Monthly Archives

April 2020

News April 30, 2020

Garmin releases 9.0 update with 5.07 sensor hub for fēnix 6

I’m not sure why Garmin didn’t include the complete release notes (below) in the post, but there are tons of changes and improvements since the last stable (8.10) build of the firmware for the fēnix 6. The release is staggered, but you should be able to get it now via Garmin Express. Changes made from version 8.78 to 9.00: Made several stability improvements. Fixed an issue with custom alerts. Changes made from…

Blog April 29, 2020

Feeling good about aluminum

If I’m totally honest, there have been a few times when I wished that I’d opted for a more expensive carbon frame for the gravel bike. Almost all of those times have involved a scale. Not that I’m dissatisfied with the weight, it’s actually great all things considered. As a bit of weight weenie the lack of potential still pains me a little. But, every time I crash the bike (riding in…

Review April 27, 2020

Pearl Izumi ELITE Thermal Knee Warmer

While I’d rather be cold than too warm, it’s miserable when there will be a big swing in temperature during the day; especially when the swing crosses over the winter/spring kit threshold. These Pearl Izumi knee warmers have made planning for those rides much easier.…

News April 27, 2020

Small changes, to small numbers, net large percentage changes

Math, being math, means that if you take a small number and double it (e.g. 1 + 1 = 2), you get a massive, nay alarming, percentage increase. Which does make for click bait, err.. a good headline, when it comes to things like cyclist death in the UK. There are so many issues with the use of the data (linked below) to draw speculative conclusions, that I hesitated to even link…

News April 24, 2020

Will it work with a road tire?

I’ve never tried the technique outlined in the video below, in the way it’s outlined. But, I have done something similar with my hands with high volume gravel tires when they refuse to seat properly. So I have no doubt that it should work provided that you get a decent seal between the rim and the bead, since the overarching goal is to get the rim tight enough that the air you…

Blog Featured April 22, 2020

Garmin drops balls on heart rate, training effect, load, etc.

One of my goals with adding a fēnix 6 to my stable of Garmin devices is that I was looking for a better, holistic view of activity/stress/load/etc., but clearly they don’t seem to understand that there’s a world outside of what they capture. Ignoring that devalues the usefulness of their platform, and frankly makes it less trustworthy for anyone who expects them to get these important metric right. Let’s dig into the…

News April 21, 2020

But, no one will see my KOM!!!

First off, gotta be clear that this is not a personal problem. I have exactly zero KOMs. My role in the cycling world is clearly that of the domestique, so just like on the road, this post is to do the job of getting the important people up to speed. PSA: Strava is currently experiencing a technical issue with calculating segment achievements (KOMs, leaderboards, etc). The current guidance is to wait 24…

News April 21, 2020

Stupid name, great idea

I’m not sure about the “sexy” marketing, but I am sure about two things. “Babymaker” is a stupid name for a bike, and $1,337 is a fantastic price for an eBike. Especially one with all of the features that this sports. Bizarre marketing aside (although, maybe not bizarre because I did click through because I expected a hot mess), there’s a lot to like about this bicycle from FLX Bike. Smart design,…

News April 21, 2020

So wrong, on so many levels

It does not surprise me that there are “less than 150 miles” claimed on this atrocity. Where would you even ride a bike with a 90T chainring? Normally I’d say “down a hill”, but I would want disc brakes with the speed you could make trying to spin this beast out. Only $6,500 for this beaut, but hey, at least shipping is free… Speed Bicycle, Less than 150 miles on bike. Custom…

News April 20, 2020

I’m starting to notice a trend here…

Maybe I have unreasonable expectations, but here again I’m somewhat surprised to find that this $4,000 Cervélo Áspero comes with an aluminum seatpost and a 1760g Easton EA70 AX wheelset. Seeing as you can get these wheels for $200 and an aluminum seatpost for $25 without even looking that hard, it just seems like a lot to pay for a mishmash of parts and a carbon frame. Now, I will admit that…

Older Posts →