Matt Goyer

The GEICO Plane Crashes A Lot

Matt Goyer — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 02:02:17 +0000

Annoyed by seeing the GEICO plane out my office window circling around yet again and being a marketer, I was curious to know if any research had been done on the effectiveness of aerial advertising. Instead of finding a good discussion about the ROI of such a marketing campaign, instead I found a trail of crashed planes, emergency landings and other mishaps:

As well as some other articles diving just a little deeper:

Sadly I couldn’t find any articles talking about their effectiveness. If I ever meet GEICO’s CMO I’ll be sure to ask.

Stylish Urban Bike Jackets

Matt Goyer — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 04:40:45 +0000

Levi Commuter Trucker Jacket – $148

Nau Rift Jacket – $245

Ligne 8 Barcelona Jacket – $148

Cocktail Kingdom Thermometer Spoon

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 06:36:52 +0000

I was fortunate to receive a Cocktail Kingdom Thermometer Spoon for Christmas. Sadly out of the box its temperature did not match that of my Thermapen. I emailed in and Cocktail Kingdom advised, “The nut on the bottom of the thermometer adjusts the dials placement.” I tried that but still couldn’t get the thermometer to consistently match my Thermapen over a wide range of temps.

I think the thermometer spoon is a good idea in theory but in practice it didn’t live up to my expectations so I sent it back.

Stylish Urban Bike Shoes

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 06:20:28 +0000

Looking for stylish urban bike shoes with SPD cleats? Check out these brands:

Or retrofitz.

I wish more people made stylish urban cycling shoes. I’d love to see some slip on ones too.

The stand out shoes for me are the DZR Midnight Urban Shoes – $95.

Or Giro’s Rumble VR (Amazon has the name wrong). – $80

After a year of having the DZR on my wishlist I still haven’t pulled the trigger. I think the $95 price tag is scaring me off.

Suspension Corrected Rigid 26″ Forks

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 05:56:06 +0000

In trying to resurrect my old 1999 Rocky Mountain Blizzard mountain bike as a city commuter so I started looking into what it would take to remove the Marzocchi Bomber Z-2 Light fork and swap in a rigid 26″ fork. Turns out that it isn’t as simple as swapping in any old rigid fork. I needed to find a “suspension corrected” fork that has an “axle-to-crown” measurement 10-20% of the axle-to-crown measurement of the Marzocchi (445 axle-to-crown). In investigating rigid forks, I was shocked at the cost. Here are some that I found:

Nashbar – $49.99, 1400 grams, 453mm axle-to-crown
Dimension – $65.99,1105 grams, 395mm axle-to-crown
Surly 1×1 – $68, 1000 grams, 413mm axle-to-crown
Kona project 2 – $69.95, 1040 grams, 440mm axle-to-crown

I ended up getting the Dimension.

Making Clear Ice at Home

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 05:16:44 +0000

I got bit by the crystal clear ice bug after a trip to New York years ago. Recently a few products have popped up promising to make it easy to get crystal clear ice at home.

Wintersmiths Ice Chest – we backed the Kickstarter for this product at work and have used it to produce countless crystal clear ice balls. Overall it works reasonably well but it is a little finicky in terms of knowing how much to fill it up, getting the ice out, making sure you harvest every 24-36 hours… We did end up cracking one ice chest which they replaced for free.

Neat Ice Kit – would love to give this a spin.

Luma Comfort IM200SS Portable Clear Ice Maker – I don’t think the wife would approve but I’d love one of these. I bet I’d pay it back in a year based on how much ice I end up buying at the corner store because our freezer can’t produce enough to keep up with our summer partying.

Cannondale Bad Boy Review – The Perfect Urban Bike

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 04:55:05 +0000

After months of searching I found my nearly perfect urban bike, the Cannondale Bad Boy:

With stealth-fighter looks and street-fighter performance, Bad Boy is a fast, stylish and functional high-tech fashion statement that will turn even the most mundane urban journeys into a thrill ride.

I got the Bad Boy 4 (had it stolen, bought another one) which is pretty decent right off the shelf. The first upgrade I made was to remove the extremely heavy tires and switch to the LIT Cycling 360 Ultra-Reflective Road Tire. I think all urban bikes should have wheels with a reflective strip. The only problem is almost all urban tires with reflective strips weigh a ton. The lit360s, do not. The second upgrade was to add matte black fenders and a Blackburn EX 1 Expedition Standard Rack (best weight bang for the buck) to accomodate my Ortlieb Back-Roller City Rear Pannier (the best panniers). Upgrades I’m considering, that I had on my first Bad Boy that was stolen, are a new stem + bar to shed some weight, and hydraulic brakes because I’m just not a fan of mechanical ones. And oh, the other must have upgrades for in-city riding are Shimano A530 pedals so you can ride clipped in or with regular shoes and Delta Hublox Security Skewers so you don’t worry about someone easily jacking your wheels. My new favorite bike lock is the Kryptonite Evolution Mini-6 Lite Bicycle U-Lock, 2.75-Inch x 6-Inch, all the protection of their classic messenger lock but much lighter.

My only wish for the Cannondale Bad Boy is that it was closer to the 20lbs mark.

The Perfect Undershirt – FOUND

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 04:43:44 +0000

I briefly considered starting an undershirt company because it drove me nuts that I couldn’t find an undershirt that other people couldn’t tell you were wearing. But then I found the Tommy John Second Skin Deep Vneck Undershirt. Problem solved! No one knows you’re wearing an undershirt under your white dress shirt even when you unbutton more than just the top button. The only thing not to like is the price. And that if you get the nude colored one your wife will make fun of you and call it spanx.

Stolen Cannondale Bad Boy 4

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 04:34:34 +0000

Ugh, I had my fourth bike stolen. It was a Cannondale Bad Boy 4. If you find it, let me know! matt@mattgoyer.com. CASH REWARD. It is easily identifiable. In terms of upgrades it has Avid brakes with Straitline levers, SKS … Continue reading →

Stylish Urban Men’s Bike Helmets

Matt Goyer — Thu, 28 May 2015 04:23:15 +0000

I recently went on the hunt for a stylish men’s bike helmet for urban riding. Here’s some I found that caught my eye.

Giro Reverb – this is the helmet I ended up buying. Primary reason is that it has vents which I like because I get a little sweaty biking and because I can easily attach a Vis 360 Light and Motion light to it. What I don’t like is that it feels and looks pretty big and bulky. I wish it was a little more sleek looking and feeling. I also wish it had a fit dial on the back and that one of the vents was big enough to put a u-lock through.

Giro Sutton Helmet – love the look! Sadly doesn’t accomodate my bike helmet. I love that you can directly attach a light to the rear, but I wish they had more detail on what rear lights fit. Also, why is it double the cost of the Reverb?

Giro Section Bike/Multi-Sport Helmet – sounds heavy

Triple Eight Gotham Rubber Helmet

Critical Cycles Classic Commuter Bike and Skate Helmet

Sahn Bike Helmet – love the look, but super spendy at north of $100.

Bern Unlimited Lenox EPS Summer Helmet

Bell Fraction Multi-Sport Helmet – is this helmet the Fraction or the Faction? Why does Bell need to put such a big logo on it??

Coming soon:

Thousand Helmet – seems promising!

My dream helmet:

Sleek urban styling
Light weight
Matte finish
Dial for the perfect fit
Vent that lets you lock it up with a u-lock
Vents for comfort
Magnetic strap like the Thousand
Built in front and rear light, or easily detachable for winter/night riding

What’s your favorite urban helmet?