All Posts By

Andrew Van Til

Featured Review September 7, 2023

Bryton Gardia R300L Bike Radar Tail Light

I was an early adopter of bike radar, and I remain an enthusiastic evangelist around it because I see it as a critical safety device. Until recently, there was a lack of competition in the space, so I’m thrilled to see entrants from companies like Bryton, with its Gardia R300L. Intro: 00:02 Why Bike Radar: 00:26 The Basics: 01:45 Mobile App: 02:50 Disclosure: 03:33 USB Type C FTW: 03:53 Unboxed: 04:08 Weight:…

News August 23, 2023

Hey Adam, this one’s for you.

We all remember Adam, right? While not everyone is as eager to confirm that they are hostile towards to the existence of humans, there is a significant number of people who repeat the same horrible things every time a cyclist is killed by a car. Not that long ago someone was killed in Highland Park in a hit-and-run. As far as I know that homicide remains unsolved. It’s crazy that anyone who…

Blog Featured August 23, 2023

What Is A Strava Activity?

Every so often I stumble on a Strava activity like the screenshot above, and by stumble on, I really mean someone I know puts it out there in a “WHOA! LOOK AT WHAT THIS PERSON DID!” kinda way. I get it, that’s part of Strava’s function; to get recognition for the cool fitness related stuff that we do. I also understand that like every other social media platforms, truth only gets in…

Featured Review August 22, 2023

Mark Nolden MD / NorthShore Medical Group : Lumbar Microdiscectomy Hemilaminectomy

I am unfortunate to have had multiple surgeries, both in general and on my back. I am also unfortunate in that both of the recoveries from my lumbar microdiscectomies didn’t quite go to plan. I’m not going to repeat how I got to the place where I needed a second microdiscectomy. Or technically, a revision microdiscectomy and hemilaminectomy. I only say that to provide context; getting old sucks, but the alternative is…

News August 3, 2023

4iiii Adds Apple “Find My” To Precision 3+ Power Meters

This is legit cool, on so many levels. TL;DR 4iiii is making it possible to track your power meter like an AirTag. If you already have a Precision 3 PM, there’s a $30 upgrade path. I don’t know how this will impact other PMs that are manufactured and supported by 4iiii, like my Specialized Power Cranks. I have emailed 4iiii, but I’m not expecting much. It’s old enough and niche enough, that…

News August 1, 2023

Specialized Tarmac SL8 – Introduces Speed Sniffer Technology

I hope this leaked specification/marketing copy is a joke. Because if it’s not, I legitimately wonder what is going on in the Specialized HQ marketing department. Who thought “Speed Sniffer” was a good idea? Seriously, who? Is this a cry for help? Because I feel like it might be a cry for help.…

News July 19, 2023

Garmin Drops 14.23 Beta for fēnix 7/7 Pro, epix 2/2 Pro, Enduro 2, Quatrix 7, and MARQ Gen 2

There is a fairly large change log, listed below, but I think Garmin buried the lead here. This is a unified firmware for the fēnix 7 and fēnix 7 Pro, same for the epix. Which means that they have a unified firmware, so all the features that launched with the Pro models should now be available on the standard versions of these watches. Yay! I’ve only had the time to look at…

Blog Featured July 12, 2023

The Caloric Deficit Diet

Every diet, no exceptions, if it works, it works the same way – through the magic of Caloric Deficit. Fad diets can make a lot of noise, and often demonstrate amazing stories of initial success. Some of them by a diuretic effect, but most of them actually do the business because restriction is “easy” in the short term. The difference is in the details, i.e. how you get there, which can play…

News July 10, 2023

Garmin is nucking futs

I think it’s Great that Garmin decided to make a saddle clamp mount for the Varia radar/tail light. That’s awesome. But, you can buy a third-party version of one of these thing for $12. They want $50! I totally get that the OEM version is always going to cost more. That’s fine, but when I saw the email for the Garmin Seat Rail Mount Kit I thought it was going to be…

News June 15, 2023

Zwift Play Looks Really Cool

If you’re willing to grab a Zwift Play now, you can get it for $99. At some point it will go to $150. If you race, this is a no brainer. If you don’t, still looks cool, but maybe less so. The biggest complication I see is that this requires yet another Bluetooth connection. Which isn’t a problem for most folks, but if you’re using an Apple TV (c’mon Apple…) you’re limited…

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