Customizing comfort on your ride

This is the factory grips that came with my bike. They are decent, but could be better. 

I believe the easiest way to customize your comfort on your bike, whether it is your road bike or mountain bike, it to focus on the three points at which your body makes contact with the bike. I’m talking about your hands (handlebars), butt (seat) or your feet (pedals).   With your hands you can customize your handlebar grips, the bars themselves or maybe even the wrap you put on them. You can also change up for your hands, gloves. Some with more cushion in certain parts of the glove, finger less, full finger, etc. When it comes to your butt or your seat, you can choose gel seats or a seat that allows only for your sit bones to make contact with it. There is also the option of the padding you wear in your shorts. A gel pad, a thicker chamois, etc.  For feet you have a few options there too. Shoes, pedals and lets not forget the socks. Thicker socks, no show, moisture wicking, etc. The three contact points on the bike can be totally customized for your comfort. In speaking of comfort, I recently swapped my grips on my mountain bike. I have been riding with the stock grips for the past eight months. They seem to be missing cushion. I switch back and forth using gloves to not using gloves. A major bonus in using gloves while out on the desert mountain bike trails is protection if I fall. Not just scrapping along the rough rocky ground but possibly falling into a cactus. In switching the grips, I did some research, wanting a good cushion but a better thicker grip. I went with the ESI Chunky grips. Super easy to install, using a little bit of rubbing alcohol to help them slide on the bars, installed the end plugs. Took no more than five minutes. No Allen wrenches needed or any tools.  Took my first ride on them last week and I am very impressed with their feel.  They may not be fore everyone, but they are worth a try. So when it comes to customizing your comfort on your ride, think about the three points in which you make contact with you bike and start from there. 

Easy to install in minutes and feel great out on the trails. 

The Spruzza Mist Cooling System

The Spruzza Mist Cooling System 

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This is one of four products to help keep you cool in the summer heat. Cycling in the summer with hot temperatures can make your heart rate climb and have an effect on your performance. Using the Spruzza Mist cooling system, cools your body off from 15 to 20 degrees. Mist your face, your neck or your chest. I use it along with other products as the evaporative cooling effect helps in the time it takes to recover from a ride. Ride cooler this summer. 

For more information check it out at https://spruzzamist.com/

Read my blog at www.trihak.blogspot.com

The Spruzza Mist System for Staying Cool While Riding

A few months back, friends of mine at Cat-Ears, gave me a Spruzza Mist unit, knowing I live and train in hot desert of Arizona. It is a misting system that is mounted and used on my bike. The bracket can be mounted to the underside of the stem on any bicycles handlebars, road bike, tri bike or even a mountain bike. The weather is getting quite warm now, whether the sun is up or not. Summer is upon us here in the Sonoran Desert. Spruzza is a misting device you squeeze the trigger and allows you to angle the head of the unit so the mist hits your face, neck, or chest, cooling your body down.  The five ounce water reservoir can provide up to 300 squirts of the water mist, so there is plenty usage before having to refill.  After initially setting up the Spruzza on your handlebars, which is very quick and easy to install and comes with all necessary parts to do so. The Spruzza can be removed quickly if you decide you don’t need it for the ride you are going on.  A small “cleat” still stays on the bike with the zip ties attached to it, but the water reservoir and trigger sprayer come off.  The water reservoir is also easy to remove and refill.  The Spruzza delivers a two to three inch diameter spray pattern.  Typically while wearing sunglasses you will want to avoid spraying them, as it will end up to water spots on the lenses. 



When I have sprayed my face it has been while stopped at a light. David at Spruzza provided me with  tubing ( 2 feet or 24 inches, replacing the 4 1/4 inch tube for the five ounce reservoir) and water bottle set up allowing for water to be accessed from your water bottle mounted in the cage on the down tube of your bike.  So now you can add ice to this water bottle, chilling the water down, as well as be able to fill it with 20 ounces of water. So do the quick math and that ends up to 
five ounces being 300 sprays
so 20 ounces would be 1200 sprays.
 This is perfect for those super long hot rides, and you don’t have to worry about refilling as you go. 

The directions said you can expect a cooling of between 15 and 20 degrees. In the desert heat every little bit helps. 

Here is my results of testing the Spruzza, which are not lab certified by any means. 

Readings off my skin and clothes were captured by using a dual laser infrared thermometer and seeing how much they cool down from using the Spruzza. Speed on the bike was about 15 to 20 mph with direct sun hitting me. Outside air temperature was 100F degrees. The water in the Spruzza was 70F degree water to start with. 

Readings from my chest wearing a jersey started off 

at 97F without misting myself and was cooled to 82F after misting. 

The next reading had my jersey at 107F and cooling off to 83F after misting. 

The final reading had my jersey at my chest hitting 103F and 78F after misting with the Spruzza. 

Of course speed and the amount of misting will result in different results. Keep in mind too the humidity in my area is alway pretty low, at the time of testing it was at eight percent. 

*speed and humidity as well as sun/shade while using can change results

Here is a special offer BONUS I am passing along. For the first TEN riders to contact David at  

Spruzza Mist  

and purchase a Spruzza Mist unit, David will include a lid and tubing along with zip ties to attach to your own water bottle giving you up to 1200 sprays. This is a great offer you can't pass up. 

With the cooling happening, your body is under less heat stress. Riding or training in hot temperatures will cause your heart rate to increase. This happens as your body will send blood to your skin helping it cool off. Spraying your head, neck and chest with the Spruzza, helps cool the skin making your more comfortable. 

TOGS (Thumb Over Grip System)

TOGS come with their own 2.5mm hex wrench and are right and left specific. Easy to install and add comfort on long mountain bike rides. 

What are TOGS?  TOGS stands for Thumb Over Grip System. They are made of a hard thermoplastic.  They attach to your handlebar for your thumb to grip as you ride, resting your hand like playing a piano.  The grip is used for keeping your hands on the bar and not accidentally bumped off while riding. Why would a rider want to use these?  The grips offer a different positioning for your hands which is comfortable after riding for a long period of time.  You still have access to your brakes, yet downshifting gears is not accessible when your hand is in this position. They are easily installed with the 2.5mm hex key provided and snap over the handlebar before using the hex bolt to keep them in place. Adjustments need to be made for other accessories such as brakes and gear shifters, lights, bells, etc., near the handlebar grip to accommodate the TOGS. TOGS are right and left hand specific.  I like to vary my hand position while riding for long periods of time and using the TOGS keeps my hands from getting bumped off. On long climbs I find them very useful. I would recommend TOGS to fellow mountain bike riders. 

to find out more visit them at http://togs.com/