What Our Editors Used and Loved in February

Every month our staff does lots of triathlon and triathlon-adjacent things. Yes, we test new gear, but we also have old favorites and secret tricks and things we’re loving just for right now. That’s why each month we share our favorite tri-related things and members get a chance to win one of our editors’ picks.

This month, members can win a virtual bike fit from MyVeloFit. Enter by March 15 and a winner will be picked at random. Check back next month for new picks.

MyVeloFit

When I first saw the MyVeloFit virtual bike fitting concept, I thought of my hometown—a tiny speck on the map in Wisconsin (population: 499), where the closest bike fitter is at least 90 minutes away. I’ve got friends there who are training for their first Ironman, and their bike-fitting experience has been limited to posting photos on social media and crowdsourcing fit advice. As you can imagine, everyone says their seats are too high, except for the people who insist that no, it’s actually too low. It’s…not great.

This is why I loved MyVeloFit—an AI-powered bike fitting software that uses a series of algorithms to analyze a video of a rider to make evidence-based bike fit recommendations customized to each rider’s size, flexibility, and performance/comfort priorities. I go into more depth in my review of the app, but the TL;DR: MyVeloFit brings data and rigor to the fitting process for those who can’t access a professional fitter, ensuring the user gets at least some of comfort and performance benefits—all without having to drive “into town,” as we like to say in rural Wisconsin.

– Susan Lacke, digital editor

MEMBERS: Enter to win a virtual bike fit from MyVeloFit

TSL Symbioz Hyperflex Snowshoes

I’m one of those people, you know the ones: We live here in Colorado but we don’t “do” snow sports. Sometimes this feels about as socially acceptable as farting in a crowded sauna, so with a healthy mix of intrigue, adventure, and social pressure (just kidding on the latter), this winter I’ve been throwing myself into more snow-related expeditions. No, I’m not skiing or snowboarding just yet (watch this space), but I have been out on some super cool snow adventures in the last few weeks—and these snowshoes have been superb. I’ve been snowshoeing in years past and it’s been, well, a little pedestrian. These snowshoes, however, have a far more performance-oriented feel to them—they fasten easily and quickly with a BOA fit system; they’re agile and nimble, especially in deeper snow (thank you, carbon reinforcements); and you can really power up and down trails and tracks (and get a great workout in)—and they respond with solid traction and easy speed. The snowshoes I’ve used before have always felt clumsy and heavy (making it hard to really find your true stride), but these are perfect if you’re looking to get out on some fun trails, enjoy the snow, and get your heart rate up.

– Emma-Kate Lidbury, managing editor

RELATED: How to Get Started Snowshoe Running

Biolite Charge 80 PD

Though this might not seem like a tri-related item, bear with me. First, this is one of the smaller, sleeker portable battery banks that can fully charge a 13-inch laptop. As someone who likes to be more mobile than not, being able to keep on writin’ without searching for an outlet is clutch. There is a caveat here: Depending on your laptop’s draw, it won’t necessarily charge it while you’re using it, but it will slow down the drain quite a bit, or charge it very very slowly.

But there’s more! For triathletes, a portable battery bank (especially one that’s small, durable, and holds a charge for a very long time) is super important if you have electronic shifting and you don’t keep your bike near an outlet. Like me. This way, you keep the battery out in your garage and plug it into your electronic shifters’ battery port more regularly without having to run cable or bring the battery inside. So more than just further disrupting (or clouding) your work/life balance, this thing actually serves an athletic purpose. Oh yeah, and you can run it as a passthrough battery for Biolite’s very awesome HeadLamp 750 for absolutely insane runtime.

– Chris Foster, executive editor

Ibex Woolaire Hoodie

At first when the Ibex people wanted to send me a new puffer jacket, I declined. I figured I had enough jackets like this already. And how many puffy jackets can one person really own? (Four, the answer is four.) But this month I’ve found myself reaching for this puffy hoodie every time I leave the house, or the pool, or for a run. One, yes, it looks cool—and we all know looking cool is important. But, two, it’s the right mix of warm and temperature regulating, but not too “performance-y” (if you know what I mean). A lot of heavy-duty puffy jackets make me feel like I should know how to self-arrest and survive an avalanche or, at a minimum, know how to downhill ski—and I do not (nor do I particularly care to learn). Conversely, a lot of lifestyle puffy jackets, well, don’t hold up to anything more than a nippy SoCal morning. This is one of the few I’ve found that walks the line in between those two extremes, partially probably thanks to the merino wool insulation and the design. It also doesn’t retain smell if you throw it on post-workout—at least not yet—which is important, because puffy jackets are a PITA to wash. I’m not totally sure how durable it’ll ultimately be, once I do need to wash it, but it’s quickly become my winter go-to.

– Kelly O’Mara, editor-in-chief