Wind-Blox Blog

Wind-Blox Blog

"Now I can hear my dad" June 01 2015, 0 Comments

Bay Area bicycle rider and Wind-Blox wearer, Kevin, said,  "now I can hear my dad giving me directions." 

We were glad that Kevin liked the Blox, but the idea that he couldn't really hear his dad before using Blox stuck with us.  We found some research that shows 70% of children ride bikes and about 40% of those wear helmets. As safety advocates and bicycle enthusiasts, we really want more families to be like Kevin's.  Ride safely, make great memories together and be able to hear each other well.

 http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/Encyclopedia/Content.aspx?ContentTypeID=85&ContentID=P00818

 


Fit Matters May 17 2015, 0 Comments

Fit is important for proper functioning of Wind-Blox.  

First, attach the blox

  • Open the velcro attachment
  • Place Blox on the strap that will be in front of your ear
  • Close the velcro so that the flap will face backwards

Second, check your helmet straps:

  • The side straps should form a Y just below your earlobe
  • The chin strap should be snug against the chin so that when you open your mouth very wide you feel the helmet pull down a little bit

With the helmet in position on your head, adjust the length of the rear straps, then the length of the front straps, to locate the Y fitting where the straps come together just under your ear

 

Third, adjust your Blox:

  • Check your Blox to make sure that they rest against your cheek
  • Slide your Blox along the strap so that the length of the Blox is aligned to your ear

Last, compare your fit with this picture:

 

another great resource is this step-by-step featuring Giro helmets

 

 


Riding has so many benefits May 13 2015, 0 Comments


Art and Biking May 10 2015, 0 Comments

Open up Pinterest and you can find almost anything...some of our favorite searches include bicycle art.  We've enjoyed it so much that we developed a pin board devoted to bike art http://www.pinterest.com/WindBloxSports/bike-art/ 

On of our favorite artists has got to be Mark Fairhurst!  He makes art deco style posters as well as other incredible pieces.  

Another favorite, with an entirely different genre is Bikeyface.  She's got a great sense of humor and it really shows in her work.

There are also some fun retro and vintage photographs available--nice Audrey Hepburn portraits, many penny farthing pictures and some really cool bike+surfing shots.

 

 


Kickstarter Review April 28 2015, 0 Comments

We kickstarted back in the fall of 2013 and had a blast!  While we set it up to be in the US alone, we quickly found a large amount of international interest.  Wind-Blox was also able to test styles to see what people were looking for.  Many people had recommended animal patterns, for example, so we made those but found that Black Blox were much more popular.  It was a quick run of 30 days and we enjoyed every minute!  

Now as we continue building our brand, we wonder if we'll kickstart again...it was a wonderful wild ride and we had results that were even better than we expected.  Stay tuned!!

 


Can You Hear Me Now? April 25 2015, 0 Comments

Annoying wind noise is enough to keep some people off their bikes.  One of our early customers wrote us shortly after receiving his order of Wind-Blox to let us know how helpful the Blox had been for his tinnitus.  He stated that quieting the wind-noise helped calm the tinnitus, adding less noise made a huge difference for him.  Since that time we have heard this from many customers.

Hyperacusis is another hearing problem that is aided with use of our wind blocking devices.  With hyperacusis there is a heightened awareness of sound, and those with hyperacusis sometimes choose to limit their activities to those which produce little sound.  This often excludes the joy of biking, due to wind noise.  Now customers are able to rejoin their love of bike riding and often send their friends our way, too.

 


Friends and Their Links April 23 2015, 0 Comments

Wind-Blox has friends all over the web-o-sphere (is that a word?).  We'd love to share a few links

My Bike Magazine just posted an article on us: Block Wind Noise and Enjoy the Rid

to learn more about them go to their site

We support People For Bikes, since we are actually people and we are for bikes.

Cyclr is a great friend of ours across the pond 

We also became pals with Big Cat E-Bykes at InterBike.  Check these guys out!  They've some some seriously cool rides.

We have many others, but wanted to be sure to share these with you.


Shipping to Andorra, Australia and Your Home Town April 21 2015, 0 Comments

We've updated shipping worldwide and we're pretty excited about the value this will offer customers outside the United States!  Hit us up for safety and fun in bike riding, whether you're in Andorra or Australia we've got your back (or at least your ears)!

 


It's not what you ride.... November 30 2014, 0 Comments


CycleLove Manifesto November 19 2014, 0 Comments

 

find it here


Biking fun in Portland August 06 2014, 0 Comments

Our city has bike events galore!  Even events that are not bike-specific have become hybridized due to the popularity of riding in Portland.  Recently a large yearly concert offered 200 bike parking spaces and was filled.  Tomorrow, August 7, the local Street of Dreams is getting in on the fun.  The Bicycle Transportation Alliance announced that there will be bike tours, bike gifts, bike-powered refreshments, a biking coach, and of course a VIP bike corral.


The Vee August 05 2014, 0 Comments

This past weekend some of the Wind-Blox team were out of town and borrowed bikes and helmets.  When they donned the headgear it was surprising to see how others before them had worn these helmets.  The straps were very loose and the 'vee' where the front and back strap from each side met to create the chin strap was actually near the chin of each rider.  Obviously these helmets needed adjustments if they were to be useful for promoting safety!

As the Blox team adjusted their borrowed helmets, they realized that the 'vee' could be something that customers might not consider when attaching Blox to their helmets.  For best use of Blox, the 'vee' should be close to the rider's earlobe and the chin strap should be snug.

Happy riding!