If you haven’t sacrificed years of your life to training and you’re not already in Beijing, chances are slim that you’ll be at the Olympics this year. Like most Americans, including myself, you’ll probably spend part of your August 8th week gazing at a jumbotron scoreboard (your HDTV) with an athletic beverage (cold beer) in one hand and the javelin (remote) in the other. But as realistic as the pictures on your plasma are, they can’t compete with the real thing. So, if you’re dying for a piece of the Olympics, grab a pair of the Made for Beijing Collection by adidas. [Additional images after the jump]
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We’ve reviewed a couple of running shoes at Gear Patrol; mostly trail runners, but like many guys I live in a concrete jungle. The closest I’ll get to trail running is a dirt path in Central Park. That’s one reason I run in a pair of mi adidas shoes. The other reasons are even better, but I’ll get to that in a second.

First lets go down the running credentials to lend some credibility. I ran my first 5k at age 15 and the rest is history. I’ve run on three different continents in climates that range from hot and steamy to dry and bitter cold. Seemingly impossible hills motivate me, not deter. Sounds of the ten thousandth stride exhilarate. I love running.

That said, let me tell you why mi adidas are the only running shoes I’ll ever recommend. Read why after the jump.

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My obsession with cars started about 20 years ago. I remember lying on the floor of my parent’s home making ramps for my favorite Matchbox car, a red Ferrari Testarossa. Fast forward to 2008… now my typical experience with exotic cars involves an occasional turn behind a PS3 controller and my HDTV. I have had time behind the wheel of an Audi R8 at the Manhattan showroom, but that was a short lived experience. Regardless, I imagine my only real chance of driving an exotic still remains several many paychecks off. Thanks to Vulcan Motor Club I’m wrong.

The Vulcan Motor Club is a member’s only club that lets you drive some of the most sought after cars in the world. Read on to find out how you too can partake. Oh, and more pictures.

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I’m from the South, not the Deep South, but the South… Ok, maybe just below the Mason Dixon line, but I lived there long enough to have an appreciation for good barbecue, sweet tea, and firearms. Fortunately for me, I can get barbecue and sweet tea in the area. But it’s harder to find a good place to target shoot. In NYC, you can’t just go to your friends’ back yard and shoot 22s at tin cans. Probably more so because it’s harder to find an actual back yard. This is where Manhattan Shooting Excursions can help. But before you call the FBI, and tell them a dark-skinned bearded man is talking about guns online, I have to say this is all legit. Really.

Manhattan Shooting Excursions organizes safe shooting events for corporations, clubs, and individuals in the New York City area. They focus on providing a safe and fun environment where you can learn the shooting sports. And no, they don’t do events in any of the five boroughs, but they do provide transportation to their ranges upstate, in New Jersey, and in Pennsylvania. Their credentials include:

• Licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
• Certified to instruct 11 shooting disciplines, 5 since 1986
• Instructor Training Certified since 2000
• NYS Armed Guard Certified
• NYS Hunter Training Instructor since 1993

They offer open excursions that teach various techniques and use a wide range of arms. They recently held an event where participants learned to shoot and reload from cover and on the move, using several 9MM carbines and 12 gauge shotguns. If that doesn’t suit you, they also offer events in handguns, trap and skeet, civil war arms, and cowboy action arms.

What this means to you: You can learn a fun new sport with out attracting the attention of the NYPD.

Cost: varies from $235 -$1000 @ Elite Shooters

We’ve got two winners for our free pass giveaway to The Johnson Club Room giveaway. Congratulations guys, you should be seeing your passes soon. Here are our winners’ cigars of choice and a little something they had to say about Gear Patrol.

Jonathan Lin | Cigar: CAO America Monument
“I never thought I’d say that I am the proud owner of a one-push McMuffin wannabe maker, but thanks to reading Gear Patrol, I bought one.”

Michael Wymant | Cigar: Monte Cristo Torpedo
“I usually check out gear patrol weekly. Lots of great information on everything I’m interested in!”

Keep checking Gear Patrol, we’ve got another giveaway coming up very soon.

So you’ve supplemented your summer wardrobe with a linen shirt and a good pair of flip flops. And I’m sure you already have a pair of shorts, but I bet you haven’t thought about formal ware. Yes, formal ware. I’m talking seersucker. Whether you summer in Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, or So-Cal your summer wardrobe isn’t complete until you have a seersucker suit.

As fabrics go, seersucker is the perfect for summer. Usually made from cotton, seersucker feels light and breathable. More so than any tropical weight wool suit I’ve ever owned. I think we all know that you couldn’t survive a day in the tropics in one of these.

For your seersucker needs checkout your J.Crew or go to www.jcrew.com. Memorial Day is less than a week away. Is your wardrobe ready?

What this means to you: You can leave the t-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops at home next time you go to a clam bake, regatta, horse race, etc…

Cost: $198 @ J.Crew

Getting me to change my shave routine is not easy. You can talk all you want about the benefits skin-conditioning Kukui Nut Oil or Organic Jojoba, but at 6AM when I’m gazing bleary-eyed into my medicine cabinet, I like to reach for something familiar. So… when the folks at Origins sent me some samples of their shave products, I was reluctant to try them. For the sake of the GP readers though I thought the products deserved a thorough review. That’s why I’m here one week later minus my beard; sporting a chin that belongs to an adolescent choir boy.

The short and long story/review after the jump.

What this means to you: If you’re looking for some new shave products these are the ones to try. The three products together form the perfect trifecta of shaving.

Cost: Easy Slider Pre Shave Oil: $18.50 | Blade Runner Energizing Shave Cream: $14.00 | Fire Fighter: $15.00 @ Origins

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Don’t forget that Gear Patrol is giving away two passes to the Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman.

To win one of two free passes to The Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman simply email giveaway@gearpatrol.com (email link) with the name of your favorite cigar and name. A winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the week tonight.

We’ve heard some great responses ranging from Monte Cristo Joyitas to Rocky Patels. Keep ‘em coming gents.

We’ve got two free passes to The Johnson Club Room to giveaway to GP readers. Details on how to win them at the end of Marc’s review.

There are few places more enjoyable than a cigar lounge. The sweet aroma of tobacco, the soothing jazz carrying throughout, and your hand alternating between your cigar and scotch of choice (neat of course)… are bar none.

If you live in New York City or have visited any of NY’s many cigar lounges, you most likely envisioned all that the Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman embodies. The Johnson Club Room is the quintessential New York cigar lounge and here’s why…

Read Marc’s full review and additional images after the jump.

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Men don’t usually think about diamonds. When we do it usually means we’re about to do something obtuse (think marriage), or we need to make up for something even more obtuse (think Kobe Bryant). But diamonds don’t just have to be a gift for that special someone. Men can sport diamonds too. No, I’m not talking about iced out grilles or blinged out chains. I’m talking about raw diamond cufflinks; the kind of cufflinks that that exude subtle sophistication; the kind of cufflinks that set you apart from every other suit in the room.

Since 1992, Todd Reed has specialized in raw diamond jewelry and now his collection includes cufflinks. Each cufflink is hand made in Todd’s Colorado studio, where he and his nine employees set raw diamonds in recycled gold or oxidized sterling silver. The diamonds are sourced from reputable vendors locally and from around the world.

The raw diamond look lets you standout without being flashy. Or as Todd Reed says, “Our raw look creates a very masculine jewel for even the most understated gentleman.” So forget all you know about the four C’s of diamond buying, and get yourself a pair.

(ED: The pictures don’t do these cufflinks justice. I’ve seen several pairs in person, and it took a lot of will not to run out the door with them)

Cost: $6,000+ @ Todd Reed