll be drinking that quite a bit this summer. Even more impressive, though, I think they figured out that the clean aftertaste of Gatorade Rain was a great idea and are applying it to all these new formulas too. At least I hope that clean aftertaste will continue to spread through the Gatorade lineup!

My final verdict is…

I like the flavors, especially Red Drive, and of course I love the clean aftertaste. I’ll be adding this into my “favorite Gatorade flavors” rotation for sure. If you are anxious to try new flavors, these are good ones!

(But I still hope Gatorade can come up with some more flavors that are actually new. I mean, how many “grape” variations can they have?)

I’ll even replace the current flavors with their Tiger counterparts, i.e. instead of drinking Fruit Punch, I’ll take Red Drive. Instead of Grape, I’ll take Quiet Storm. The new flavor and texture is worth it! And cyclists could use more electrolytes, so that makes it even better!

Website: gatorade.com/gatoradetiger

Here’s a fun video for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure. It features a young boy on a mountain bike demolishing the pro peloton in what looks like the Tour de France:

I actually saw it on TV the other night as a Gatorade commercial. Apparently the pro cyclists are just drinking water while the kid made the smart choice!