The Wahoo Headwind is a ‘smart’ fan specifically designed for cycling.
When I first heard about this product, I was quite dubious. First, and foremost, it’s expensive. $250 for a fan is pretty high. Also, for some reason, my initial though twas that they were trying to reproduce the experience of a headwind while cycling.
Well, cost aside, most of the reviews of the fan I saw were pretty positive. With the holidays upon us, this is what I decided I wanted
Continue readingSome time ago I posted about my general dissatisfaction with the 4iiii Viiva heart rate monitor.
In a nutshell, in addition to being a ANT+ and Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) heart rate monitor, it also acts as a bridge between ANT+ devices that don’t offer BTLE functionality. In my original review of the Viiva, I complained because few software offerings provided support for it and the data is sent to apps wasn’t accurate.
Well, I need to revise my opinion of the Viiva … it has gained adoption and now appears to be quite useful.
Those who use training programs (such as Zwift) with Apple TV have already learned that the Apple TV only supports 3 total BTLE devices connected. One of those devices slots is already taken by the remote control. That leaves only 2 more slots.
If you’re using a training program, you’ll need at least 3 devices connected (possibly more) …
Continue readingReview of the Garmin Varia RTL-510 Radar
Standard disclaimer:
Being into technology, I’ve accumulated a fair bit of bike tech also. As such, I’m going to try doing thumbnail reviews of some of the bike tech that I current, or used to, use.
These aren’t going to be super technical reviews. For that kind of thing I suggest you head over to DCRainmaker‘s blog or GPLama‘s YouTube channel.
These are going to be my impressions of the product … what I like, what I don’t like, what could be better, and some things that should be left just the way they are.
All the items I’m going to review have been purchased outright by me and I don’t get any compensation for the reviews (unless I provide an Amazon link, in which case I get a small commission).
A few years ago I decided I could try bike commuting to work. The office I work in has a bike rack and (lucky for my co-workers) a locker room with showers.
I figured I could leave earlier than I normally would, ride the 20 miles to the office, lock my bike up, shower, and start work about an hour after I normally would. I would leave a change of clothes, toiletries, and fresh cycling kit for the ride home.
Continue readingOK, I’m going to try something new.
As you are probably aware, I’m an avid cyclist. I really like cycling. Some may say it’s an addiction (albeit on the healthy side).
Standard disclaimer:
Being into technology, I’ve accumulated a fair bit of bike tech also. As such, I’m going to try doing thumbnail reviews of some of the bike tech that I current, or used to, use.
These aren’t going to be super technical reviews. For that kind of thing I suggest you head over to DCRainmaker‘s blog or GPLama‘s YouTube channel.
These are going to be my impressions of the product … what I like, what I don’t like, what could be better, and some things that should be left just the way they are.
All the items I’m going to review have been purchased outright by me and I don’t get any compensation for the reviews (unless I provide an Amazon link, in which case I get a small commission).
Well, it’s the last day of 2014 and I’m already planning rides for 2015.
Here’s a rundown of the rides I’m planning on doing next year …
A bit ambitious? Maybe.
My goal is to ride 2500 miles in 2015, so I’ll need some long distance rides.
OK, first and foremost, this isn’t going to be an in-depth, expert, evaluation of road cycling on Maui … it’s just my impressions and opinions. If you want something more, I suggest you take a look at Tom Meloy’s very nice writeup from a few years ago.
On a recent vacation to Maui, I decided to rent a bike and try some cycling. I did, and here’s what I found…
One of the things I like to do when I’m cycling, is keep track of various statistics related to my ride.
This includes things like speed, cadence (how fast I’m peddling), and heart rate.
To do this, I have a number of sensors that connect to my bike computer (Garmin Edge 810). The sensors communicate with the bike computer using a low power communication mechanism called ANT+.
There are, however, some advantages of being able to track the sensor data on my iPhone in the various fitness apps (Strava, Endomondo, iBiker, etc). The problem is that the iPhone needs an adapter to receive the ANT+ signal. It’s not a big adapter, roughly the size of a charging cable connector. In addition, the adapter is currently only available for iPhone 4S’s and earlier … it uses the 30 pin connector. There are no ANT+ adapters for iPhone 5’s & newer (which use the lightning connector).
iPhone 4S’s & newer do have a variation of Bluetooth called “Bluetooth Smart” … also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE). SOME fitness sensors support BTLE, but very few support both BTLE and ANT+.
This is where the 4iiii Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor comes in. It functions as a heart rate monitor with both ANT+ and BTLE communication. In addition, it can act as a BRIDGE between other ANT+ sensors and feed the data via BTLE.
I rode another metric century!
Steve and I did the 62 mile route in the Evanston Bike’s North Shore Century.
It was a fun ride and well run … although there were a few gripes (that I won’t go into). There are a few take aways for me in relation to the Tour de Cure.
Continue reading
During the 2013 Tour de Cure ride, my friend Marty was active on various social media sites … he frequently used the phrase “Not dead yet”.
As it happened, I recently finished a book that was recommended to me by a fellow type 2 diabetic. It was “Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease: From Diagnosis to Dominance” by Phil Southerland.
When Phil was a child, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. His mother was told that he would either be dead or blind by the time he was 25. Despite this prediction, he went on to be a world class professional cycle racer and founded a professional cycle racing team: Team Type 1 (now Team Novo Nordisk).
I found the book to be very good and quite enlightening … on multiple levels.
I’m actually watching a sporting event on TV right now … well, slightly time shifted, as it’s recording on the the TiVo.
I’m watching (as you might have guessed) the Tour de France.
I’m honestly not following most the technical details, but it’s kind of interesting.
Unfortunately, the detached perspective of watching on TV makes it hard to judge the significance of various aspects … like speed, climbs, head winds, etc.
Still, kind of interesting. I’ll keep watching for a while.