In this week’s WiR we are pulling out the ol’ soapbox. Where we ride (and probably where almost anyone rides) cyclists and motorists are not necessarily best friends, and we get that. We are forced to travel in a tight space at vastly different speeds, but one occupies a machine that weights 10-15 times more than the other. But here’s the thing, motorists are not the only ones causing problems for cyclists. In fact, as cyclists, we can be our own worst enemies.

This past Saturday the AG team was out for training\testing and had several fellow cyclists put us in harms way on three separate occasions simply due to their own selfish actions. First, two cyclists blew through a stop sign and cut us off without even glancing back. As we all know, stop signs mean stop—even to cyclists. Second was when a cyclist decided it was totally OK to ride hands-free to put on his headphones. In doing so, he wobbled all over the bike lane, forcing the team to go out into the street to pass him. Not to mention that riding with headphones puts everyone around them at risk, not just the rider themselves. Finally, were the riders who were riding three abreast and took up not just the entire bike lane, but the majority of the right-hand lane as well. We were forced to ride out into the left-hand lane of traffic to get around them. And as we said to them as we passed, this is exactly the reason that motorists don’t like us. And I for one don’t want to give the drivers any more reason to dislike us than they already do.

So in conclusion, ride safe and obey the law. Show respect to those around you – whether they are on two wheels, four, or none at all. We all have to share the streets, so lets make the best of it!

For those visiting for the first time—welcome! One of our favorite ways to showcase our readers is our Readers’ Rides album on Facebook. You can check it out at http://on.fb.me/12jEqE3. If you would like to have your bike featured in our album just tweet us at @AeroGeeks, Facebook message us, or email us at info@AeroGeeks.com.

This Week’s Posts

                Tuesday – SportRx Prescription Lenses – Final Thoughts

Competitive Cyclists Makes it Pay to Ride

How many times have you said, “if only someone paid me to ride. Then I could finally have all the toys I ever wanted!” Well, Competitive Cyclist is going to turn that dream into reality. Members of the Competitive Cyclist club on Strava will earn 1 credit toward their next purchase at CompetitiveCyclist.com for every hour ridden.

The credits are earned in half-hour increments, with each credit being worth $1.00 towards a purchase. And no, you can’t convert the credits back to cash. Trust us, we already thought of that. Riders are eligible to receive up to 40 credits per month, and the credits expire at 11:59pm MT on the last day of the following month.

So while you wont be getting rich, this could definitely help pay for the tires, gels, and drinks you use during every ride.

The Mailroom

Three boxes came into the mailroom this week, and all three got us giddy. First up was the new Transition 46 bag from Rudy Project. At first glance this seems like a bag that can do just about anything – multiple carry options, a whole load of compartments, and even additional bags to separate your swim, bike, and run gear. Devon is going to start using the 46 as his daily ride bag, so look out pretty quickly for our review.

Next up was the Rideye crash camera. We already covered riding safe above, but if accidents do happen, having a camera that can record the incident is a must. The Rideye automatically saves the footage when it detects that the worst happened. We mounted the Rideye on to our Shiv so stay tuned.

Finally, Profile Design sent us their new FC25 BTA setup. The new FC system starts where the Aero HC left off. The computer is moved up front, you get two straw locations, and now even a place to store some nutrition. We matched this up with the Quintana Roo PR6 we have in for testing and should have it on the streets next week.

Current Reviews

Zipp 808

We start off with the 808s again this week. We got caught in some nasty 15 mph cross winds, but the 808s handled them beautifully. A few gusts got us off our lines but a quick adjustment was all we needed to keep pushing the watts to the wheels.

Trek Speed Concept

You probably thought we were all done with the Speed Concept. Keep your eyes pealed Monday for some exciting news!

Smith Pivlock Arena

The Pivlocks continue to standout each time we put them on for a ride and are quickly becoming a go-to pair of lenses for one of our editors.

Pearl Izumi Tri Fly Octane 2

We got our first ride in with the Octanes this past week. Stiff and comfortable shoes that (so far) hide the mileage you are putting down.  But we still have plenty more miles to put in before we start to draw conclusions.

KUAT NV

The NV is the rack of choice lately at AG HQ. With the optional extenders, it holds two tri bikes tight with no shakes or shimmies. It gives you the confidence you need when transporting bikes that can cost more than most of our very first cars!