REVIEW: Dolfin Jammer

If I can visualize myself as a swimmer, I will get better. My first step was buying swim gear. I started with this Dofin Jammer and have used it 4 lap sessions now, hence the review!  This is my first experience with jammer type swim wear.

I went for the jammer because of the longer leg. I felt less naked compared to a swim brief.  The material is lycra/polyester blend; and is fairly tight and form fitting.  Unfortunately, the crotch has enough extra fabric to get saggy during the "leaving of the pool"moment and can be very topographical - so not very modest after all.  Someone suggested wearing a swim brief under neath. To me this defeats the purpose.
 
The leg grips are not noticeable and stay in place.  A drawstring keeps accidents from happening. The jammer sheds water and dries within minutes.

While it does lack "support" I did not notice any "movement" and I do breast stroke and freestyle. A higher end jammer would have more panels for support.  Those were out of my budget.

The jammer is also versatile as quasi compression shorts. I have also jogged 10 miles in them (3x3mile sessions) with a jock strap underneath,  and finished a 10 mile bike ride. If I was doing brick workouts I would splurge on padded tri shorts with at least a crotch panel.  However the high end materials get thinned out faster by chlorine. I guess their are always trade offs.

Crank Brothers Egg Beaters - Cleat Installation

The following is a installation guide for the Crank Brothers Egg Beater C cleat. The pedal installation is here. The shoe is Shimano M086 and its review is here.

The pedals come with standard issue brass cleats.

After 2 weeks of wear

There is also a premium cleat available. I think its just a replacement cleat, not necessarily "premium".

Premium Cleats $19.80 10% off $22 msrp

The first step is locating the shoe plate. Its one sided and will mount flush to the inside of the shoe.

By removing the insole you will see the slots where the plate lies. On the sole of the shoe is were the cleat is mounted.

The cleats have round dots which indicate the amount of free play before disengagement. With dots on the right, the cleat disengages early at a 15 degree heel twist in either direction. With dots on the left the cleat diesngages at a 20 degree angle. The earlier the easier. If you are duck footed or have stiff ankles it can be a problem because the release angle is not manually adjustable.

The egg beater came with screws which fit perfectly into the sdp plate. The longer screw is for using the shim.

If your inexperienced with clipless then installation try positioning the cleat in the center of the shoe. It's a neutral position and can be adjusted later. If you are using your old shoes it would be smart to mark or measure where your old cleat position was. The green line is supposed to indicate horizontal free play.

Take the 4mm allen key and screw the cleat into the plate. There are torque settings available in the paper work, should you happen to own a torque measuring device. Make it nice and tight because if the cleat comes loose its difficult , if not impossible to clip out. I had this problem!!

Now the hell fun begins. With 6 degrees of float, the trick becomes to get comfortable without hitting the crank. Once you find the sweet spot, place the waterproof cover over the sdp plate and you're all done.

Week 1
I made 4 cleat adjustments and 2-3 seat post adjustments before I was satisfied. I still cannot easily clip out with my left foot using outward rotation. Although I just remembered I broke that ankle when I was in high school. I think duck feet is more the issue. An adjustable release angle would remedy this.


Month 1
I installed the pedals on a taller mountain bike and I'm having zero clip out issues on both sides. The Trek is 19' & the taller bike is 21'. I can clip out at any point of a pedal stroke; thus I conclude with this being a geometry issue more than a duck foot issue. I also oiled the bearing for the first time.

REVIEW: Shimano M086 MTB Shoe

The M086 is apart of Shimano's Mountain sport range and should be acceptable for "competitive riders, off-road enthusiasts, touring cyclists and fitness fanatics". They are a non-carbon sole. If weight and stiffness are a premium for you, I'd upgrade to the Mountain Competition series.


Mountain Sport Range Shoes

M076 MTB SHOE '2009 - $79 - 12% off	M086L MTB SHOE '2009 - $109.99
WOMEN'S SH-WM50 MTB SHOE '2010 - $99.99

 
I purchased the M086 shoe last week. I originally was going to buy triathlon cycling shoes as an "upgrade up front" into the sport. Instead I decided to have my MTB fully set up. This is my first clipless experience. The shoes will go with the Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedals I purchased.

Out of the box

I like the black and white leather. Since I'm commuting and trail riding the black can pass for a normal shoe and hides dirt well.

The red dots are a non-removable plastic toe cleats. The toe box is not too wide or too narrow and not very tall. The mesh is just enough for California weather. In the morning I wear thick socks. As I get more experienced clipping in and out I think an overshoe or toe cover is formidable cold toe solution.

1 week later


I've ridden about 20 miles in the shoe. Very comfy and easy to walk in. Not so warm in the morning, but definably warmer then my running shoes and toe clips.  Sprint, bunny hop, so far the shoe is great!

1 month
So far still enjoying the shoe. I've been having  toe numbness spells on longer rides and  began using toe socks and this is working. I have yet to notice any flex in the sole during climbs.


Suggested Links:
Crank Brothers Cleat Installation
Crank Brothers Egg Beaters Pedal Install and Review

REVIEW: Crank Brothers Egg Beaters C

The egg beater petal featured 4 sided entry and being a clip-less newbie. These pedals have more entry points then any other pedal. I was fearful of bruising my ego during a spill, so the more entry points the better. The are light weight and the trade off is a lack of platform.

Sexy versions in titanium

TI PEDALS $216.00 10% off $240 msrp	2TI PEDALS $292.50 10% off $325 msrp

Last week I purchased some goodies. The Crank Bros. Egg Beater C and Shimano M086 mountain bike shoe. This is my first experience with both clip-less pedals and Crank Brothers products. I chose the pedals based on price and other online reviews. This review will cover installation, first impressions, and will be updated as my use progresses.



Out The box

The pedals come with cleats, shims, and screws of different lengths (longer screw for shim). Note the blue anodizing has already worn off a bit. I purchased the display at a discount. The C or chromoly version also comes in gray for less visible wear.

Installation

The tools required are an adjustable wrench, 5/8 wrench, mallet, thick rag,  gloves, and grease. Installation took less than 30 minutes.

The first step is to remove the existing pedals. I used the 5/8 wrench and a hammer because the pedal was practically cold welded on. I probably should have used a mallet. Righty tighty, lefty loosy, Don't chip the paint off your bike silly goosey!

Clean out the threads with a degreaser.

Identify the left and right pedal - they are marked.

Then grease the threads on the pedals and guide them into the crank with your hands. Go slowly so you don't get any cross threading action. Again, we are hand tightening at this stage. Repeat with the other side.

I didn't get a picture but I wrapped a denim rag around the blue anodizing and did the final tightening of the pedal with the adjustable wrench. This will keep the color from scraping off. If you have a torque wrench then the packet comes with specifications for that. I just make it nice and tight.

Tada!! Justice is served!

Day 1
I was excited and did a midnight practice a empty lot. Clip in was easy and straight forward. I had mega issues clipping out via outward rotation. Inward clipout is an issue because a) I'm duckfooted, and b) the frame, wheels, bottlecages are all in the way. I added the shim but probably didn't need to.

Day 2
Inward clip-out still an issue. I went on a 14mile ride. At a stop light I couldn't get out and made an "emergency" right turn. The cleat bolt actually came loose. I tightened it and it hasn't been an issue. The anodizing has come off a bit more from my mis-queues.

Week 1
I lowered the seat post to get more leverage and its solved the clipout issue. However, for my left ankle I'd prefer an even earlier clipout angle. That's the trade off for non adjustable pedals.




Suggested Links:
Cleat installation
Shimano Shoe Review