Lazer Tardis Helmet Review

Below is a guest post by ZenTri friend and Coach Matthew Bates.  Thanks, Matty B!

I decided to try the Tardiz Aero Helmet after my old aero helmet was busted while moving houses, so I was very excited based on all the features that Lazer packed into their helmet.  Racing with an aero helmet is the cheapest time you can shave off your race, meaning that for how much money you spend you can save the most seconds off your bike. Some experts have even said that an aero helmet will shave as much time off your bike split as aero wheels and for 1/5^th the price!

Unboxing the helmet is a dream as it come in very cozy foam cut box that you can use for future storage. Instantly you are struck with the venting, great design and loads of technology in this helmet. The venting includes 3 front and 3 back vents for great heat dispersion here in Texas. The rear dimples are meant to improve the aerodynamics even when you can’t hold that perfect TT position for the entire race. Whether that works or not, I will leave up to you.

The two most interesting feature to me are Lazer’s Rollsys and the Aquavent. The Rollsys is Lazer's way of having the helmet grab onto your head and keep it steady. This system is amazing and features the wheel pictured on the outside of the helmet for easy and reliable adjustment. The Aquavent is a thing of beauty here in Texas. It is a big open port on the top of the helmet that lets you pour cold water in the hot and it disperses the water evenly throughout the helmet. It works amazingly well! I used it on a hot summer day and was borderline shivering after 5 minutes. Another nice feature is the magnetic helmet buckle that made my last transition super smooth. The only hitch is it’s sometimes a bit hard to unbuckle it properly, so make sure to practice before your next big race.

After about ten rides in the helmet I can truly say that it will be in the permanent collection. It fits relatively well, it is super quiet and every feature works just as advertised.  I can’t make any wide claims about it shaving time off my bike rides, but I can say that it sure does make me look a lot faster! My biggest complaint is that Lazer’s sizing only comes in two sizes: XS-M or L-XL. I think that my perfect size is somewhere in between as the XS-M rides a bit high and the L-XL is far too big. Other than that, this helmet is an amazing speed demon that for the money is easily worth every penny!

Pros:

• Fast looking
• Great design
• Rollsys makes fit perfect and easy to adjust
• Aquavent is perfect for hot weather

Cons:

• Sizing can be difficult for some
• Magnetic buckle takes practice

Price $180

IronBaby 2011 a Success!

Just a quick note that IronBaby 2011 was a huge success and we will have more updates on Wednesday.  As of right now, we raised over $1,800 for Mikey!  Lots of videos, pictures and an entire podcast coming very soon!

Follow the 6th Annual IronBaby this Friday!

So you're stuck in the office all day Friday, dreaming of doing some epic stuff this weekend?  Get primed by watching yours truly and other friends do the IronBaby self-supported triathlon all day long.

The IronBaby is an ultra-distance triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) done all on our own around College Station, TX.  Not only are there no entry fees, but we raise money and give it to chairity!  

The swim will start at around 6:00 AM Central, then we transition to the bike.  We ride a four-loop course around the south side of town, refueling as we swing by a house.  After the ride ends, it's a nine-loop run around the neighborhood, stopping at the house every 3 miles for more fuel and water.

We Tweet pictures and videos the whole day as we move along, so you'll feel like you're right there with us.

Here's the list of Tweeters you should follow for that day:

Triboomer, CoachMattyB, Zentriathlon, ZenTriNurse, iChallengeMe, #IronBaby

And of course, the course map and much more is on the Ironbaby home page.

Thanks and have fun!

Podcast - Jessi goes to Maui

Click Here to Listen to the Show!

Movement U. founder Jessi Stensland tells us all about her training and racing that got her to the XTERRA World Championships in Maui.  She is a former pro triathlete and fantastic example of how great form and smart training can make you awesome.

Join in as we talk about how to race off-road and she shares many training tips that we all could use.  After that, we have a ton of my own training tips as I take you with my on my many adventrures.

Don't forget about the Ironbaby coming up this Friday!  Follow along on Twitter and we'll see you there!

Click here to listen or download

Do It Because It's Difficult

I was watching this video about a Brit that has done some pretty Epic stuff, and it has already made a big impact on my life. (plays best in IE)

Unhappiness is caused because you aren't sufficiently challenged.  In modern society, we've made life so easy, that it's literally boring us into depression.  That chair with thick cushioning and multiple levers is the same chair you're sitting in for two hours in traffic and nine hours in a cube farm.  Congratulations, you've "made it."  Lucky you.

I drove to the pool yesterday morning, only to find out it was closed because a pipe burst.  On the drive home, I started to think what I could do instead.  My time was limited, and the choices were getting smaller by the minute.  

I didn't have time to get in a bike ride, but I did have time to bike to work.  No good, I thought.  The commuter bike's tires are low, I'll have to find commuter clothes, I won't be able to drive to lunch, and then I won't be able to pick up my kid from school on the way home.

Then I thought about that video.  What if I took all of the above as a challenge?  Goal:  Ride your bike to work and put food in your mouth at lunch and get the kid home in time for soccer.  All of the sudden, my brain was happy at work looking for solutions and my body was humming with energy.

Guess who got to work on time by bike, ate lunch, got the kid home in time for soccer practice?  And guess who took it a step further and ran home 5.5 miles from that soccer practice?  I did.  And it was FUN.

I thought a lot about all this while executing yesterday's tasks and also today before writing.  I tried "Do it because it's difficult" on a variety of items.  Basically, make whatever you need to do harder and all the sudden it's easier.  Don't want to make dinner?  Try making it on one leg.  Does an hour on the trainer sound boring?  Do an hour on the trainer while blindfolded.  This works because the challenge greases the wheels.  Having to look for creative solutions engages your mind and body, and now it's you versus your task.

OK, now that you've got the little ones down, it's time to go big.  Run home from work.  Too far?  Ok, drive your car a few miles from work, park it, and run in.  Run back to your car after work.  Sounds too difficult?  The guy in the video ran a series of marathons day after day in the Sahara Desert with a broken foot - I'm sure you can manage.

 Find the harder way to do things and you'll live a more interesting and vital existence.  I promise you, it's worth it.