We’ve talked about the earphone products from Far End Gear a couple of times in the past, and today we’re talking about their brand new product called Brite Buds and how you can win some for yourself.

The Far End Gear company provides earphone based products for outdoor enthusiasts like us.  Seeing as it’s founder is an avid road cyclists and outdoorsman, they know first hand what’s important to their customers.

If an effort to allow people to listen to music and maintain alertness to their surroundings, Far End Gear provides specialized earbuds that mix both channels of audio so you get stereo quality coming through a single ear.

They just recently added Brite Buds™ Reflective Cord Earbuds to their offering mix and are the first to offer this sort of product.  They describe the Brite Buds as being developed “with the nocturnal athlete and outdoorsman in mind” because of how the cord makes you more visible in the dark.  But the product most definitely can be used at any time of day.

Win

The contest is now closed……thanks to all of you who entered.  Congratulations to Melinda and David B who both win a set of Brite Buds.  A big thanks also goes out to Far End Gear for supplying us with such a wonderful product.

I want you to try these Brite Buds out for yourself.  The guys from Far End Gear are offering up two sets to give away (and you can choose either the single earbud or stereo set if you win).

To enter, leave a comment letting us know why you like having music with you on a ride and how the Brite Buds are going to help you enjoy it.

Leave your comment by Noon on Friday and we’ll announce the winners soon after.  We’ll randomly pick two winners using random.org.

Other Products from Far End Gear

I have been promoting and talking about Far End Gear for over a year now because I feel they offer a great product with a good purpose…but up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never actually tried them out for myself.  As I’ve mentioned several times, I like to ride with my iPod even though it can be a heated topic among us cyclists…..and Far End Gear has all sorts of options for people like me.

I personally prefer having earbuds in both ears, so their standard earbud options work best for me.  But the Brite Buds are also available in their stereo model or a single sided, stereo-to-mono version mixing both channels of sound from a stereo audio device into a single ear.

Another cool product that they offer is the BuDLoKs.  These replace the stock, in-ear budtips produced by other manufacturers and allows you to lock them into your ear with a soft silicone wing.  If you’ve ever had problems with your earphones falling out of your ears, you’ll want to use these for sure.

More information on all of the products from Far End Gear can be found at www.farendgear.com.

I know all cyclists aren’t with me on this one, but I like having my iPod with me while I’m riding….and the way in which I do it is totally safe in my opinion.  I’m a road cyclist and am not in situations where I’m surrounded by pedestrians or riding along with slow traffic.  Situations like these where it’s important to hear all that is happening around you is not a great scenario for listening to music while on your bike….but if done right, can still be okay.

Oh, and I’ll get into it more at the bottom of this article, but I’m going out there as saying that the wind noise we can experience out there while road cycling is much louder and distracting than music at the levels I listen to it at.

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted about riding with music and I’m doing it again because this is one subject that I have more than a few things to say.  In fact, it sort of burns me up a little.  Every day I see people on cell phones while driving their cars and I see how un-focused and un-safe they are while doing so.  That’s a subject that I plan on posting more about soon, but to me that is like a bazillion times more dangerous than cycling with earphones.

One Ear Headphones

There are quite a few states that ban the use of headphones while cycling and I posted about that in the past as well.  In some states (I believe – California, Delaware and Maryland), they’ve partially banned it by only allowing the use of earphones in one ear.  I can live with that law and in places like this, the products from our friends over at Far End Gear are exactly what you need.  Their custom-designed earphones mix both channels of sound from your audio device into one single ear….so you get good sound and have one ear totally open to the sounds of the road.  I actually recommend these earphones to all cyclists, even if it’s not the law where you’re located.  (note: One Good Earbud was a self-funded company that successfully grew into what is now called Far End Gear and have introduced new product lines along the way).

Watch for another post about Far End Gear later on this Summer as we promote the launch of their new product, Brite Buds.  Brite Buds are earphones with reflective material embedded in their fabric wrapped cords and we’ll be doing a giveaway as well.

One Small Rant

Okay, I mentioned earlier that the idea of banning the use of earphone while cycling sort of burns me up. Well, I’m not much of an argumentative kind of guy and I know there are people on both sides of this one, but here is one point that I’d like to make that totally justifies my use of headphones while cycling.  There are many times when I’m riding along and the wind is blowing so loud in my ears that I can’t even hear the music through my earphones.  What this tells me is that in situations like this my hearing is way more distorted than at any time I am listening to music.  If there is going to be laws against cycling with headphones, then I guess they’re going to have to ban us from cycling in strong winds as well.  Yeah, right.

Let’s hear what you have to say on this subject.  The topic created quite a debate the last time we posted on it, so let it rip.

Photo c/o www.ironman.com

I’m super stoked to announce the launch of our new Loving the Bike jersey, Kit, and kids jersey.  This is the second generation of the Loving the Bike Kit and with it comes a hot new design and bibs instead of shorts….and of course, it will make you ride faster, just like the 2011 version did.

Click Here to ORDER: Yes, we have mens, womens, and kids varieties available.  Get some for the whole Family.

I’m going to keep this short and let  the graphics do the talking.  A big thank you goes out to Stevie Dexter who created this masterpiece and I’d also like to send out a thank you shout to our sponsors: Training Peaks, Far End Gear, and Attune Foods.  Oh, and of course a huge thanks to Groucho Sports for making these and looking after the distribution.  We wanted to limit the amount of sponsorship on the kits so we kept it to three…..and I’m so happy to have each of these companies on board.

Order Now and SAVE:

Order by May 11th and get 15% off.  For this first week, enter the code ”EARLYBIRDLTB” when ordering and the discount will be applied to your order.  After May 11th they’ll go back to regular price.  Even our regular prices are wicked good, but if you can save some cash….go for it.

Delivery: The jerseys and kits will get to you around the week of June 11th.  This is due to it being a pre-sale.  Sales made after pre-sale will arrive much faster.

Sizing: The Groucho Sizing Chart can be found here: http://grouchosports.com/faqs (kids sizing chart found on product description).

http://gear.grouchosports.com/category/collaborations

Some Words From Our Designer:

“The idea for the new Team LovingTheBike kit came from the idea of us all being part of our large online community.  It was important not to turn the jersey and bib shorts into a billboard poster and the sponsors that have been chosen reflect the healthy living and hard working ethos of LovingTheBike.com, and look forward to continuing a great relationship with them in the future.  The basis of the colour scheme came from the website design and if you look closely you may see some likenesses to the 2012 Omega Pharma Quick Step kit, which personally I think is the nicest in the Pro peloton this year.  We think this new kit has something for everyone and should look just as great wearing it out with your friends as it will do during a race.  We’d love to see pictures of this new kit in action all across the world.  Team LovingTheBike has arrived!”

- Stevie

Blowing Out Old Stock:

We have some 2011 jerseys and kits in stock and are blowing them out at 30% off.  We have various sizes of mens and womens jerseys and shorts, so here’s your chance to get a great kit at a fantastic price.  Prices are already marked down on the shopping page.

Of course we also have the ever popular Loving the Bike T-shirt.  We aren’t blowing these out, but I hope you’ll come be part of the Loving the Bike Army and get one for yourself.

http://gear.grouchosports.com/category/collaborations

Another #30daysofbiking has just wrapped up and it’s totally safe to say that this has been the best one yet.  I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part in this event and committed to riding bikes every single day in April.  I heard a whole bunch of great stories and experienced once again how much magic can be created just by having people ride their bicycles.

Thanks to everyone who took part in #30daysofbiking by being a part of Team #LovingtheBike.  It really has been great seeing all the pictures posted to Facebook, the tweets with the #LovingtheBike hashtag, and all the support offered between team members.  Feel free to keep this up and continue to share your great rides and adventures through these same channels all year-long.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes

Thank you to Clif Bar, The Sufferfest, and Far End Gear for providing out team with some great prizes.  We appreciate your support on this event and look forward to our continued partnership over here at Loving the Bike.

Official First Place Finisher:

It was a close battle, but the teammate who came out on top with the most points was Julie Starling.  Julie not only took part in #30daysofbiking….she’s on track for #365daysofbiking.  Way to go, Julie….below is your pile of winnings:

• One of anything that Far End Gear has to offer: www.farendgear.com
• Clif T-Shirt
• Clif Beanie
• Clif Kleen Kanteen
• Clif Silver Eco Lunch box
• Clif nylon Stuff Sack
• Sufferfest Video: Hell Hath No Fury
• And…6 Boxes of Clif Product

Runner Up:

Our Team Loving the Bike runner-up is Bob Avery.  Bob is another cycling commuter….and I’m beginning to think that these commuters have the upper hand in our #30daysofbiking challenge.  Nicely done, Bob and congratulations on your performance.  Here’s what you win:

• Clif T-Shirt
• Clif nylon Stuff Sack
• Sufferfest Video: Hell Hath No Fury
• And…4 Boxes of Clif Product

Special Recognition:

Honorable mention goes out to Riaan Coatzee over in South Africa.  He did amazing and I love the way he branded all of the photos he put up on our Facebook page.  It’s been great having you on the team, Riaan.  Riaan, we’re sending you a copy of the Hell Hath No Fury DVD from The Sufferfest.

As the youngest member of Team Loving the Bike, I wanted to give an honorable mention to Kayla Beaconsfield from Australia.  She had an incredible month of riding with her Dad, Mark….and I want to thank her for being a part of our time and sending us that cute little video she put up on Facebook.  I’m not sure what it is yet, but we’re definitely going to send something out to you soon.  For now, get your Dad to give you a huge hug from the team.

Bonus Prize: I mentioned part way through the 30 days that we’d also give out a prize pack to someone who did something that really stood out.  At the time, I wasn’t sure what that was going to be but now I know.  The bonus prize goes out to Laura Faulkner and her Grandson, Sean.  Laura had the goal of beating her 601 miles that she put on last year and with one day to go she was 65 short.  Below is her story of how the final day unfolded and how she battled through:

“After morning thunderstorms rolled through the skies cleared and I was off. At the 45 mile mark I met up with my husband and those ominous clouds were gathering again. We did the next 5 miles in a full sprint but to no avail. The last 2 miles was a downpour. We ate at a deli while trying to dry out. I climbed back on my bike and started cranking towards home and of course all hell broke loose. With torrents of rain falling and lightning flashing, I rode with my husband following in the Jeep with the flashers on. Drivers that passed joyfully beeped their horns and called out cheers of encouragement like I was someone training for the olympics.

The storm started to get much worse and I really wanted to keep going but it was getting downright dangerous and I had to stop just short of my goal. Today’s remaining hours look like more of the same.  If the clouds part again before midnight I will try to reach my goal.  But if they don’t, I am just as happy because I know I could.”

Sean was an un-official member of Team Loving the Bike and joined Laura Faulkner on several of her rides in Florida.  It was great having him as a part of all the fun and we’re awarding him with a Clif Beanie and Clif Silver Eco Lunch Box.  3 boxes of Clif Product will be sent out to Laura…..she could probably use it after all the calories she burnt up on that final day epic ride.

Okay, Team Loving the Bike…..once again, you’ve made me so proud.  On behalf of my team co-captains, Ian and Stevie, we’d like to thank you for sharing in one fantastic month with us.