Valentine’s Day may be one of the most important holidays there is to triathletes and endurance athletes alike. Not because it’s another chance for new gear. No, this is the one day of the year where you get to make up for the other 364 you spent neglecting your spouse when it comes to time (training) or money (new go-fast toys).  So hopefully you got your workout in extra early this morning and were there to cook that special someone breakfast when they finally rolled out of bed (slackers).

And if your special someone is a triathlete and you’re still looking for that last-minute gift. Good news! This week’s WiR is dedicated to a few new nutrition items on the market that we think your special someone is going to love.

This Week’s Posts

Monday – Trigger Point MB1 & MB5 Massage Balls – Review

Tuesday – Zipp Vuka Aero – Review

Thursday – Pearl Izumi AmFIB Cycling Tights – Review

Friday – POC Octal Aero – Review

Readers Rides and Awesome AeroGeeks

Craig sent us this Trek Bicycle Speed Concept 9 Series frame featuring a Shimano Dura Ace 9070 Di2 groupset. Stages Power meter, and Cobb JOF Saddle. Craig rolls on top of a Profile Design 24 wheelset, 58/78 and clips into Time Xpresso 10 pedals. A very much AeroGeeks Approved Readers’ Ride.

 

If you want to see you or your bike on AeroGeeks.com, check 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.

nuun Mango Orange

We’re long-time fans of nuun here at AeroGeeks. In fact, you’ll likely find some in any one of our editors’ bottles any day of the week. So we were interested to hear that nuun was looking to change it up a bit – and we think for the better. The recipe for nuun Active and nuun Energy is built on the current base formula with its’ optimal electrolyte blend and has been upgraded with the addition of new plant based sweeteners and ingredients including monk fruit extract, beet juice powder, and avocado oil. The primary sweetener in nuun is now monk fruit extract, a low glycemic, zero calorie sweetener, sourced for its’ purity and preferred taste. Another unique addition has been avocado oil, which is used in the production and manufacturing of the tablets. The caffeine source for the nuun Energy product is also plant-based, derived from organic green tea extract.

As a result of the addition of these plant-based ingredients and the development process focused on ingredient purity and intent, nuun has earned notable certifications and support from the natural foods industry. The product is now certified vegan, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and is non-GMO sourced.

We have had a chance to get a few workouts in while hydrating with Mango Orange, and we have to say that our all-time favorite nuun, Watermelon, may have met its match. Mango Orange is sweet and light. Whether we’re 5 miles or 50 miles into a workout, we never found it overpowering. When it comes to Orange and other citrus fruits we sometimes worry about acidity, but the Mango flavor cuts the citrus extremely well and always left us wanting more. Our only criticism is that while a single nuun tablet is typically fine to use in either 20 oz or 24 oz bottles, Mango Orange gets a touch too weak if you drop it into a 24 oz. bottle.

GU Cucumber Mint, Maple Bacon, and Roctane Vanilla Spice

Another staple of an AeroGeeks workout are a few packets of GU. And over the past few workouts we have been enjoying some of the newest flavors to the line – Cucumber Mint, Maple Bacon, and Vanilla Spice.

Cucumber Mint is one of the most complex flavors we have tried from GU to date. It was relatively mild compared to what we were expecting. While you could clearly taste the mint and cucumber, neither flavor overpowered the other. For us, this is a great late-workout gel, perfect for when you’ve become tired of the sweeter, stronger flavors you’ve already gone through.

While Cucumber Mint is mild, Maple Bacon is strong. As soon as you tear into a Maple Bacon packet you immediately get hit with an unmistakably smoky flavor. The smokiness with a hint of salt may be exactly what you need as you head into T2. We were worried that a bacon flavor would be the last thing you’d want on a hot day, but because the flavor is more smoke than…well, meat, it works well.

And to finish off your meal there is Vanilla Spike – the dessert of the Roctane line. Tracy, our multisport editor, has officially horded all the Vanilla Spice packets in the AeroGeeks office. She claims the taste is as close to homemade carrot cake that she could possibly imagine.

RxBar

We actually came across RxBars while searching for a dairy-free protein bar for breakfast and mid-day snacks. And when we saw their motto – we knew we had to try it. “No Added Sugar    |    No GMO    |    No Dairy    |    No Soy    |    No Gluten    |    No B.S.”

There are currently eight flavors of RxBars, and in the name of testing, we made sure to try them all. And while all of them are fantastic, a few flavors stood out. Apple Cinnamon is Mike’s favorite and what he grabs almost every morning. The flavor of apples is strong and the cinnamon is not overpowering.

Tracy, however, typically goes for the Pumpkin Spice. And let’s be clear, this is no PSL – this is a Pumpkin Pie with only 10 ingredients and 12g of protein fuel. She is hooked.

Finally, there is Chocolate Sea Salt, which is a great mid-day snack. The chocolate is dark and strong, and the hint of salt compliments it nicely. It’s the perfect way to get you through the mid-afternoon slump.

Current Reviews

Marc Pro Plus

With the season back in full swing, the Marc Pro Plus is seeing renewed time in the recovery room. The Marc Pro Plus takes everything we loved in the Marc Pro and adds a few new features to make it that much more useful for those looking for more active recovery. We typically stick with the low-frequency settings for our after-workout recovery, but the high-frequency mode is great when we have some stubborn aches and pains to deal with.

Kit Brix

Speaking of being back in full swing, how is your stinky bike bag doing? Looking for something a bit more durable to carry your bike or swim gear? So far the Kit Brix is everything we have expected. Super durable and great for carrying everything we need. We love the compartmentalized design that lets us put our bike repair gear in one bag and nutrition in another.

Bontrager Hilo XXX Carbon Saddle

This week we are wrapping up our time with the Hilo XXX. We have had a Hilo XXX on our Fuji Transonic for the past few months. But just a few weeks ago Bontrager sent us an updated model, and we wanted to check out the new model for the updated 2016 features. Stay tuned later this week for our thoughts on the Hilo XXX including the updates.