All Posts By

Andrew Van Til

News September 9, 2020

Playing the shell game

I’ve been reviewing kit for going over 11 years, I know what it’s like getting pre-production products. But, frankly you cannot review something that isn’t physically done baking. Editorially, I would have a massive issue slapping that moniker on anything in the state that the Factor Ostro VAM CyclingTips “reviewed” is in. Looking at the list of caveats and changes that CyclingTips has shuffled into their look at the Factor Ostro VAM,…

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News September 2, 2020

Just say “no” to keto

I noticed when GCN started pumping out their keto videos, but was too distracted to comment at the time. To be clear, I think it an interesting, but completely settled, topic. Carbs are the most efficient way to fuel. Period. If you want to lose weight; add miles, cut back on calories, or both. For most people, finding a healthy weight is a simple math problem. It’s also worth pointing out that…

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News September 1, 2020

Fitbit Sense: Interesting hardware & price, but without ecosystem changes…

The recently announced Fitbit Sense includes all the sensors, and when I say all, I literally mean all: ECG, EDA, GPS, HR, SpO2, HRV, accelerometer, etc. It also includes all the good stuff you see on other Fitbit wearables, like advanced sleep tracking, contactless payment, step counting, etc. but I really have to wonder if Fitbit will solve the transparency/data issues that got me off its platform. My guess is no, and…

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News August 27, 2020

You might be missing the point, Garmin…

It’s been a rough summer; with three crashes, two of which have taken me off the bike for unwelcome lengths of time… I don’t like seeing that “detraining” notice any less than anyone else, but honestly, I also appreciate the honesty. And while it totally sucks seeing it there, taunting me, not seeing it is worse. I didn’t go all-in to have my devices go dark, hiding something that is clearly happening.…

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News August 27, 2020

Garmin fēnix 6 goes to 11, err… 11.10

Take couple slow days and BOOM, there’s another update to the Garmin fēnix 6. Love it! I’ve actually been running the RC with zero issues for about a week, so I think it’s totally safe to plop this guy on the watch and enjoy the new features. The  Unfortunately, there’s no direct download link on the forums, so you’ll have to use Garmin Express if you want to force it officially. But…

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News August 27, 2020

This seems like a colossally bad idea

Face it! Every bike is imperfect. Yep, got it. No disagreement here, but there’s definitely some wiggle room in every spec for imperfection. Want to say the word is “tolerance”. Shaving a bike, especially on a carbon bike, is risky AF. If it’s wildly out of spec, and the OEM won’t warranty it, what do you have to lose? But, for everyone else, this will almost certainly invalidate your warranty if you…

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