Category: Reviews

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Featured Nutrition Reviews

Chimpanzee Energy Bars

Chimpanzee Bars

Chimpanzee BarsAt Cyclo we’re big on natural energy bars; we often find them easiest to stomach, especially during longer events and training rides, and avoiding ‘artificial’ nutrition is always high on our list of priorities. Having recently been introduced to new Czech brand Chimpanzee Energy Bars – with their distinctive and fun branding and which the manufacturers claim ‘gradually releases energy to get the best out of your sport or workout’ – we were eager to take a look (and taste…)

 

Available in three flavours – Raisin & Walnut, Date & Chocolate and Apricot, with a new Beetroot & Carrot flavor coming soon, the makers say that their Chimpanzee Energy Bars are made of the ‘highest quality organic ingredients’ and are completely natural, with no preservatives, artificial colours or flavourings. Taking the Apricot as a fairly representative example, each 55g bar delivers 215kcal, with 26g carbohydrates (of which half is derived from sugars), 8.2g protein and 5.2 of natural fibre, approximately 21% of your RDA. The carb/protein balance is clearly close to what is often considered the optimum 3:1 ratio, making them ideal for either pre-ride fueling or on-bike nutrition where two bars-per-hour should support a moderately tough workout.

 

Cyclo found the bars fitted neatly into the back pocket of our cycling jersey (in fact we managed to get three in one pocket) and were effortless to open; always a plus when we consider the wrestling matches we’ve undertaken with some bars. All three flavours were easy to chew and digest, were extremely tasty and certainly felt like they were delivering on the energy front too. We’ve found in the past that some energy bars can be hard to chew and swallow, and need to be washed down with a drink, not so with the Chimps – another definite plus-point.

 

Of the three bars our personal favourite was the Raisin & Walnut, the mix of organic walnuts, organic raisins and cinnamon proving a very pleasant combination. To give an insight as to what ingredients go into a Chimpanzee bar, this, by way of example, makes up the Raisin & Walnut variety: organic rice syrup 15%, roasted soybeans 13%, soy flour 12%, organic soy fat 10%, organic raisins 10%, organic walnuts 10%, organic whole oats 9%, barley malt 8%, rice crisps 5% (rice flour, glucose syrup, barley malt extract), organic evaporated cane juice 5% (FairTrade), organic cinnamon (FairTrade) and salt.

 

For the purposes of a second opinion Cyclo spoke to Luke Tyburski, an endurance athlete, adventurer, and journalist sponsored by Chimpanzee. ‘Being an Endurance Athlete, with nutrition playing a huge part in my training and racing,’ says Tyburski, ‘Chimpanzee works extremely well due to their bars containing majorly organic ingredients, and no preservatives, or articial flavours or colourings. An all natural, great tasting, easily digestible energy bar that causes no stomach upset, and a constant stream of energy, there is nothing else I want from my nutrition during training and racing… I recently returned from a month-long training camp in Nepal in preparation for the Everest 65km Ultra Marathon, I used Chimpanzee bars throughout all my training, at altitude, throughout the mountainous trails and racing. I found them not only tasty, but easy on my stomach…’

 

Chimpanzee’s compare well to the similarly styled, long-established Clif Bar (see the Cyclo review here); serving up more-or-less identical levels of carbs and protein, although with Chimpanzee Energy Bars retailing at £1.99 per 55g bar and boxes of 12 x 55g bars at £19.10, Clif (often available for as little as £1) certainly come out best on cost alone. A place, then, for Chimpanzee Energy Bars on our future rides? Absolutely. It’s always good to mix things up and keep variety levels high and with their natural credentials and excellent taste a space for Chimpanzee Energy Bars in our jersey pocket is guaranteed.

 

For more information on Chimpanzee Energy Bars, and details of both online and offline retailers see chimpanzeebar.co.uk

 

 

Categories
Nutrition Reviews

BioSteel High Performance Sports Drink

Biosteel

BioSteel High Performance Sports DrinkWhen it comes to sports nutrition it’s perhaps not quite all in the name (Cyclo hopes the ingredients might go some way towards defining success) but certainly a name can tell you quite a lot. BioSteel! Now there’s a product name that sounds… hard, a name that suggests no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point, tough-as-old-boots results. How then, we wondered, does BioSteel High Performance Sports Drink measure up beyond the label?

 

The unavoidable cultural cliché obliges us to point out that with a name like BioSteel, this is a product that could only hail from the USA – and so it does, where it enjoys much success across a range of pro sports, not least in hockey and golf. Indeed it was whilst working as a trainer in the former that BioSteel creator Matt Nichol, a veteran strength and conditioning coach, set about creating an energy drink that delivered maximum results whilst working well within the sports strict anti-doping regime.

 

Hoping to break the UK market, BioSteel is an easy dissolve (non-clumping) mixed berry fruit flavoured powder that, mixed with plus or minus 250ml of water, delivers 1.5g of carbohydrates (non-sugar, so no associated ‘crash’) along with a mix of ‘body salt’ electrolytes to maintain balance in hot or sweaty conditions. The blend of amino acids are intended to aid recovery and, it’s claimed, boost mental clarity.

 

As always, hard to substantiate such claims outside of structured testing, but as a pure electrolyte drink it works well, with a crisp, clean flavour that doesn’t so much as hint at artificiality (despite hardly wearing ‘natural’ credentials on its sleeve). Certainly the ‘energy’ levels are relatively low – compare the whopping 30g carbs something like Nectar Sports Fuel delivers in a similar sixed serving…

 

So, perhaps it’s definitely not all in the name. BioSteel High Performance Sports Drink is a product that sounds incredibly impressive, but (tentative ‘mental clarity’ claims aside) serves mostly to refresh and rehydrate. Perhaps we missed something, but Cyclo doesn’t quite ‘get’ BioSteel. Whilst we wait for enlightenment, we’re happy to reiterate that it tastes good…

 

Retailing at £69.99 for a tub that, depending on dilution, will give 30-60 servings – BioSteel is available online from biosteelsports.co.uk

 

Categories
Extras Reviews

pOcpacs

PocPac

pocpacKeeping kit and belongings dry on the bike is a perennial problem and, if legend is to believed, one that caught the attention of two brothers from South Africa – both engineers and keen mountain bikers. Out one day in the bush and caught in a torrential downpour that soaked or diluted everything in their saddlebags and pockets they noticing that the only thing unaffected was the water in their camelbaks; it set them thinking that perhaps using the tech that kept fluid in, could be used to keep fluid out. And so pOcpacs were born.

 

The pOcpacs range of sealable bike packs are made from recyclable (though not actually recycled) material which has both memory and elasticity, meaning the cases can be filled to the brim and still close effortlessly. The closure is achieved via a fairly standard looking zipped press-seal (with a substantial metal zipper) but unlike many fastenings of this type Cyclo has encountered they stayed firmly and reassuringly shut however much we tried to over-stuff the packs.

 

pOcpacs are available in three flavours: The Off-Road Pac, the largest at approximately 150x170mm, has a clear plastic divider inside and easily held a multitool, spare inner, puncture kit, gels, wallet, keys and various other cycling detritus. The Road Pac – slightly smaller at approximately 150x140mm – also features an internal divider and neatly fitted an inner, tyre leavers, gels and other odds and ends. Finally the iPac (at 140x95mm) is designed for phones and has the added advantage off allowing full touch-screen functionality without having to remove the phone in adverse weather.

 

pOcpacs are a neat and functional solution that do one thing and do it extremely well. An obvious benefit is that they can be slipped into a jersey lumber pocket; neatly hold everything together in one place (and keeping them dry as a bone) without the need for saddle- or seatpost bags. The Off-Road and Road Pacs costs £9.99 and the iPac £6.99 and whilst the simple design and branding is fine as is, the manufacturers can also supply them (minimum order of 100 units) branded for clubs or sportive events.

 

Further details and online orders at thepocpac.co.uk

 

Categories
Nutrition Reviews

BeetActive Concentrate

Beetactive

BeetActive ConcentrateThere is strong evidence that beetroot can help to reduce blood pressure; in turn there is a suggestion (not much more than a suggestion until further research is undertaken, to be honest) that this in turn may aid oxygen uptake and thus endurance performance. Either way adding dietary nitrates, in which beetroot is rich, is largely to be commended and one way of doing that is with BeetActive Concentrate.

 

Made from 100% concentrated beetroot juice, with no added preservatives, BeetActive comes in a 210ml bottle (typically containing the juice of over 30 beetroot), which is diluted to make around two litres of juice. The taste, whilst undeniably ‘beetrooty’, is sweet and pleasant and has nothing of the unpleasant earthiness that plagues rival product Beet It Sport Shots (read the Cyclo review here). It may still prove something of an acquired taste for some, but if the idea of downing BeetActive as a juice doesn’t appeal it also makes an unusual salad dressing when mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar…

 

Whilst (likely) reducing your blood pressure and possibly improving endurance, one thing is for sure: regular use of BeetActive will turn your urine pink – something we found slightly unnerving and not something we’d usually discuss in public. On a more serious note, be aware too that reducing blood pressure, whilst generally considered a good thing, may not be desirable for those already suffering from abnormally low blood pressure (hypotension). As with all supplements, if there’s cause for concern, it’s always wise to seek advice from a medical professional.

 

Eating celery, cress, rocket and a host of other green leafy vegetables will all raise dietary nitrates too, but if you’re looking for an easy boost then BeetActive is an interesting addition to the arsenal of cyclist’s weapons; naturally it also counts towards your ‘five a day’. Costing £10.99 for two 210ml bottles (the minimum online order), BeetActive works out to approximately 85p per-day/drink around half the price of a single Beet It Shot. Buying in greater bulk – six or 12 bottles – further reduces the cost.

 

Details and online purchase at cherryactive.co.uk

 

 

 

Categories
Books Featured Reviews

Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition

tdf2013_book_largeOf course there are no end of books on various aspects of the Tour de France and numerous biographies of those you have ridden it to fill in the more personal (often painful) minutiae. But now, thanks to publishers Quercus, comes a book as rich and beguiling as the race itself. Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition, authored by Françoise Laget, Gilles Montgermont, Serge Laget and Philippe Cazaban is an enormous volume that pulls off the seemingly impossible trick of being both concise and suitably detailed in turn.

 

Covering the birth of the TdF before dedicating a page per race through the subsequent one hundred editions, it includes overviews that capture the agony and ecstasy along with brief stats, such as final standings, total distances, average winner speed and map, all of which helps contextualise things. But this, perhaps, is not the book’s strongest selling point (excellent though the prose are) as Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition is also a stunningly illustrated visual history with more than 250 photographs and illustrations – many previously unpublished – which elevates this beyond a ‘mere’ history.

 

Those that think they know the TdF are likely to find bountiful nuggets of archaic and obscure information here and the photographs will continue to captivate long after this year’s winner reaches the Champs-Élysées. As a written history, with substantial sidebars, this book is near perfect; as a collectable coffee table picture book it is unsurpassed.

 

Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition is published by Quercus (ISBN-10: 1782064141) and worth every penny of the £30 cover price. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Categories
Apparel Extras Reviews

Helmet Liner Pro Buff

Helmet Liner Pro Buff

Helmet Liner Pro BuffFor almost as long as we have loved bikes we have loved Buff – the perfect, seamless multi-use headwear (the name comes from ‘bufanda’, Spanish for scarf) that has been with us on virtually very ride we can recall. Juan Rojas, a keen off-road trials motorcyclist from Spain, who had worked for more than a quarter-century in the textile industry, realised a need for a simple multifunctional garment that could be worn on or around the head in a range of conditions; eventually finding a high performance microfibre that was breathable, moisture wicking and wind resistant he created a proprietary ‘tubular loom’ knitting process and the Buff was born. New for 2013 is the Helmet Liner Pro Buff – Cyclo, naturally, wanted to know more…

 

Designed to be worn under a helmet (which also makes it great for potholers, climbers and skaters) the Helmet Liner Pro Buff is shorter than the traditional version at 27.5cm – compared to the 52cm original – and is made from a knitted polyester fabric with a special construction similar to beehive cells for outstanding breathability, wicking and drying.

 

On the ride we found a comfortably close fit beneath the helmet (an Abus Airflow, which we adjusted slightly with the ratchet dial) and despite the fact that, unlike the tubular-knit traditional Buffs, the Helmet Liner Pro does have a seam, nothing rubbed or irritated. Wicking was excellent and the addition of a topical silver ion treatment to prevent odour that can result from bacterial build up was a welcome addition.

 

Will the Helmet Liner Pro Buff replacing our extensive collection of other Buffs? Almost certainly not – the traditional Buffs have too many multi-purpose uses to jettison and we love the winter warmth of the Polar Buff and additional safety served up by the Reflective Buff – but the Liner Pro is an excellent and welcome addition that we can see accompanying us on rides for years to come.

 

The Helmet Liner Pro Buff retails at £15 and is available in a range of six colours/patterns. Further details and online purchase at buffwear.co.uk

 

 

 

Categories
Apparel Reviews

Spiro Full Zip Performance Top

Spiro Full Zip Performance Top

Spiro Full Zip Performance TopCycling, we’re sure we don’t need to tell you, is not necessarily the cheapest of pursuits; bike aside, it’s not difficult to find money all-but physically leaking from your pocket once you start to kit up. But can the budget end of the market fulfil anything other than the most basic of requirements? With this question in mind Cyclo took a look at the new Spiro Full Zip Performance Top, a promising looking jersey with a price tag that made for a full-on double-take…

 

Made from 100% polyester the Spiro Full Zip Performance Top wicks reasonable well in warmer weather but lacking any elastane/Spandex in the mix lacks the closer fit and dynamic movement of more expensive jerseys and as the fabric doesn’t incorporate any antibacterial properties it becomes prone to a degree of stink if left to its own devises.

 

However, the fit – despite the absence of elastic stretch – is surprisingly good; available in S to XXL for men (chest size 37-49inch) and XS to XL for women (UK 8-16) the jersey isn’t especially long in the back, but sits well and pretty much stays put thanks to an effective rubberised ridge system at the hem. Despite being reassuringly lightweight, the biggest issue with comfort is the seam quality – you don’t need to look inside to judge the bulkiness of stitching, spend a couple of hours on the bike and you’ll feel it. We found, even without a substantial sweat factor, and particularly under the arms, that the seam size and quality resulted in mild irritation – bordering on chafing – in the kind of time frame we would barely consider a leg-stretcher. It’s probably unreasonable to expect flatlock seams at an entry-level price, but this remained the one area where we felt a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ came into play.

 

Two open lumber pocket – not the biggest we’ve seen, but ample for a gel or two – are complimented by a mid-back zipped pocket for keys/cash and a commendable amount of reflective detailing, particularly in the back, an area sadly lacking in many jerseys we’ve ridden in. Another welcome addition is UV protection, which never goes amiss. In terms of looks the Spiro Full Zip Performance Top delivers either a black/white or much higher viability green/black combo and complimentary jackets and legwear are available if you fancy building yourself a team kit vibe.

 

Yes, pros and cons – but the price? Drumroll… £15 for the men’s, £13.50 for the women’s. That alone almost (almost) nullifies the seam criticism. At this price you could build yourself a near complete kit (shorts £16.50, base layer £5.90) for the cost of most jerseys alone. The Spiro Full Zip Performance Top certainly isn’t the most technical or robust jersey available – nor did we expect it to be – but it far outperforms its exceptionally modest price tag

 

Further information at spiroactivewear.com and online purchase at shop.resultclothing.com

 

Categories
Recovery Reviews

Pro-Tec Y Roller

Pro-Tec Y Roller

Y Roller ReviewAmerican company Pro-Tec Athletics started out in 1991 with a single product – the Knee Pro-Tec Patella Tendon Strap – before expanding its product offering to include further specialised supports for running injuries; in 2012 they introduced the Y Roller, an elastomer (elastic polymer) constructed massage roller that featured a unique dual-ridge design. At Cyclo we’ve had plenty of cause to use massage rollers over the years – not least to ease tight IT bands and calf muscles; we put the Y Roller through its paces to see how it measured up.

 

On initial impressions, the Y Roller looked to be well made, sturdy and firm; the manufacturers claim that the elastomer used is the highest density and most durable foam possible, able to withstand constant, heavy and repeated usage without breaking down.

 

The unusual design has two parallel ridges each of which splits into two tram-line-like ridges on one side of the roller and remerge into a single ridge on the opposite; Pro-Tec say that the dual/single ridge option offers, ‘a targeted aggressive massage’ or the ability to ‘…roll in between ridges for a less aggressive, moderate massage.’ What this meant in practical terms was that we could roll our IT band between the dual ridges – which was firm and applied a good amount of pressure – and then slowly rolled the IT band up onto the single ridge to apply a more focused, deeper and better targeted tissue massage.

 

Initially we confess to having been a little unsure of exactly how to roll effectively over the dual/single ridge design, but the Y Roller comes with an easy to understand guide (and there are some helpful online videos), which shows how to use the roller for different areas of the body. It took a few back-and-forth rolls to get the hang of things, but once mastered never forgotten (appropriately like riding a bike…) The Y Roller works well across other muscle groups; calf, hamstrings, glutes, upper- and lower-back all benefitted, as did the arch of the foot (excellent after extended peddle sessions) and because of the Y Roller’s size it easily took care of quadriceps – something lesser rollers can struggle with.

 

The Y Roller has a diameter of 15cm and is 40cm long, which makes it a little larger than its rival the Trigger Point GRID (12cm/33cm), but comes in at around the same price £38.99. Now we’re used to the initially tricky ridge rolling technique the Y Roller could well become our massage tool of choice.

 

Available from vitalphysio.com, with further information at pro-tecathletics.com and a number of instructional videos online, such as the one below.