Product Review: Wind Blox

Wind noise has long been an annoyance when riding a bike and can also be a safety issue when it comes to hearing approaching automobiles.  A new product called Wind Blox was designed to greatly reduce wind noise and allow a cyclist to hear better while riding.  After a successful Kickstarter campaign in the Fall of 2013, this product is now available to everyone.  Wind Blox was the idea of creator Mike Fajen who enjoyed listening to audio while commuting to work but found he had to turn the volume way up to overcome the wind noise.  After wrapping socks around his front helmet straps to reduce the wind noise, he noticed he could turn his audio volume way down and was also able to clearly hear the sounds around him, including traffic.  Design and development of Wind Blox would soon follow.

Wind noise, especially on windy days and riding downhill can be deafening making it hard to hear anything.  When I first came across Wind Blox, I definitely wanted to give them a try and see if they would really make a difference.  I enjoy listening to podcasts while riding and I would also have to turn the volume way up to compensate for the loud wind noise.  Sometimes the wind noise was so loud that even with a higher volume on my smartphone, I still had problems hearing my podcasts let alone the traffic and sounds around me.  Wind Blox seemed like the perfect solution to reduce the wind noise and allow me to turn the volume of my podcasts way down while still be able to hear traffic and other sounds.

After my fist ride using Wind Blox, I couldn't believe the difference they made.  I was able to turn my podcast volume way down and still be able to follow along with the conversations and hear approaching traffic around me.  I wore them with and without the use of headphones while riding and noticed that wind noise was cut dramatically.  The biggest differences I noticed was riding at a fast pace into a headwind and on speedy downhills.  Wind noise in these situations without usingWind Blox was so loud that hearing anything else was nearly impossible.

I tested them out in various riding conditions and speeds removing them at times to have a comparative analysis.  Riding was much more enjoyable and quieter with Wind Blox on my helmet straps than without.  Carrying on conversations with other cyclists I was riding with was much easier and I was able to do so without turning my head to hear what they were saying.  When riding in traffic or out on those lonely gravel roads, I was able to hear cars approaching from behind much sooner because of the greatly reduced wind noise that Wind Blox provide.

Wind noise can be annoying reducing what a cyclist can hear and I found Wind Blox an effective solution to this problem.  This product states that it blocks over 50% of wind noise and I would have to agree with the claim.  You'll be able to hear sounds around you better, carry on conversations, listen to audio at lower volumes and know sooner when automobiles are approaching. 

Wind Blox are available in Black, Bright Lime Green, Bright Pink and Silver Gray for $15/pair from the Wind Blox Products page and are also available on Amazon.com.

Disclosure:  Wind Blox provided the review samples for this article, but offered no other form of compensation for this review.

Honoring Dr. Nury Bauzan, Consul General of Uruguay

Dr. Nury Bauzán (left), Rachel Limon and Sec. Mark Ritchie

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie on Tuesday was the featured speaker at a reception in Minneapolis to honor Uruguayan Consul General  Dr. Nury Bauzán for the work she has done to support and advance the "people to people" relationships between Minnesota and Uruguay during her four-year term of service, which is ending this year.

The dinner at the Minneapolis Club, graciously hosted by Silvia Ontaneda, Ecuador's Consul General in Minnesota, and Rob Scarlett, the president of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, and its board of directors brought together members and friends from around the region to celebrate the constructive and warm relationships that Dra. Bauzán has fostered across the state.

Secretary Ritchie and Rachel Limon, the State of Minnesota's trade representative for Latin America and a former chair of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, presented Dr. Bauzán with an official commendation signed by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton.

For her part, Dr. Bauzán presented Minnesota-Uruguay Partners president Rob Scarlett with a beautiful commemorative plaque for the anniversary year. We will miss you Nury!

Penn Cycle & Fitness Now Offers Seven Group Rides

Image Credit: Steve Haugesag

Penn Cycle now has seven group rides to get you rolling with fellow cyclists.  Whether your a beginner rider looking some fun without getting left behind, an intermediate rider in search of more of a challenge or an advanced rider that wants to go fast with others of the same caliber, one of these rides is right for you.

 

Monday

Monday Night Road Ride 

Penn Cycle Blaine

This will be a mapped no drop ride with a ride leader from TCBC. This is a "A/B" ride and will be 16 mph on average. This is a nice intermediate ride of 22 to 36 miles or so that starts at the Penn Cycle Blaine store and leaves at 6:00 pm and you will be back by 8:00 pm.

Helmets are required. We stop at all STOP signs and lights. All rides are "No Drop Policy, meaning that no one will be left behind. No worries about getting lost, a map will be provided on this ride. All of our rides are intended to have get more people into the sport, have fun, relax after work/school, and promote a healthy life. Check our website www.penncycle.com after 4pm to see if any rides are canelled or with any questions about our rides. For more information please refer to the TCBC website or call the Blaine store at 763-432-9430 or email blaine@penncycle.com.  If you are not a TCBC member there is a nominal fee to TCBC.

Tuesday

Tuesday Night Tours

Penn Cycle Bloomington

Skill level suggested - 15-18 mph for the entire length of the ride.  Everyone is welcome.  If you are looking for more of a challenge, may we suggest our Wednesday night rides?  A few more miles and a faster pace (18-20 mph), fun rides!  All riders must be at least 18 years old, or have a parent's signature, along with pre-authorization.  All trips are 20-30 miles.  A one time Free or Deluxe Penn Group Ride Membership form must be filled out to ride our rides.  The forms will be kept on file.  Schedule of rides may be changed at leader's discretion.  Helmets required!  Start time is 5:30 pm and all rides start and end at Penn Cycle Bloomington.  Visit the Tuesday Night Tours schedule for more information.  

Tuesday Night Road Ride 

Penn Cycle Woodbury

Come ride Woodbury, Afton, Lake Elmo, Washington County area with Ride Leader Brant Puttkammer. Fun, fast, no drop, group bike ride. The ride leaves Penn Cycle's Woodbury parking lot at 5:30pm. Average Speed 17-21 mph, 30-40 miles. We will have sprints up the hills, but regroup at the top of them to ride together again. The more riders the better.

Helmets are required. We stop at all STOP signs and lights. All rides are "No Drop Policy, meaning that no one will be left behind. No worries about getting lost. All of our rides are intended to have get more people into the sport, have fun, relax after work/school, and promote a healthy life. Check our website www.penncycle.com after 4pm to see if any rides are cancelled or with any questions about our rides, please call the Woodbury Penn Cycle 651-731-9458 or the ride leader at 952-484-2495.

Wednesday

Wednesday Night Tours

Penn Cycle Bloomington

Skill level suggested - 18-20 mph for the entire length of the ride.  Everyone is welcome. If you feel uncomfortable with this pace, may we suggest our Tuesday Night Rides.  Fewer miles, slower pace, very nice, fun rides!  All riders must be at least 18 years old.  All trips are 30-40 miles.  A one time Free or Deluxe Penn Group Ride Membership form must be filled out to ride our rides.  The forms will be kept on file.  Schedule of rides may be changed at leader's discretion.  Helmets required!  Start times are 5:30 pm sharp!  All rides start and end at Penn Cycle Bloomington.  Visit the Wednesday Night Tours schedule for more information.

Wednesday Night Fast Road Ride

Penn Cycle Eagan

Skill level Advanced-Expert –This is a fast ride.  All riders must be at least 18 years old or have a parent signature, along with pre-authorization, (call ride leader).  A release form must be signed before the start of each ride.

• Wednesday night rides will depart from the Eagan Penn Cycle at 2290 Cliff Road. 
• Start times are 5:30 p.m.  Sharp!
• The ride will start on April 15th, and run through Sept. 4th.
• This is a very fast ride.

In case of inclement weather, a decision for the ride will be made at 5:15 p.m. (not before).  For more information please call Penn Cycle in Eagan at (651) 882-1241.

Women's Mountain Bike Ride

Penn Cycle Eagan/Bloomington/Various Park Locations

Women of all riding abilities are welcome!  Riders must be a minimum of 18 years old.  Helmets required.  Rides leave at 6:00 pm.  Ride locations include:

• Salem Hills
• Lebanon Hills
• Terrace Oaks
• Murphy-Hanrehan
• Elm Creek
• Minnesota River Bottoms

Ride schedule runs Wednesdays June 4th through September 10th.  In case of bad weather, a decision will be made by 5:00 pm.  Visit the 2014 Women's Mountain Bike Ride Schedule for dates/locations and ride leader contact information.

Thursday

Thursday Night Road Ride

Penn Cycle Eagan

This will be a mapped no drop ride with Larry Narveson as the ride leader. The ride will be 10-12 mph. This is a nice easy beginners ride of 20 miles that starts at the Penn Cycle Eagan store and leaves at 6:00 pm and you will be back by 8:00 pm.

Helmets are required. We stop at all STOP signs and lights. All rides are "No Drop Policy, meaning that no one will be left behind. No worries about getting lost, a map will be provided on this ride. All of our rides are intended to have get more people into the sport, have fun, relax after work/school, and promote a healthy life. Check our website www.penncycle.com after 4pm to see if any rides are cancelled or with any questions about our rides. For more information please call the Eagan store at 651-882-1241 or the ride leader Larry Narveson’s cell 612-710-2433. Email Larry at lknarveson@yahoo.com.

Product Review: New & Improved CamelBak Podium Bottles

CamelBak took the innovative design features of their Podium water bottles and made them even better this year with a few new improvements.  Each bottle is still made with CamelBak's BPA-Free TruTaste™ polypropylene with HydroGuard™ to let you taste the water and not the bottle.  The new improvements make hydrating on the bike even easier.

The first two things I liked that CamelBak improved upon were the Jet Valve design and the larger removable nozzle.  The lockout on the Jet Valve is larger than the old design and much easier to turn to lock or unlock with one hand while riding.  The nozzle of the Jet Valve is larger delivering a faster flow and is easily removed for cleaning.  This new nozzle contains the self-sealing blue valve making it a breeze to clean, unlike the old design. 

The new Podium bottles are a softer and need less of a squeeze to deliver flow, this became apparent during several rides in chilly temperatures.  The old design would become stiff in cold temperatures requiring more squeeze pressure to produce flow.

The grip was redesigned, too.  It fits perfectly to your thumb and index finger providing a secure grip.  This design makes it easier to squeeze the bottle to produce flow whereas the old design was much more rigid and required more squeeze pressure.

In conclusion, the new CamelBak Podium water bottles are an improvement on an already good design.  Forget about those inferior standard water bottles, CamelBak did it right with this one.  Whether you are a serious cyclist or a casual weekend rider, you will enjoy the new and improved CamelBak Podium Series bottles.

 

CamelBak Podium bottles come in 21 & 24 oz. sizes and also an insulated version called Podium Chill in 21 & 25 oz. sizes.  Available at Penn Cycle, other fine bike shops and from the CamelBak Shop online. 

Disclosure:  CamelBak provided the review samples for this article, but offered no other form of compensation for this review.

St. Louis offers flying trapeze at Union Station

Circus Harmony's new flying trapeze at St. Louis. Photos provided by Explore St. Louis.

Circus Harmony offers fresh way
to have fun and face your fears

Sometime in my late 30s, the inner equilibrium that fueled a childhood full of cartwheels, flips off swim rafts and summer pool somersaults disappeared, leading to severe vertigo with any upside-down dips. Roller coasters and thrill rides? No, thanks.

But a sense of daring? That was intact. Every year’s goals include “Do something that scares me.” Yep, a flying trapeze qualified. And then some.

Read my full feature on facing fear on the flying trapeze--which requires physically hanging on while mentally letting go--on Midwest Living.

Strava Routes Now Available For iPhone & Android

Now you can easily navigate your created or starred (favorite) Strava Routes on your iPhone or Android device.  The feature was added in the latest update (Version 4.1) of the Strava GPS Cycling and Running App.  Create routes with your PC using the Strava Route Builder and they will sync with the Strava app on your mobile device in the Route List.  Starred routes will also appear in your Route List.

Creating a route is easy.  Log in to your Strava account and select the My Routes tab and click on the Create New Route button.  You are now ready to start planning your new route.

Plot your route manually or implement the Use Popularity toggle.

To check the elevation profile for your route, turn Elevation On in the lower right corner.  You can even move your mouse along the elevation chart to see where the hills are along your route.  When your route is complete, click the Save Route button and fill in the required data. 

When you are ready to ride and would like to use a created or starred route for navigation, go to your Routes list in the app and select Use Route with your GPS enabled.  Once the route is loaded, select the STATS tab and hit the Record button and start your ride.  Select the ROUTE tab to see your location on the selected route and follow the red line.

For more information on creating routes using the Strava Route Builder, see Strava's Get Ready To Plan Your Route page.  To learn more about creating your own route or following someone else's using your smartphone, see the Strava Blog post Discover a New Route, Follow It From Your Phone.

To download the Strava GPS Cycling and Running App for your device, visit the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

*Note:  All app screenshots are from the Android version of the app.

Amb. Reynoso Hosts Equine Therapy Specialist from Minnesota

Amb. Reynoso (R)

U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay Julissa Reynoso hosted Minnesota traveler Lynn Baskfield, who was in Uruguay on a Partners of the Americas grant to exchange best practices in equine therapy, in her Montevideo residence last month. 

The latest stage of a project initiated by Willy Lockhart, a past board director of Partners of the Americas, the trip was the third in an increasingly advanced equine therapy exchange to share expertise. This is a fascinating field that is changing the lives of thousands of people in Minnesota and Uruguay. 

Lynn Baskfield

Willy Lockhart