My Review of REI Kingdom 4 Tent

Originally submitted at REI

REI Kingdom 4: This family palace of a tent features 2 private rooms, tall vertical walls that maximize livable space, and multiple organizer pockets located throughout.

REI Kingdom 4 Tent

My home base for triathlon camping

By Hickey from Visalia, CA on 4/23/2010

 

5out of 5

Gift: Yes

Pros: Windproof, Bonus Features, Comfortable, Sturdy, Waterproof, Easy To Set Up

Cons: Poor Fly Design

Best Uses: Triathlon Camping, Car Camping

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven

I use this tent for Triathlon camping and love storing my bike in the Vestibule to keep it out of the elements. I can set it up alone faster than my friends set up their tent cause you know were type A triathletes. I purchased this tent from REI instead of another store because I know over time I'll need that part and REI will continue to hook me up when I talk to their store reps about an extra (clip, stake, etc). The only thing REI can do to improve this already awesome tent is to fix the zippers so I don't have to avoid zipping the rain fly, however, that rain fly keeps it bullet proof in the rain so I know how to work around the zipper issue no worries. Thank you REI for an awesome product, I would purchase this again hands down! Looking forward to using it at Wildflower Lake San Antonio, Shaver Lake Triathlon Camp Nelson and Sequoia General Sherman Tree training weekends.

(legalese)

My Review of Slime Tire Sealant - 16 oz.

Originally submitted at REI

This preventative tire sealant protects against tread-area punctures in tubeless and tube-type tires.

Slime Tire Sealant - 16 oz.

A temporary solution

By Hickey from Visalia, CA on 4/23/2010

 

3out of 5

Gift: Yes

Pros: Fix works

Cons: Throws tires off balance

Best Uses: Mountain Biking

Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist

Slime works great for a weekend on trails with thorns or those trails know to cause flats. However, slime does not sit well in your tire after sitting in it for a month as gravity pulls it to one side and causes your tire to go off balance. Therefore, its a great product for one time temporary use but plan on replacing your tubes after installation or expect the extra weight and balance impacts as a feature trade off to avoid a flat. The product is great for flats when recreationally riding but I would not use it to compete due to the tire balance and weight trade offs.

Testing slime product on single track

Tags: Using Product, User Testing

(legalese)

My Review of Slime Tire Sealant - 16 oz.

Millerton Lake Triathlon 2010

The Milleron Lake Triathlon is special to me in so many ways. First, this is the triathlon I did on my wedding day two years ago. What a day that was. Second, one of the craziest triathlons I have done was the first time I competed at Millerton in 2007. It was cold and rainy and definitely a tough day to compete. So this triathlon definitely has a special place in my heart. Plus, Faron and Heleen Reed do an outstanding job of organizing this race. They make everyone there feel great and their is a friendly atmoshphere exuded throughout.

Onto the race report:

I woke up at 4:30 am to a text message from my good friend Josh Hickey saying "Why do you tri? Because it makes me alive." So that was a great way to start the morning. We met at CFA at 5:30 am to carpool over to fresno. It was Josh, Ken, Carol, Mark, Mike, Aaron and our supporters Landon, Jesse, Jaime and my wife Stephanie. We got into Millerton Lake at 7:00 am. As the sun was rising, we knew it was going to be a spectalular day. We arrived to the transition area and it was crowded already. I immediately took my bike off my truck and found a spot on the first bike rack (Thanks Faron for this spot). Once 7:20 came, I hopped on my bike for a short 18 minute warm-up. This got my blood flowing and erased any nerves that had settled during the drive up. The warm-up for a sprint triathlon is so important. You must trust your training and know that the warm-up is crucial for a better performance. Once I was done with the bike warm-up, I put on my running shoes and did a 6 minute jog with some surges. This definitely helped and I was ready. I put on my wetsuit, which is probably the hardest thing of the triathlon, and headed down to the lake. I was able to swim a bit before the start.

3....2....1 and it was time. My first event of the year was now going. The swim was not as chaotic as last year. I settled towards the outside and did not get caught up in the thick of the craziness. I just focused on long and powerful strokes. I tried keeping it smooth. No need to get out of my comfort zone on the swim. I knew I could make it up on my transitions and bike and run portions. Before you knew it I was out of the water running up the ramp to my bike. I immediately took my wetsuit off and quickly mounted my bike. I was passed by 4 guys on the bike. I still need to improve my bike fitness to make it a strength of mine. But I held steady and was able to hold strong for the last 6 miles. Once I saw the transition area I took my feet out of my shoes and made a very fast transition to the run. I saw one of the guys that passed me on the bike and I passed him within the first mile of the run. The run always goes by quick at Millerton. The first 1.2 miles is on a trail with some tough climbs. Once you are off the trails it is a 1 mile downhill road finish. I had the 3rd place guy in sites but I ran out of real estate to catch him.

I was really happy with my overall performance. My goal was to break 1 hour and my time was 58:11 so I had a fast race. I took 4th overall and was 1st in my age group.

Now it is time to get ready for Wildflower Long Course!