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The Tune Bug Shake is a small portable speaker that takes the place of headphones or earplugs. It uses a standard 3.5mm audio jack that plugs from your mp3 player into the Tune Bug Shake. The Shake can then be mounted onto a normal vented mountain biking helmet or a skater type helmet as well. Power up your mp3 player and you get music from the Tune Bug Shake (msrp: $119.95).

Tune Bug Shake, small, clean design with just two buttons… very Apple-esque if you ask me.

When I ride solo I like to have my mp3 player with me. I enjoy rocking to some tunes when out on the trail but doing this has its downsides: not hearing what is going on around you, ear plugs falling out or moving around at inopportune times and having so many accessories and necessities in and around my ear. With the Tune Bug Shake I am able to eliminate all of these problems which makes this device pretty cool in my book.

Not being able to hear what is going on around me is probably the main reason I have enjoyed the Shake. I HAVE to be able to hear what is happening on the trail. With earplugs I lose out on this even when the volume is very low. I have a difficult time hearing people communicate with me and I feel disconnected since I can’t hear the tires on the trail. I have had more than my share of people scare the crap out of me when riding with earplugs but with the Tune Bug Shake I am able to hear the surrounding sounds including the other riders or hikers around me. I also hear the tires as they interact with the trail helping me be in tune. Sorry, I had to.

3.5mm audio jack.

The Tune Bug Shake has also eliminated the ear bud falling out of the ear problem. I have tried a variety of different ear buds: buds, buds that wrap around the back of your head, buds that wrap around your ear… all of them have a tendency to become dislodged at inopportune times. When using the Tune Bug Shake it always stayed on top of my helmet except for the one time I crashed and I found it on the trail a few feet away, none the worse for it.

When riding, it doesn’t add much weight; definitely not notice-able after you put the helmet on.

Lastly, the tune bug eliminates having anything on my ear. With ear plugs, sunglasses, a head sweat band and a helmet I can have a lot going on in and around my ears. This occasionally led to minor headaches while riding and I normally had to give up on something… usually the music. With the Tune Bug Shake I am able to keep the necessities while still playing my music too.

I did find that the Tune Bug Shake’s sound quality was not as good on a vented helmet as it was on a skater type helmet. The sound on a vented helmet had more treble and needed a bit more bass but it was still listen-able. I would also prefer to have a wall charger rather than a USB charger but it does charge quickly. These issues are a small price to pay for all the advantages the Tune Bug Shake brings to the table.

Although sound quality is better on a non-vented (skater type) helmet, I would still listen to the Shake on my vented helmet.

The Tune Bug Shake is a great, safe way to play your music while on the trail. For more information on the Tune Bug Shake, click here.

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Editorial by RL Policar-Rumors have it that he likes to throw hammers at your spokes during a race. He’s also been known to get tattoos because they feel good, he IS, Mark “THE POLISH HAMMER” Tomas!

This past Tuesday was the final race for the 2010 Over The Hump Series at Irvine Lake. The weather was awesome, and so was the turnout, with 375 racers! Even the pro class was big, with Sid Taberlay, Tinker Juarez, and Dana Weber to name a few. After a quick pre ride, we staged up. I’m racing Sport class ages 30-39, this group alone had 35 racers. Its hard to believe this a weeknight event.

At the sound of the horn it was a mad sprint to the first climb. I held back a little, trying to remind myself we are doing 3 laps, at 4.4 miles each. The course was great, I enjoy it more every time I ride it. By the beginning of the second lap,the front of the pack is barley in sight. I was part of a second group, battling on the climbs, and drafting each other on the flats. By the end of the 3rd lap, I was drained. Once the results were posted, I placed 12th of 35. With a course time of 1 hour 33 seconds.

There were 12 races this year for the Over The Hump Series. I participated in 3 of them, which placed me 34th of 115 in my class.

I must say hats off the the crew that put on this series! It is very impressive how smooth things run. I will be marking my calendar for next year. Special thanks to Chuck for the photos, and support. Next up Socal Triple Crown!

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About a year ago, I saw toddlers gliding around the local races on a Strider bikes. Shortly after I reached out to Strider and they sent me one to test for my son Jake. At the time, he was approximately 1.5 years old. I was exited to get him on a bike…

Out of the box the Strider needed just minor installation – the tires, handlebars and the saddle. Within five minutes, it was ready to roll. At almost 2yrs old, Jake was excited with his new toy – a bike. Intrigued, he was quick to sit on it. I lowered the saddle to the lowest position so he can easily touch the ground with his feet flat.

When Jake first received the Strider bike

For the first few months Jake just walked with the bike while straddling it. At times he would walk next to it while holding the handlebars. It’s all about the comfort level. Sometimes I’ll have him put his feet up on the chainstay/swingarm and give him a push him. This gave him an idea of how balancing and acceleration would feel.

Jake’s first Kid’s Race… I was running with him

One thing for sure is he was attached to the Strider!

As Jake was getting comfortable with the Strider I gradually raised his seat. This gave him leverage to run while feeling secure with the saddle under his bottoms. We took frequent trips around our neighborhood to build his comfort level. It was eventually working. The key is patience…

Jake’s second race. Fontana Nat’ls. He was off and running on his own (see video below)

Note that kids will learn at different times/stages. Some will learn much quicker than others. Again, I stress for patience. While we want to see our younglings zoom with a bike, we want to make this FUN for them

One of the key factors that help Jake acclimate to the Strider was as soon as he was comfortable with running and balancing, we would go on a family group rides. Because we were all on bikes, he was a lot more comfortable. Comfort builds confidence and at times he’d want to race us.

Boost of confidence – little jumping session. Not quite perfected, but he certainly gives it a shot!

In my opinion, this is the best way to teach kids at an early age to ride a bike. They learn to balance and steer at their own pace while in full control to stop the bike if needed. I highly recommend the Strider bike – it’s well worth it for your little ones!

Specs:

Light weight steel frame
12” wheels
EVA Polymer tires (puncture proof)
Simple set-up – NO chains, pedals, gears

The Strider bike retails for $99.00. More information can be found on their website www.stridersports.com.

Below is a compilation of Jake’s progress on the Strider bike.

Next step – pedals!

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Last week I posted some pictures of my new project bike, the Bianchi Nyala. This bike originated in the 90s and that’s why I love it! I’m a HUGE fan of older bikes from the 80′s-90′s and I’ve actually acquired a butt load of them to restore and resell. On this project bike, thought about restoring it back to its glory days. But I decided to do something different. I had some spare NEW parts laying around in the Ole’ Bike Shoppe’ De RL that I could use for the Nyala.

Here’s the outcome; a 1×7 steel rigid bike. I got rid of the plastic brake levers and grip shifters.

I thought about upgrading the wheels to some Vueltas, but opted to keep the original single wall wheels. We’ll see how long they last.

Changed the handle bar to some wide Azonic bars,Tektro brake levers and check it out man…NEW thumb shifters…now that’s old school!

Shimano LX brakes, front and back with all new Jagwire cables and housing.

My DIY polished cranks from a previous project with a 32t ring.

I kept the OEM rear Alivio derailleur. Look at my shiny new 7 speed cassette.

View from the cockpit.

I’m super excited to ride the Nyala on the trails. Tonight will be its maiden voyage.

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Bro-Deal-By definition its a hook up on prices. I’ve been working on making sure we bring you bro-deals on a weekly basis and guess what. It’s finally here! I’ve got deals from Evomo, Wabi Cycles and many more. I get updated every few weeks from our vendor contacts with bro-deal prices on bicycle related stuff. So feel free to check it out.

I’m sure you’ve already seen the banner ad for it.

You could also access the bro deals by clicking on the link above.

If we hear any more bro deals out there, we’ll update the page. Happy Shopping!

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