Here’s a little preview of what I’ll be reviewing for my equipment the in 2017 triathlon/running season (with a short preview of each upcoming review). Many of these items were acquired through association with my sponsors (I’ve paid for all of them), but my opinions are my own.
Wahoo Kickr (2017)
Earlier this year I was able to acquire the new Wahoo Kickr. Considering we live in Miami, and I don’t exactly trust the drivers nor are there a lot of remote roads to ride on in the summer that will not try to kill you from humidity or alligators, I knew most of my riding would be indoors. Consequently, I wanted something to bring my bike training to a new level and keep me entertained with some of newest “virtual ride” apps.
The Wahoo Kickr already has over 500 “miles” on it, and I expect it will have many more before long.
2015 Trek Speed Concept 7 Series Frameset with Shimano Ultegra crankset/cassette
My Cervelo was an excellent bike. But, it was getting a bit old. Many of the parts were still more than functional and sure I’d upgraded a few things… but it was time for a new ride (for me, at least). From what I can tell, not much has changed on the bike in the last couple of years, so the Speed Concept should carry me quite well for a long time to come.
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17
What goes around comes around. I started wearing the Brooks Adrenaline shoes back on version 10. The shoe has had its ups and downs, and I’ve tried a lot of other shoes since, but after all the experimentation… I’m pretty much back where I started. It also helps that Brooks has a narrow-width shoe.
Sidi T4 Shoes
Another winner in the narrow shoe department. Apparently Italians have more narrow feet. So far, the shoe continues the tradition of a good shoe that started with my first part of Sidi’s over 6 years ago.
Look Keo Max Pedals
Again another return to the beginning. My first pair of clipless pedals were a $20 of Look pedals. Once I realized there might be a PowerTap in my future, I purchased another pair of Look pedals to try again.
Powertap P1S
A new element to my training on the bicycle was the addition of Power from the Wahoo. In order to be able to translate Wahoo training on Race Day, the next big investment was in the one-sided PowerTap pedals. I’m hoping someday they’ll offer an “upgrade” to get true dual-pedal Power, but for now these more than work – considering the Wahoo only registers one Power output.
Bike Helmet (Rudy Airstorm)
As a sponsored athlete by Rudy, I remain loyal to their helmets. Honestly, they’re the most comfortable and lightweight helmets I’ve tried.
Fenix 5
Garmin in the GrandDaddy when it comes to multisport watch arena. They are the 50,000lb Gorilla. But there is a reason for that. The capabilities in this watch far exceed any competitors… and I can wear it to work, too. Other manufacturers (Timex) make good watches for what they do, but Garmin sets the standard. That said, I never race without a Timex backup.
Garmin Index Scale
Garmin does some things very well… Other things, not so well. I got the Garmin Index Scale when our previous scale died. And although this scale measures a lot of things, the one thing that matters – weight – it doesn’t do that well. Consistency in the key, and even though the scale doesn’t move (often), it has a hard time maintaining a consistent calibration. Although Garmin links directly to its online platform, which then links to the watch, which then keeps my calorie count accurate… it has a lot of other “social” issues.
Stryd
Extremely new, the idea of Power (common on the bicycle) is slowly moving into the realm of running. Since I’ve moved to using optical heart rate (with its serious plusses and some big minuses) for the most part, having another element to monitor to ensure proper effort is a welcome boost. Alone by itself, running power isn’t that useful. But when paired with the other metrics, it can be a great tool.
Honey Stinger Organic Waffles
I’ve been using Honey Stinger for a long time and I’ve reviewed some of their products before. But they’ve come up with some new organic items and I can’t wait to try them.
Nuun Vitamins
Since my last review, Nuun has some new flavors and variations on products. I’ve started trying a few of them and they seem to dissolve much better than the “All-Day” they used to have (but that might just be me). In any case, I continue to drink a lot more when the water is flavored than when I don’t… which is a really good thing.
Zwift
Like the Garmin multisport watches, Zwift is the big gorilla in the room of virtual riding. I haven’t had much chance to try the other apps (they all offered free trials but I failed to take a real opportunity to try them) because Zwift had a good mix of tons of other users, social integration, and addictive aspects to keep me hooked. It even got my wife riding indoors with much, much less complaining, and that’s a serious feature of the app.
So that’s a small preview of what’s is coming in the next few months as I continue to evaluate these items. Hopefully, with a little help from someone much more savvy than myself, we’ll even get some reviews on youtube!