All Posts By

Andrew Van Til

News March 23, 2021

Garmin’s Rally XC SPD Power Meter Pedal Information Leaked

While SPD is clearly the best pedal system available, one drawback is that there aren’t many (read, only one) pedal based power meters available for the platform. It looks like that is changing though, with Garmin bringing out some new “Rally” pedals. Which alongside the SPD, there are also SPD-SL and Keo options (not that it matters ;)). This is all thanks to a post on Trainer Road’s forum, which has since…

Blog Featured March 17, 2021

Why Canyon? Why make it worse?

I’m generally pro-Canyon. I have a 2018 Aeroad, and it’s a great bike. I’ve had no issues with the bike that weren’t my own making. The story with the 2021 Canyon Aeroad, on the other hand, hasn’t been as peachy. First there was the self-destroying seat post, then there was the integrated handlebar that falls apart. I totally understand why they issued a stop-ride order afterwards, broken handlebars are not something to…

News March 16, 2021

Scosche Rhythm+ 2.0 Heart Rate Sensor

When I first bought my Garmin fēnix 6, I was really curious if the optical heart rate (OHR) sensor was as good as a strap. So I ran some tests, and it was just OK. The problem I had with it is perfectly summed up in this quote from DCR’s review of the Scosche Rhythm+ 2.0 Heart Rate Sensor: And this is a perfect example of what I typically see for wrist-based…

News March 16, 2021

Wahoo Does Something With Speedplay

I’ve never tried Speedplay pedals, but I know quite few people who ride, and swear by, them. They’re new, totally redesigned, and Wahoo is promising much greater reliably and durability compared to the original designs. That’s all good, but there’s also an integrated power pedal coming coming “Summer 2021”. This is a nice video overview, but for those who prefer to read their news DCR also has the skinny. UPDATE: DCR has…

Blog Featured March 12, 2021

No Spoke Holes, No Problem

One of the concerns that I and, I imagine, many others have around buying a set of Far Sports tubeless rims without spoke holes is the potential for massive hassle when it’s necessary to replace a nipple. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I got the chance to experience this process first hand today. I have no idea what happened to the spoke/nipple above, I didn’t even notice it myself until a sharper-eyed friend…

Blog March 12, 2021

What’s the opposite of a mullet?

I can’t disagree with the assertion that it’s faster to put a deeper wheel in the front, because it’s right. But, as someone who’s a bit on the lighter side, the thought of putting an 88mm front wheel on the bike is WAY outside my risk tolerance. I’ve almost gotten swept on my 65mm wheels so often that I barely ride them; would just rather be that tiny bit slower (maybe) on…

News March 2, 2021

An interesting test, but I’m not convinced by the methodology

I haven’t ever thought about how rim width might impact rolling resistance (RR), so definitely kudos to BRR for testing that. But I’m not sold on the decision to adjust air pressure for comfort, and then make the conclusions that the author made. Just to be clear, the concern isn’t that the author decided to take comfort into account, but that they decided arbitrarily that it was a KEY metric, and that…

Featured Guide February 28, 2021

Bontrager NCS 35-45mm Fenders – Solving The Lynskey Fender Dilemma

Getting fenders on my Lynskey GR300 was a lot more complicated than it should have been because of its front fork. After looking at way too many options, it turned out the solution was right under my nose. Thanks Big Lampar!…

News February 25, 2021

NGL – I don’t get it

I’m not going to argue that the Titan Lab Kommander isn’t cool in a geeky kind of way, because it most certainly is. Where I hesitate, is around the actual usefulness of this tiny Bluetooth/ANT+ keyboard on a bike; especially at its $90 price point. Everything you can use it for in Zwift, it seems like the Companion app would just work better, and for what I’d use it for on the…

Blog Featured February 18, 2021

Mixed Messages

This summer I almost got flattened by a car. The details aren’t super important, but had the car’s timing been a slightly different, or had there been oncoming traffic, the best case would probably have involved an ambulance ride. The important part starts when I chased down the car, slammed my hand on the side window, and started berating the driver. It was colossally stupid for me to escalate the situation with…

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