Gravel Grinder News: Wahoo Announces Elemnt Ace GPS

Note: Information and images used in this post were provided by Wahoo Fitness.

Wahoo Fitness' new Elemnt ACE GPS.

 In perhaps one of the most recent "worst kept secrets" in cycling, today Wahoo Fitness officially announces their newest GPS device for cycling called Elemnt ACE. 

This new GPS device features several new features never before seen on any Wahoo GPS device. It also features the largest screen size in cycling GPS devices currently available. Added to this is a new cloud-based connectivity and we have a lot to go over here with this new device. 

Features:

 Let's dive right in here with a bullet point list of the Elemnt ACE features. 

• A super-sized, Best-In-Class Screen: that will be largest in category, with best-in-class TFT screen to enable better visibility for navigation and data visualization

• Up to 30+ hour Battery Life: this will keep riders connected and informed from start to finish.

•  CATEGORY FIRST - Integrated Wind Sensor: introducing Wahoo Wind Dynamics™ (WWD) to measure the effects of air resistance in real time and post ride, to quantify how wind and drafting are impacting your ride and measure one of cycling’s most critical forces

• Improved User Experience: new touchscreen to complement buttons for ease of use, plus brand new modern operating system to make it easier than ever to control your ride, and a premium aluminum mount included 

• Enhanced Navigation: improved mapping features and turn by turn audio navigation to allow riders to navigate with confidence and ease.

•  Easier, More intuitive Setup and Sync via the Wahoo App: new cloud-based sync, for a seamless, simple and intuitive user experience where all of a user’s data is stored in Wahoo’s cloud as a single, always backed up source

 

Navigating with the new Elemnt ACE will be enhanced by a high-contrast color palette screen with swiping capabilities to get to a different screen more quickly. This could enhance safety and should allow users to keep their eyes on the road/trail more. Interestingly, Wahoo takes a page from automobile navigation with the new Elemnt ACE and will now have voice commands for navigation cues. The press release did not indicate whether this can be disabled if it is not wanted, or if different voices could be selected. It might be a bit comical in events if several Wahoo Elemnt Ace users came upon a turn at about the same time. "Turn Left!", heard multiple times simultaneously might be quite the cacophonous mess!

The screen is made from a transflective thin-film transmitter (TFT) and measures an impressive 3.8"/3:2 aspect ratio. Wahoo claims the high DPI screen has anti-reflective, anti-glare properties making it easier to see in many outdoor conditions. 

Wahoo claims "up to 30 hours battery life" but this will have to be verified in real-world use. For a comparison, a Wahoo Elemnt ROAM has a claimed 17 hour battery life, so that 30 hours is almost double that! 

The Wahoo Elemnt ACE has these front-facing ports for the wind sensor - a first in a cycling GPS device.

Wahoo has incorporated a wind sensor into the Element ACE which is a category first. Wahoo leverages this data by giving the rider real-time information on what Wahoo calls "AeroBoost" and "AeroDrag" giving the rider insight into how tail winds and headwinds affect performance. You can also measure the effects of drafting with this feature. After the ride, data showing the rider how wind affected performance can be accessed. Wahoo calls this "Wahoo Wind Dynamics". 

Understanding how winds affect performance could lead riders to being more efficient with regard to power output which would result in better performance, theoretically. 

The touch-screen is being leveraged to make rider user experience easier and less complicated. Buttons are still here for those who wish to use them as well. Wahoo says that their touch screen will work with or without touch-screen compatible gloves, so that is a nice feature.  Wahoo claims the touch-screen will even work with moisture present as well. 

The Wahoo Elemnt ACE comes with a premium quality aluminum mount, a tether, and will retail for US$599.99, CA$849.99, EU€599.99, UK£549.99, AU$999.95 and JP¥9,900.

Comments: That's a lot there and it is an interesting update from Wahoo on their range of GPS devices. I have a Wahoo Elemnt ROAM and I have enjoyed using it. So, this is an opportunity for me to answer a question: Would you get this new Elemnt ACE or stick with your Elemnt ROAM?  

From the standpoint of user experience, I would like a touch-screen, if it was easy to use in reality. I would like the extended battery range, especially for peace of mind in doing longer rides. Just having that "headroom" in battery life might be a good thing in those cases. The screen being larger is also a good thing for me because having to look multiple times and keep an eye on the gravel road is a bit of a pain. Maybe the larger screen would make this less of an issue? 

Navigation has been enhanced, they say? This would be of interest to me, although I would like to know if I could turn off the voice and just have a beep and a visual cue on the screen. If the voice nav feature is always on during navigation I would find that annoying. Especially if I don't like the voice tone. But I don't have detailed enough info to know what the deal is there yet. 

The wind stuff may not be of interest if it is not of much use unless you pair that data with a power meter. 

So, I'm interested, but the Elemnt ROAM is no slouch, so I think my answer now is that I'd wait and see before jumping. What about you? let me know in the comments. Is this new GPS device worth the six hundred bucks or is it just gimmicky nonsense?

Gravel Grinder News: New Wahoo GPS Soon?

Is this the new Wahoo GPS? (Image from Reddit)

Wahoo Rumored To Release New GPS Cycling Device Soon:

On Monday news was spreading that any day now you will see a new flagship GPS device from Wahoo. Rumored to be named "ACE", this device would be bigger than the current Elemnt ROAM with a claimed 3.8" touch screen. Yes. A touchscreen is part of this rumor. Of course, as you can see, if the ACE looks like this it will also feature the familiar buttons that Wahoo users know well.

The "big" (sorry for the pun) news here is an increased battery life, rumored to be 30 hours or so, and a wind sensor. 

The wind sensor could be used to help with power meters and rider output into headwinds and with tailwinds. Better power output in windy situations may increase performance outcomes. 

The usual suite of functions should be here as well as an aluminum mount, which I would wager is probably going to be more svelte and lighter than what would be necessary in a plastic based material for a mount to hold this large, and I am assuming heavy, device. 

Stay tuned for the official announcement to come any day now, according to posters on Reddit.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Garmin

 A "Fair & Balanced Computer News" FN&V

Garmin Announces Flagship Cycling GPS Device:

Tuesday Garmin unleashed their latest GPS device, the 1050, on the masses. The news here is a brighter LCD display, new touch-screen abilities, a speaker, an electronic bell, and ability to pay for your coffee. 

The device is available now and costs $699.99.  You can see more on the 1050 on Garmin's site HERE.

I watched a pretty comprehensive YouTube video on this device and it is impressive, but do we really need all this? To my way of thinking, wouldn't it be cool to have the bright LCD screen, great navigation, a few of the safety features, and basic cycling computer metrics and that is it? A 'stripped down' version of this with the same battery? 

I don't need a speaker, an electronic bell, or the ability to pay for a latte'. I'm not saying this is 'bad', I'm just thinking many of us don't really need such a complex device. I know it would never be offered, but you have to wonder if a simpler version of the 1050 wouldn't be wildly popular and cost a lot less than 700 bucks. I mean, when DC Rainmaker's review snippet on YouTube says "Garmin Edge 1050 In-Depth Review 21 things to know.", I'm thinking that is about 15 things to know too many.

Then too, the recently announced Coros Dura, if that company gets that device squared away, is going to put a lot of pressure on this device as it costs a little less than one third of the Garmin and does some pretty neat stuff as well. But then again, Garmin is the 'king' of GPS devices, despite Wahoo and Hammerhead. Time will tell, but at what this 1050 thing costs I'd rather buy something else that wasn't so complex and feature laden, but had the nicer screen and good navigation. But that's just me.....

Image courtesy of Planet Bike

Planet Bike Offers New "Blinky Squared" Taillight:

Planet Bike announced a new blinking taillight for your bicycle recently called "Blinky Squared" It is a 1.25" square unit with 15 LED's arranged in a circular pattern. 

The Blinky Squared has four modes. Two steady modes and two flashing modes. The light has an onboard Lithium-polymer battery that has a run time of up to 15 hours. The light is rated at 30 Lumens. The light recharges via the included USB C cable. Cost for the Blinky Squared is a reasonable $19.99.

The mount is adjusted for use on a seat post and attaches via a rubber "O" ring type strap. Planet Bike suggests that the Blinky Squared is good for daytime usage as well as night for better visibility to motorists. 

Comments: The pace at which lighting technology for cycling has advanced is something I never get over. I mean, twenty bucks gets you this? I find that amazing, and I think it isn't alone in the marketplace at that spec and price. In fact, my favorite taillight currently is the Ravemen TR30M which costs about the same and features 360° visibility with about the same run times. 

It's crazy how little you have to spend and how easy it is to use these lights which can aid in bringing better visibility of cyclists to motorists on roads and in cities. 

Image courtesy of OneUp Components.

OneUp Gets Into Hubs:

OneUp, the company probably best known for its dropper post, has announced a new hub set for Boost spaced MTB's and Adventure bikes. 

Now that DT Swiss' ratchet design mechanism patent has run out, we are starting to see a lot of companies adopt that design and offer hubs using the proven technology. 

OneUp is another of those companies doing this. Their hub comes in a variety of anodized colors in 32 or 28 hole drillings. The cost is pretty reasonable as well. You can buy the hubs separately or as a set. Check out the details on the OneUp site HERE. 

Comments: Wait! Is this the mid-1990's again? It seems like every week I have seen another anodized bit introduced by another company. One might think it is a trend. I, for one, am fine with this as years of black, black, and more black have been pretty boring. Now let's see some silver component groups and we'll be talkin'! Or not.......read on!

Image courtesy of MicroShift.

MicroShift Debuts 9spd Affordable Gravel Groupset:

MicroShift, the component company that makes hay living in the spaces that Shimano and SRAM have left behind, has announced a new "gravel groupset" called Sword Black. 

The groupset was heralded by multiple outlets releasing the news on Wednesday of this week in a coordinated marketing plan, not unlike what many industries are utilizing these days. (That's a story for another time)

The deal here is that we have an "entry level" 9 speed component group which can be purchased as a 1X or 2X set that features low gearing, a square taper bottom bracket interface for the crankset, and a low price of (reportedly) $350.00. That garners you a crankset, levers, cassette, rear derailleur, and in the case of 2X, a front derailleur. 

Comments: It's probably fine for the price. MicroShift have "borrowed" several details from Shimano's GRX groupset even down to the chain ring bolt pattern. It is a mechanical group, obviously, and the marketing makes a big deal out of this fact. It is true that mechanical group sets are fairly straightforward in terms of set-up and adjustment. That said, not everyone understands or can do set-up and adjustments on any bicycle, so this supposed "feature" is perhaps lost on many cyclists. 

And take a look at how MicroShift got to that low gear on the 1X group. Holy "big jumps", Batman! Then you have the 17 tooth disparity between the big and small chainrings on the 2X crankset. I'm not a fan because when you select either front ring you have to make a few compensatory shifts in the rear or you find yourself spinning out or mashing a big gear. 

You know what would cure that? A triple crank. But no one is going to do that. Maybe it is where I live, but these 2X cranks with huge gaps between the rings and cassettes with 4+ tooth jumps are not a 'good thing', in my opinion.Finally, Shimano CUES is only for flat bar shifting now, but I have a feeling that when, not "if", Shimano adds drop bar levers to CUES it will blow this MicroShift stuff out of the water.

That's a wrap on this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. (Image courtesy of the IBC)

 Iowa Bicycle Coalition Hires New Executive Director:

Recently the Iowa Bicycle Coalition announced the hire of Luke Hoffman to fill its Executive Director position after former Executive Director, Mark Wyatt announced his departure. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition, an organization that promotes safe cycling in Iowa, educational programs, policy change at the government level, and growing a support community amongst cyclists in Iowa, now looks to Mr. Hoffman to drive these initiatives. 

Hoffman, a life-long cyclists from Iowa, will transition into the executive Director role with the aid of former Executive Director, Mark Wyatt who is staying on briefly to smooth out the change in leadership. Hoffman is already hard at work learning about the influencers and important issues in the Iowa cycling scene. 

Comments: The Iowa Bicycle Coalition mostly has been felt, in my experience, as the organization that implements changes at the Iowa Statehouse level through lobbying. The organizer also generally has a big presence at the Iowa Bicycle Expo, with their Iowa Bicycle Summit, usually held in January in Des Moines, Iowa. I spoke at the Iowa Bicycle Summit in 2017. 

Mr. Hoffman has already reached out to me, which I found pretty impressive since I don't generally see myself as being "that big of a deal", which...... I probably should, but I don't, generally, so the call caught me by surprise a bit. But since I've started working at The Cedar Valley Bicycle collective my aims have been more in alignment with what the Coalition is all about, so this is a good thing. 

Good luck to Mr. Hoffman in his endeavors! I loo forward to possibly meeting him at some point in the future. 

Time to dig back into this.

Second (Third? Fourth?) Chances:

You may not have noticed but I have not been using a GPS computer for cycling since early Summer. Boy! I gotta say that the rides I have gotten in have been just fine without that frustrating device. 

But a recent chat with a local runner in the Cedar Valley has me thinking I need to either figure this out or move on and never be a part of you folks that use GPS stuff. Well....at least not until things get figured out better.

See, the local runner, unprompted by myself, brought up a lot of the same things that drives me nuts about GPS units. His experiences were very similar to mine, plus he had some that were maybe more related to running that I did not have experiences with. 

But the chat did serve to bring to mind that I need to definitively figure out where I am headed in the near future. Either I use these things or I do not. I want to make up my mind and move on. The issue cannot be left undecided or I will end up wondering "what if" and that's no good. 

So, here are a few reasons I do not need GPS: Training, racing, navigation, data, and communication. I can do all of that stuff without a GPS at all. Would GPS computers like the Wahoo I have make things easier? Maybe..... It hasn't so far though. 

You might be thinking that I definitely need a GPS to do an event with. No, not really, I don't. While it is true that many race courses guidance is only provided via GPS, those tracks are almost always made available far ahead of the event on sites like Ride With GPS, and guess what? You can download cues for those, or, most likely, I'd write my own up and use the hard copy during the event. 

Oh yeah, and I don't do Strava or anything like that. I find that to be totally uninteresting. 

You might think that a GPS computer distance data would be more accurate than my hard-wired computer. Actually, that answer is "no" as well. Even my running friend, who used a traditional distance roll-out device to set up a quarter mile interval training route, has seen GPS not get the 1/4 mile splits correct on several other runners GPS units. And my roll-out measurement on my computer yields results that have consistently been dead-on with Iowa DOT mile markers. So, no- you don't need a GPS for that either. 

So the scales are tipped heavily against GPS in my view. Not only that, but I still have not been able to get one to work consistently well enough to be convinced otherwise. But I am going to try again. Stay tuned....

Speaking Of Technology...

The landscape for logistics for long, ultra-endurance events is changing due to technology. It's something that seems obvious when you stop to think about it. 

Maybe the pandemic put this sort of an idea on people's radar, but whatever it was, finding food and water became a heck of a lot easier than ever. It used to be that if you missed a store during open hours you were out of luck. But not anymore!

Riders have figured out how to leverage technology to gain an advantage over the long distance cycling challenges which are "self-supported" type events. Phone apps are one way this is being done. 

Call ahead and have an order placed outside in a bag with your name on it. Boom! When you get there, you have some savory vittles and maybe water waiting for you. Of course, it's risky. The village mutt might take advantage of your late arrival, but hey! It's take that risk or go without. 

Want to geek out on exactly how far down a rabit hole people go with regard to this? Check out THIS LINK and be amazed. Heck, I don't even understand half of that! It does reinforce my assertion that people will find every way possible to make an event easier within the rules, and sometimes outside of them.

Redshift Sports Expands Seatpost Offerings:

Redshift Sports makes a nice suspension seat post, but it only came in one diameter- 27.2mm. Well, now that will no longer be the case going forward. 

Redshift ShockStop Seatposts will now come in a few popular sizes and in some longer lengths. This should be of particular interest to fat bikers who ride in Winter on post-holed trails as this sort of seat post will totally change your riding. 

It should be noted that some of the sizes will not come into stock until late December of this year and January of 2024. You can check these out HERE. Note- This is the original ShockStop seatpost. The "PRO" model does not come in any other size but 27.2mm. 

Comments: Besides my take on these posts for snow riding with fat bikes, the ShockStop seatpost is a really well done suspension post. I like that the original is adjustable. You can make it really compliant or stiffen it up as much as you'd probably ever need to. (I mean, if you're going to make it nearly rigid, why bother at all) 

These are also a great post for bikes that do not have a lot of exposed seat post and allow some "give" to those riders with bikes like that which you wouldn't otherwise have available to you. Of course, these aren't for everyone, but this is a nice expansion in offerings for a suspension seat post in terms of sizes.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out for a ride if you can!

GPS Take 3: Wahoo Elemnt ROAM - Part 4

Okay, I have a couple of things to share now about this GPS computer. I've been putting up updates here and there and the last one I posted was HERE. Also, in case you haven't figured it out, I received this GPS computer at no charge to test and review. (Again, I'll post about why this statement needs to be here now later) Anyway.... 

First off, there was trouble the other day when I tried to do my 4th of July ride. I had intended on doing a ride I had uploaded to the device. A route of around 30 miles, which I actually replicated on the 4th, except that I went backward on it. 

Well, it wasn't in the device. It was on the app, but I am not familiar with that enough to know where to look, so I missed that on my phone. (But I didn't think you needed the phone for this?)  I was frustrated. My plan was to have the device give me turn-by-turn instructions and test to see if the device could accurately follow a route. However; that will have to wait until another time now. (I've figured out what I missed there) That said, through all the furious button pushing I was doing, I accidentally stumbled upon a page with what I was wanting to see for elevation. A current elevation readout!

Well, well! There ya go!

How did I stumble upon this? I actually did realize how I did this. I had the computer on, the GPS was all set to go, and I tapped the power on button with a short push. This brought up the page you see above and what's more, I can minimize or maximize data on that screen using the two buttons on the right. 

The only thing I can find about this function of the Power button on Wahoo's site is that a short push will let you toggle between "workout pages", whatever THAT means. See, this is what is whack about these devices. You have to go to the website, sift through all the questions, or search the site, and maybe you'll find what you are looking for? Maybe. 

This is dumb. It's frustrating and dumb. I mean, there is no reason that I should have to go back into the house, sit at my PC and try to find out what the heck this thing can do. I could use my phone, but I'm not going to try and squint in the bright Sunshine right before I am supposed to go ride to see what I "might" find out. No..... I am going to ride. Again, a real owner's manual with everything I need to understand written in a cohesive, easily understood and searched manner would go a long way in mitigating this stupidity. 

And to be fair, this isn't a Wahoo only problem. It's pretty much ubiquitous with regard to many consumer electronic devices. 

But I have a running elevation to look at now, and that's really awesome. Well, it is if I can actually see it as I am rumbling over the gravel chunder out there. Actually things were so rough at times on the 4th I just quit even trying to look at the screen. No fault of the device, but t just goes to show you, these things are not always a good idea to look at while riding. 

More soon....

GPS Take 3: Wahoo Elemnt ROAM - Part 4

Okay, I have a couple of things to share now about this GPS computer. I've been putting up updates here and there and the last one I posted was HERE. Also, in case you haven't figured it out, I received this GPS computer at no charge to test and review. (Again, I'll post about why this statement needs to be here now later) Anyway.... 

First off, there was trouble the other day when I tried to do my 4th of July ride. I had intended on doing a ride I had uploaded to the device. A route of around 30 miles, which I actually replicated on the 4th, except that I went backward on it. 

Well, it wasn't in the device. It was on the app, but I am not familiar with that enough to know where to look, so I missed that on my phone. (But I didn't think you needed the phone for this?)  I was frustrated. My plan was to have the device give me turn-by-turn instructions and test to see if the device could accurately follow a route. However; that will have to wait until another time now. (I've figured out what I missed there) That said, through all the furious button pushing I was doing, I accidentally stumbled upon a page with what I was wanting to see for elevation. A current elevation readout!

Well, well! There ya go!

How did I stumble upon this? I actually did realize how I did this. I had the computer on, the GPS was all set to go, and I tapped the power on button with a short push. This brought up the page you see above and what's more, I can minimize or maximize data on that screen using the two buttons on the right. 

The only thing I can find about this function of the Power button on Wahoo's site is that a short push will let you toggle between "workout pages", whatever THAT means. See, this is what is whack about these devices. You have to go to the website, sift through all the questions, or search the site, and maybe you'll find what you are looking for? Maybe. 

This is dumb. It's frustrating and dumb. I mean, there is no reason that I should have to go back into the house, sit at my PC and try to find out what the heck this thing can do. I could use my phone, but I'm not going to try and squint in the bright Sunshine right before I am supposed to go ride to see what I "might" find out. No..... I am going to ride. Again, a real owner's manual with everything I need to understand written in a cohesive, easily understood and searched manner would go a long way in mitigating this stupidity. 

And to be fair, this isn't a Wahoo only problem. It's pretty much ubiquitous with regard to many consumer electronic devices. 

But I have a running elevation to look at now, and that's really awesome. Well, it is if I can actually see it as I am rumbling over the gravel chunder out there. Actually things were so rough at times on the 4th I just quit even trying to look at the screen. No fault of the device, but t just goes to show you, these things are not always a good idea to look at while riding. 

More soon....

GPS Take 3: Wahoo Elemnt ROAM - Part 3

 Last time I left you off here concerning the Elemnt ROAM, I had reported that it was a 'waaaay better experience" than my previous GPS tries, and I still stand by that. 

That said: I got the climb screen to freeze up again.

I swiftly swapped over to the normal data page and it went right back to working again, and it never did that again. You might think I needed to do an update. Well, thanks to one of you readers, I did that before the climb page freeze. So, clearly there is an issue there. 

But overall, things are going well. I have had another unique experience that I wanted to pass along here, plus a surprise finding. Maybe it won't surprise any of you, but for me, it was a big surprise and it caused a bit of a data skew that, in my opinion, was funny. 

First, the surprise. I swapped over the mount to my Twin Six Standard Rando v2 bike so I could use the unit with it. I didn't think about how I had two sensors on the bike from the Sigma GPS computer I tried. I had forgotten about them. One was a speed sensor and the other was a cadence sensor. I believe the cadence sensor magnet is dead, as I recall seeing a low battery indication on that the last time I used the Sigma, but at this point of the story, I wasn't cognizant of that fact. I was not remembering the sensors at all.

Check out that maximum speed, baby! Oh yeah!

As I fired up the computer, and waited for the unit to obtain the GPS, it detected the speed sensor and paired with it. Now, I did not know that until the unit beeped and told me a sensor was paired. That's when I remembered: "Oh! Yeah! I have a speed sensor on here that is working!". 

As I rolled off, I may have done something wrong and not paired the sensor correctly or I moved when I wasn't supposed to, but I did something because 83mph! 

What the....??!!!

Then as I rode that speed walked down until after a couple blocks it settled into a believable readout. However; that set the maximum speed and well, the average was screwed up too! Ha! No big deal, but maybe someone can explain what I did , or did not do, there because I have no idea. Oh! And this sensor got those little lights to work on the unit that tell you how far below or above average speed you are going. That was nice too. Apparently you cannot have that without a sensor? (Throw in comment concerning poor instructions here.)

This was also the same ride I got the unit to freeze up on the climb page. Also, I had the unit not tracking me correctly after I made a right hand turn out in the country. This was on the climb page and it was when I was following the "VAM" (Vertical Ascent/Meters). The road was climbing and flattened out right before the corner, the right hand turn went to an ascending portion of the road and after about 50 yards it descended for approximately a 1/4 mile run. 

The turn was made and the climb data showed me waaaaay back on the grade instead of near the top. Then I descended. The VAM went negative as the GPS was still tracking me as traversing the road which was ascending, or in other words, the GPS was showing me traveling underground! Cool! Now I'm a gravel mole!

That was pretty laughable so I switched off that page for the remainder of the ride. That wasn't all the weirdness I discovered either. Nope. My desk was traveling at 9+ mph at one point last week as well. Check it out....

This popped up as I was trying to see if I could edit a page.

Yeah....I have no idea. All I know is that GPS is weird. Weird and maybe not quite ready for prime time, at least not for me, at any rate. Again- best GPS experience for me so far by a mile, but still not without its quirks and mysteries. And is it really accurate then? I don't know, but if I had to bet, I'd say probably not.

And I still cannot get elevation read out in a running fashion as I could with the old Lezyne.  

So, as of now I still have not done a turn-by-turn test, but that will happen once I have a three hour window or more to use for a ride. So, we'll hold off on a final verdict until that time happens. If it comes through as a reliable guide for riding, then it will be useful. If not? 

Well, I will have tried.

GPS Take 3: Wahoo Elemnt ROAM - Part 3

 Last time I left you off here concerning the Elemnt ROAM, I had reported that it was a 'waaaay better experience" than my previous GPS tries, and I still stand by that. 

That said: I got the climb screen to freeze up again.

I swiftly swapped over to the normal data page and it went right back to working again, and it never did that again. You might think I needed to do an update. Well, thanks to one of you readers, I did that before the climb page freeze. So, clearly there is an issue there. 

But overall, things are going well. I have had another unique experience that I wanted to pass along here, plus a surprise finding. Maybe it won't surprise any of you, but for me, it was a big surprise and it caused a bit of a data skew that, in my opinion, was funny. 

First, the surprise. I swapped over the mount to my Twin Six Standard Rando v2 bike so I could use the unit with it. I didn't think about how I had two sensors on the bike from the Sigma GPS computer I tried. I had forgotten about them. One was a speed sensor and the other was a cadence sensor. I believe the cadence sensor magnet is dead, as I recall seeing a low battery indication on that the last time I used the Sigma, but at this point of the story, I wasn't cognizant of that fact. I was not remembering the sensors at all.

Check out that maximum speed, baby! Oh yeah!

As I fired up the computer, and waited for the unit to obtain the GPS, it detected the speed sensor and paired with it. Now, I did not know that until the unit beeped and told me a sensor was paired. That's when I remembered: "Oh! Yeah! I have a speed sensor on here that is working!". 

As I rolled off, I may have done something wrong and not paired the sensor correctly or I moved when I wasn't supposed to, but I did something because 83mph! 

What the....??!!!

Then as I rode that speed walked down until after a couple blocks it settled into a believable readout. However; that set the maximum speed and well, the average was screwed up too! Ha! No big deal, but maybe someone can explain what I did , or did not do, there because I have no idea. Oh! And this sensor got those little lights to work on the unit that tell you how far below or above average speed you are going. That was nice too. Apparently you cannot have that without a sensor? (Throw in comment concerning poor instructions here.)

This was also the same ride I got the unit to freeze up on the climb page. Also, I had the unit not tracking me correctly after I made a right hand turn out in the country. This was on the climb page and it was when I was following the "VAM" (Vertical Ascent/Meters). The road was climbing and flattened out right before the corner, the right hand turn went to an ascending portion of the road and after about 50 yards it descended for approximately a 1/4 mile run. 

The turn was made and the climb data showed me waaaaay back on the grade instead of near the top. Then I descended. The VAM went negative as the GPS was still tracking me as traversing the road which was ascending, or in other words, the GPS was showing me traveling underground! Cool! Now I'm a gravel mole!

That was pretty laughable so I switched off that page for the remainder of the ride. That wasn't all the weirdness I discovered either. Nope. My desk was traveling at 9+ mph at one point last week as well. Check it out....

This popped up as I was trying to see if I could edit a page.

Yeah....I have no idea. All I know is that GPS is weird. Weird and maybe not quite ready for prime time, at least not for me, at any rate. Again- best GPS experience for me so far by a mile, but still not without its quirks and mysteries. And is it really accurate then? I don't know, but if I had to bet, I'd say probably not.

And I still cannot get elevation read out in a running fashion as I could with the old Lezyne.  

So, as of now I still have not done a turn-by-turn test, but that will happen once I have a three hour window or more to use for a ride. So, we'll hold off on a final verdict until that time happens. If it comes through as a reliable guide for riding, then it will be useful. If not? 

Well, I will have tried.

Friday News And Views

The Trimm "one lite" GPS computer (Image courtesy of Trimm

 Another GPS Option:

Recently a reader of the blog here tipped me off to another interesting GPS based cycling computer option. The company is a Korean based company called Trimm and the model they sell which I figure is analogous to most Garmin, Wahoo, and Hammerhead users is the "One Lite"

It has a similar "smart-phone" type format and uses a Gorilla Glass screen which puts this in a similar class as many of the top-flite GPS units offered by the companies I mentioned above. This One Lite model weighs in at sub-60 grams though, and is supposedly thinner than an iPhone. And it costs less than $200.00USD.

The unit has a feature which many might find interesting- A solar powered attachment that can keep the computer charged all the time. (You can see a bit of the cord to the solar panel in the image here) There is a short, sub-12 minute review of the unit here on YouTube. 

Comments: If you look at the YouTube review, it seems as though this thing has a leg up on Garmin's extremely expensive solar powered unit. Even without the solar panel, the runtime is 50 hours if you use their speed sensor on your bike. Pretty impressive. Oh, and for an extra $50.00 you can go with the Trimm One and get an aluminum case in 8 different colors, and color screen with the solar charge feature at only a slight weight penalty of a claimed 62 grams. 

I assume it does turn-by-turn navigation, but the YouTube reviewer doesn't specifically call this out. I think it does or what's the point of importing route files, right? Anyway... That's a reasonable price and if it works as advertised, it could be a big disrupter in this field. 

"One-eyed" Zeke Shepherd.

Kansas City Bike Mechanic Gets Hit:

Apparently in the early morning hours of Saturday October 22nd, Kansas City bicycle mechanic, Zeke Shepherd was involved in a hit and run while riding his bicycle. The person who hit him has not been found at this point, as far as I know. 

Zeke, known as "One-Eyed Zeke' to many of us here in Iowa, is a good guy. I had a tiny slice of time spent with him during a Gent's Race deal once upon a time. Anyway, Zeke is pretty banged up, will require a long recovery, and his employer, "velogaragekc", has set up a GoFundme page to help defray his recovery expenses. 

The bicycle community has been really very supportive of me, and I know Zeke will get a big boost from his cycling brothers and sisters out there. Please, consider donating to his cause, if you are so led. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Will "KIS" Be Coming To Your Bike Soon?

Steering stabilization ideas for bicycles are nothing new. You can see them often on cargo bikes, where they are more for self-centering the wheel while the bike is parked. Hopey's steering damper or Cane Creek's Viscoset may also come to mind here. But whatever the level of technology, the idea is to overcome wheel flop in certain situations.

I've followed along with some interest in this because of my affinity for riding my fat bike in deeper snowy conditions. Mike Curiak, being a big influencer in that regard. However; there are other instances where a steering damper, or self-centering steering device, would be welcomed. Canyon apparently thinks so too, and so they are offering this proprietary system they call "KIS". That stands for "Keep It Stable". 

It works internally, inside the top tube of their 29"er enduro model only- for now. It is a coil sprung self-centering device that is adjustable at the "anchor" in the top tube via a 4mm hex head bolt. The other end is attached to the cam which itself is clamped over the steer tube and that attached to the coil springs by a synthetic material in the form of two bands. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

The effect of the KIS system is that of more stability on loose, off-camber to flat turns and a more stable front wheel during slow speed climbs, according to accounts I have read. So, for those times when your body has to make sudden corrections either at the bars or through the pedals, this KIS thing helps calm that down and therefore saves the rider energy. 

Comments: So, to answer my header for this, the answer? No- This won't be coming to your gravel bike anytime soon, and probably not to most mountain bikes either, although, it may make sense for some of you. In which case, the Cane Creek Viscoset would be the likely choice. Anytime you see something like Canyon's KIS system, you have to figure that most companies wouldn't be interested in the licensing fee to use the technology. That's going to limit how much you see of this as well.

To my mind, as I look at this, it seems like an over-thought self-centering spring the likes of which I have seen on cargo bikes. This KIS thing is far more elegantly done, and no doubt works well. I could see this as standard issue technology for cargo bikes in the future. 

But for most bikes? No. I don't see this as being a thing. You have no idea how much friction in a headset/steering causes weird handling until you've ridden a bike with a severely indexed headset race, or a bike with a head set adjusted too tightly. I have done all of that, and it isn't my cup of tea. Not for regular riding. 

But maybe for the fat bike......

The GR3 Image courtesy of Argonaut Cycles

Argonaut Cycles Launches GR3 Bike:

Argonaut Cycles announced a new bicycle today for gravel racing, the GR3 model. This bike is touted as the custom made, hand-laid carbon answer for specific customer physiology and terrain needs. Claiming that "professional gravel racing is the ultimate testing grounds", Argonaut has focused on high-performance, extreme "GravelFirst" geometry, and their marketing focuses heavily on what they think makes for a great racing bike on gravel with a side of mountain biking to spice things up even more. Although that last bit is inferred, not specifically called out. Just looking at their chosen imagery and descriptions points me in that direction immediately. 

Sporting a very short 415mm chain stay length, a 75mm bottom bracket drop, and a very slack (for gravel) 68.5° head angle probably nudged me to thinking "long, slack, and low", like current enduro bike geometry. The marketing also points to their professional athlete that they sponsor having an experience on the GR3 that "... also enhanced her descending abilities to the point where she has seen multiple podiums atop her GR3 and racked up numerous QOM’s for downhill segments!"

Comments: I received a press release for this bike that made it sound as though that they were eager to send over a review bike. I gotta say, first off- I am honored anytime I get an offer like this. Secondly, I hesitate to review a bike that is super-pigeonholed as a "racing bike" with the force of hype that this release has in it. Thirdly, I hesitate to accept an offer to review a bike that I understand is expensive, but one that most of my audience wouldn't ever be able to afford. I mean, sixty five hundred for a frame set? That's $6500.00 for those who may have missed that.

Look, I get it- Racing at the top levels is spectacular and maybe a lot of us wish we were "those folks" and a bike like this maybe can make you feel like a super-hero at times. Maybe.... But my contention is that this is exactly what we do not need for the majority of the riding public. This bike doesn't put "more butts on bikes", as the saying goes. It caters to Pro racers, Pro racer-wannabees, and people with a  LOT of disposable income. That's not many people. And.....that's not me. 

Oh yeah, and Evil Bikes Chamois Hagar would like to have a word with you.....We've seen this before already. Anyway.... 

That's a wrap for today! Have a great weekend and don't eat all the Halloween candy!

Friday News And Views

The Trimm "one lite" GPS computer (Image courtesy of Trimm

 Another GPS Option:

Recently a reader of the blog here tipped me off to another interesting GPS based cycling computer option. The company is a Korean based company called Trimm and the model they sell which I figure is analogous to most Garmin, Wahoo, and Hammerhead users is the "One Lite"

It has a similar "smart-phone" type format and uses a Gorilla Glass screen which puts this in a similar class as many of the top-flite GPS units offered by the companies I mentioned above. This One Lite model weighs in at sub-60 grams though, and is supposedly thinner than an iPhone. And it costs less than $200.00USD.

The unit has a feature which many might find interesting- A solar powered attachment that can keep the computer charged all the time. (You can see a bit of the cord to the solar panel in the image here) There is a short, sub-12 minute review of the unit here on YouTube. 

Comments: If you look at the YouTube review, it seems as though this thing has a leg up on Garmin's extremely expensive solar powered unit. Even without the solar panel, the runtime is 50 hours if you use their speed sensor on your bike. Pretty impressive. Oh, and for an extra $50.00 you can go with the Trimm One and get an aluminum case in 8 different colors, and color screen with the solar charge feature at only a slight weight penalty of a claimed 62 grams. 

I assume it does turn-by-turn navigation, but the YouTube reviewer doesn't specifically call this out. I think it does or what's the point of importing route files, right? Anyway... That's a reasonable price and if it works as advertised, it could be a big disrupter in this field. 

"One-eyed" Zeke Shepherd.

Kansas City Bike Mechanic Gets Hit:

Apparently in the early morning hours of Saturday October 22nd, Kansas City bicycle mechanic, Zeke Shepherd was involved in a hit and run while riding his bicycle. The person who hit him has not been found at this point, as far as I know. 

Zeke, known as "One-Eyed Zeke' to many of us here in Iowa, is a good guy. I had a tiny slice of time spent with him during a Gent's Race deal once upon a time. Anyway, Zeke is pretty banged up, will require a long recovery, and his employer, "velogaragekc", has set up a GoFundme page to help defray his recovery expenses. 

The bicycle community has been really very supportive of me, and I know Zeke will get a big boost from his cycling brothers and sisters out there. Please, consider donating to his cause, if you are so led. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Will "KIS" Be Coming To Your Bike Soon?

Steering stabilization ideas for bicycles are nothing new. You can see them often on cargo bikes, where they are more for self-centering the wheel while the bike is parked. Hopey's steering damper or Cane Creek's Viscoset may also come to mind here. But whatever the level of technology, the idea is to overcome wheel flop in certain situations.

I've followed along with some interest in this because of my affinity for riding my fat bike in deeper snowy conditions. Mike Curiak, being a big influencer in that regard. However; there are other instances where a steering damper, or self-centering steering device, would be welcomed. Canyon apparently thinks so too, and so they are offering this proprietary system they call "KIS". That stands for "Keep It Stable". 

It works internally, inside the top tube of their 29"er enduro model only- for now. It is a coil sprung self-centering device that is adjustable at the "anchor" in the top tube via a 4mm hex head bolt. The other end is attached to the cam which itself is clamped over the steer tube and that attached to the coil springs by a synthetic material in the form of two bands. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

The effect of the KIS system is that of more stability on loose, off-camber to flat turns and a more stable front wheel during slow speed climbs, according to accounts I have read. So, for those times when your body has to make sudden corrections either at the bars or through the pedals, this KIS thing helps calm that down and therefore saves the rider energy. 

Comments: So, to answer my header for this, the answer? No- This won't be coming to your gravel bike anytime soon, and probably not to most mountain bikes either, although, it may make sense for some of you. In which case, the Cane Creek Viscoset would be the likely choice. Anytime you see something like Canyon's KIS system, you have to figure that most companies wouldn't be interested in the licensing fee to use the technology. That's going to limit how much you see of this as well.

To my mind, as I look at this, it seems like an over-thought self-centering spring the likes of which I have seen on cargo bikes. This KIS thing is far more elegantly done, and no doubt works well. I could see this as standard issue technology for cargo bikes in the future. 

But for most bikes? No. I don't see this as being a thing. You have no idea how much friction in a headset/steering causes weird handling until you've ridden a bike with a severely indexed headset race, or a bike with a head set adjusted too tightly. I have done all of that, and it isn't my cup of tea. Not for regular riding. 

But maybe for the fat bike......

The GR3 Image courtesy of Argonaut Cycles

Argonaut Cycles Launches GR3 Bike:

Argonaut Cycles announced a new bicycle today for gravel racing, the GR3 model. This bike is touted as the custom made, hand-laid carbon answer for specific customer physiology and terrain needs. Claiming that "professional gravel racing is the ultimate testing grounds", Argonaut has focused on high-performance, extreme "GravelFirst" geometry, and their marketing focuses heavily on what they think makes for a great racing bike on gravel with a side of mountain biking to spice things up even more. Although that last bit is inferred, not specifically called out. Just looking at their chosen imagery and descriptions points me in that direction immediately. 

Sporting a very short 415mm chain stay length, a 75mm bottom bracket drop, and a very slack (for gravel) 68.5° head angle probably nudged me to thinking "long, slack, and low", like current enduro bike geometry. The marketing also points to their professional athlete that they sponsor having an experience on the GR3 that "... also enhanced her descending abilities to the point where she has seen multiple podiums atop her GR3 and racked up numerous QOM’s for downhill segments!"

Comments: I received a press release for this bike that made it sound as though that they were eager to send over a review bike. I gotta say, first off- I am honored anytime I get an offer like this. Secondly, I hesitate to review a bike that is super-pigeonholed as a "racing bike" with the force of hype that this release has in it. Thirdly, I hesitate to accept an offer to review a bike that I understand is expensive, but one that most of my audience wouldn't ever be able to afford. I mean, sixty five hundred for a frame set? That's $6500.00 for those who may have missed that.

Look, I get it- Racing at the top levels is spectacular and maybe a lot of us wish we were "those folks" and a bike like this maybe can make you feel like a super-hero at times. Maybe.... But my contention is that this is exactly what we do not need for the majority of the riding public. This bike doesn't put "more butts on bikes", as the saying goes. It caters to Pro racers, Pro racer-wannabees, and people with a  LOT of disposable income. That's not many people. And.....that's not me. 

Oh yeah, and Evil Bikes Chamois Hagar would like to have a word with you.....We've seen this before already. Anyway.... 

That's a wrap for today! Have a great weekend and don't eat all the Halloween candy!

Friday News And Views

The Sigma ROX 4.0 GPS computer

Going "GPS-ing" Again:

Well, lookee here. I got a hold of this GPS computer in an offer to test and review it for RidingGravel.com. Of course, the Standard Disclaimer applies here. With that out of the way...

It's a Sigma product. They are a German based manufacturer of cycling computers that has been around for a long time. You generally don't hear a lot about the company here in the USA, but they've always been around. I've used a Sigma wireless computer recently on a bike here and it worked just fine for me. I know the company has had quality control issues in the past, but honestly, so have most of the cycling computer companies at one time or another. So, par for the course there. 

Anyway, I have this Sigma ROX 4.0 GPS computer to try out. It has a bit bigger screen and is a bit thinner than the old Lezyne Super GPS I used to use, and it is far smaller than that dreadful Karoo 2 I tried. Small is okay if you have big enough graphics and if it actually works. That may seem like a silly thing to have to specify, but - ya know..... (See that Karoo link) 

I'll have more on this one, but I'll tell you this straight away: I already am further down the road using this computer than I ever was with that Karoo.  It seems to be intuitive, simple to use, and guess what? It's got that elevation tracker I was interested in. Stay tuned..........

Douze Cycles partners with Toyota in France Image courtesy of Douze Cycles

Automotive Companies Make Inroads To Cycling Sector:

The news on HPC (Hybrid Powered Cycles) seems to be constantly flowing but a trend I've noted is how automotive companies are pivoting to get into the electrified/motorized cycling market. We've already noted here how Ford, Harley Davidson, and Yamaha are either partnering with electrified cycling companies or are doing their own thing outright. 

I read now that Toyota has an agreement in France to place Douze Cycles cargo bikes, which use mid-motor designs from Broze and Shimano, into Toyota dealerships. Furthermore, in the article I read, it states that automotive component companies are looking to pivot into manufacturing bits for electrified bicycles now since ICE vehicles are being outlawed in the EU. Makes perfect sense when you think about it. 

Comments: As if the "wild, wild West" nature of online HPC sales wasn't enough, now the cycling sector may see the automotive sector take over a big chunk of electrified bicycle sales. Think about how the automobile business has the budgets and the R&D horsepower to make that happen. Think about how traditional bicycle companies are more about impractical, extremely expensive, go-fast HPC's and not bikes for the average person. Add in that the very customer the cycling industry hopes to convert to pedaling already haunts the doorways of auto dealerships, and not bicycle shops, and perhaps we can see where this might be going here. 

Auto dealerships are already well on their way to electrified car and truck sales and servicing. Adding in a staff of trained specialist in electric motors and systems for bicycles would be an easy thing here compared to the resistance seen in the cycling service sectors. Plus, the image held by consumers already is that car mechanics have a leg up on electronic systems for cars whereas bicycle technicians are often seen as less than knowledgeable on more technical electronic systems. 

I've said it here before: If the auto industry turns to electrified two-wheeled transportation as a serious product for sales and production, the cycling industry will be left behind. 

First "Post-Pandemic" Gravel Season Winds Down:

I think a lot of us have already forgotten that 2022 was really the first year since March 2020 that we've seen anything "normal" in terms of gravel events. I wanted to take a moment to note this fact and to take stock of 2022's gravelly adventures in the USA and beyond.

Everything kind of kicked off this year as if nothing had happened. No "Protocols" , no special instructions to distance, wear masks, or the like were noted. I'd say, for the most part, it was an unsaid thing right out of the gate in 2022 that events were going to run as they had up to March 2020. Was that the right call? I guess it was. I mean, I didn't ever read or hear about any negative outcomes, although I'm sure an example or two exists.

The UCI got into the gravel game. I figured this to happen in 2021, but I am betting that this was the plan and the pandemic postponed the plan. However that went, what you saw in the news wasn't the entire story on that series and world championships. 

One event was cancelled due to low numbers. Another had a very poor showing. Then you had a participant in the final event, the so-called "worlds", say the following: " I think I would call this the Bike Path World Championships with some gravel". That was a quote from an interview of Nathan Peter-Haas, a rider in the event. So, you won't see this in the mainstream media, but the series and final event was quite a bit less than a smashing success. Meanwhile, US based events were slammed and did quite well with numbers and competitive fields. 

Anyway, now the gravel scene, and cycling in general is seemingly free to evolve naturally once again. It will be interesting to see how 2023 goes. 

Wolf Tooth Resolve dropper post. (Image courtesy of Wolf tooth)

Wolf Tooth Introduces Self-Bleeding Dropper Post:

One of the negatives to running a dropper post is that they can suck air into their systems which can result in unwanted sag when seated and poor performance. Wolf Tooth engineers have been developing an answer to this issue over the past four years and are ready to unveil the new Resolve post. 

Apparently, every time the post is activated during a ride, the internal cartridge system self-bleeds and keeps air out of the inner workings. 

This means less maintenance and less annoying sag. This won't come cheaply though, as the retail price is set at $349.95. The post is available now in 30.9mm and 31.6mm diameters and can handle round or ovalized saddle rails. Travel is at 125mm, 160mm, or 200mm and Wolf Tooth claims the stack height of the post is a minimal 32mm and the insertion depth is shorter which should make this fit more bikes. 

Comments: I don't have many bikes here that could run a dropper post, but this one sounds pretty good. Matched up with a Wolf Tooth dropper lever and I'd think it would make for a great set up. I'd probably use one on my fat bike, because a dropper makes getting going in deep snow a much easier task than with a rigid post. 

The whole "self-bleeding" thing? Well, I don't know about that. If it works, that's great, but that's a steep price to find out when a rigid post is what? Sub-100? Hmm....

That's a wrap for this week! Thanks for reading Guitar ted Productions and have a fantastic weekend.