Race Day Nutrition

Turbo Truffles are bite-sized gourmet chocolate candies produced by XTZ Industries in Washington, USA. Each one of these little nuggets packs 150mg of caffeine, or close to two cups of coffee’s worth. Yikes, that ought to get your motor running. With flavors like Hot Rod Hazelnut and Racing Raspberry, one might assume the emphasis is more on the stimulant than exceptional taste. However, if you’re looking for an edge in sprint race and don’t have the time or the stomach to down a cup of Starbuck’s or a packet of caffeinated energy gel, Turbo Truffles may be a viable option.

If you find yourself on the XTZ website placing an order for truffles (approx. $0.33/ea.), check out the Sex Water. I haven’t been able to come up with nutritional content or ingredients for this herbal aphrodisiac, but I did read that it “brings together all the essential elements your body craves to keep you going all day and all night.” If that’s true, you might consider carrying a couple bottles on your next century ride!

You’ve probably heard that you can have nitrogen pumped into your tires in a growing number of locations.  The theory is that nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen molecules and are therefore less likely to leak through your permeable rubber tire.  Most of us have atmospheric gas (air) in our tires which is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases.  Service stations selling nitrogen for your tires typically fill with a 93% - 98% concentration of nitrogen.

Tires leak in a number of different ways.  There could be a hole in the tire made by a foreign object, a poor seat on the rim, a malfunctioning valve stem, or typical permeability through the tire rubber.  If your tires are leaking air from any of the first three, get your tires repaired.  These types of leaks allow both nitrogen and oxygen to pass.  If your tires are leaking through the pore spaces of the rubber, read on to find out how to fill your tires with nitrogen for free.

The price for filling a single tire with nitrogen ranges from $4 to $10 (USD) per tire.  If you have a tire that leaks through the tire rubber, don’t pay for a nitrogen fill up.  Simply fill with regular air each time.  Here’s the secret: Each time air leaks through the rubber, you lose more of the smaller oxygen molecules than the larger nitrogen molecules.  When you refill with air, the nitrogen concentration in your tire becomes greater and greater.

Let’s say your tire requires 100,000 gas molecules to fill to the proper pressure.  (It will be much more than that, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll stick with this small, round number.)  Ignoring the 1% of other gases, we start with 78,000 molecules of nitrogen and 21,000 molecules of oxygen.

According to the Get Nitrogen Institute, oxygen escapes from tires at a rate that is 3-4 times faster than nitrogen.  For this example, we’ll assume that with every nitrogen molecule escaping your tire, four oxygen molecules are also lost.  Therefore, every time you lose 26,250 air molecules from your tire, you are left with pure nitrogen.  5,250 nitrogen molecules and 21,000 oxygen molecules escaped, leaving you with 72,750 molecules of nitrogen.

When you refill with air you will replace the 26,250 air molecules with 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.  The gas in your tire will now contain roughly 93.5% nitrogen and 5.5% oxygen.  There you have it.  With just one refill of air into a leaky tire, you have reached a nitrogen concentration equal to that which service stations sell for $4 to $10 (USD) per tire.  Each time you refill with air, more oxygen is purged and the nitrogen concentration becomes even greater.

Agree/disagree with this logic?  Let me know.  Curious about helium or hydrogen in your tires?  How about glowing neon in your tires?  Follow this discussion at MTBReview.com.

Occasionally Larabar will offer samples to bloggers that write about their products. My Valentine’s Day chocolate suggestion must have caught their attention because a box of Larabars landed on my doorstep today. It arrived a little beat-up and sat outside in the 90 degree heat for a few hours. Despite those conditions, the bars were in good shape. That’s a testament to how Larabars are made. There’s no chocolate coating to melt all over the inside of the wrapper.

The box was packed with four new flavors that Larabar is currently promoting: Chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Cherry, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Coconut Cream Pie. I quickly tested out the Peanut Butter Cookie and was quite pleased. It was still warm from the porch and wasn’t unlike a cookie fresh from the oven. With just dates, peanuts, and salt, it’s impressive that it tastes so good. Makes me wonder if bars pushing 30+ ingredients are really necessary. Unwrapping the Peanut Butter Cookie bar did reveal the source of the oil stains on the sides of the box. Apparently the ground peanuts tend to leak a little bit as the inside wrapper was smothered. But it’s just peanut oil and I’ll take that over the partially hydrogenated stuff. Thanks Larabar!

I’m trying to support my LBS, but eight dollars for four no-name spokes?

The Frankenklein is a valid 96er.  I was able to ride it at nearly the same speed as I had with the stock configuration.  Below is a list of observations from the inaugural 2 hour trail ride:

• Best aspect: Improved momentum on long straights
• Worst aspect: Not used to rigid fork and the 29 inch wheel does not make up for a suspension fork.
• Handling: Reduced turning radius, but improved front wheel traction due to larger contact area.
• Obstacles/Technical: Clearing downed trees on the trails seemed to take a little more effort. Smaller roots and rocks were slightly easier to roll over.
• Acceleration: Rigid fork is good for acceleration, but heavier front wheel negates benefit.
• Ride geometry: Requires a few rides to get seat adjustment correct. Rake is a bit “off” but can’t be corrected since the frame was modeled for 26 wheels.
• Weight: The 29 inch tire and wheel I used for this project were an inexpensive take-off from a Redline Monocog. The wheel is an Alex Rim and the tire is a WTB Nano. This is not a light cross-country set up. I felt the added mass in the front of the bike. The Surly fork is steel and was only slightly lighter than the 26 inch Recon fork. There are some rigid carbon forks that would save some weight. I think weight savings in the front of this bike would improve floating over obstacles as I had become used to with the stock configuration.
• Other: Used to carrying only one spare tube? Now you’ll need two.  Hideous front brake squeal with new rim.

Bottom line: Mostly neutral.  Converting a 26 inch MTB to a 96er (or 69er) is not only possible, it’s actually makes for a decent ride. I chose a rigid fork to keep the axle to crown dimension as small as possible, but if you’re used to a suspension fork, this will be an issue. My hands and arms took noticeably more abuse and I fatigued earlier as a result.
If you’re serious about cross-country racing and convinced that the 29/26 combo is right for you, go with a factory built 96er (69er). The frame geometry will be optimized for the big front wheel and the ride will be more natural. Production 96er’s (69er’s): Trek Mountain Hardtail 69er and Carver 96er.  I will ride the Frankenklein again, but see myself switching back to the stock Klein soon.

You’ll find most of these bikes called 69ers, but I disagree. The number comes from the combination of a 26 inch wheel and a 29 inch wheel. In this case, the 29 inch wheel is in front and should come first, thus the 96er. Plus, this is a family website and I don’t want to attract the wrong crowd if you know what I mean.

At any rate, this build is a modification of a standard 26 inch wheeled mountain bike. Not just any bike though, this is an extra large Klein Attitude Race. It’s a very lightweight gradient-tubed aluminum frame known for it’s stiffness and ability to propel riders uphill at blazing speeds. The size of this frame always made the wheels look small. I’ve owned the original bike for about 10 years, but this frame is about 6 years old. It came as a factory replacement for my broken Attitude Comp. Trek, now the owners of Klein bikes, replaced the frame at no cost to me and generously upgraded it from a Comp model to a Race model. In the process, I also succeeded in acquiring a frame size change from the old L to the current XL.

As the popularity of 29ers grew, they started to make sense to me. I could see the logic of rolling through singletrack on large diameter wheels. When the oddball 96ers began appearing I was skeptical. My left brain kept telling me that the bikes look uncomfortably asymmetrical. My right brain kept saying, they’re different, give them a chance!

As all bicycle riders know, there comes a point when you want to upgrade, change, or otherwise mess with your current ride. It sometimes comes out of necessity, though more often than not, boredom. So, while contemplating my Klein from across the garage, I decided that I would try reconfiguring it to a rigid 96er by adding a larger fork and the 29 inch wheel. It seemed straight-forward enough. I wouldn’t need to invest much to make this happen and the whole ride will (or should) be outrageously different.

My first thought was about the geometry. Would adding the taller fork really mess up my beloved riding position? I was very comfortable with this bike and didn’t want to make it stupid. I decided that the rigid fork and a minor adjustment to the headset spacers would position the handlebars in roughly the same position. When the current Rock Shox Recon suspension fork is locked-out, the axle to crown length is very similar to the rigid Surly Karate Monkey 29er fork I purchased for this project.

How did the construction go? Quick! It took about 20 minutes including installation of the Chris King baseplate. I added a 1/4 inch spacer, adjusted the brakes, and the bike was good to go. This is definitely a task that you can perform on a weekly basis depending on your riding or racing preferences. But, would you want to? I’m not sure myself as I haven’t put any miles on the Frankenklein. Initial reaction is that it’s good. However, the rake is a bit disrupted with the wheel tending to settle right or left when the bike isn’t rolling. I am anxious to get some miles on it and will report back. Stay tuned for the final verdict.

Update: Read my first impression notes here.

I once wrote a letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb Company proclaiming my love for Excedrin Migraine formula pain reliever. They replied with a form letter and some coupons for more Excedrin. I wasn’t that disappointed. I just wanted to let someone know how much I appreciated their product.

I get migraines. Always have. Growing up I can remember using Bayer chewable children’s aspirin. The dosage table on the bottle recommended 8 tablets or something like that for my age at the time. At some point I switched to Advil. I think both products worked okay, but they weren’t always reliable. Sometimes the migraine would go away, sometimes it only prevented the pain from getting worse. Other times, the medication failed completely.

Then along came Excedrin Migraine. I remember spotting it on the supermarket shelf for the first time. I was thrilled. It seemed custom made for me. Sure as the label declares, the product worked very well. I can’t say it’s kicked out my migraines 100% of the time, but it has a success rate above 90% for sure.

As I write this I am about 40 minutes past taking Excedrin Migraine for one of my Monday afternoon blow-outs. 40 minutes is about the time that the medicine indicates to me whether or not it’s going to be effective. Today it’s going to work. Otherwise I would not be writing this. I’d be struggling just to hold my head up and to see straight.

So, thanks again, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (and all the makers of the generic). On behalf of myself and many other migraines sufferers, we appreciate your efforts to produce this product. I can now finish my work day and not collapse on the couch when I get home. In addition, that little dose of caffeine you put in each tablet kinda lights a fire under my ass. I may take advantage of that and hit the trail for a long run tonight.

The LeMond Tete de Course arrived in a timely fashion. I was watching the UPS tracking on the package all week. It shipped from Idaho and my anticipation grew every time a new state appeared on the shipping log. Following Idaho it was Utah, then Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and finally, Illinois. On the Friday it was set to arrive I saw that the bike was out for delivery at 4:00 am. I checked periodically that day from my place of employment hoping for the message to say it was delivered. Finally at 2:17pm, to my disappointment, the UPS tracking log noted that the driver attempted delivery but no one was home to sign. UGH! I called UPS and was given two options: 1.) Wait until Monday for UPS to redeliver, which would likely result in another failed delivery because I wouldn’t be there to sign, or 2.) Have the package held at the regional UPS facility and personally pick it up before 7:00 pm that night. Needless to say, I was in my car driving to Rockdale, IL at 6:30 pm.

I brought the box home and opened it for a brief inspection. It was nice to see a bike in there. The box was in good condition, but I was disappointed in the way it was packaged. I was told that the bike would be “professionally” packaged by a local bicycle shop. I would not call this professional. The seat and seat post were left dangling in between spokes of the rear wheel. The front brake was disconnected to allow the handlebars more flexibility in packaging. However, the brake wasn’t wrapped in anything. It was left to bounce on the carbon fork for who knows how many bumpy miles of all-right-hand-turns in the UPS truck. The brake did a decent job of wrecking the clear coat on the fork.

But, I’m not complaining. One pleasant error in the eBay listing is that the Dura Ace cranks that were listed as 172.5mm in length, turned out to be 175mm. I was considering swapping the shorter cranks for a 175mm, but now didn’t need to. The rest of the bike is in excellent condition. The wheels are true, the gears have lots of life left in them, and the brakes are nearly perfect.

I assembled the LeMond and took it for a quick spin. Not a bad ride at all. It felt solid and light without any fine tuning. Had it been available on eBay in a 59cm or 60cm frame, I wouldn’t have needed to strip it down and built up the Rocky Mountain. BUT, that wasn’t the case and I had a brand new RM frame waiting to be build up.

If you’ve been to a physical therapist for consultation or treatment of a sports related injury, you’ve likely noticed all of the “toys” strewn about the facility. There are rubber bands, sticks, balls, straps, benches, and other colorful items.

In a recent visit to a physical therapist for an Iliotibial (IT) Band problem, the therapist introduced me to an IT band foam roller. This is a hard, closed-cell foam tube about 6 inches in diameter and 2 or 3 feet long. It is designed to massage your outer thigh and help prevent the pain associated with your IT band rubbing against your femur near your knee. I was instructed on how to use the roller and trusted that it might help with pain I experience from running.

Rather than to initiate daily visits to a PT, I made a mental note on the size and shape of the IT Band foam roller and decided to make my own for home use. The first thing that came to mind was a Funnoodle. These are the colorful foam tubes sold as a pool toys. But, I recalled that Funnoodles have a diameter too small to match the roller at the therapist’s office.

I visited my local Meijer to look for other pool or boating devices that might suffice. It turns out that Jakks Pacific, Inc. produces the DoubleFun Funnoodle toy that I thought would do the trick. It consists of a standard foam Funnoodle with two larger diameter cylinders on each end - not unlike a pugil stick. The foam seemed to have the appropriate firmness as well, so I bought one.

Back at home, I noticed that with a little pressure the Funnoodle collapsed in the center. No, problem… I had an old broom with a wooden handle that I could stuff in the hole to help hold it’s shape. So, with that confidence, I trekked into my garage and sawed off both ends of the Funnoodle. Then I measured and cut a length of broom stick that would fit inside each end-piece.

I tried my new DIY IT Band Foam Roller on a hard surface in my house and it worked! It felt exactly the same as what I felt at the therapists. The DoubleFun Funnoodle cost $8 and I was able to make two IT band foam rollers from it. Compare this to single IT band rollers that cost anywhere from $10 to $40 each. (See PerformBetter.com.)

It’s been said that when looking for an IT band foam roller you want to find one with a really strong core. Through regular use, the foam will break down and lose it’s effectiveness. Hopefully with a wood core, the Funnoodle roller will last a while. I’ve also heard of particulary masochistic people using Nalgene bottles. I think if you’re thigh is bruised from rolling on something like a Nalgene bottle, it’s time to start rethinking your therapy.

Sports Center Austin offers an alternative viewpoint on the source of IT band pain in this article: Stubborn Iliotibial Band, and Part II, As the Hip Turns.  As always, consult a physician before trying any physical therapy or exercises.