Hammerhead Karoo 2: Part 2

The Hammerhead Karoo 2 unit attached to my Noble Bikes GX5

Hammerhead Karoo 2: Part 2

It's time for the next update on this new GPS computer unit I have now. Part 1 can be seen here. 

In this part I will relate my first ride experiences and talk a little about impressions I got from the unit's use on an actual ride.

First of all, I noted that the size of the Karoo 2 head unit is such that it may impact your ability to attach other accessory items. Due to how my handle bar transitions from its 31.8mm clamp diameter to the flattened tops section, I have little room either side of the stem to attach things. Also, the Karoo 2 is set up to be centered on the stem's centerline. Between that and the size of my light unit, there wasn't enough room to run both items on my bike. The light had to go then. 

In a pinch I could offset the Karoo 2 to the right by clamping the Karoo mount on the right side of the stem which would make plenty of room for a light mount on the left. Not elegant, and not for the "OCD" amongst us, but what else can you do but perhaps find alternative mounting options for the light head? I'll cross that bridge if I have to later.....

The Karoo 2 mount. It's 'chonky'! It also is the only game in town for this unit.

From dead to ready-to-ride in under two minutes. This seems pretty good to me.

So my only other GPS experience has been with my old Lezyne Super GPS unit. You may not relate to some of my comparisons then, so keep that in mind. The start-up procedure is pretty fast and I was ready to go- from dead, blank screen to riding page armed and ready- in under two minutes. It could take that long, and usually longer, for the Super GPS just to acquire satellite signals! 

For this ride I chose the "Got Hills?" page which is the page which reads out elevation, current degree of climb/descent, and overall elevation gained. The page also can be swiped to a navigation page, which I will show later in this post. You can see above what data I can see during the ride and it is updated continuously during your ride. Ride time is on the upper left and battery level and time of day are in the upper right in the yellow bar. 

This was a Sunny day, albeit that super-low angle Sun you get near the Winter Solstice around here. That said, I could read the screen just fine through my Rudy Project glasses. The screen brightness is adjustable, by the way, and this here is at 83%, which was the factory setting. 

Also, I was pleasantly surprised that I could enter data and swipe with my gloved hand. I was using a GORE Windstopper glove with a touch-screen compatible finger. It worked great with the Karoo 2's Dragonglass screen. It doesn't always work on my iPhone, by comparison, so that was interesting. 

The actual altitude is not shown, but perhaps it can be added?  I will have to check on that.

Here above you see that I have stopped and taken an image of where I was at with data at that time. You get a cool historical graph of your ride as you go. (I always knew Aker Road South was mostly uphill!) The amount of elevation gain was somewhat of a surprise, but it was cool to see that number get racked up as I rode. The grade read-out is interesting. While I found it to be reasonable, it doesn't track right on with where you are. For instance, after a slight downhill, you can tell by pedal pressure when the grade starts going up again if you are paying attention. Well, I would find that I was pushing into the pedals harder, indicating I was on an ascent, but the unit might still be tracking the descent and reading -1 or "0". So, it takes a moment or two for it to start tracking your uphill progress, but I suppose that is accounted for by the delay in getting a signal up to a satellite and back again. 

I should also mention that the unit has an "Autopause" feature. When I stopped it took a moment but it went into Autopause pretty quickly. The user can set a threshold speed for ride reactivation. I left mine at the factory setting which was "0" mph. I can see where you might want to set it for 2mph or 3mph to account for pushing your bike around at a coffee stop, for instance.  Ride data started compiling immediately after I mounted up again to ride. I was pretty pleased by this aspect of the Karoo 2.

Here you can get a feel for how thick the Karoo 2 head unit is.

Speed seemed spot on as did my elevation, which wasn't a read-out, but I could see on the graph where 1000ft was at and the unit tracked pretty much spot on to my historical data which I gathered with the Lezyne. So, I feel that the Karoo 2 is reasonably accurate in this regard. 

The unit was rock-solid in its mount and there were no vibrations or slippage despite some sections of my route having big, chunky gravel everywhere on the roadbed. I would completely trust the chunky, plastic mount as it seems pretty overbuilt and the clamp mechanism was really grippy and tightened up well. The unit releases with a slight clockwise twist and forward movement, so I wouldn't expect there to be any issues with premature release of the head unit while riding. 

The unit can be swiped to view a navigation page while you are riding. 

You can also pinch-in or out to see detailed views or wider views with surrounding roads.

Navigation can be accessed by swiping right or left on the screen and a current position and map comes up. Your ride track also shows here as well. I was pleased to find that by using the universal 'pinch' move on the Karoo's touch screen it allowed me to get a bigger overview of my area or to pinch in for a more detailed look. 

This could come in handy if you run into a bridge out, road closed, or other situation where you might need to reroute. I was pleased to see that the contrast between roads and surrounding areas was easy to discern. It is a royal pain in the patootie on an iPhone to see roads on the maps you get in the Maps app. I would still bring a paper map of any area I was unfamiliar with though, as road names are almost non-existent for the gravel roads where I live on the Karoo maps. 

When the ride is over, you can save it, name it, or discard it. The unit double checks each decision so you don't make a mistake and trash a ride you wanted to save.

So Far...  I am pretty pleased with much of this unit. I should also update and let you know that the password issue I had with the dashboard online was resolved. The site did not update as I was on it, but when I returned later, the site had the new password I was trying to enter. (??) Anyway, it works now....

With that out of the way, I need to dig deeper to see if current elevation can be added to the data screen. I also have to go on another test ride to check out my "No Sensors" page which is where I would go for a screen that reads out current speed, time, and that sort of 'normal' cyclo-computer stuff. Then I want to create a route, set it up for turn-by-turn navigation, and see if that works. 

I also had this unit set up to be Bluetooth connected to my phone and all notifications I receive on my iPhone are now pushed to the Karoo 2 if I am using it. This worked out swimmingly as I received a couple of important family related text messages and a weather warning on my first test ride. 

Now I did forget to choose a specific bike to record data to, but fortunately the Karoo 2 defaulted to the first bike on my list which just so happened to be the bike I was using. Whew! Saved by my random choice! Speaking of data, there are pages for power, and indoor trainer riding, but these will be completely lost on me as I do not engage in, nor do I have the equipment for such pursuits. So, if you were hoping to see if I would be using power data and indoor trainer data, well, I apologize. That isn't anything I'm interested in. 

Okay, more as I get chances to use this unit through the Winter.

Hammerhead Karoo 2: Part 2

The Hammerhead Karoo 2 unit attached to my Noble Bikes GX5

Hammerhead Karoo 2: Part 2

It's time for the next update on this new GPS computer unit I have now. Part 1 can be seen here. 

In this part I will relate my first ride experiences and talk a little about impressions I got from the unit's use on an actual ride.

First of all, I noted that the size of the Karoo 2 head unit is such that it may impact your ability to attach other accessory items. Due to how my handle bar transitions from its 31.8mm clamp diameter to the flattened tops section, I have little room either side of the stem to attach things. Also, the Karoo 2 is set up to be centered on the stem's centerline. Between that and the size of my light unit, there wasn't enough room to run both items on my bike. The light had to go then. 

In a pinch I could offset the Karoo 2 to the right by clamping the Karoo mount on the right side of the stem which would make plenty of room for a light mount on the left. Not elegant, and not for the "OCD" amongst us, but what else can you do but perhaps find alternative mounting options for the light head? I'll cross that bridge if I have to later.....

The Karoo 2 mount. It's 'chonky'! It also is the only game in town for this unit.

From dead to ready-to-ride in under two minutes. This seems pretty good to me.

So my only other GPS experience has been with my old Lezyne Super GPS unit. You may not relate to some of my comparisons then, so keep that in mind. The start-up procedure is pretty fast and I was ready to go- from dead, blank screen to riding page armed and ready- in under two minutes. It could take that long, and usually longer, for the Super GPS just to acquire satellite signals! 

For this ride I chose the "Got Hills?" page which is the page which reads out elevation, current degree of climb/descent, and overall elevation gained. The page also can be swiped to a navigation page, which I will show later in this post. You can see above what data I can see during the ride and it is updated continuously during your ride. Ride time is on the upper left and battery level and time of day are in the upper right in the yellow bar. 

This was a Sunny day, albeit that super-low angle Sun you get near the Winter Solstice around here. That said, I could read the screen just fine through my Rudy Project glasses. The screen brightness is adjustable, by the way, and this here is at 83%, which was the factory setting. 

Also, I was pleasantly surprised that I could enter data and swipe with my gloved hand. I was using a GORE Windstopper glove with a touch-screen compatible finger. It worked great with the Karoo 2's Dragonglass screen. It doesn't always work on my iPhone, by comparison, so that was interesting. 

The actual altitude is not shown, but perhaps it can be added?  I will have to check on that.

Here above you see that I have stopped and taken an image of where I was at with data at that time. You get a cool historical graph of your ride as you go. (I always knew Aker Road South was mostly uphill!) The amount of elevation gain was somewhat of a surprise, but it was cool to see that number get racked up as I rode. The grade read-out is interesting. While I found it to be reasonable, it doesn't track right on with where you are. For instance, after a slight downhill, you can tell by pedal pressure when the grade starts going up again if you are paying attention. Well, I would find that I was pushing into the pedals harder, indicating I was on an ascent, but the unit might still be tracking the descent and reading -1 or "0". So, it takes a moment or two for it to start tracking your uphill progress, but I suppose that is accounted for by the delay in getting a signal up to a satellite and back again. 

I should also mention that the unit has an "Autopause" feature. When I stopped it took a moment but it went into Autopause pretty quickly. The user can set a threshold speed for ride reactivation. I left mine at the factory setting which was "0" mph. I can see where you might want to set it for 2mph or 3mph to account for pushing your bike around at a coffee stop, for instance.  Ride data started compiling immediately after I mounted up again to ride. I was pretty pleased by this aspect of the Karoo 2.

Here you can get a feel for how thick the Karoo 2 head unit is.

Speed seemed spot on as did my elevation, which wasn't a read-out, but I could see on the graph where 1000ft was at and the unit tracked pretty much spot on to my historical data which I gathered with the Lezyne. So, I feel that the Karoo 2 is reasonably accurate in this regard. 

The unit was rock-solid in its mount and there were no vibrations or slippage despite some sections of my route having big, chunky gravel everywhere on the roadbed. I would completely trust the chunky, plastic mount as it seems pretty overbuilt and the clamp mechanism was really grippy and tightened up well. The unit releases with a slight clockwise twist and forward movement, so I wouldn't expect there to be any issues with premature release of the head unit while riding. 

The unit can be swiped to view a navigation page while you are riding. 

You can also pinch-in or out to see detailed views or wider views with surrounding roads.

Navigation can be accessed by swiping right or left on the screen and a current position and map comes up. Your ride track also shows here as well. I was pleased to find that by using the universal 'pinch' move on the Karoo's touch screen it allowed me to get a bigger overview of my area or to pinch in for a more detailed look. 

This could come in handy if you run into a bridge out, road closed, or other situation where you might need to reroute. I was pleased to see that the contrast between roads and surrounding areas was easy to discern. It is a royal pain in the patootie on an iPhone to see roads on the maps you get in the Maps app. I would still bring a paper map of any area I was unfamiliar with though, as road names are almost non-existent for the gravel roads where I live on the Karoo maps. 

When the ride is over, you can save it, name it, or discard it. The unit double checks each decision so you don't make a mistake and trash a ride you wanted to save.

So Far...  I am pretty pleased with much of this unit. I should also update and let you know that the password issue I had with the dashboard online was resolved. The site did not update as I was on it, but when I returned later, the site had the new password I was trying to enter. (??) Anyway, it works now....

With that out of the way, I need to dig deeper to see if current elevation can be added to the data screen. I also have to go on another test ride to check out my "No Sensors" page which is where I would go for a screen that reads out current speed, time, and that sort of 'normal' cyclo-computer stuff. Then I want to create a route, set it up for turn-by-turn navigation, and see if that works. 

I also had this unit set up to be Bluetooth connected to my phone and all notifications I receive on my iPhone are now pushed to the Karoo 2 if I am using it. This worked out swimmingly as I received a couple of important family related text messages and a weather warning on my first test ride. 

Now I did forget to choose a specific bike to record data to, but fortunately the Karoo 2 defaulted to the first bike on my list which just so happened to be the bike I was using. Whew! Saved by my random choice! Speaking of data, there are pages for power, and indoor trainer riding, but these will be completely lost on me as I do not engage in, nor do I have the equipment for such pursuits. So, if you were hoping to see if I would be using power data and indoor trainer data, well, I apologize. That isn't anything I'm interested in. 

Okay, more as I get chances to use this unit through the Winter.

Upgraded

Transitional phase engaged

Something happened here at Guitar Ted Productions that hasn't happened in over 10 years. I got a new PC set up.

That's right, out with the old, in with the new! Hopefully there will be no hiccups with the new set up or the transition to a completely new set up. And when I say "completely new", I mean even the desk!

The computer I used was old, but the desk was absolutely decrepit. I have a pet peeve and it has to do with pressed wood furniture. I do not like it at all. My old desk, which you can see in the image here, was pressed wood and it started decaying immediately after we got it. It got so bad that for a while it was snagging my wool garments. Not good!

So I ended up modifying the desk top using Gorilla Glue and that actually worked very well. Anyway, as you can imagine, the desk is a mess and looks horrible. I cannot wait to get this piece of slag out of the house. But before that happens my tech, (Mrs. Guitar Ted), has to do a lot of switching, rewiring, and we both will be rearranging and cleaning up stuff.

So, what can you, as a reader here, expect? Hopefully you can still expect the same content daily, (or nearly so), that I have provided for over ten years here. Barring any technical difficulties during the switch, that will be the case. Otherwise the look and feel of the blog should remain the same for the foreseeable future.

I guess now would be as good a time as any to ask for any suggestions or comments that you, as readers, would like to see changed, deleted, added, or whatever. Just hit me up in the comments here or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com

As always, thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Upgraded

Transitional phase engaged

Something happened here at Guitar Ted Productions that hasn't happened in over 10 years. I got a new PC set up.

That's right, out with the old, in with the new! Hopefully there will be no hiccups with the new set up or the transition to a completely new set up. And when I say "completely new", I mean even the desk!

The computer I used was old, but the desk was absolutely decrepit. I have a pet peeve and it has to do with pressed wood furniture. I do not like it at all. My old desk, which you can see in the image here, was pressed wood and it started decaying immediately after we got it. It got so bad that for a while it was snagging my wool garments. Not good!

So I ended up modifying the desk top using Gorilla Glue and that actually worked very well. Anyway, as you can imagine, the desk is a mess and looks horrible. I cannot wait to get this piece of slag out of the house. But before that happens my tech, (Mrs. Guitar Ted), has to do a lot of switching, rewiring, and we both will be rearranging and cleaning up stuff.

So, what can you, as a reader here, expect? Hopefully you can still expect the same content daily, (or nearly so), that I have provided for over ten years here. Barring any technical difficulties during the switch, that will be the case. Otherwise the look and feel of the blog should remain the same for the foreseeable future.

I guess now would be as good a time as any to ask for any suggestions or comments that you, as readers, would like to see changed, deleted, added, or whatever. Just hit me up in the comments here or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com

As always, thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Moving In To The 21st Century

Let's try this again.

GPS computing/navigation devices for bicycles are nothing new anymore. They usually are called "Garmins" because, well, that company has pretty much dominated the cycling GPS computer scene. Now there are alternatives, like Wahoo Fitness and Lezyne. This year, Lezyne updated their GPS computer line up to something that is a bit more feature rich and much better than their past offerings. I decided to try one out, since, well......outfitting every bike I have with a computer is stupid. I hope to just move this deal around to whatever it is I am riding at the moment.

I decided to go with the Super GPS unit since the one I really wanted has its introduction date pushed back again and again. Anyway, this is the top dog for the Lezyne lineup and it comes with all the bells and whistles. Not that I need them, but it only cost a few bucks more and the loaded "Option 1" kit gave me a second mount, which should come in handy.

Anyway, I will be reviewing the thing. How it is to set up, use, and how it performs. Of course, you can connect it to your phone, import routes, make bread crumb tracks of your ride, get elevation, blah, blah, blah. It comes with a speed and cadence sensor along with a chest strap to monitor your heart rate. It also is Blue Tooth and ANT+ compatible, so you can power meter, Di2, and Lord knows what else. Most of that nonsense will be lost on me.

A tackle box with a lot of lures. I'll only use a few of 'em.

I'm only interested in speed, mileage, and time. That and moving this from one bike to another whenever I want. I may make a few routes and download those. Maybe.

Cadence? pfft! Heart rate? Got that on my fitness watch already. Strava? Really..... No. Routes to download and follow turn by turn? Not necessary. I can read signs. I'm not afraid of getting lost.

I would have enjoyed this device on the recent Fargo Reunion Ride. I could have checked the track, the elevation gain, and saved the route for another day. In the instance of being at an event, those metrics would be enjoyable to see. I can certainly live without that, but I could see getting into that part of this device.

Trans Iowa Recons? Definitely! Laying out any event course, like the Geezer Rides, or whatever, would be a nice way to make use of this device for me. Elevation gain info, gradient info, and turn to turn mileages. that's helpful to me in some ways. ANT+ and Blue Tooth connectivity will help my wife keep track of me. that's good for her. No more "1980's rides" unless I leave the Super GPS at home!

Note- The Lezyne Super GPS was bought with my own damn money and I am writing this stuff up about it because I want to. Not because it benefits me in any way whatsoever.

Moving In To The 21st Century

Let's try this again.

GPS computing/navigation devices for bicycles are nothing new anymore. They usually are called "Garmins" because, well, that company has pretty much dominated the cycling GPS computer scene. Now there are alternatives, like Wahoo Fitness and Lezyne. This year, Lezyne updated their GPS computer line up to something that is a bit more feature rich and much better than their past offerings. I decided to try one out, since, well......outfitting every bike I have with a computer is stupid. I hope to just move this deal around to whatever it is I am riding at the moment.

I decided to go with the Super GPS unit since the one I really wanted has its introduction date pushed back again and again. Anyway, this is the top dog for the Lezyne lineup and it comes with all the bells and whistles. Not that I need them, but it only cost a few bucks more and the loaded "Option 1" kit gave me a second mount, which should come in handy.

Anyway, I will be reviewing the thing. How it is to set up, use, and how it performs. Of course, you can connect it to your phone, import routes, make bread crumb tracks of your ride, get elevation, blah, blah, blah. It comes with a speed and cadence sensor along with a chest strap to monitor your heart rate. It also is Blue Tooth and ANT+ compatible, so you can power meter, Di2, and Lord knows what else. Most of that nonsense will be lost on me.

A tackle box with a lot of lures. I'll only use a few of 'em.

I'm only interested in speed, mileage, and time. That and moving this from one bike to another whenever I want. I may make a few routes and download those. Maybe.

Cadence? pfft! Heart rate? Got that on my fitness watch already. Strava? Really..... No. Routes to download and follow turn by turn? Not necessary. I can read signs. I'm not afraid of getting lost.

I would have enjoyed this device on the recent Fargo Reunion Ride. I could have checked the track, the elevation gain, and saved the route for another day. In the instance of being at an event, those metrics would be enjoyable to see. I can certainly live without that, but I could see getting into that part of this device.

Trans Iowa Recons? Definitely! Laying out any event course, like the Geezer Rides, or whatever, would be a nice way to make use of this device for me. Elevation gain info, gradient info, and turn to turn mileages. that's helpful to me in some ways. ANT+ and Blue Tooth connectivity will help my wife keep track of me. that's good for her. No more "1980's rides" unless I leave the Super GPS at home!

Note- The Lezyne Super GPS was bought with my own damn money and I am writing this stuff up about it because I want to. Not because it benefits me in any way whatsoever.

Friday News And Views

I am getting the big one. Should be easier to see!

Entering The 21st Century......FINALLY!

When you talk about GPS computers for bicycles it generally means that you are talking about "your garmin". It is like talking about"kleenex", which is really a brand name. But if I say, "hand me an unsanitary napkin", (because who blows their nose with a sanitary napkin, right?), you wouldn't know what I was talking about.

So, cyclists talk about their "garmins" this-and-that all the day long. and I suspect that this new gizmo I am getting will eventually just become "my garmin" as well. Anyway.......

The point is I am finally getting a GPS based cycling computer. Oh.......sorry! You probably have no idea what that is. I meant to say a "garmin" made by Lezyne, which is really called a "Super GPS", but everyone will think it is a "garmin", ya know?

Okay....okay! I'll give it a rest. Besides, this isn't the first time I will have had one of these beasts. Nope! Had one once. It was a 600 series.....you guessed it.... Garmin- and I thought it was ridiculously huge and overly complicated to use. Plus, it took about three to five minutes for it to access the satellites, which, you know, is about 2 minutes and 59 seconds too long for your riding buddies to wait for you, so I ditched it. Gave it to a friend.

So, I am trying this new fangled Lezyne unit out. I will be disappointed if it proves to be more fussy than a standard computer to run. Why? Because technology is often times actually more time consuming and more fiddly to use, which is kind of a step backwards, if you ask me. If, for instance, you have to do some song and dance every time you fire up a device, it isn't worth it. If you have to charge it more often than you use it, it is junk. If the menus are only understandable for computer designer geeks, than it is stupid. I won't keep this around for long if it ticks off my "keep it simple" mentality.

That said, it could be the greatest thing I've done in a long time for my bicycle. Time will tell. Stay tuned.......

Tomorrow I'll be riding this 100 miles.

Fat Bike Century:

Doing a century- 100 miles by bicycle- seems hair brained enough, but doing that on a fat bike? Yeah, I get why folks seem to think that is really daft. That said, it isn't impossible. Lots of folks do this distance on fat bikes and more all the time.

Besides, I've done three metric centuries on a fat bike in Winter at Triple D. Every time the conditions were challenging, and the work effort to do that event was a lot! Probably harder by far than the 100 mile route we have in store tomorrow. Another thing I've been asked is if I plan on using flats. Yes.....yes I do. I see no reason why that won't work like it did on my three Triple D finishes.

I may have to add a seat pack to this set up as the weather could be wet in spots. I guess there is a chance to see some showers. I may want my rain jacket for that, plus it gives me the option to shed a layer should I want to do that. Otherwise, I hope to get this rig cleaned up a bit, get my cues ready to go, and hit the road tomorrow morning. Expect  a full report on Monday.

 Velocity USA Consolidates Functions To The Mitten:

Velocity USA is a rim, hub, and wheel company mostly. Well, they do have a pretty cool bottle cage too, but anyway, yeah.......mostly it has been about rims. I have used Velocity rims in my wheel builds since 1994 and have been very satisfied with anything I've used from Velocity. They used to be an Australian based manufacturer with an office in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Read "The Mitten"). Now production of rims has been Stateside since 2011, based in Jacksonville, FLA. That will change in December when Velocity consolidates all functions to its Grand Rapids, "The Mitten" World Headquarters.

I think it is a move that makes sense. Velocity says, "The move is expected to improve product delivery time by 7 to 10 days while bringing specialized bicycle rim production jobs to Grand Rapids. The factory will join Velocity’s current distribution and wheel building facility. The combined facility will enhance research and development capabilities and continue to build on Velocity’s reputation for top-tier customer service by leveraging the state of Michigan’s long history and reputation as an innovative manufacturing hub for the United States."

Sounds like a good move to me. Now they just need a slogan. Something like, "Proudly Made by Hands in The Mitten". 

T.I.v13 Registration Is Underway:

The first cards started rolling in for the registration for Trans Iowa v13 the other day. The process will continue throughout the month of October culminating on Halloween with the drawing for the Rookie class riders for next Spring's big dance. By the way, registration details can be reviewed HERE.

In other tidbits, I have been tweaking out the course a bit. So far I have about 326 miles mapped out. That will be adjusted a bit, I am sure, once recon happens. That should be in a couple of weeks from now. We're hoping a one day slog will suffice to get the course recon knocked out. It will be a long, long day either way. I'll have more stuff to share about T.I.v13 soon, but for now, that's all I can say.

All righty then! Everyone try to get out and ride this weekend and have some fun!

Friday News And Views

I am getting the big one. Should be easier to see!

Entering The 21st Century......FINALLY!

When you talk about GPS computers for bicycles it generally means that you are talking about "your garmin". It is like talking about"kleenex", which is really a brand name. But if I say, "hand me an unsanitary napkin", (because who blows their nose with a sanitary napkin, right?), you wouldn't know what I was talking about.

So, cyclists talk about their "garmins" this-and-that all the day long. and I suspect that this new gizmo I am getting will eventually just become "my garmin" as well. Anyway.......

The point is I am finally getting a GPS based cycling computer. Oh.......sorry! You probably have no idea what that is. I meant to say a "garmin" made by Lezyne, which is really called a "Super GPS", but everyone will think it is a "garmin", ya know?

Okay....okay! I'll give it a rest. Besides, this isn't the first time I will have had one of these beasts. Nope! Had one once. It was a 600 series.....you guessed it.... Garmin- and I thought it was ridiculously huge and overly complicated to use. Plus, it took about three to five minutes for it to access the satellites, which, you know, is about 2 minutes and 59 seconds too long for your riding buddies to wait for you, so I ditched it. Gave it to a friend.

So, I am trying this new fangled Lezyne unit out. I will be disappointed if it proves to be more fussy than a standard computer to run. Why? Because technology is often times actually more time consuming and more fiddly to use, which is kind of a step backwards, if you ask me. If, for instance, you have to do some song and dance every time you fire up a device, it isn't worth it. If you have to charge it more often than you use it, it is junk. If the menus are only understandable for computer designer geeks, than it is stupid. I won't keep this around for long if it ticks off my "keep it simple" mentality.

That said, it could be the greatest thing I've done in a long time for my bicycle. Time will tell. Stay tuned.......

Tomorrow I'll be riding this 100 miles.

Fat Bike Century:

Doing a century- 100 miles by bicycle- seems hair brained enough, but doing that on a fat bike? Yeah, I get why folks seem to think that is really daft. That said, it isn't impossible. Lots of folks do this distance on fat bikes and more all the time.

Besides, I've done three metric centuries on a fat bike in Winter at Triple D. Every time the conditions were challenging, and the work effort to do that event was a lot! Probably harder by far than the 100 mile route we have in store tomorrow. Another thing I've been asked is if I plan on using flats. Yes.....yes I do. I see no reason why that won't work like it did on my three Triple D finishes.

I may have to add a seat pack to this set up as the weather could be wet in spots. I guess there is a chance to see some showers. I may want my rain jacket for that, plus it gives me the option to shed a layer should I want to do that. Otherwise, I hope to get this rig cleaned up a bit, get my cues ready to go, and hit the road tomorrow morning. Expect  a full report on Monday.

 Velocity USA Consolidates Functions To The Mitten:

Velocity USA is a rim, hub, and wheel company mostly. Well, they do have a pretty cool bottle cage too, but anyway, yeah.......mostly it has been about rims. I have used Velocity rims in my wheel builds since 1994 and have been very satisfied with anything I've used from Velocity. They used to be an Australian based manufacturer with an office in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Read "The Mitten"). Now production of rims has been Stateside since 2011, based in Jacksonville, FLA. That will change in December when Velocity consolidates all functions to its Grand Rapids, "The Mitten" World Headquarters.

I think it is a move that makes sense. Velocity says, "The move is expected to improve product delivery time by 7 to 10 days while bringing specialized bicycle rim production jobs to Grand Rapids. The factory will join Velocity’s current distribution and wheel building facility. The combined facility will enhance research and development capabilities and continue to build on Velocity’s reputation for top-tier customer service by leveraging the state of Michigan’s long history and reputation as an innovative manufacturing hub for the United States."

Sounds like a good move to me. Now they just need a slogan. Something like, "Proudly Made by Hands in The Mitten". 

T.I.v13 Registration Is Underway:

The first cards started rolling in for the registration for Trans Iowa v13 the other day. The process will continue throughout the month of October culminating on Halloween with the drawing for the Rookie class riders for next Spring's big dance. By the way, registration details can be reviewed HERE.

In other tidbits, I have been tweaking out the course a bit. So far I have about 326 miles mapped out. That will be adjusted a bit, I am sure, once recon happens. That should be in a couple of weeks from now. We're hoping a one day slog will suffice to get the course recon knocked out. It will be a long, long day either way. I'll have more stuff to share about T.I.v13 soon, but for now, that's all I can say.

All righty then! Everyone try to get out and ride this weekend and have some fun!

Minus Ten Review- 4: Computer Issues

HAL 9000- The line up of ancient computers that used to run the shop.

Ten years ago this week on the blog I had computer troubles and there weren't but three posts for the week and those were mostly updates I posted from the shop to let the meager amount of readers here know what was up.

Posting from work, well......that wasn't cool, really. Interestingly enough, and some of you may remember how it was then, blogging was seen as an "upstart activity" back then. Managers and owners were afraid of bloggers and how they were "pulling curtains down" and showing who the Wizard of Oz really was behind all the smoke and fire. My boss was one of those folks for quite some time.

Then there was my utter lack of any technical skills. Computers? I could hen peck at the keyboard and barely make Blogger function back then. If anything went wrong, I was sunk. Fortunately, I married well, and Mrs. Guitar Ted happens to be a whiz-bang tech person with skills beyond her schooling. She just has a knack for electronic devices. So, back then she diagnosed my computer, (we each have our own computers to this day, by the way), and figured out that mine had somehow gotten a bad virus. Turns out it had FOUR viruses, and the local computer joint fixed me up. That marked when my wife installed some pretty burly anti-virus, fire wall stuff on my computer and that hasn't happend since those days, thankfully.

Now ten years on, I still am not really well versed in computers, and to wit: My RidingGravel.com partner does ALL of the techy business for that site. NOT me! I'm definitely not that guy.

Minus Ten Review- 4: Computer Issues

HAL 9000- The line up of ancient computers that used to run the shop.

Ten years ago this week on the blog I had computer troubles and there weren't but three posts for the week and those were mostly updates I posted from the shop to let the meager amount of readers here know what was up.

Posting from work, well......that wasn't cool, really. Interestingly enough, and some of you may remember how it was then, blogging was seen as an "upstart activity" back then. Managers and owners were afraid of bloggers and how they were "pulling curtains down" and showing who the Wizard of Oz really was behind all the smoke and fire. My boss was one of those folks for quite some time.

Then there was my utter lack of any technical skills. Computers? I could hen peck at the keyboard and barely make Blogger function back then. If anything went wrong, I was sunk. Fortunately, I married well, and Mrs. Guitar Ted happens to be a whiz-bang tech person with skills beyond her schooling. She just has a knack for electronic devices. So, back then she diagnosed my computer, (we each have our own computers to this day, by the way), and figured out that mine had somehow gotten a bad virus. Turns out it had FOUR viruses, and the local computer joint fixed me up. That marked when my wife installed some pretty burly anti-virus, fire wall stuff on my computer and that hasn't happend since those days, thankfully.

Now ten years on, I still am not really well versed in computers, and to wit: My RidingGravel.com partner does ALL of the techy business for that site. NOT me! I'm definitely not that guy.

Upgrades

Six years Is What In Computer Age? Like "dog years", a six year old CPU is really more like what? 50 years old? 100 years old? I'm not a computer guy, but I think it probably is something like that. To give you an idea of what I'm driving at here, I've had this computer longer than I've blogged! Yep! Something like six or seven years going now.

Well, things kept getting wonkier and wonkier with regards to how things have been, (or more correctly- have not been), working. So, after my photo editor upchucked yesterday, I threw down for a new CPU. I picked it up already, but the actual install won't happen for a few days now. You shouldn't notice anything, except maybe that I'll be less grumpy because things are going faster on my end!

Speaking of Photo Editors.... I had to do something temporary to get by with regards to editing photos. Before this, I only did the very basic tasks of white balance and re-sizing. I didn't want to delve into......all that other schtuff! Well, the new download had some things that you could play with easily, and they were non-destructive, and well.......yeah. I spent most of the day doofing around with photos. It is pretty fun, and believe me- I am a total rank amateur, late to the party, don't bother looking at my photos photographer. (If I could even dare call myself a photographer! Apologies to all the"real" photogs that might be reading this.) So....after all of that, here are some examples of my experimentations. I have absolutely zero clue as to what it is I am doing, so I am probably breaking every cardinal rule of photography there is. Anywho....

Green Belt Lake, Waterloo, Iowa

Random Birdhouse In The Woods

And just to keep it on track here- A shot of the head tube junction on the Fisher Collection Sawyer.

A Quick Note On The Sawyer: Okay, this is a bike you either love or hate. Cruiser style bikes either take you to "that certain place", or leave you scratching your head wondering, "Why?" I happen to like the style myself, and with just one look at the Sawyer, I said, "Oh yeah!" They nailed the lines on that thing.

See, to my mind, you can make a cruiser inspired mtb easily enough, but it is quite another thing to get the lines "just so", and the proportions of those curving tubes in relationship to each other "just right". Many try, not too many succeed in getting it "right". Curtis Inglis of Retrotec gets it. The Mountain Goat FKR is right on, (and since Ingliss makes them, it's no wonder!). Coconino Cycles Steve Garro does a cruiser justice. Hunter Cycles gets it right. The old OX Brand cruiser is cool. The old Cooks Brothers cruiser was spot on. Don McClung and Tony Pereira do a similar, masterful style of cruiser.

That's the list folks. Gary Fisher Collection's Sawyer is in some stellar company here, because to my mind, it is possibly the best looking of all of these, and certainly the best production cruiser mtb ever produced in mass quantities. Yes- I said best ever. That's in looks only, but after a few rides I can tell you there is some substance to this bike. It ain't all looks!

That's it for now on that. Look for more "arty" images here now though. I'm afraid I've been sucked in deeper!

Upgrades

Six years Is What In Computer Age? Like "dog years", a six year old CPU is really more like what? 50 years old? 100 years old? I'm not a computer guy, but I think it probably is something like that. To give you an idea of what I'm driving at here, I've had this computer longer than I've blogged! Yep! Something like six or seven years going now.

Well, things kept getting wonkier and wonkier with regards to how things have been, (or more correctly- have not been), working. So, after my photo editor upchucked yesterday, I threw down for a new CPU. I picked it up already, but the actual install won't happen for a few days now. You shouldn't notice anything, except maybe that I'll be less grumpy because things are going faster on my end!

Speaking of Photo Editors.... I had to do something temporary to get by with regards to editing photos. Before this, I only did the very basic tasks of white balance and re-sizing. I didn't want to delve into......all that other schtuff! Well, the new download had some things that you could play with easily, and they were non-destructive, and well.......yeah. I spent most of the day doofing around with photos. It is pretty fun, and believe me- I am a total rank amateur, late to the party, don't bother looking at my photos photographer. (If I could even dare call myself a photographer! Apologies to all the"real" photogs that might be reading this.) So....after all of that, here are some examples of my experimentations. I have absolutely zero clue as to what it is I am doing, so I am probably breaking every cardinal rule of photography there is. Anywho....

Green Belt Lake, Waterloo, Iowa

Random Birdhouse In The Woods

And just to keep it on track here- A shot of the head tube junction on the Fisher Collection Sawyer.

A Quick Note On The Sawyer: Okay, this is a bike you either love or hate. Cruiser style bikes either take you to "that certain place", or leave you scratching your head wondering, "Why?" I happen to like the style myself, and with just one look at the Sawyer, I said, "Oh yeah!" They nailed the lines on that thing.

See, to my mind, you can make a cruiser inspired mtb easily enough, but it is quite another thing to get the lines "just so", and the proportions of those curving tubes in relationship to each other "just right". Many try, not too many succeed in getting it "right". Curtis Inglis of Retrotec gets it. The Mountain Goat FKR is right on, (and since Ingliss makes them, it's no wonder!). Coconino Cycles Steve Garro does a cruiser justice. Hunter Cycles gets it right. The old OX Brand cruiser is cool. The old Cooks Brothers cruiser was spot on. Don McClung and Tony Pereira do a similar, masterful style of cruiser.

That's the list folks. Gary Fisher Collection's Sawyer is in some stellar company here, because to my mind, it is possibly the best looking of all of these, and certainly the best production cruiser mtb ever produced in mass quantities. Yes- I said best ever. That's in looks only, but after a few rides I can tell you there is some substance to this bike. It ain't all looks!

That's it for now on that. Look for more "arty" images here now though. I'm afraid I've been sucked in deeper!