Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike Review

If you follow me on Instagram stories, you would have seen just how proud I was when I put together this bike rack by myself - even the FedEx guy who stopped by was impressed. Full disclaimer, this rack was sent to me to review, but opinions are always my own, so here I am telling you allllll about it. 

This is the new Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike, it retails for $469.99, and I've been using it for mountain bikes only so far. It was pretty simple to put together, a one woman job, and everything needed to assemble was included except for the adjustable wrench. The rack weights 35lbs so I have no problem taking it on and off my car. I'll list the detailed specs below and elaborate on some or my favorite and not so favorite things so far. 

First off, I love that the lock is integrated. I live in Atlanta and bike theft is rampant so that is a MUST have if I'm taking my bikes anywhere at all. Make sure you feed the cord towards to middle of the rack and through the frame rather than coming towards you and back into the rack (I hope that makes sense). The cord is just long enough with no extra slack so it's nice and snug. Like I said, so far I have used this rack with two mountain bikes and I'm happy to say that they are both easily secured. I was able to tighten everything down myself which I was happy about, as this has actually been a problem I've had with another bike rack in the past. A few simple pushes on the wheel-clamping hooks, a couple of clicks, adjust the straps at the bottom for the wheels, and you're ready to rock and roll. This rack also has zero contact with your frame, another pervious problem I've had, so I'm very happy about that! Lastly I love the tilting mechanism. I can fold it up when I'm not using it and tilt it back with the bikes on to access my trunk. 

Cons: So far the only problem I've had was loading TWO downhill mountain bikes on at the same time. It was a two lady job as one person was needed to hold the first bike steady as I loaded on the second one, and then brought the arms up. In the future, it would be nice to see a version that has the arms independently adjustable in order to put on bigger bikes one at a time. Realistically, this won't be much a of a problem as my go-to bikes are small enough to load each bike in one at a time with ease. 

There you have it! The new Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike rack in all of it's glory! If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Check out the detailed specs straight from the Saris website below:

• Platform style hitch rack

• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lb/each.

• Two shepherd's hooks hold bike by top of both wheels -- does not touch the frame of the bike.

• Sleek, compact and lightweight design transports two bikes on a single bar.

• Adjustable arms and wheel trays fit almost any type of bicycle, including those with fenders, mountain bikes and ebikes; bike spacing accommodates widest combination of bicycles.

• Integrated locking cable secures bikes to the rack.

• Locking hitch pin secures rack to the car

• Tilting feature allows access to rear of vehicle, even when fully loaded, and folds up when not in use.

• Ratcheting arms pivot on case hardened brackets for superior strength.

• Reflectors on outside wheel trays ensure extra visibility in low light.

• Bottle opener integrated into tilt handle.

• Built and tested to outlive the elements.

• Universal hitch works with 1¼” and 2” hitch receivers.

• Rack weight: 35 lb

• This rack fits a wheelbase of up to 48”.

• Universal wheel trays accommodate a wide variety of bikes and wheel sizes (up to 4” tires).

• Wheel straps are provided for the rear wheel if needed for kids bikes, e-bikes and bikes with fenders.

• For use with tires wider than 4”, add the Fat Tire Wheel Holders.

Here are some stock photos incase mine just aren't doing it for ya!

A weekend in Florida

This post was written for Specialized. See the original post here.

Well, it’s definitely no secret that my Camber and I have become quite the pair. My boyfriend and I have even started making a tiny course to practice on in our backyard AND I signed up for a Women’s Downhill Camp that’s happening in July. I pretty much jumped in with both feet to say the least. I’m still SO incredibly new, but very set on learning. 

This past weekend we took a trip to Destin for a little beach vacation and while we were there we thought we would visit a local MTB trail. We reached out for suggestions on social media, found the address of a trail near by, packed up our stuff, and headed out. The trail head had no map of the trail system, but plenty of bear warnings. As we’re riding along I’m thinking to myself how flat it is, no one would need anything more than a CX bike out here, easiest trail ever, so and so on and then BAM I over correct and throw myself into a tree. Just goes to show you that you can literally fall anywhere so use this as my friendly reminder to wear a helmet while riding. Regardless of the tiny scratches (and slightly hurt ego) I ended up with, we had fun, explored through the path of palm trees, admired the crazy amount of white moss, and of course stopped to take photos.

We finished the ride, stopped for acai bowls, and ended our day playing in the ocean while enjoying Floridas white sandy beaches. Bikes, food, and the beach - I’d say this is one of my favorite ways to spend a day. 

Meet my new Specialized Camber

*This post was written for Specialized. See the original post here.

Meet my new beauty - the Specialized Women’s Camber, but first let me give you a little back story as this was not an overnight decision.

Nearly a year ago I felt some major and loving peer pressure to get a mountain bike. Considering my first experience prior to that was awful, I wasn’t too keen on getting back on one, much less buying my own. Unfortunately I made the mistake of borrowing a bike much too big for me, slammed my lady bits on it within the first five minutes, and felt as if I was going to fall off at any point. Let’s just say I was not one with that bike and because of this experience I thought I hated mountain biking.

Sometime in the following year is when I joined an off-road cycling team (for CX) where the majority of those girls also love mountain biking. Lucky for me they gave me the itch to give it another try. After hearing I wanted to try MTB again, my friend Carol reached out to me and offered to let me borrow her bike and have a mini clinic with me as she was in the process of getting her certification to be an instructor. I took her up on it and wow, what a difference that made. When I met her at the trails she took the first 20 minutes or so to set up the bike to accommodate me. We went out and did a mix of riding and skill training where she would take video of me to better explain either what I was doing right or wrong. Long story short, this made a massive difference and I became hooked. I spent the next few months trying to educate myself on the various types of bikes and figure out (with the help of others) what would be the best bike for me.

Once I decided on the Camber I spent a solid few days visiting my local Specialized Dealers to try a few sizes and chat with them about sizing. Because they didn’t have the exact bike in stock, it took some side-by-side geometry comparing to really figure it out.

Fast forward to this week when the bike arrived and I rode it for the very first time. I LOVE IT. It was a process to get to this point, but completely worth it. I’ll be sharing my MTB adventures (the good and the hilariously bad - as I always do) in the next coming months!

The best cycling shoes in the game

Clean or dirty, old or new, indoor cycling or outside - THESE BABIES are my tried-and-true when it comes to PEDALING DAT BIKE! By day I teach indoor cycling at Flywheel Sports so I’m teaching 8-11 classes a week (on top of any classes that I take) and boy do I get stopped while wearing my baby blue S-Works 6 shoes in the studio. I keep these for indoor cycling only so that I’m not tracking in my smelly outdoor road shoes, plus I’m not mad that these have stayed in perfect condition - I mean, look how pretty they are! 

On the other hand, my white ones have been trained in, raced in, wrecked during a crit, worn in the rain, and I’m pretty sure they need to be retired. However, because they are so broken in and comfortable I haven’t had the heart to upgrade them just yet. Also, just in case you’re wondering, I have no trouble keeping them white (except for the areas that hit the pavement). 10/10 would recommend. Also, if you have narrow feet like me, it wouldn’t hurt to add Footbed inserts to really make sure you’re foot is snug as a bug.

Original blog post written for The Specialized Digest. Click here. 

Advice from an Ironman - Eric Hinman

Hey guys! I'm finallllly catching up! I don't recommend starting a new job during the busiest time of year for your other job, hah! Oh well, I've enjoyed it, but I miss blogging! So a while ago I reached out and interviewed Eric Hinman whom I met while in Hawaii with Oakley. He's an incredible athlete and I just had to pick his brain. First I asked him to tell us a little bit about himself and then further down you can find the actual interview. Thanks!

Mae: So, Eric, tell us about yourself:

Eric: I started training for triathlon in 2010. I didn't know how to swim. I never biked competitively, I had a running background - high school circa 2002. I signed up for my first sprint (a small local race), and spent hours in the pool leading up to it learning how to swim, practicing two stroke breathing. In my first sprint distance triathlon, I side stroked, and back stroked the entire 800m. I was scared shitless surrounded by other people, flailing in the water. I thought I might drown! With a bit of luck, and perseverance, I made it through the swim, passed people on the bike, and held my own on the run. I finished 3rd - excited that I did well, but hungry to improve. Triathlon is a very individual sport - the biggest competition is yourself. I love self improvement, and was instantly addicted to the process to improve. I competed in one other local sprint distance triathlon that summer, with my sights set on 2011. I hired a coach, and began training with purpose. I started to understand the difference between training hard, and training smart. I completed my first Olympic distance, then two half Ironmans in 2011. In my second half Ironman, I qualified for the half Ironman world championships. In 2012, I completed my first full Ironman in Lake Placid. I was soooo sore, for days after!! I missed qualifying for Kona by one spot, which equated to 1 minute. It fueled my competitive drive to further improve and quality for Kona in 2013. Under the helm of my triathlon coach, Mike Corona, I trained long purposeful hours, in prep for IM Lake Placid 2013. It worked. I qualified for Kona! In Kona, I was a victim of the lava fields, heat and wind. I had an awful race. It took everything not to quit. Seeing so many other inspiring athletes on the course gave me the mental fortitude to continue on, finish the race, and get my finishers tee shirt + medal. Yet again, my competitive drive was fueled. I had to perform better in Kona - for my own satisfaction! I trained even longer, and harder in prep for IM Lake Placid 2014. I qualified again. In Kona 2014, I finished in 9:36. I was satisfied!

2x Kona Qualifier + Finisher (IM World Championships)
4x Half Ironman World Championship Qualifier
5x Ironman Finisher
10x Half Ironman Finisher

Mae: How did you get started? Any sports before competing in Ironmans?

Eric : I played three sports in high school - basketball, track, and cross country.  I played one year of basketball in college (a bit too short to be a force!). I started weight lifting in college, and stuck with that through my early 20's. I really didn't have an extensive athletic background, other than always enjoying being active, and competing against myself/seeking self improvement.

Mae: So I reached out to some people online who also have some questions. Below are a few I chose. 

Do you get motivation externally or internally? What practices do you use before a big race? Visualization? Meditation? 

Eric: I get motivation internally. I am very competitive with myself. I'm always seeking self improvement in all aspects of life. I set seemingly unattainable goals, and then execute on a daily basis to reach them. My theory - if someone else has done it, I can do it with enough time and purposeful practice. I try to go through life with purpose in anything I'm doing.

I do some visualizing + meditation in the weeks leading up to a big race - the 5 hour bike rides provide plenty of alone time! However, in most training sessions, I focus on being in the present - if you think about how much longer the training session is, or how much you have to do, it's easy to defeat yourself.

Mae : Crowd Question : Do you sing to yourself, or what keeps your mind occupied during such long stretches of road on ride/run. I know we can all guilty of getting in our own heads, so what prevents you from doing that?

Eric : Mental fatigue is the hardest part of any sport (in my opinion). Like anyone, I have on days where I'm in a flow state, and off days where 5 minutes into a 2 hour session I want to quit. However, I try to go into every training session with a positive attitude, purpose, and excitement. Luckily, once I start training, I normally get "in the zone" quickly.  

Mae : Crowd Question : Do you use any sort of sports psychologist? Dr. Michael Gervais was just a guest on the Rich Roll podcast and it got me thinking about how high level endurance athletes are seemingly all employing some sort of sports related psychologists. How do you deal with self sabotage in tough events where things seem to be going poorly?

Eric: I don't. I am good at tricking my mind - for example, I set mini-goals during races. On the Ironman run (a marathon), I'll typically just focused on getting to the next aid station (one mile away) looking forward to a cup of Coca Cola at the aid station - to spike my blood sugar level, to keep going. I don't think about how far I have to go, just how far I've already gone. A positive mindset is paramount - think about past successes - I've run a marathon before, I can do this. I trained long hours, I can do this. Others have done this, I can do this.

Mae : Crowd Question : Tips for sticking to training schedule while still having a life on the road!

Eric : It's tough to balance. When I was training long hours, I structured my days around my workouts. I traveled less frequently, and avoided places where I couldn't easily get into my training routine. Ex.) I'd visit places that allowed for easy training - Austin, TX where I can easily run, bike at a training facility, and accessibility to a pool. 

Mae : Crowd Question : What kind of cross training do you do besides swim, bike, run?

Eric: I do a lot of strength training, and Crossfit (5x per week off-season and 3x per week in-season). I truly feel this has given me an edge - increasing my strength to weight ratio, building durability and muscular endurance, and reduces my risk of getting injured from the high repetition/volume in triathlon training. The metabolic conditioning workouts in Crossfit also give me a mental edge to really dig deep when my body is hurting - I can think back to all my past sessions, and convince myself, I've been through worse!

Mae : Crowd Question : What does your nutrition look like while in training? Are you counting calories or macros?

Eric: I adopted a high fat diet. Here's a typical day:
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/sh/63b98521-2fe9-46d9-8522-c117a04547a9/fa66f79114f2d10dcb3e3963c5cd85aa

Mae : Any pre-race rituals?

Eric: I always write a race plan. I read my prior race reports to see what I did well, and what I didn't do well. 

Mae : Best advice to someone wanting to do their first ironman? 

Eric: Find a coach. Think like a bumble-bee, and train like a race horse. Find a great coach that will help you train with purpose. Hit the workouts, don't overthink it. Put in the time + effort, and you will succeed! Discuss with your significant other - it's a major time commitment.
The training needs to be consistent.

Thanks Eric!! 
You can find his social media here:

https://www.instagram.com/erichinman/

http://www.fitner.co/eric

Win tickets to the Super Bowl!

Oh yes! It's that time of year to win allllll of the things! This time it's tickets to The Big Game...yes THE game! Just follow @MichelobULTRA on IG and/or Twitter and post a pic of you at a @FlywheelSports studio 12/12-12/18 with the hashtags #MichelobULTRAFly + #Contest to enter. (full rules link is below) 

***Trip consists of round-trip coach air transportation, double occupancy hotel accommodations for three (3) consecutive nights (includes breakfast daily), two (2) tickets to Super Bowl LI (“Game”), two (2) VIP Tailgate tickets, ground transportation to/from airport and hotel and to/from hotel and Game, and admission to various Bud Light sponsored events.

Winner will be notified on or about January 9, 2017, via direct message through their Twitter or Instagram account (depending on entry method).

www.michelobultra.com/big-game-contest.html

Thanks to Flywheel and Michelob ULTRA for sponsoring my Instagram post! 

Smart Eyewear : Oakley Radar Pace

"Okay, Radar - What's my workout today?" I say out loud as I'm getting on my bike. "Today, you're practicing group cycling. We'll be going 38.5mi and climbing 2,910ft," is the response I hear through my smart eyewear.

Yep, that's right - I'm talking to my sunglasses. 

The above photo is by the amazing @wildermonster & @ncruzimagery

The above photo is by the amazing @wildermonster & @ncruzimagery

On October 3rd, Oakley and Intel released Radar Pace, a hands-free virtual coach built into your eyewear to use for cycling and running. With moveable and detachable earbuds, you can listen and respond back to the glasses to do to various things such as receive feedback about your workout, ask questions like, "how am I doing?, listen to your music, and accept phone calls. Using the free Radar Pace app, Bluetooth, and smart technology, the glasses will collect and analyze personal performance data including power output, heart rate, speed, cadence, time, pace and distance. If you'd like to read more about specs, I'll point you into the direction of the professionals and tell you to click here.

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Kona, Hawaii during the Ironman World Championships and actually put the Oakley Radar Pace glasses to the test. With both the Intel and Oakley team there, we started off on Thursday with a demo day learning all about the glasses. At the Ironman Expo were two large shipping containers turned into a really rad Oakley booth where you could shop Oakley gear, create custom glasses, and of course, watch a live demo of the Radar Pace. 

At the demo we watched a guy as he started running on a treadmill while talking to seemingly no one. A female voice responded through the speakers commenting on his stride, heart rate and water consumption. He responded back with questions, and the female voice would respond in real time. While totally hands-free the runner was receiving feedback about his workout via the smart eyewear. My eyes got huge and I immediately had SO many questions. "Can you import your own workouts?" I asked. "No, but the free app has tailored workouts for you based on what you're training for and when the event is." Wow, so the glasses not only talk to you, but the connected app has customizable workout plans. That's pretty awesome. After that, a lot of technology words were throw around and that's where I was a little lost. As much as I love gadgets, I'm 100% into the experience while numbers and fancy words go in one ear and out the other. At this point, I'm totally hung up on the fact that my sunglasses can talk to me! Like, hello - is this real life? My next question was, "can I remove one of the earbuds? Safety first, you know? The answer is yes. You can either bend the arm of the earbud to hover it above or below your ear, or completely detach it. 

Later that day, the team took us outside where helmets, kits, shoes, bikes, and Radar Pace glasses were waiting for each of us. I'm a kid in a candy store at this point. I'm taken up to a table where someone works with me one on one to walk me through the process of fitting the earbuds to my ear, adjusting them to make everything as comfortable as possible, and syncing them to my heart rate strap, power meter, and phone. As we are setting everything up, I'm being told that the glasses charge via micro USB, hold a charge for 4-6 hours, come with additional clear lenses in addition to the PRIZM Road lenses, and feature touch sensors on the left side to do things like control my music and adjust the volume. After the glasses are ready to go, another person fits me to my bike, puts brand new cleats on my shoes, and the next thing I know - I'm riding around on a sweet Specialized Roubaix with Di2! What is my life right now?! My heart is full and my mind is blown. 

The next day we meet up for a sunrise ride/run with three time world champion, Craig Alexander, where everyone is decked out and ready to test the Radar Pace. I turn on my phone and glasses, ask what my workout is, and a group of us get going. As I'm riding, I'm asking her various questions for fun. "What's my cadence? What's my heart rate? What's my power? Is that good?" She responds with the stats and I keep going. The only thing I wish I would have done is attach the aero clip because when it got really windy going downhill, she couldn't hear me because of the microphone interference. So noted, always use the aero clip. What really got me was when she reminded me to drink water, or better yet, told me that I'm coasting too much (we stopped to take photos, ok?!) haha. 

The above photo is by the amazing @wildermonster & @ncruzimagery

Overall the experience was great and immediately I thought of my friend Liz. How perfect are these for someone who doesn't currently have a coach, but trains and wants an efficient workout? I met up with her last night to tell her all about it and she's sold. With the price point at $449, I rate this as fair. Considering the Oakley PRIZM road glasses (without additional lenses) range from $120-$250 just by themselves, you're also getting headphones with great sound quality, additional clear lenses, an app with customizable workouts, and of course the two-way conversation real-time coach that calibrates to you and just gets better the more you use it. 

The above photo is by the amazing @wildermonster & @ncruzimagery

A big thank you to Oakley for allowing me to be apart of this experience. It's one thing to try a product, but another to meet the people behind the brand, hear about the two years of hard work that went into making the product, and actually have the creators help us out first hand. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

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If you'd like to see Radar Pace in action, please view the video below. 

Protein Bite Balls - Recipe

Well, as someone who is a self proclaimed snackaholic, I should probably share another recipe as it's been way too long!

Between taking indoor cycling classes, training, and commuting to and from the studio, I grab these since they are easy to make and easy to take with me. BEHOLD, the seriously addicting, but also seriously easy, OLLY NUTRITION protein bites. Although extremely customizable, I'm more of a quick and easy kinD of girl, so I stuck to the basics, BUT Feel free to add dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips. However, I tend to stick with these four ingredients because I usually have them on hand.

CAFE MOCHA PROTEIN BITES

Makes 12 balls

- 1/2 c instant oats

- 1/2 c protein powder (I used OLLY Nutrition in Cafe Mocha)

- a heaping 1/2 c nut butter

- 1/4 c agave syrup

Mix all four ingredients together in a bowl and BOOM, you're done. Refrigerate or eat immediately.

Caution: I don't recommend eating more than 1-2 at a time. They taste very good, but it's A LOT packed into a little ball and you don't want to stuff yourself. Trust me, been there done that. <3

Thanks to OLLY Nutrition for providing the Smoothie Blend and sponsoring this post to create these delicious bites!

Enter their contest to win OLLY Smoothie, $500 Target, $200 Athleta and Pasternak Blender click HERE