We cannot believe we are already a month into 2016. For us that has meant shaking off the off season cobwebs and getting back into the swing of things. Lucky for us it is already starting to warm up again down here in South Florida. And while Saturday was in the 50s, we were back into the 70s by Sunday. This meant the team got to spend the week doing what it does best – testing out the best products the market has to offer.

Have you checked out our new Awesome AeroGeeks gallery on Facebook.  For those who are new to AeroGeeks.com, one of our favorite ways to showcase our readers has always been our Readers’ Rides album on Facebook. You can check out our entire Readers’ Rides collection at http://on.fb.me/12jEqE3.

Awesome AeroGeeks is for you to share the most important piece of equipment you have – you! We are looking to see you being awesome in the pool, on the bike, and on the run. If you want to share a picture, just tweet us at @AeroGeeks, Facebook message us, get us on Instagram, or email us at info@AeroGeeks.com.

This Week’s Posts

Tuesday – T1 Pro Magnetic Race Belt – Review

Thursday – Pearl Izumi P.R.O Aero Long Sleeve Jersey – Review

Mechanical Doping is Here 

Big news is coming this weekend from Belgium. Back in May we shared details on mechanical doping and just how easy it is to get a motor into your frame. At the time, it was still mainly speculation and rumor as to if these motors had actually made it to the pro level. According to reports coming from the Cyclocross World Championships in Belgium, a bike has been detained because of technical fraud.

According to the UCI – “The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirms that pursuant to the UCI’s Regulations on technological fraud a bike has been detained for further investigation following checks at the Women’s Under 23 race of the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.”

Further from Brian Cookson (UCI President) on Twitter: “Technological fraud is unacceptable. We want the minority who may consider cheating to know that, increasingly there is no place to hide, and sooner or later they will pay for the damage they’re causing to our sport.”

So now the big question is, has it made it to triathlon yet? For now, there have been no reports of mechanical doping. But we have to believe that it won’t be long before we start seeing technical inspections alongside the bike counters at Kona check-in.

Heather Jackson and the Marc Pro

Whenever we hear a pro has a new industry partnership in the works, we take notice. Yes, we know there are a lot of skeptics out there who think any and all partnerships come down to one thing—money. However, we consistently find that there is a no-compromise attitude when it comes to athletes risking their place on the podium for a few extra dollars. So when we got the press release this week that Heather Jackson has formalized a partnership with Marc Pro, we stopped to listen.

When we first reviewed the Marc Pro back in June of 2014 we said, “For those athletes looking for every edge they can get, the ability to recover that much quicker is money in the bank.”

Our sentiment seems spot-on considering that Heather Jackson said much the same thing: “After receiving a device over a year ago, it quickly became part of my day-to-day recovery routine. I immediately noticed a difference in how quickly my muscles recovered after hard sessions, which allowed me to be better prepared to hit the next session.”

We have had the successor to the Marc Pro, the Marc Pro Plus, in the office for a while now. Stay tuned for our thoughts.

The Felt IA 16

In July, our technical editor headed out to Felt HQ to check out the 2016 lineup where we got a sneak peak at the entire IA line – except for the budgeted minded IA 16. At the time, the IA 16 was still not available and, until this week, we didn’t even have photos.  Good news—the IA 16 is out now, and we have the full details.

The IA 16 comes complete with Felt’s Bayonet 3 base bar with f-bend three-position extensions, Tri155 stem, and Vibration-reducing Aero Tri UHC Advanced carbon fiber seatpost with 3T DiffLock Comfort Module internals. The Shimano 105-equipped drivetrain includes an FSA Omega BB30 50/34T crankset and Shimano 11-28T cassette. Other highlights include internal cable routing that’s compatible with both mechanical and electronic groups, adjustable carbon horizontal dropouts, an aerodynamically optimized direct-mount rear brake, a Prologo Zero Tri PAS T2.0 saddle, and Felt TTR4 wheels.

The Felt IA 16 is available now in five frame sizes and retails for $2999.

Current Reviews

Quintana Roo PR6 Di2

A box arrived to AG HQ from Quintana Roo a few weeks ago containing a never-been-ridden PR6. Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that this will actually be our second time with the PR6. The first was damaged in shipping, and while we did our best to repair the damage, we never felt we were seeing the full potential of the bike. Now we get to see what all the fuss is about.

Profile Design ATTK

While building up our new PR6 we decided we would need a bento box. The ATTK is the newest bento box from Profile Design. And while we haven’t had a chance to ride with it yet, we do have to say that getting it installed was a bit tricky. Those hard sides mean better aero performance, but squeezing your fingers in there for the install can be a bit tough.

Bontrager Aeolus 9 TLR D3

We’ve spent a few months riding tubeless with the Aeolus 9s, and so far we haven’t had a problem with the wheels themselves, or riding tubeless in general. In fact, we are firmly over the fact that we no longer have to bother with tubes or C02 (unless you are in the worst of incidents). But maintenance is an expectation when you go tubeless, and this past week we had to refill the sealant in the wheels. For those who aren’t familiar with tubeless, anytime you puncture, the sealant helps plug the hole back up. Getting the sealant in wasn’t an issue at all. And after a 50-miler this weekend, so far so good