Cycling shoes are one of the biggest investments you’ll make aside from the bike itself, easily topping $200 a pair. Heck, $350 isn’t uncommon these days for nice shoes!

Luckily, a good road shoe will last for many years. I am currently using the Sidi Genius 3 Road Shoe which I purchased in April 2004, and it is still going strong after nearly six years!

Here is what I love about this shoe:

It is lightweight and comfortable. Without cleats, this shoe is super light! It almost feels like a sock when you put it on since it is so light and supple. There might be some lighter or more comfortable shoes out there now (especially considering these ones are six years old,) but Sidi road shoes are some of the very best.

The Lorica and mesh construction is pretty soft at first, then becomes even more supple after use. It never gets stiff, even when wet and/or old.

It has a good, adjustable fit. To make sure the shoe is snug, it offers two Velcro straps and an adjustable buckle and ratcheting strap. The Velcro provides for quick tightening, and the buckle allows micro-adjustments for the perfect fit.

It’s really easy to release the buckle, too. You simply press on a tab and pull the strap out. It’s intuitive, unlike some complicated lacing/buckle systems.

It has a stiff sole. While the regular Genius shoe does not have a carbon sole, it is still stiff and durable. It is stiff enough that you do not feel any loss of power, but not so stiff that it hurts your feet. It’s the perfect compromise. (Pros in the Tour de France wear Sidi Genius shoes, which means the sole should be stiff enough for you!)

Lastly, this shoe is durable and rebuildable. I have been beating on these for years (hot, cold, rain, snow, mud, gravel, etc.,) but they look to be in nearly mint condition! The Lorica gets some scuffs, but it is super strong; I doubt I’ll wear through it anytime soon.

The Velcro straps and buckles are all working perfectly.

The sole is slightly scratched from my gravel driveway, but not bad at all. Even if I do wear out the rubber pad on shoe’s heel, it’s easily replaceable.

I expect to get at least ten years of use from these shoes!

What are the downsides of this shoe?

You know what, I can’t even think of any!

The only thing that ever sucked was how heavy the shoes were when using the old fashioned Shimano SPD-R pedals, since the SPD-R cleats were extremely heavy and required a heavy adapter plate to fit the shoe.

Now that I’m running Look pedals and cleats, the shoe is very light with cleats attached, so I love it!

My final verdict is…

Sidi road shoes are very nice. Go to your local bike shop and try some on if you are looking for new shoes. They’re not cheap, but they are a great value based on the comfort and durability.

Official website: www.SidiSport.com

While most cyclists and runners aren’t concerned with having big arms, arm strength comes in handy for XC skiing, swimming, kayaking, BMX, mountain biking, and even bike repair! So let’s look at building big arms…

A Question On Bicep Curls!?
Right. Im 14 and am naturally quite skinny in the arms. I have started doing bicep curls with a 3kg weight. Any ideas until i notice a difference and what can i do to make the process happen quicker. E.g. Should i eat more fatty foods etc. I want to stay complelty away from steroids.

Thanks!
-Skinny Steven

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but doing bicep curls with a 3kg (~6lb) dumbbell isn’t going to get you anywhere. You could curl all day but your arms will stay just as skinny as they are now.

So the first thing I would do is just forget the curls altogether. You could work your way up to heavier weights, but even then, you can lift more weight with other exercises. I’m not saying you can’t do curls later, but if you want to pack on some real size in a relatively short amount of time, look elsewhere!

There are four main exercises I suggest: pull ups, chin ups, dips, and shoulder presses. These exercises involve compound movements that work your entire arm, which allows you to move heavier weights, which leads to greater gains in size and strength.

Pull ups, chin ups, and dips can all be started with just your body weight. That will be a little safer than jumping into a big weight lifting program.

Shoulder presses will require a barbell and/or dumbbells, but you could start out with pike push ups (or handstand push ups) to work your shoulders before hitting the big weights.

How many sets and reps should you do for these bodyweight exercises? Read this: Determining Sets and Reps for Bodyweight Exercises.

More weight lifting and lots of eating wouldn’t hurt, either.

For example, you could add in a lift like the deadlift (maybe some squats too.) By working big muscles in your legs and back, your body will produce more of a testosterone response from your workouts. This could lead to better growth in your arm muscles for the same workout (studies are conflicting.) Regardless, it wouldn’t hurt to work out your entire body and not just your arms!

Being a beginner, I’d suggest following a pre-made plan from an expert. A book that would probably work for you (that you might enjoy reading as well) is Nate Green’s Built For Show.

And you need to eat extra calories if you want to build muscle. As in, LOTS of food!

As for your diet, stay away from junk food. Make sure you eat healthy foods like lean meats, whole grains, and lots of fruits and vegetables. You can eat fatty foods to get more calories, but stick with fatty foods like almonds, avocados, and olive oil. No junk food!!

Basically, if you do a good amount of weight lifting and eat lots of natural, unprocessed foods, you should see some results! It won’t happen overnight, but stick with it for a couple months, and I think you’ll be pleased.

While I was trying out a Camelbak Podium bottle, I couldn’t resist also trying a CamelBak ChillJacket Podium bottle, which is the insulated version.

The ChillJacket bottle has all the features of the regular Podium bottle, but the insulation is supposed to keep drinks hot or cold for hours. It’s a lot like the popular Polar bottle, but with Camelbak’s new twists.

I used to use the Polar bottle, but that was many years ago, so my memory is kind of fuzzy on how well it worked. However, I do remember it broke eventually, and I didn’t bother buying any more Polar bottles after that.

But once another insulated bottle option is out, I’m happy to test it. So let’s get going…

To start with, this is virtually identical to the regular Podium bottle. The pros and cons are nearly identical.

To recap, I really like the ease of use of the Podium bottle, thanks to its JetValve. It’s like having a bite valve from a hydration pack on your water bottle. No need to pull the valve open with your teeth then hip slam it closed – you just squeeze the bottle and it squirts water into your mouth. The valve opens and closes automatically, which is very convenient.

The downfall is the fact that the valve takes more effort than usual to clean out. If you carry sports drinks in this bottle, you’re almost guaranteed to get some nice mold growing in the crevices! Then you have to pull the valve apart and clean it with Q-tips and toothpicks.

Another downfall is that, unless you are extremely careful, you’re going to spill some. While the bottle is leakproof if you don’t mess with it, it’s virtually impossible not to spill some fluid if you’re using the bottle while riding.

One difference is that the ChillJacket is a 21oz bottle while the regular Podium will hold 24oz. This is usually the case with any insulated bottle because insulation takes up space. So the slightly smaller 21oz capacity isn’t a big deal.

But the redeeming factor here is that the ChillJacket bottle might just keep our drinks colder for longer periods! I love cold water on a long, hot ride, so I’m excited about this bottle!

I like the squeezeability of this bottle as well. I remember the Polar bottle being way too stiff and hard to squeeze. However, Camelbak’s Chilljacket bottle is just as easy to squeeze as a standard water bottle. (It’s even softer than my regular Podium bottle… possibly because I used it more often and it’s now broken in? Hmm.)

Testing the Insulation

How does this bottle hold up in hot and cold weather? Let’s test it to see just how long this bottle will actually keep your beverage warm or cold, depending on the outside temperature.

In Cold Weather:

For this test, I took the regular Podium bottle and the ChillJacket bottle and filled them with warm green tea. I then placed them outside in 25 degree F weather. I sipped from each bottle about every 15 minutes (starting at 1:00 PM.)

The tea started out comfortably warm in both bottles. At the 15 minute mark, things remained the same.

At 30 minutes, I was able to notice that the tea in the ChillJacket was slightly warmer than in the regular Podium bottle.

At 45 minutes, there was a noticeable difference. The tea had become cool in the regular bottle, while in the ChillJacket, the tea was still warmer than room temperature.

After one hour, the bottles started to even up. The tea in the regular bottle was cool, and in the ChillJacket bottle, it was room temperature (no longer considered warm.)

After an hour and a half, the teas were both cooling off slightly, although the ChillJacket’s tea was still hovering around room temperature. Finally, at the two hour mark, the teas were both cool.

At three hours, both bottles had cooled off. The difference is that the regular bottle’s valve had frozen shut. I had to blow warm breath on it, and squeeze it really hard to break through the frozen part so I could get some liquid.

Now it’s been four hours! Both bottles contain cool, but not quite cold, liquid. The only real difference is the regular Podium bottle had the valve freeze shut completely. The ChillJacket bottle functioned much better, but the valve was starting to freeze a bit.

For keeping drinks warm, the ChillJacket definitely helped. However, the difference wasn’t as much as I expected.

Also, there is another issue in cold weather. It’s not that the water in the bottle will freeze fast, it’s that the valve itself will freeze shut. The valve can easily freeze shut in 15 minutes, even if the drink inside stays liquid for a couple hours.

This problem plagued even the ChillJacket bottle. Water droplets coat the soft part of the valve, freezing it shut. With enough pressure, you can usually break it free though. Unfortunately, the material becomes less flexible in the cold, so the valve will no longer seal properly. It is much less likely to close completely in cold weather.

I’ve actually had the valve freeze in the open position! If this happens, the trick is to squeeze the bottle a few times. Eventually the air pressure should result in the valve pulling closed again. But watch out because it might not lay back down fully sealed!

In Hot Weather:

For this test, I took the regular Podium bottle and the ChillJacket bottle and filled them with ice water. I then placed them outside in the sun, in 80 degree F weather. I sipped from each bottle every 15 minutes.

[True test results coming when I can find hot, sunny weather!]

What I can say in the meantime is I did find some benefits to the ChillJacket’s insulation on hot days. It definitely kept my drinks cooler for a little longer than a regular bottle.

I don’t have any hard numbers (and they’d vary so much based on heat, sun, humidity, etc.,) but if you’re riding in super hot weather, anything helps! So definitely look at the ChillJacket bottle.

My final verdict is…

Over the past six months, this bottle has been getting used more than any others in my collection. I use it almost every day, whether it’s in my car, in the gym, or out on the ski trails. I even take it on some road bike rides, but like I mentioned before, my Specialized bottles still get used most often on my bikes.

That said, I highly recommend you try this bottle. You might just like it for bike riding, and if not, you’ll still find many uses for it.

Official website: www.Camelbak.com

Buy online: www.REI.com

While I always thought $1 for a tiny gel packet was a rip-off, GU energy gel was one thing I couldn’t live without during a mountain bike race. Real food was too much of a hassle, and PowerBars just took too long to chew while navigating teeth rattling singletrack!

Every mountain bike race I did, it was a sure bet that I had at least one GU in my pocket or tucked under my shorts!

Why choose GU?

I first chose GU due to the neat name, but it turned out to be a perfect choice. First, GU comes in many flavors. You’ve got chocolate and coffee, fruity flavors, and even a “plain” flavor for those with sensitive tastebuds – surely one tastes good to you.

Just as important, the flavors actually taste good! I really like GU gels and could eat them all the time!

Next, the packets are easy to carry, easy to open, and easy to squeeze. You just tear the small tab off the top and you’re all set. There is no excess bulk to the package like with the Hammer and Clif Shot gels.

Best of all, GU gel gives me good energy boost. While all energy gels are basically the same thing (100 calories of quick energy from sugar,) there is something about GU that just makes me feel better. After having a GU, I always seem to get this uplifting feeling where I actually feel the energy returning to my body.

Other energy gels may provide me with calories, but none of them give me that energizing feeling I get with GU.

Science, Ingredients, and Nutrition

The GU website has a complete description of how GU works. I’ll summarize here.

You first get a shot of natural fructose, which will quickly build up your energy levels. That gives the maltodextrin time to be absorbed and broken down, maintaining your glucose levels for extended energy. The electrolytes and calcium keep you hydrated and make sure your blood and muscles are functioning optimally.

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, valine and isoleucine, serve as another fuel source, aid in recovery, and can improve mental performance and reduce fatigue. Antioxidant vitamins C & E defend muscles from assault by free radicals, while chamomile works as an anti-inflammatory. Ginger soothes the stomach, a nice bonus if the race includes gut-wrenching climbs!

Whatever the exact formula is, GU did a good job with it!

Vanilla bean ingredients:

MALTODEXTRIN (GLUCOSE POLYMERS), FILTERED WATER, FRUCTOSE, GU AMINO ACID BLEND (LEUCINE, VALINE, ISOLEUCINE, HISTIDINE), POTASSIUM AND SODIUM CITRATE, GU ANTIOXIDANT BLEND (NATURAL VITAMIN E AND VITAMIN C), SEA SALT, NATURAL VANILLA, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, GU HERBAL BLEND [CHAMOMILE, COLA NUT (HAS CAFFEINE), GINGER], FUMARIC ACID, PECTIN

Nutrition Facts:

100 calories
55mg sodium
40mg potassium
25g carbs
3g sugar

But while you won’t get fat and protein in a GU gel, you get more than just sugar. You’ve got the antioxidants, amino acids, ginger, etc.

GU Gel Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on the eight different flavors of GU gel:

Vanilla Bean

A sweet vanilla flavor. It’s not quite a true vanilla bean flavor, but it’s not the same as imitation vanilla. Basically it’s sweet and tastes a bit like vanilla once you swallow it. I’d say it’s the sweetest GU flavor.

Tri-Berry

Tastes mostly like red raspberry. It’s pretty sweet, too. There is a hint of strawberry in there, especially in the aftertaste, and I think that sweetens up the raspberry. I’m not sure on the third berry; probably blackberry.

It’s a good berry flavor. It used to be my favorite GU, but has since been replaced by the recently added Strawberry Banana flavor.

Chocolate Outrage

This gel is thick and chocolaty. It contains actual unsweetened Belgian chocolate. While it’s not as delicious as a chocolate bar from Belgium, and doesn’t have that melty texture like a piece of Dove chocolate, it’s like a moderately good piece of dark, bittersweet chocolate.

It’s great on a cold day when it thickens up like a chocolate milkshake. It’s messy in the summer though, so watch out.

Espresso Love

Espresso is possibly my new favorite flavor! It really does taste like espresso. The flavor comes from “natural coffee flavor” rather than actual coffee, but it pulls off a great taste regardless. If you like espresso, you will love this gel!

Just Plain

This is basically a weaker version of Vanilla Bean. It’s not flavorless like water, but it’s definitely not strong and overpowering. So while this is definitely not “plain,” it’s probably the least potent flavor of gel available.

Lemon Sublime

An interesting lemon lime flavor. Each time I have one, it reminds me of something else. I just can’t compare it to anything else. It’s not too sweet, not too sour, nor too weird. I would rate it “pretty good.”

If you like lemon lime products though, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Orange Burst

Not a realistic orange, but not totally artificial or too sugary. It reminds me of orange Gatorade. The taste is alright but nothing that blows me away.

Strawberry Banana

I always liked banana (my second favorite flavor,) so I was disappointed to see GU replace it with Strawberry Banana. But once I tried this, I was excited!

The Strawberry Banana is awesome. It is very sweet and delicious. It tastes mostly like banana but with some sweet strawberry flavor in there as well.

So Strawberry Banana actually beats out Tri-Berry and Espresso Love as my favorite flavor!

My final verdict is…

GU is my favorite gel. It tastes great, contains good ingredients, comes in good packaging, and provides the best energy boost I’ve had from a gel. All around, a perfect gel.

If you need a gel for your endurance sports adventures, GU is my recommendation.

Official website: www.GuEnergy.com

Buy online: www.REI.com | www.PerformanceBike.com

Back when I first wrote about BPA-free water bottles, I mentioned the new Camelbak bottles as one choice. Once I noticed how cool the CamelBak Podium bottle was, I had to get one. It’s like a regular water bottle but with a valve akin to the bite valves on Camelbak’s hydration packs.

The premise is that you can easily access the water in this bottle either by sucking on the valve or squeezing the bottle with your hand. With virtually every other water bottle, you bite and pull the top with your teeth, squeeze the bottle, and then slam it shut on your hip. So this Podium bottle should be much easier to deal with while riding.

In theory, it shouldn’t leak, since the valve automatically stays closed. (It really sucks to get sports drink dripping on your frame, and also your gloves, because then it ends up on your bar tape too.) You can also lock the valve closed using a simple twist-lock lever on the lid.

The one downside I see, much like with a hydration pack, is that it’s hard to clean inside the bite valve. If you use sports drinks, chances are there will be gunk built up in there, which will eventually turn to mold.

But enough with the theory… let’s see how this works in real life…

Buying: This bottle is about $9, which is a little steep compared to your typical $4 water bottle.

Filling: This was simple, like a regular water bottle. The opening is big enough for ice cubes, so there’s no problem here.

Carrying: It fits in a standard size water bottle cage and stays in place. It will also slide into a jersey pocket if you like.

Handling: My first thought with this bottle is that it will take some getting used to! For one thing, I kept wanting to pull the valve open with my teeth, but after a week or so I got past that.

What bothered me is grabbing it out of the bottle cage. You have to grab the top of the bottle so that you don’t end up squeezing the center (which would spray your drink straight onto your bike.) Then once you are holding the bottle, you have to slide your hand down to the center to squeeze it properly. (You could squeeze from the top, but it felt awkward to me.)

I almost dropped this bottle a few times at first, thanks to the odd feel. Also, it gets pretty slippery.

I much prefer grabbing a Specialized Big Mouth bottle, which has a textured grip at just the right spot. It also feels softer, which makes it feel right in my hand. The Podium bottle is rather stiff.

Drinking: This is where the bottle really shines. It really is super easy to drink from. You don’t even have to put it in your mouth at all, so that makes it easy on your teeth.

Just a good squeeze on the middle of the bottle sends a good stream of water into your mouth. You can also suck on the valve if you prefer.

Best part – I really like how I don’t have to slam the valve shut on my hip or chest after getting a drink.

Cleaning: As suspected, this bottle is a huge pain in the behind when it’s time for a cleaning!

If you use sports drinks in your bottles, you’ll end up with sugary residue trapped around the soft part of the valve. That means you need to use a toothpick and/or a Q-tip to get down in there and clean off any built-up sports drink or resultant mold.

See, I want bottles where I can use sports drinks since I hate putting anything sugary in my hydration pack (residue and mold in the tube and bite valve sucks!!) So putting a sort of bite valve on the Podium bottle doesn’t do me much good at all!

Finally, the million dollar question…

Is this bottle leak-proof?

In theory, yes. In reality, no. This is most definitely not a 100% leak-proof water bottle.

First of all, let’s say you’re mixing up a sports drink powder in the bottle. If you start shaking the bottle, the force inside will open the valve and send a stream of water onto your kitchen table, car seat, riding buddies, or wherever you’re standing. So if you are mixing up a drink, make sure the twist-close lever on the lid is turned to the locked position!

Second, when you’re grabbing the water bottle and pulling it out of the bottle cage, you have to grab it perfectly. If you put too much pressure in the wrong area, you’re going to squirt your drink straight onto your bike’s frame.

Third, after mountain biking with this bottle for a few hours, I checked my bike and found my down tube covered in stickiness. I’m not sure if that was from me handling the bottle or from the roughness of the trails shaking the valve open, letting a few drops escape each time.

Fourth, I noticed that most of the time, there are a few leftover drops of liquid sitting on top the valve once it closes. If I just have the bottle sitting on a table, these drops end up on my shirt the next time I go for a drink. If the bottle is on my bike, I bet the drops fly off onto my down tube.

Let’s face it – you’ll still get sports drink residue somewhere if that’s what you’re using. You could probably lessen that by always locking the lid, but if you’re racing, you’re not going to take the time to spin the lever to the locked position after each sip. And if you’re mountain biking, you probably won’t have time to perform such a maneuver while moving.

Sure, if your goal is to transport a full bottle of sports drink from point A to point B, without drinking it, this bottle would work perfect and not leak. But if you’re messing around with it, you’re bound to spill a few drops of sports drink somehow.

So…

What did I really like about this bottle?

While this bottle isn’t perfect, there are a few things I like about it. As mentioned, not having to slam the top shut on my hip is awesome.

Despite not liking the feel of the plastic, I like the taste of it. That is, even on the first use, there was no plastic taste. The water tasted nice and fresh each time.

One thing that made this really cool for mountain biking is not having to put my mouth on the valve. As you know, water bottles get dirty when mountain biking, and it sucks to get that built-up mud in your mouth each time you take a sip. With the Podium bottle, you keep the muddy valve at a distance and just squeeze out the fresh drink.

(Unfortunately, due to the openness of the valve, it can get filled with mud, which then means you’re squirting chunks of mud into your mouth with each burst of water!)

What I ended up doing with this bottle is using it primarily for other sports. It’s cool because I can carry the filled bottle in a backpack or duffel bag with the twist-lock lever locked shut, and it won’t leak at all (even if squeezed.) I actually ended up loving this bottle for things like weight lifting, squash, and other sports where I don’t have to carry the bottle around in a cage.

It’s also great for road trips in the car. I always have my Podium ChillJacket bottle right beside me.

My final verdict is…

While I give CamelBak an A+ in innovation, and I was really excited about this bottle, it didn’t impress me as much as expected. For me, it brought on more problems than it solved. It’s a cool bottle, but in the end, I’m happier with my tried-and-true Specialized Big Mouth bottles.

I do love the bottle for other sports use, so I got my money’s worth. I actually use them all the time. It’s just that for cycling it doesn’t seem any better than usual. And I don’t use sports drinks in them.

You might really like these Podium bottles though (as many others do,) so you should still check them out.

Official website: www.Camelbak.com

Buy online: www.REI.com