Finally! The Giro Hex MTB helmet

After loosing my information on my iPad that I used to write this review, I got sick! I'm good now and here it is. When you think of a good mountain bike helmet, what do you think of? I think of the Giro Hex MTB helmet. I bought mine around five months or so ago. I had been using a cheap road bike helmet that was bulky, heavy, and the fit was horrible, so when I received my new helmet I was really excited to see the difference. First off, the color was exactly what I wanted. Bright fluorescent green. Of course  the Giro hex comes in many other colors as well. The Giro hex is lightweight at just over 300 grams. It has 21 vent holes which creates a much cooler ride especially here in Tucson Az. I went on a trail here that I had ridden before my new helmet and definitely a temperature difference (for the better of course). The Giro helmet features the Roc Loc 5 fitting system which is top notch. This particular fitting system creates a very secure, and safe feel that completely surrounds your head, while still keeping a low profile and adding Little weight. There is also three notches to adjust the height that the helmet sits on your head. Of all the good I can say about this extraordinary helmet, there is something I want to bring out. The chin straps. The chin straps are sturdy and all but they don't conform to your cheek/chin very well. It's a little uncomfortable when riding buy when on a trail you don't notice. It was a great purchase and I still love using it today.

A slight delay

so I locked out my iPad and had to delete my info including my review of the Giro mtb helmet. So there is a delay in my next post.

Almost ready for the next post

Info on this MTB helmet will be up soon

Diamondback Overdrive Sport 29er (My Favorite Toy)

I am fairly new to the fun, exciting, mildly dangerous but joyful world of mountain biking. I first started out on a poor excuse for a mountain bike and was almost turned off completely. Only after receiving my brand new Diamondback Overdrive Sport 29er mountain bike did I try the trails again, and the enjoyment was out of this world.                      
                                     
 My Diamondback is the overdrive sport, 29er. The bike's frame is aluminum, has Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, 160mm rear disc, 180mm front disc (show here in the picture) for maximum stopping power.

 The bike also features Shimano Altus trigger shifters and an Acera rear derailleur shifters. With the Suntour front suspension you get 100 mm of front travel. For a front suspension bike, it really handles well on the downhill trails. I have a few things I want point out. The Diamondback overdrive sport is considered an entry level bike, but a well rounded bike for many types of riding. The front suspension isn't top of the line like rock shox or fox shocks. With that being said you still have the 100mm of travel which still makes for a smooth ride on the rougher trails.

Here is a picture of the front suspension.

The drivetrain is shimano, but not top of the line Shimano, so you have the quality of the really well known brand, just not as quick and light as the top of the line shifters that Shimano offers. The tires are great, wolverine tires on double walled alloy wheels. The tires are 29" and 2.25" wide making cutting through sand, or over big rocks a breeze. Now, the wheels are double alloy, making them sturdy but on one of my more intense rides on a downhill trail called bug springs in Tucson Az I warped my rear wheel to the point of no repair. As I was riding, there was a portion of the trail that was bouncing me around and off my bike. Just as I stopped saw behind me that one of my riding buddies were about to crash so I threw my hand out and caught him on his front tire, but slowly he fell on his side. In the event my bike fell sideways and what I think happen was rear my tire got caught between two rocks and twisted my wheel because I started back down the trail after the crash and my wheel was so out of true that the tire was rubbing on one side of the frame, then the other. The wheel didn't hold up to the torsion so had to buy a new one, which im not sure how well other wheels would have done so that will have to be your judgment call. If you are going to be riding super crazy downhill trail, I wouldn't suggest this bike. However, if your doing easy to intermediate trails, riding on the road, or just a joy ride here and there, the diamondback overdrive sport will be a great investment for many rides ahead of you. I got mine at performance bike on sale for around $600 regular was $800 so pretty great bike for the money.

More to come

It has been a couple days since the last post, however I am working on a review right now and should be finished soon. I'm trying to contact more people and companies to broaden my circle of viewers as well as products featured here in A Man's View.

Bose sound link color speaker

I got my Bose soundlink color speaker from my mom about six months ago, and since then I have used my speaker at least six days sometimes seven days a week. I know that seems a bit over exaggerated but I'm serious. What do I use my Bose speaker for? Well besides loving to use my speaker for music I use it to skype my family, watch videos on you tube or anything that makes sound. Why do I use my speaker so much? First of all, when you think of a speaker, you might think that a little 5.3x5.0 inch speaker that is 2.1 inches deep couldn't possibly make deep, rich and if you want, LOUD sound so pleasing to the ears, it's like you have a personal bubble of sound. Besides great sound, the Bose speaker is very durable. I have a daughter who is 14 months old, she loves my Bose speaker almost as much as I do. She picks it up carries it around and sometimes drops it, knocks it off of the couch or my tv stand, but the tough speaker keeps on playing great sound. Being so small yet powerful, the speaker is very portable making it perfect to travel with, go camping with, or just use it around the garage as you work or just tinker around. I have so many good things to say about this little guy, the quality sound, toughness, it's Bluetooth compatible, aux input compatible(for the devices not Bluetooth capable), portability,  and the battery life is pretty extensive also. I might have to charge it once a week or even less just depends how long you use it in a day. To charge, and update the speakers software, you use I believe a micro USB port. On the top of the speaker is the power button, Bluetooth button, auxiliary button, pause/play button, and volume up and down buttons. Press the play/pause button twice to skip the track, three times to restart the song. The Bose soundlink comes in a variety of colors such as black, blue, a teal color, red, and white. The only thing I can say that is close to negative about my Bose soundlink color speaker is that I connect my iPad via Bluetooth and it works perfectly until I take my iPad to the bathroom, leaving my speaker in the living room 30-35 feet away and it starts to cut out. Other than being on the other side of the house, the Bluetooth works effortlessly. After connecting a up to four devices at a time, the speaker connects automatically as long as your device's Bluetooth is turned on. All in all, 129 dollars for this little guy is a great investment for great sound and portability.