Based on my good luck with Voler bib shorts (I loved the Voler Elite bibs,) I picked up a pair of the Voler Campione bib shorts. The Campione line had just launched (January 2009,) so VeloWear did a 30% off sale to support it!

So I got a sweet pair of white bib shorts for $55.97! Normally I wouldn’t buy white shorts, but hey, the price was right!

Here are my thoughts on these bibs:

Price

Like I said, the price was right. $55 for nice bibs is a steal, even in the case of white bibs that I probably won’t wear very often.

Comfort

These shorts are certainly comfortable. They are nicer than the average Voler shorts, but quite a ways behind the Voler Elite DX bib level (only because the Voler Elite bibs were so good to me though.)

If you’re looking at comfort in relation to the price, comfort is excellent.

Looks and Style

One word: White! If you’re looking for white bibs, then I bet you’ll like the looks and style here.

White is flashy and attracts attention from everyone, in good and bad ways. If you have the right body and confidence to wear white, it could attract the ladies, and it could improve visibility in traffic. (Hopefully that means drivers won’t hit you.)

To be stylish with these white bibs, remember…

When Not To Wear White

Much like wearing white after Labor Day or wearing a white dress to a wedding, there is a similar limitation to wearing white bibs. And this has to do with current weather conditions.

The question is, how do they look when soaking wet from rain or saturated with sweat?

My answer is, I don’t know! That’s because I don’t wear these in inclement weather. Furthermore, I have no plans to wear these unless the weather is stunningly perfect.

White gets dirty easily, so one ride in the rain and you could lose that bright white shine. And the only thing worse than stained, off-white bibs is completely see-through bibs (think “wet t-shirt contest” and apply it to bib shorts.)

Durability

While I’ve had these bibs a couple years now, I’ve only worn them on special occasions (see “When Not to Wear White”.) So I can’t say how long they will last under heavy use. But if they are anything like the other Voler shorts I’ve worn, they’ll last plenty long for the price.

My final verdict is…

These are nice, comfy bibs, that are also stylish. Just remember – you’ll stand out if you wear them. So make sure you don’t wear them unless you have a nice tan and ripped muscles, as well as serious speed to back them up.

Official website: www.Voler.com

Despite my fixation on fixing old shoes with Shoe Goo, eventually my old Northwaves had to retire from racing, and I had to choose something new to take their place. Being a huge fan of Sidi, I chose the Sidi Dominator 5 for my new MTB racing shoes.

At first, I really wasn’t sure what to get. There are cool shoes out there, but I didn’t want to risk buying a new brand without trying them on first (without an actual local bike shop at the time, my chances of trying on shoes were slim to none.)

So, naturally, I decided to stick with Sidi, because I knew their size 46 road shoes fit me very well. Not to mention how comfortable and durable their road shoes are! So that eased my mind about picking up a pair of $295 shoes that would be submerged in mud and scraped against rocks the first day I used them!

The Break-In Period

As soon as I tried on the shoes in May 2009, I knew they were a perfect fit! The 46 was just right, like my Sidi Genius road shoes. A tad roomier, but I think that is because the material was still new and extra stiff.

The big difference is that the Dominators were nowhere near as soft and supple! This meant they didn’t conform to my foot like I was used to, so, I had to break them in…

After just a few rides and getting my cleat placement dialed in, the shoes were great. Not quite as comfortable as my Sidi Genius 3 road shoes, and not as familiar as my old Northwaves or Shimanos, but they held their own as far as comfort goes.

After 5-6 years I’m sure they’ll be broken in nicely!

Weight

Being mountain bike shoes, it was no surprise these were heavier than my Sidi road shoes.

The claimed weight was 720g. The actual weight was 829g though (weighed on my home scale.)

That’s a size 46 without cleats or toe spikes. Definitely not a lightweight, but typical for MTB shoes. (They must weigh their size 39 to give you the listed weight!)

On the brighter side, they “felt” light, which is always nice.

The Plastic Tread

The only complaint I’ve heard from friends with Sidi MTB shoes is that the plastic lugs on the sole provide little to no traction when walking on rocks and other slippery surfaces. But there was only one instance where I remember that slowing anyone down (it was stream crossing where you walked across large, wet rocks,) and that was not during a race, just a fun ride.

Considering these shoes are for XC racing, I wasn’t too concerned. After all, I don’t make it a habit to walk during races. And I don’t like to walk in any cycling shoes, so why miss out on good shoes over such a tiny concern?

In reality, the plastic tread on the sole doesn’t seem much different than other XC racing shoes. Some other shoes do have bits of softer rubber on the sole, aiding in grip on hard surfaces, but you can re-create that yourself if you want. All you have to do it put a few small beads of Shoe Goo in key locations (i.e. on the areas that touch the ground when walking.)

Compatibility with EggBeaters

The only problem with the Dominators was the hard time clipping into my Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals. But after some testing, I realized that was entirely due to the Crank Bros Shoe Shields.

See, I wanted to use the Shoe Shields to protect my brand new soles, but that turned out to be a waste of effort. After a few rides, I found plenty of scrapes and gouges all around the sole that are much worse than what the Eggbeaters would do over the course of a year or two!

Once I removed the shields, I found no compatibility issues between the Dominators and Eggbeaters.

Clipping In

However, clipping in did take some getting used to. Clipping in when using a shoe with a bunch of hard plastic bits for the tread is more difficult than when you have a more open, rubberized sole.

With a softer sole, you can stomp down on the pedal and finagle your cleats into place with a little pressure. With hard soles, you have to be a lot more precise. If you don’t get the cleats lined up perfectly, they’ll slip out of place, and you’ll have to try again.

I found it more intuitive to continue racing in my Northwave shoes, but eventually I did get used to the Sidi Dominators.

Durability

As mentioned, the sole is getting a little scratched up, but that’s normal. The shoe isn’t falling apart by any means.

I’ve only used these for two years though, so I can’t speak too much about durability yet.

My final verdict is…

The Sidi Dominator 5 is a pretty cool shoe. I’m not as happy with these as I am with my old Sidi Genius road shoes, but they’re still great shoes.

Hopefully in 5-10 years when I need to replace these, I can find something lighter and even more comfortable, but for now, these will do just fine!

Official website: www.SidiSport.com

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

After years of writing about the latest and greatest new offerings in the energy bar world, I’m taking the time to point out the energy bar that has stood by my side for well over a decade – the PowerBar Performance Bar.

This is the old standby with a proven track record. People either don’t like it or, like me, they take it for granted. If I need an energy bar, I know that the Powerbar is going to do the job, and I know I can find it just about anywhere. (Remember the days when the Powerbar was the only bar on the shelves?)

Continue reading to find out just what it is that makes the PowerBar Performance Bar shine…

Health & Nutrition

Let’s start out by examining the ingredients and nutrition facts for one of the common flavors, Vanilla Crisp.

Ingredients:

C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE SYRUP, MALTODEXTRIN, FRUCTOSE, DEXTROSE), OAT BRAN, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, RICE CRISPS (MILLED RICE, RICE BRAN, ROSEMARY EXTRACT), BROWN RICE FLOUR, CANOLA OIL, 2% OR LESS OF NATURAL FLAVOR, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, ALMOND BUTTER, NONFAT MILK, PEANUT FLOUR. MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON). VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN B6 HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1). CONTAINS ALMOND, MILK, PEANUT AND SOY INGREDIENTS. MADE ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES WHEAT.

What really stands out to me is the vast array of carbohydrate sources in this bar. There are simple and complex carbs, then different types of sugars. If you do any research into how the human body can absorb different types of sugar through different pathways, you see the importance of taking in more than one type of carbohydrate. I’m going to assume that the team at Powerbar has a good grasp on the research and is doing its best to provide endurance athletes with as many carbs as possible.

Other than that, this is a pretty normal energy bar. Lots of carbs, a little protein and fat, and some added vitamins and minerals (i.e. electrolytes.) It won’t be winning any “healthiest food in the world” awards, but it is right for the task at hand.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 240
Fat 3.5g
Sodium 200mg
Potassium 105mg
Total Carbs 45g
Fiber 1g
Sugars 25g
Protein 8g

Now this is what I call an energy bar! No matter how many people come out and talk about the Paleo diet being good and carbs being bad, carbs are still going to be the #1 source of energy for endurance athletes around the globe. And this Powerbar packs 45g of carbs into a 240 calorie package.

Just as important is how they keep the fat, protein, and fiber in check. Protein won’t energize you as fast as carbs will, and fat and fiber slow your digestion and can cause some stomach distress during hard racing.

As far as I’m concerned, the Powerbar Performance Bar does the best job at maximizing what you want and minimizing what you don’t. It’s not as extravagant as some of the newer bars, but when I’m in the middle of a race, I don’t care about extravagance! I just want something that works.

PowerBar Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on the flavors…

Peanut Butter – I really like this one. It is really sweet, but still has a nice peanut butter flavor. It reminds me of the peanut butter Rice Krispy squares my Grandma made me when I was a kid.

It won’t taste like natural or homemade peanut butter, but I like bars and stuff that taste like the sweetened peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter – I didn’t like this one at all. It tastes artificial and just plain crappy. While I love Reeses cups, other companies doing chocolate peanut butter flavors just don’t compare. Just skip this one.

Chocolate – N/A

Milk Chocolate Brownie – N/A

Cookies N Cream – N/A

Vanilla Crisp – This is a pretty good flavor that’s really sweet. You can taste some vanilla, though, which is nice.

Oatmeal Raisin – This is my overall favorite. I love oatmeal cookies and this bar gives me a similar taste that doesn’t get old.

Apple Cinnamon – This is a tasty bar that I like to have on occasion. It has a pleasant apple cinnamon flavor that isn’t overpowering.

Banana – N/A

Wild Berry – N/A

Honey Roasted Nut – N/A

Caramel Cookie – N/A

(If you want some more flavors with a twist, check out the Powerbar Energize Fruit Smoothie Bar.)

To finish up, I’ll mention the texture. The bar is so processed that there is really only one texture, so every bite is the same. It’s plain and it’s chewy. Imagine all the ingredients ground up and mixed into a paste, them formed into a bar.

Sure, it doesn’t sound appetizing, but like I mentioned before, it works.

The PowerBar, In Use

Now this is where the Powerbar really shines! It’s not perfect, but I still rate it an A+. Here’s why:

An energy bar needs to be easy to eat. The Powerbar must be the easiest bar to eat. It is soft, chewy, and easy to bite into. The size is just right, the wrapper peel back easily, and the bar isn’t going to crumble or break into pieces (which could end up on the trail, rather than in your mouth.)

An energy bar should not be messy. Some bars have a chocolate coating, or they have some icing on top. Both of those are terrible ideas, because that coating melts while you are racing, leaving a sticky mess all over your face, hands, and jersey pockets.

An energy bar should give you an energy boost. The Powerbar does this for me. Thanks to the nice mix of carbs, I notice a quick ‘pick me up’ followed by a good energy supply (~240 calories worth) with no crash.

So, knowing all that, why isn’t the Powerbar perfect?

Unfortunately, the Powerbar does not do well in extreme weather conditions. In normal racing temperatures, perhaps 50-90 degrees F, there’s no problem.

But if it’s 100+ degrees, these get soft and sticky, so they are a bit harder to separate from their wrapper. When it’s close to 30 degrees or lower, the bar is going to freeze solid. If you try to eat a Powerbar in the cold, you could literally break your teeth!

So what do you do? Simply switch to energy gels, energy gel blocks, and/or low-density bars (like those based on rice crisps and oats) in the winter months. Powerbars in the summer, Powerbar Gel Blasts in the winter. Simple.

My final verdict is…

Powerbar Performance Bars are cheap, easy to carry, easy to eat, easy to digest, full of carbs, not messy, and fairly good tasting. You can’t beat it.

It is still my #1 go-to bar for racing and hard training. If you’re looking for an energy bar, this is a great one to start with in almost every situation.

Official website: www.PowerBar.com

For something as simple and basic as a water bottle, we sure have had a lot of innovation the past few years! We had the BPA fiasco and all the new BPA-free bottles, bottles with new types of insulation, and bottles with new bite valves on the lids.

Well, now we have bottles that don’t need washed! OK, so that’s not exactly true, but these FLEXR Sports Water Bottles I’m testing out have some very new and interesting features.

Most obvious is how, rather than pour your drink directly into the bottle, you actually put a special liner in the bottle first. It’s a lot like putting a trash bag in a trash can… except more sanitary!

What’s the purpose for a bottle liner? Oh, only to prevent your bottle from becoming a foul-smelling, mold-infested, awful-tasting bacteria breeding ground!

The thing with us mountain bike racers is that we often spend the weekends at races, living out of our car and/or a tent. We don’t exactly have the greatest facilities to keep our water bottles clean and fresh for each race. Heck, we don’t have time to do such things – we’re too focused on racing.

Then when it’s all over, we’re too worn out to clean up our mess, so we toss our water bottles aside for later. It’s not uncommon for my bottles to spend a few days in the trunk of my car still partially full of some sugary, protein-enriched sports drink.

This means the bottle probably has some nasty bacteria growing in it, and even after cleaning, it could retain a hint of the flavor from said drink.

Sometimes, this means water bottles get thrown out, even though they’re still perfectly functional. With the Flexr system, you just toss the liner, and you’re left with a clean bottle.

How-To Video

This one minute video shows you how to use the liners in your bottle:

Sounds great, but does it work as advertised?

My Experience With the Flexr Bottles

I love innovative new products, but man, I had a hard time with these Flexr bottles!

To start with, I couldn’t even drink out of them the first week I had them. For whatever reason, the smell of their plastic was awful. It was so overpowering that putting the bottle near my nose literally made me feel sick. (The liner had no smell, but the plastic bottle and cap sure did.)

I spent close to five days washing the bottles, soaking them in Dawn dish soap, soaking them in bleach, washing again, soaking in baking soda + vinegar, and washing again. Finally the smell diminished to a tolerable level.

As if I wasn’t annoyed enough at that point, when I pulled the liner out of the 16oz bottle prior to washing, I found two dead spiders beneath it! Apparently they crawled in the vent hole on the bottle and got stuck in there!

Hold on – let’s talk about this vent hole…

Do NOT fill up a Flexr bottle without a liner in it! I probably wouldn’t have thought about this if I hadn’t gotten a 16oz Flexr run bottle, but each bottle has a hole in it! (On the 21oz bottle, the air escape hole is hidden behind the neoprene sleeve, so you don’t notice it.)

This means you can’t use these bottles without using the liners. Which does make sense if you think about it. If you put a liner in the bottle, the bottle is filled with air and the liner. When you fill the liner with liquid, the air between the liner and bottle needs a way to escape without blowing the liner off the top of the bottle! Hence the vent hole in the bottle.

Anyway, none of that would be a big deal if the bottles worked as promised. Just look at some of these purported benefits:

• You don’t have to tilt the bottle or your head to drink from it.
• The liners contract as you drink, preventing the liquid from sloshing up and down. (Very, very annoying when running!)
• Flexible bottle is easy to squeeze.
• Sleep well at night since the bottle is eco-friendly.

Unfortunately, I have no proof that any of those benefits exist. I’m extremely disappointed, because I would have loved the bottle if it did all that!!

Let’s talk about drinking out of the bottle.

The bottle is easy to squeeze, yes. But squeezing the bottle isn’t as simple as it sounds. For one thing, you have to put your finger over the vent hole whenever you drink, or else you’re just squeezing air out the side rather than water out of the top. Even then, it’s like clamping down on a puppy’s squishy chew toy.

To actually get water out, I ended up using both hands at once, squeezing the bottle like an old tube of toothpaste! And I most certainly had to tilt the bottle upside down as well!

And seriously, I have to put my finger over the vent hole when I drink?! If I’m racing, there’s no way I’m going to take the time to feel around the bottle for the vent hole. That’s just plain ridiculous, not to mention inefficient and dangerous.

Did I mention the cap is hard plastic, i.e. not comfortable whatsoever if it touches your lips?

What about those liners?

There’s nothing magical about these liners. They are one size the whole time – there is no expanding when filled up and contracting as the bottle empties out.

This means, you guessed it, that the water still sloshes around just like any other bottle!

I’m not really sold on the “eco-friendly” claims either. I must be in the minority, but even if my bottles get nasty inside, a good scrubbing with Dawn dish soap and a bottle brush does the trick 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, a follow-up soak with baking soda and white vinegar is all that’s needed to remove any scent or taste.

These people throwing away perfectly good bottles all the time must never have learned to do the dishes!

So, I don’t go through bottles very often. For me, these bottle liners would be excess trash piling up beside my energy bar and gel wrappers. Even if they do biodegrade quickly in landfills, consider that the liners must be produced in a factory and once used, will require some sort of garbage truck to transport them to the landfill.

OK, I’ve made my point – I don’t like the bottles. But if you race time trials or triathlons, keep reading!

Flexr for Time Trials and Triathlons

For you time trialists and triathletes out there, Flexr makes a 28oz aerodynamic bottle that looks perfect for you. You can even turn it into a full-on aero hydration system with one of their kits (pictured.)

It’s almost funny, because this type of setup would negate most of my complaints!

• The bottle isn’t near your face, so you don’t smell it.
• You don’t have to squeeze it, keep your finger on the vent hole, or any of that nonsense.
• You have a soft bite valve, rather than a hard cap spout.
• If the water sloshes on your bike, you’ll hardly notice.

Plus, this is cheaper than most similar hydration set ups! If I was in charge of Flexr, I’d make this my flagship product!

I can’t give you a review on this bottle setup, but let me say this: Despite my disgust with the regular Flexr bottles, I’d still be willing to spend $50 on this remote hydration setup!

For what it’s worth, this bottle holder that Velcros to my hand in pretty nifty!

My final verdict is…

Flexr has an interesting idea, but by solving one small problem, they brought on many new problems. Since I’ve never had a serious problem with cleaning bottles, I’ll be sticking with my Specialized Big Mouth bottles and CamelBak Podium bottles.

However, the Flexr system looks awesome for a TT or triathlon remote hydration setup. If that’s what you’re looking for, I definitely suggest considering the Flexr products.

Official website: www.FlexrSports.com

It’s no secret I eat oatmeal. I have already written why oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for a long day, and in my opinion, it’s the #1 high-energy food for endurance athletes. But what I never had was oatmeal made from freshly milled, hand-blended oats.

That changed when I tried Sammz Oats, a product from a very small company out in Morro Bay, California.

“SammzOats is a one-of-a-kind specialty blend of organic, freshly-milled gourmet oatmeal, like no other oatmeal you’ve tried.”

Looking at them, they’re neither quick oats, rolled oats, steel cut oats, nor Irish oats. I can see at least three different shapes of flakes and chunks in the mix! These can only be classified as “Sammz Oats.”

And the paper bag they come in is pretty nice; it gives you that small town farm market feel.

Sammz Oats Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

The ingredients list:

Ingredients: 100% organic oat textures, including extra organic bran.

I notice two things here because of this sparse ingredients list:

• Sammz Oats contain only the good stuff.
• Sammz Oats aren’t full of junk like added salt and sugar.

OK, so that’s just the same thing put in different words, but I wanted to get the point across! These are probably the most natural, unprocessed oats you can get (if you don’t have your own farm.)

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1/3 cup
Calories 120
Total Fat 2.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Potassium 160mg
Total Carbs 23g
  Dietary Fiber 6g
    Soluble fiber 3g
    Insoluble fiber 3g
  Sugars 0g
Protein 8g

That’s 50% more fiber and 60% more protein than in a serving of Arrowhead Mills organic steel cut oats!!

Remember in my article where I compared rolled oats to steel cut oats and said they technically have the same nutritional value? Well right here is the case to best illustrate that!

At first glance, these Sammz Oats appear to be as processed as instant oats, but they are fresh and hand-processed, not sent through a factory. They aren’t steamed and rolled and left to sit and go stale like most rolled oats in the store. This means they retain their nutritional value, not to mention the true oat flavor most people have never tasted.

Sammz Oats Taste Test

Finally, time to cook this up and enjoy it!

What’s really awesome is that this cooks in 2-4 minutes. It still takes 5 minutes to get the water boiling beforehand, but overall, these are a lot easier to prepare than steel cut oats.

All I did to cook these was get 3 cups of liquid boiling (1 1/2 cups almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water) and added in 4 servings (1 1/3 cups) of oats. And sprinkled some cinnamon in, of course. Then I cooked the oats for 4 minutes. After that I removed them from the heat and added some raisins (the oats were still hot enough to “cook” the raisins.)

The oats were perfect fresh off the stove as well as reheated in the microwave the next morning. On my second batch I added a little Nature’s Way coconut oil for an ever more delicious taste!

Specifically about the oats, they have a very hearty taste and texture you wouldn’t expect. They taste fresh and real. They don’t taste exactly like steel cut oats, but I find they remind me more of steel cut than rolled oats.

They do soak up water and expand almost as much as the steel cut, yet they cook much faster!

Sammz Oatmeal Granola Supreme

Shifting gears now, I also got a bag of granola to try, so I’m going to talk about that for a moment!

Ingredients: Sammz organic oats, organic oat bran, organic honey, brown sugar, raw coconut chips, almonds, pecans, raw sunflower seeds, craisins, dried blueberries, spices, citrus.

Wow, dried blueberries!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever met a granola I didn’t like, but still, this bag from Sammz is superb. It blows me away that there are dried blueberries in it!

I like the ingredients overall. I wouldn’t call this a healthy meal, but it’s a good high-carb energy food that’s not full of too much extra sugar.

The first half of the bag, I just dug in and ate it with a spoon. The second half I mixed with plain yogurt.

This granola is very, very good for mixing with yogurt! Some granolas are too hard and need to sit in the yogurt for an hour to soften up, but the Sammz granola was a perfect complement to the yogurt right away.

This stuff is so good! Don’t tell any of my friends or family I had this fancy granola, because I ate it all myself and didn’t offer to share!

My final verdict is…

I give Sammz Oats an A+ on taste, texture, and nutritional value. I may even prefer them to steel cut oats! (I certainly like how fast they cook!)

The only problem is, being priced at about $5-9 per pound, coupled with the way I go through bags of oats, I’d go broke if I ate these everyday!

Official website: SammzOats.com