Let’s get through some technical specs first.  Most of these first impressions were with the unit using firmware 2.20 which is how the unit arrived (I’ve since upgraded to 2.30) and pairing the unit with an iPhone 5.

Display

I’ll be honest – there has been a lot of whining about the 800′s screen being difficult to read in sunlight.  As a result, I was a bit concerned when I learned that the 810 shared the same display (both in backlighting and resolution).  Imagine my surprise then as I did ride after ride in daylight conditions and found the display quite readable, especially with lit directly by the sun.  In fact, my experience was that it was just as easy to see the 810′s display as it was to read the 705′s (the unit I upgraded from).  Perplexed this is a pain point for some 800/810 users.

Bluetooth Features : LiveTrack, Auto Upload, Weather

Conclusion of another successful LiveTrack session

Quick review of weather conditions before starting my ride. Definitely a nice to have feature, not a must have.

An exciting new feature of the 810 is it’s ability to provide a LiveTrack of your progress to observers (folks you invite at the start of your ride who are able to see your location and progress on a map).  While it is true that someone watching one of these LiveTracks for more than about 2-3 minutes might pass out from boredom, the feature will likely be most appreciated by spouses and parents of cyclists that want to “check in” to see how their ride is going.  I’m sure this feature will be much appreciated by family the next time I set out on a bicycle tour.  Another feature is the ability for the unit to immediately upload your ride details when you stop the timer and end your ride.  In my experience, the unit consistently delivered on its stated features.  Two exceptions to this were a moment on one of my LiveTrack’s where my wife saw that I was doing 187mph on the bike (I wish!) and a second where one of my rides failed to upload (the ride was fine, it uploaded via USB and was not corrupt).  I’m really enjoying the auto upload capability!  The Edge 810 also receives weather information and will alert you to significant weather events during your ride.  Can’t say that I’ve received any alerts but the weather feature has been a neat feature to incorporate.

Bicycle & Activity Profiles

All set to ride my Trek Soho to work!

Both of these are features that I’m enjoying immensely.  Activity profiles allow you to tweak all of the screens and fields on the unit to match a style of activity.  In my case I have the following activity profiles : Commuting, Road Riding, Touring, Recreational Riding.  For commuting, for example, I have the map view enabled and data pages with information like time of day, temperature, etc – I’m less interested in performance data when I’m riding to work but more interested in knowing what time it is, etc.  For my Road Riding profile it’s all about my training rides on the road bike so fields like Power, Cadence, Heart Rate Zones, etc. are all on display as I hammer through the numbers.  This ability to create custom activity profiles is, in my opinion, one of the top features of the 810.  The bike profiles are a nice touch as well.  You can name the bicycles and pick icons that correspond to a touring bike frame, a road bike frame, etc. while keeping track of total mileage on your bike.

I’m currently exploring the navigation features of the 810 and so far they are working as designed.  I’m creating rides on RideWithGPS.com as I always did with my Edge 705 and the unit is providing turn-by-turn directions.  Look for more insight on the navigation capabilities of the 810 soon in Part 2 of my review.

]]> http://www.bikegurus.com/2013/02/garmin-edge-810-review-part-1.html/feed 0 http://www.bikegurus.com/2013/01/2012-a-great-cycling-year.html http://www.bikegurus.com/2013/01/2012-a-great-cycling-year.html#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2013 03:59:12 +0000 Justin http://www.bikegurus.com/?p=1005 I know, I know.

I’m late in posting my obligatory “year in review” post.  I guess I’m solidly in the “better late than never” than “day late and a dollar short” camp.

As it turns out, 2012 was a lower total number of miles than years past but what the year lacked in total mileage it made up for in substance!

In all, a total of 2,309.61 miles by bicycle, consisting of:

• 955.47 miles of bicycle commuting which saved me from purchasing about 79 gallons of gasoline for my Ford F-150
• 213.13 fitness miles which are off-season miles keep me healthy
• 604.31 training miles – getting prepped for major cycling events
• 295.09 special event miles including major experiences like the Valero MS150
• 233.50 miles of bicycle touring - riding my bike from home to nearby cities/communities for usually an overnight stay
• 8.11 miles of recreational riding – easy rides with no goal but to just spend some time on the bike (need to do more miles in this category for 2013!)

The two major cycling events I participated in were the Valero MS150 with my wife and the Fiesta Wildflower Ride.  As for overnight bicycle tours I completed three of them – one to nearby Chicken Paradise in San Antonio and two to the nearby communities of Castroville and San Marcos, TX.

2012 was a great cycling year and I look forward to many two-wheeled adventures in 2013!

A 2012 highlight – 101.8 miles in one day

Amazing - because there is an undeniable sense of accomplishment – pushing your body past its limits, going well beyond your comfort zone, pedaling past mileages that make you grin even when you’re exhausted….60 miles…70…80 miles…90.

Grueling - because there was discomfort, soreness and outright pain in some cases.  The hills we encountered on River Road after 70 miles of riding proved to be formidable adversaries to already tired and psychologically challenged riders.

Long - at the end of day one we’d ridden 101 miles and had spent 7.5 hours in the saddle.  Then we hopped (ok, we didn’t hop…we were incapable of hopping at that point) on our bikes for Day 2 and added 5 more hours and 58 miles of riding into some annoying headwinds.

Inspirational - because my wife and cycling partner, Shannon, defied the odds.  Her longest ride prior to our 158 mile experience was 38 miles.  Despite this, she pedaled on…and on and on.  At one critical junction we came to an intersection where two signs said “Left Turn – FINISH LINE” and “Right Turn – Century Challenge”.  It would have been SO EASY to just turn left, finish a very respectable 70 mile ride and dive into some food and drink.  We turned right!

Wow - because WE DID IT we pedaled through all 158 miles together without “sagging”.  We kept moving forward when our bodies kept whispering “sag at the next stop” at about the same time we’d see a sag wagon drive by LOADED with cyclists.  We pedaled on and in the end we completed an epic ride and raised money for a great cause!

Shannon and Justin at the 2012 Bike MS finish line with 158 miles of cycling behind them!

One of many sights as I closed in on San Marcos, TX

Pure spring water bubbles up from the Balcones Escarpment and forms the headwaters of the San Marcos River.  They say this collection of some thirty springs has never run dry.  There’s even evidence that ancient people, some 10,000 years ago, inhabited this area full of clear, crisp water.

If I sound a little obsessed with water, your instincts have served you well indeed.  Water was my lifeline.  Literally.  This past weekend I completed a 121-mile roundtrip, overnight bicycle tour from my home in San Antonio to San Marcos, Texas.

Yes, Texas.  In the summer…with clear skies, lots of ultraviolet rays and triple-digit heat.  Climbing up hills when the light breeze was cut off and I was pedaling away to stay upright on the bike the best description of the way the heat felt was to think about the last time you opened your preheated oven and felt that blast of hot air on your face.

You’d think I would have learned my lesson after surviving last year’s bike tour to Comfort!

Enough whining about the heat!  This was yet another adventure on two-wheels that was full of great memories and lessons learned including:

• Gear:  I used a product called Da Brim which easily attaches to most bicycle helmets and has a nice wide brim with straps to make multiple adjustments.  While it may have looked like I was wearing a sombrero and caused fashion discomfort for some of the road bikers I passed along the way, the ability to keep my face and neck in the shade throughout the ride kept the worst of the heat off me and greatly contributed to my comfort.
• Motorcycles:  A moment on the road where I passed a pack of motorcycle riders and I noticed that the lead rider had taken his feet off the motorcycle and was moving them up and down to simulate he was riding a bicycle.  Gave me a good chuckle!
• The Viola Street Inn:  My overnight accommodation was, well, perfect.  I received a warm welcome that included freshly-baked cookies and some refreshing lemonade.  The Inn itself is gorgeous with several common areas that allow guests to unwind.  My room, the “Hillside Hideaway” was huge with a large, two-person jacuzzi that I fully took advantage of.  On the morning of my departure, I enjoyed a homemade, full breakfast and the Inn allowed me the option of keeping my bicycle in the locked garage or even in the Inn itself.  Visiting the area anytime soon?  Don’t wait…book a room there!
• Palmer’s Restaurant & Bar:  Excellent food, excellent service and a beautiful restaurant with a relaxing ambiance that was exactly what I needed at the end of Day 1.  The “Dr. Pepper Glazed Ribeye” was quite tasty!
• Snake:  Snake?  Yes, snake.  Diamondback Rattlesnake to be exact.  While retracing the steps of Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon along a road now known as Old Bastrop Highway I heard a commotion to my right.  A second later a bird or rabbit leaps into my path and in hot pursuit a 4+ foot rattlesnake with head raised.  I decide to veer to the left and am both amazed and horrified at just how fast an adult rattlesnake can travel on a road when he’s pursuing prey.  Fortunately, he detected me and decided to turn around and head back into the bushes.  Whew!
• Huber Airpark Hospitality:  I ran out of water and had spent several miles riding in the fierce heat when I heard an airplane overhead.  A Cessna 172 with flaps extended on what appeared to be short final for a runway.  Turns out Huber Airpark was just down the road.  I saw an open hangar and asked where I could find water.  A couple of wonderful ladies let me refill my bottle with some cold, refreshing water (sorry…there I go getting sentimental again about water).
• Blake’s Cafe:  Energy levels depleted thoroughly, I arrived at Blake’s Cafe in Lake McQueeney, TX and had a wonderful and rejuvenating meal and excellent service despite that I may have been somewhat “odor challenged” at the time due to hours of profuse sweating.
• Hydration:  I tried to drink enough water for this tour but constantly found this a challenge.  For one, I should have stocked up on fluids before I left the Viola Street Inn.  Secondly, I should spent more time reviewing my route to ensure there are small towns, etc. where water may be accessible.
• Summer Tours:  It’s over.  No more bicycle tours in triple-digit heat.  Hydration becomes a constant challenge, the ride can become unbearable at times and now I get to pick pieces of road tar out of my tires because the roads were so hot they had tar bubbles I kept popping!  It’s a sign!

One thing is certain – I continue to be fascinated at just how far a bicycle can take you.  It’s a great feeling to be at a destination and realize that it’s a bicycle that made that happen.  Even with bicycle tour #9 complete, the giddy feeling of travel by bicycle has not lost its luster and intrigue!

View a complete gallery of images from this bicycle tour.

Solution:  The Chicken Paradise Bike Tour

Dad rides an Electra Townie bicycle and a few years ago did his longest ride – the 25-mile route of Conquer The Coast.  I wanted to share the bicycle touring bug with him and started planning a weekend, overnight bicycle tour.  Each time I mapped out a route, the distances were usually well outside his range.

Then the idea formed in my mind about doing a bicycle tour right here in my hometown of San Antonio.  After doing a little research, the Chicken Paradise Bike Tour was born!

We’d leave Dad’s house in the Town of Hollywood Park and bike 10-12 miles one-way to the Chicken Paradise, a bed and breakfast in central San Antonio.  We’d stay overnight and then bike home the next day.  The mileage would allow Dad to ride his bicycle at a comfortable pace and would give me the opportunity to make his first bicycle tour a really positive experience.

Equipment for the Tour

Justin : CoMotion Americano Bicycle (Rohloff Speedhub, Tubus Cargo Rear Bike Rack, Brooks B17 Saddle) with Arkel T-42 panniers

Jack : Electra Townie Bicycle, Electra Rear Rack & Bag

Route

Most of the route would involve a bicycle lane on Blanco Road, a major north/south street.  A stretch of almost a mile would require us to “take the lane” as vehicular cyclists on Blanco Road when it loses its bicycle facilities at Interstate 410.  We’d then make a left turn off Blanco onto quiet, residential streets for the remainder of our journey.

The Chicken Paradise Bike Tour Route

Saddle up! Chicken Paradise Bike Tour begins!

The Journey Begins

With our route planned, bikes prepped and reservations made it was time to begin.  We left Dad’s house at 10:30am and made our first stop at Phil Hardberger Park, a new park in North Central San Antonio.  We hydrated and explored some really cool exhibits including solar panels, the use of natural materials for building and rainwater reclamation.

Dad in front of huge rainwater reclamation tanks at Phil Hardberger Park

We hit the road again aiming for our next stop – lunch at Dough restaurant.  We lost our bicycle lane about a 1/4 mile from the restaurant and exercised our legal right to the road with no issue at all.  At Dough, we dined on the Margherita Pizza – a vegetarian selection that hit the spot.  We finished off our meal with some caffeinated beverages and a delicious Polenta Cake (one of the lighter dessert items on the menu!).

Yummy Polenta Cake hit the spot and powered us on to our destination!

It was time to make our final dash for our destination.  After about a mile of “taking the lane” on Blanco Road we followed my route onto quiet residential streets and in no time arrived at the Chicken Paradise Bed & Breakfast – nestled among rows of home, the long driveway to the entrance ends with a gate you might expect for a property out in the country.  Passing through that gate, the urban world around us disappeared behind us – replaced with wandering chickens, beautiful peacocks, towering trees and a sudden sense of calm.

Entrance to Chicken Paradise with Theo, the peacock!

We were quickly greeted by “Papa Joe” Barfield who gave us the glorious news that the Paradise Suite was already ready despite our arrival about 1.5 hours before check-in.

After storing the bikes and cleaning up, it was time to explore this amazing place.  My mother & daughter showed up about an hour later and like many of my tours the adventure became a family affair.  Within minutes of arriving, my daughter was climbing the many steps leading up to the incredible tree house on the property.  Soon my sister and niece arrived and we took a dive in the almost too cool but actually just right swimming pool.

Nana's Treehouse - you have to see it to believe it!

The next morning we had an amazing breakfast from our wonderful hosts Joe & Ann Barfield.  An appetizer of fresh fruit followed by a goat cheese omelet and waffles.  We knew we’d have plenty of fuel for our short, but mostly uphill journey back home.  Just before we left we were dazzled by the antics of Theo, peacock extraordinaire, strutting his beautiful colors for girlfriend Cleo a few steps away (turns out she wasn’t in the mood but Theo made a valiant attempt!).

Theo shows off for girlfriend Cleo (and us!)

Breakfast was amazing!

We loaded our bikes, said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and their amazing place and pedaled our way out the gate.  Sunday morning meant we had very light traffic to deal with and this made the ride home stress free and enjoyable despite the mostly uphill journey.

Three generations - Me, my daughter and my Dad - departing Chicken Paradise

There was, of course, that ginormous hill I knew we’d have to climb about 3/4 of the way home.  As we approached it, Dad said he might walk the bike.  If he had, I would have totally understood.  The hill is a long, steep climb that I encounter everyday I ride my bicycle to work.  As we approached it Dad took advantage of every one of those 24 gears on his Townie and slowly, but steadily…we conquered that hill together.

We celebrated with some Americano’s at a nearby Starbucks knowing that the rest of the ride would be flat.

Starbucks celebration for the hill climbers!

As we pulled into the driveway at my Dad’s house, I realized bicycle tour #8 had reached an end for me.  It was a very special bicycle tour with a very special fella – my Dad.

View the Chicken Paradise Tour Photo Gallery

Great job, Dad!  Time to plan our next tour!

Safe arrival back home is the end of our fun, overnight bicycle tour!

Trek Valencia and a 1946 North American Navion

I’m a private pilot that loves riding bicycles.

On the surface, you might assume that flying and bicycling have very little in common, right?

It turns out that flying and bicycling have many things in common.  Here are just a few…

• What were the Wright Brothers doing before they built that first, famous airplane?  Building bicycles!
• Riding a bicycle is a workout and believe you me…flying an airplane can be as well – just ask a pilot after a training flight full of maneuvers and multiple landings!
• Headwinds can be bad news for bicycles AND airplanes.  On your bicycle it means more work, slower speeds and thus a longer ride duration.  In an airplane it’s more fuel, slower speed and yep…a longer flight
• Turbulence in a small airplane and a rough road on the bicycle can be disturbingly similar
• Many aircraft today are made of aluminum and steel as are many bicycles
• Like cyclists…private pilots are part of a community, General Aviation, that faces many challenges

What other similarities do YOU see between bicycling and flying?

That’s the slogan of custom bicycle builder CoMotion Cycles.  About a year ago, smitten by the bicycle touring bug, I decided to start putting some cash aside so I could purchase what many bicycle tourists agree is one of the top touring bikes on the market – the CoMotion Americano.  I was determined, too, to add a truly American Made bicycle to my stable.

Nickel Headbadge of my Americano

Having logged several hundred miles on my Trek Soho commuter bicycle, the Rohloff version of the Americano with the Gates Carbon Drive was singing its siren song.  Despite the price, what’s not to like about having a very wide-range 14-speed bullet proof internal hub with a maintenance free carbon belt.  Part of my research involved following a bicycle tourist with a similar rig who was doing a cross-country bike tour.  His experiences doing 3,000+ miles using this setup was very encouraging.

Once I got my finances in gear, I had the pleasure of working with Dwan Shepard and Pete Stasney at CoMotion Bikes to work out the detailed design and setup of my Americano.  After a few weeks, I picked up my Americano from the good folks at Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin, TX and shortly thereafter completed my first overnight bicycle tour to Blanco, TX.

Here are the specs for my CoMotion Americano Rohloff:

• Classic Trim Package – Brooks B17 Saddle, Brooks Leather Grip, Nickel Headbadge
• Gates Carbon Drive
• Tubus Tara front rack and Tubus Cargo rear rack
• Ergon PC-2 Pedals
• Arkel T-28 (front) and T-42 (rear) panniers

I’m closing in on 200 miles on the bicycle and will rapidly increase this mileage as my bike tours mature from overnight excursions to 2-3 day mini-tours.

An Americano is born!

Americano poses for a portrait