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In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
I like the idea of having it farther forward than my stem, but the key question for me when you test it is how many cupcake equivalent ounces does it add? At some point it’s illogical to overaccessorize a lightweight carbon rig.
Good on them for getting something produced. (though it is advertised as being $40).
It is a shame an industrial designer or somebody used to designing plastic products wasn’t involved much earlier. It has the style/aesthetic of a piece of military hardware.
It doesn’t appear to take any advantage of the opportunities of using injection moulded plastics (which wouldn’t add cost).
At minimum the mounting bolt head should be on the bottom – hidden & not collecting sticky sports drink.
I don’t understand start up costs, but thirty bills sounds like too much for what is essentially a specialized piece of plastic with a couple of screws. Now Milessio is saying maybe forty. My stem is looking better and better.
Hey Ray,
Great info; been looking for something like this. I read Quarq was coming out with their version but no ETA. Do you have any insider info on this? Thanks
link to bikeradar.com
Hi SSK8-
I’ll check on it. Oddly enough, I’ve got a full SRAM RED built bike(Specialized Venge bike + new SRAM components) on a UPS truck headed to me to check out. Currently in Omaha, NE according to UPS – should arrive Tuesday. I suspect that may have their new mount on it…
Love/Hate
a run down of my opinions…
1. better location, thus easier to read +1 (that is if you look at your garmin a lot while riding)
2. I trust a bolt more than I do a modern (non rubber) rubber band for securing a $250 unit (E500). +1
3. Cost $30-40, My stem looks very convenient, a band can be inspected pre ride for cracks/weathering. -10
4. just a tid bit of info my stem isn’t available because I ride at night and that’s where the flashlight sits, so my Edge 500 is on the bars. But even then it isn’t in the way. While there is still room for my hands and the Edge 500. My hands being on top of the bars is like .0005% of the time.
5. I guess you could negate the few extra grams for better aero… But if better aero is your game and a very few extra grams is a hindrance Make or break the ride stats. I’d seriously have to see drastic time differences to buy into that.
Bottom line, I think it would come down to user preference, and how much $ they have to blow on personal convenience.
Ray- Here is the post I wrote on ST a while back about something very similar. However I think you could get the 310/910 to work on it, not sure exactly how the QR is set up for them, but I know the 305 QR would work on it. Let me know if you want me to send you one, I think I can get them for about $8 at the shop up in Seoul, I am headed up there tomorrow and they are suppose to have 3 set aside for me so no worries to send one your way.
link to forum.slowtwitch.com
Brad
Thanks Brad!
I’d feel bad since it’d probably cost even more to ship it back over here. But definitely appreciate the offer!
Enjoy!
I can certainly see why Above Category designed it – many of their custom painted bikes have a matching (or AC) stem. The last thing you’d want is to have that hidden under your bike computer!
Unfortunatly their design as it stands would clash with the mounting for my lights so i’d need another similar mount on the other side of the stem for those.
Ray-
No worries, if the Venge doesn’t come with one and you aren’t satisfied with the one that you are showing here let me know and I will send it free of charge, my donation to your “little slice of internet”.
Ian-
The good thing about the one that I have is you can mount it on either side, the bar is adjustable to go to the left or to the right.
Personally I’d love to have a mount like this. It’s really hard to see the computer on the stem when in the drops. Coincidentally I was just researching my options in this area yesterday and came across the item linked below. It’s a different approach and I believe it would work for the Forerunners since it just adds a minibar in front. For my Edge500 I’d prefer the Above Category design though.
Pro Carbon GPS Mount
I saw the BikeRadar article about the Quarq mount myself and I’ve been eagerly awaiting it. Any news you can track down would be much appreciated!
Another great mount… Are your friends at sportypal ever going to sell the Sony mount (or even talk about it?) Cheers Kurt NZ
How will this mount fit on aero bars?
For aerobars it would likely require some sort of shim as the mount is too wide for most aerobars.
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I wish it was thought out better to sit flush with the bar. As is, the Edge will be above the profile of the bar.
I still don’t understand why people don’t like the FSA mount. Having two pivot points is key. With the FSA you can angle the arm down, then mount the Edge flat, and it’s flush with the bar. Granted, I’d rather have an integrated 1/4 turn, but for $30, I’d like a better look.
Just received my shipping notice from Above Category for 2 Bar Fly Garmin Computer Mounts. A nice surprise as I was expecting a mid to late April delivery. I have had the FSA mounts for several years but they tend to vibrate/shake even on slightly rough roads with my Garmin 800. I am hoping the Bar Fly is more solid with the integrated 1/4 turn mount.
I just received my mount yesterday and have to say I’m very pleased with the mount! The mount seems very solid (doesn’t shake when hitting bumps), can be ‘snugged’ and hold firmly rather than fully torquing it down to the bar, which allows you to adjust the tilt of the Garmin when riding (think: the sun is reflecting off it into your eyes when riding, or you can’t see it well). The mount weighed in at 18g, while the Garmin mount that came off my bike weighed 8g-so there’s a net 10g weight increase (not a whole lot). Additionally the mount makes the Garmin a whole lot easier to see when you’re down in your drops and also frees up the tops of your bars better for placing your hands there or riding in a ‘pseudo-TT’ position.
The mount that holds the actual Edge 500/800 is a bit snug at first, causing one to wonder if it will even fit, and the ‘springy-ness’ of the Garmin mount (to eject the unit) doesn’t seem present yet. I think this is likely due to the ‘tightness’ of the new mount. I suspect this performance will improve with install/removal cycles.
Also, for those wondering, the mount has a clearance hole right in the middle to allow air into (or sound out of) the set of small pin-holes on the bottom of the Edge 500 (this is either the barometric pressure sensor, or the speaker-I forget which). So the manufacturer was thoughtful in accomodating the standard input/outputs from the Edge 500 / 800 hardware.
Overall, I’m very pleased already and highly recommend the mount-even if a bit steeply priced.
Sean
Oh, one more thing (for anyone wondering): the width of the strap that mounts to the handlebars is 3/8″ wide (0.375 in / 9.5 mm). Hope that helps…
Sean
It would be great if someone would make something for the back of the bike, i.e. an attachment for bike lights. With today’s aero frames i.e. Cervelo S5 etc it’s quite difficult if not impossible to find a rear light that will mount properly to aero frames.
Cateye has done a great job with their RM-1 saddle mount accessory however they have been out of stock for quite some time and there is absolutely no one else in the market that does any sort of good saddle rail accessory for lights. Well exposure does but that is limited to their own exposure rear light and even then it doesn’t fit properly onto Cervelo seat post/saddle set ups.
I purchased the new BarFly Garmin Edge Quarter Turn Bike Mount which replaces a previous FSA Control Center Computer Mount.
The old FSA mount worked fine, but rattled around a bit making the display hard to read.
The new mount is solid (no rubber bands), but the 90 degree twist is far from the solid clunk I’m used to.
I suspect if they made the plastic the same, perhaps Garmin would sue, I dunno.
Bottom Line; I like the new mount; solid as a rock and easy to read.