• Sweet Wheat - Organic Supplement
• Kali - Prana Helmet
• Point One Racing - Podium Pedals

Sweet Wheat - Organic Supplement

I tried Sweet Wheat for the first time and I was blown away with the results. I generally avoid most nutritional supplements, aiming to get my nutrition through the foods that I eat, but decided I should give it a try since I had heard such great things from my team-mates. I was feeling pretty tired in the morning, from riding downhill bikes all week at the Northstar at Tahoe Bike Park so I took a couple capsules in the morning. By the time I got to the top of the lift I felt energized and ready to ride. And Sweat Wheat didn’t wear off, leaving me feeling weak and tired as most energy boosters do. In the late afternoon we decided to take a cross-country ride. Just before leaving I took a couple more Sweet Wheat capsules. The ride took us almost to Painted Rock, which stands at 7,720 feet. Living at sea level, I am usually quite affected by altitude when climbing. What was most amazing to me was how great I felt at such a high altitude. Wheatgrass helps to oxygenate the body and this was a clear example of it working for me. The little oxygen I was breathing was being more easily digested by my body. The best part of the day was leading the group down the decent to Squaw Valley, without any of the boys catching me. Sweet Wheat keeps me going! Mollie Sitkin

Kali - Prana Helmet

We just picked up a new Kali Protectives Prana helmet, and we’re quite impressed. Full DOT rating, feather light, and super comfortable. At 1200 grams it is by far the lightest DOT helmet we have ever worn. This is for the composite version, the carbon model is even lighter! Between the comfortable fit, wide goggle port, and feather weight it is easy to forget about the helmet and focus on your riding. Another nice feature is the high quality helmet bag that comes along with the Prana. With a high end helmet like this including a proper way to store and transport it adds value for us. Besides the helmet bag you get an extra set of cheek pads for fine tuning fit and a helmet sock to keep it all nice and pretty. The helmet itself has nice subtle graphics, an attractive profile, and well designed visor. The interior of the helmet is very plush, and of course is removable for washing. Kali's fusion composite and inmold construction are at the forefront of helmet technology, we wouldn't be surprised to see some other big names helmet manufactures knocking off this tech in the future. We have used a lot of different helmets over the years, Kali's stuff is ahead of the rest in our opinion. One thing to keep in mind with the Kali Prana is that the sizes tend to run larger than most other helmets. i.e. 661 or Troy Lee. Check them out if you get the chance, we think you will be impressed too!

Point One Racing - Podium Pedals

At the Sea Otter Classic, I spent some time talking with Jimmy Amaral, the owner of Point One Racing. He has developed some impressive race orientated components for gravity bikes. Point One's products are made in San Jose, no imported stuff here. The item that caught my eye immediately was the Podium pedal. As a flat pedal rider, I am always looking for a better pedal, and the Podium delivers big time. Thin is in and it doesn't get much thinner than the Podium pedal. At 10MM thick they are low profile. The pedal is very comfortable under foot and the platform is large enough for great contact without being too big. The pin placement is spot on, and pins are easily replaceable when needed. Another impressive feature of the Podium pedal is their extremely light weight, under 400 grams for the pair. This is with steel axle and aluminum body, no mag and Ti trickery here. So all of this sounds great, but what good is it with out durability right? I had my concerns about this, thin and light can mean limited lifespan. I have spent time on other "boutique" pedals that look great but don't hold up well under abuse. Bearing failure and body damage being the most common issues. I have nearly four months of regular riding on these pedals and they are as tight and solid as the first day I mounted them. I have slogged them through the mud, and have spent the last month and a half bashing them on the rocks at Northstar. These pedals are not fragile, they are designed for real world riding conditions. A couple of things I have noticed about these pedals are that due to their low profile they do not roll under your Five Tens like taller pedals tend to. Additionally, they don't hang up in the rocks nearly as much as other pedals I have ridden. Bottom line: these are easily the best pedals in every way that I have ever had the pleasure of riding on. Highly recommended. Team Manager/Racer