I mentioned this last week, and well.....here it is. The device that claims to make all your inflation jobs easier. And then some... Oh! I purchased this device with my own money and the company has no idea I am reviewing this item. (I'll have more on why this statement is here later)
Out of the box I have been impressed. This borders on maybe being too much to have for casual rides around town or even longer gravel rides out into the country, but if I were on a tour? Or if I were on a really long ride? Yeah, I could make space for this because it could be a back-up for a device that you'd need an emergency charge for and it has the ability to be a flashlight. So making repairs in the dark, or setting up camp in the dark, might be an easier task with the light function. Oh, and it also can double as a digital pressure gauge.
The unit and accessories seem well done. I see no reason at all why it wouldn't work well, and the waterproof carrying bag is a nice touch. Stay tuned here and on Riding Gravel for more.
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| N.Y. Roll said something about a sub-24 outing. So, I had to get busy..... |
Sub-24 Set Up:
One of my goals for the year was to do a sub-24 camp trip which is going to lead into a special two-day trip I have wanted to do since about this time last year. I hadn't gotten around to setting up the Singular Gryphon Mk3 with the Old Man Mountain Elkhorn Rack I have, but I had meant to get that done and then to start messing with the set up for a sub-24 and eventually this trip.
N.Y. Roll blurted out something the other day which was quite unexpected, but he wondered if I was up for a sub-24 trip. Now, I don't think he knew what I was thinking about, but it was perfect timing and the kick in the rear I needed to get started.
So, what you see above is basically a "sketch" of a set up. This could all change, and some of it definitely will. But here is what I had in mind so you can understand where I am possibly going here.
- Rack: I thought I'd try the Elkhorn up front. I see a lot of bikepackers doing this and it makes sense to a degree.
- Rear Seat Pack: That's a Topeak unit I have and it has that removable dry sack so the bag stays on the bike. It's big enough to hold my two-man tent, so that's where I stuffed that for now.
- Topeak also made the extendable water bottle cage which I put underneath and because the front center of the Singular is longer than a gravel bike's, I can stuff a 32oz bottle in there. Perfect!
- Water: Speaking of bottles, with the Elkhorn not interfering with the water bottle cages, I can have five bottles, and I could use a Bike Bag Dude Chaff bag for a sixth, if I wanted that, but this amount should do with one chance at a resupply.
- Cargo: Okay, here's where I am not 100% yet. I need to rethink my using that old Thermarest pad which is that orangey-brown roll on the rack deck. It still works just fine, but that's as small as I can make it and I really should have it in something. I may just use one of those windshield Sun protectors that some minimalist bikepackers go with. And maybe I don't need to take so much stuff? That's always something I wrestle with, but the Outdoor Research handle bar roll really can handle a lot of my clothing and my sleeping bag, so I'm not sure how much I'll need that rack for in the first place.
I could buddy-up that Salsa dry bag of the front of the OR handlebar roll, and maybe I don't need the Elkhorn, or....? Still trying to work that all out. But I test rode this set up and it would be okay. So, I am encouraged. I just need to do some decision making on the finer bits and she's ready.
Stay tuned.....
5 comments:
For a S24O, pack for comfort. An extra couple pounds of gear isn’t going to break you on a S24O.
After reading your post a couple days ago talking about these, I decided to roam around on Amazon looking at some and ended up ordering one. Was going back and forth but ended up pulling the trigger on one that has 4,000 mAh of juice and had pretty good reviews. There were smaller and bigger, but figured at a little under a pound, I'll give it a try (and would probably be good to keep one in the car anyways for maybe some help in an emergency tire issue there). I figure that besides longer rides like you mentioned, maybe even on "regular" rides this time of year when it's in the 80s/90s, might be worth the extra weight (compared to a mini-pump) if needed. I've dealt with a few tire issues over the years on an exposed gravel road in the middle of summer when I was already pretty tired and sweaty and that just might feel like a bit of a lifesaver! I guess we'll see....I'll try to use & abuse it for a few weeks, and send it back if I don't like it (and either way, at under $40 I'm intrigued enough to give it a shot).
@Ben - That's a great use scenario. I would also want this device if there were a lot of mosquitoes or the like.
Thanks for offering some feedback. I'd be curious, as I sure others would be, how it goes for you.
Depending on the precision of the PSI gauge, I could also see this being useful at cyclocross races, where tire pressure is much more finicky (I often see folks wanting 22.5 PSI, for example).
I carry an Accu-Gage with me, but it's a pretty manual process to pump it up, check pressure, let air out, check pressure, etc etc. This would be a way smoother operation!
@Matt Steele - Good idea! I suppose you could either use your particular gauge as a reference gauge against itself and build a notebook of pressures that you have performance data for, or you could check it against a known gauge that has been used in the past.
Either way, as long as the device's gauge doesn't drift, it would be a fine way to set pressures more exactly and repeatably.
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