Gear review--Aero bars & Zoots

If you are my friend on Facebook you may have noticed me making a big deal out of some shoes I won at a tri clinic last week. It was love at first sight. Plus they are just seriously sweet. I was a little nervous to try them out cause if they didn't wear on my well I was going to be so sad.

I did my speed work on Monday in them. I even tried them barefoot as they are constructed to be worn. It was a little strange to not be wearing socks, but I could get used to it. I really like these shoes.

First they are easy to put on. They have these tab/hole things that you just put your fingers in and pull them on. The "laces" are these stretch things and you don't even tie them. Pull them on and go. Obviously for a daily workout or straight running race this isn't an advantage. In a triathlon though that will be awesome. It will save some transition time.

Second they were comfy. Other than the weirdness that I wasn't wearing socks, they felt nice. They had great flex and I felt some good cushioning.

The Zoot Ultra Tempo+ 3.0 gets two thumbs up and a high five from me. How can you go wrong with anything "Born in Kona"?!

I bought some aero bars for my bike at the REI winter clearance sale. I don't have a pic. I don't even know the brand or name of the the thing. It's got the diamond shaped grip bar and padded, foldy things where you rest your arm.

It was sunny and nice yesterday after work and I was itching for a ride. I rode down 13th east a few miles and back. I didn't use the bars much. I found I was a little wobbly. I need to get used to them. And probably not on the road where I'll make the cars nervous even if I'm in the bike lane.

I did like the feel of them. It was a comfortable position and it took the pressure off my arms. I'm going to give them more practice on a long straight route like the frontage road out to the marina or on the legacy parkway. Somewhere long and flat and away from traffic. They're not convenient if you need to shift or brake often.

Not using them, they were a little awkward on the front of the bike, but on a long bike ride I'm going to like them I think.