DIY – Patent Idea – Spring Water Bottle Cage

paschmann

Problem: In cycling (and other applications) water bottles are a variety of shapes and sizes. This often makes them difficult to get in or be contained in a traditional bicycle water cage. This attempts to resolve this by offering an “expanding” cage.

Fun but ultimately bad patent idea to create an expanding water bottle holder.

I made a couple models/3D prints to proof it out, but decided against it.

Updated Patent Outline – Vertical Spring-Loaded Cycling Water Bottle Holder

1. Title of the Invention

Spring-Loaded Retention Bottle Cage for Bicycles

2. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to cycling accessories, specifically to devices for securely retaining water bottles on bicycles. It aims to provide enhanced bottle stability via a vertically applied spring-loaded retention mechanism. read more

Carb and Sodium sources from popular products

paschmann

Here is a table of carb and sodium sources for various products available to purchase. This is helpful if you want to understand the carb source, electrolyte content and also the volume or weight for endurance events.

ProductTypeAmountServingCarbsSodiumCalciumPotassiumMagnesiumSugarFiberCaffeineMain Ingredients
Saltstick ChewsChewable Tablet1 Tablet1 Tablet1g50mg1mg3mg1g
Saltstick CapsualsCapsual1 Cap1 Cap215mg22mg63mg11mg
SIS Sodium GelGel1 Gel60ml22g300mg0.7g
SIS Regular GelGel1 Gel60ml22g10mg0.6g
Tailwind CaffinePowder1 Scoop27g25g310mg27mg90mg12mg25g35mgDextrose, Sucrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide, Caffine
Tailwind RegularPowder1 Scoop27g25g310mg27mg90mg12mg25gDextrose, Sucrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide
SIS Beta Fuel ChewBar1 Bar60g46g100mg41g2.2gGlucose (36%), Fructose (29%)
Precision Hydration PF1000Dissolvable Tablet1 Tablet6g3g500mg20mg130mg10mg2g
Nuun SportDissolvable Tablet1 Tablet4g300mg13mg150mg25mg1g
Gatorade Endurance PowderPowder1.5 Tbsp24g22g300mg140mg0mg13gSugar, Malto, frustose, citric acid, sodium citrate, etc.
Gatorade Endurance Bottle (24oz)Premixed Drink1 Bottle (24oz)24oz/720ml44g620mg280mg26gSugar, Malto, frustose, citric acid, sodium citrate, etc.
Gatorade NormalPowder1.66 Tbsp23g22g150mg50mg21gSugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
LMNTPowder1 Pack6g< 1g1000mg200mg60mgSalt (Sodium Chloride), 
Maurten Gel 100Gel1 Gel25g25g85mg25gWater, Glucose, Fructose, Calcium Carbonate, Gluconic acid, Sodium Alginate.
Maurten Gel 100 CAFGel1 Gel25g25g22mg25g100mgWater, Glucose, Fructose, Calcium Carbonate, Gluconic acid, Sodium Alginate, Caffine
Energy product formatProsCons
Carb (“Isotonic”) drinks+ Useful for short-to-moderate duration activities (~45 mins-2 hrs)– Unlikely to meet your fluid and electrolyte needs over ~2 hrs (especially in the heat)
+ Require no chewing, little digestion– Reduces the flexibility of your fueling strategy
+ Replaces some of the fluids and sodium lost in your sweat, mitigating the risk of dehydration– Some people don’t like the sweet taste
Gels+ Easy to carry a large amount of carbs efficiently– Some athletes find they become sickly or unpleasant (“flavour or texture fatigue”) if over-consumed
+ Efficient when your hydration needs are proportionally lower than your energy needs– Many athletes just can’t “stomach” gels
– Not ideal when simply opening the packets is tricky because you don’t have full use of your hands (e.g. when kayaking)
Chews+ Can be more ‘satisfying’ than gels during longer races at lower intensities– Not ideal when you’re exercising at a high enough intensity to make chewing and swallowing an issue
+ A viable alternative for anyone who doesn’t get on well with gels– Not ideal when simply opening the packets is tricky because you don’t have full use of your hands (e.g. when kayaking)
+ Excellent energy-to-weight ratio
Bars+ They often contain protein, fat and fibre (unlike drinks, gels and chews), so are generally a lot more satisfying to eat– Better suited to ultra-distance events, where it’s possible to eat them because you’re moving at a slower pace
+ They take longer to digest and absorb, so their energy can be released more slowly, which may be an advantage at lower intensities– They tend to need to be washed down with fluid
+ Can double up as a good pre or post-workout snack

Enterprise Mobility @ SAP – Why apps matter ..

paschmann

This is another blog post of a series around the enterprise mobility IT team at SAP. We are an internal team focused on managing mobile devices, mobile applications, and developing custom apps for SAP’s 110,000 employees. I believe we have some unique stories, software, tools, and insights to help others in the community considering, or currently undertaking, some of the challenges which surround mobility and its adoption in the enterprise. As an SAP champion, I enjoy sharing and promoting my experiences and knowledge with others through the SAP Community, if you enjoy this post, check out some of my past content.

Introduction

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation on “Why apps matter …” for an annual internal SAP event called SAP Worx. These presentations highlight some of the important internal tools which IT develops to help our employees in their daily lives. While this was internally focused, I felt it could be beneficial to share some of the details and content behind what, we as a team, are focused on from a mobility perspective. read more