I tried using Google’s My Tracks, available for the Android platfrom, for a training ride this weekend. I was running the application on my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S “Vibrant” phone with a custom ROM (Bionix-v 1.3.1 by Team Whiskey). I liked the application, though it has some shortcomings.
It was fairly easy to share the map and the results of my ride with other people. If you save it out as a “my map” on Google Maps, you can even embed it into your blog.
If you get to the detailed level on the map, you can see that the GPS coordinates are an overlay on the map, with no correction. That means if the GPS coordinate I received was off by 10 meters, and it put me off the path, the path on Google Maps was not corrected. A good feature to have in the future would be auto-correct to fit a line that is appropriate to the activity.
The elevation map on Google Maps:
Also, there is a summary of the ride/run/walk available both on the device and embedded into the map:
2011-04-24 15:40 Blue Hills (End)
Updated 11 hours ago
Created by My Tracks on Android.
Total Distance: 39.58 km (24.6 mi)
Total Time: 1:42:58
Moving Time: 1:40:00
Average Speed: 23.06 km/h (14.3 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 23.74 km/h (14.8 mi/h)
Max Speed: 104.40 km/h (64.9 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -67 m (-221 ft)
Max Elevation: 183 m (601 ft)
Elevation Gain: 1111 m (3645 ft)
Max Grade: 36 Min Grade: -43
Recorded: Sun Apr 24 15:40:10 EDT 2011
Activity type: cycling
The information is approximately right and generally matched what I was showing on my inexpensive cyclocomputer (Cateye Micro Wireless), with a few exceptions. First, there is no way I was descending at 65 mph. Second, my knees would crumble into dust if I tried climbing a 36% grade.
My friend Duncan Gross has a high-end Garmin cyclocomputer with GPS. His results seem to have similar anomolies in his rides. Also, his cyclocomputer keeps track of temperature, cadence, and heart rate. Some of these stats would be available for My Tracks, if you purchase Zephyr Bluetooth accessories.
The application does drain battery, so make sure the phone is charged before you take it on a ride with My Tracks on. It would be a luxury to have the type of tracking that is possible with a higher-end GPS-enabled cyclocomputer. For now, I take my phone on rides anyways, so I can see myself using this more often to track my routes.
This video, advertising for Mavic, gives you a different perspective of Paris-Roubaix. The cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix require frequent wheel changes, and Mavic has a motorcycle support crew that is called upon to swap out wheels.
I like the editing of this video and the absence of music, which emphasizes the chaos and grittiness of the work.
I’ve been troubleshooting a problem with my bottle cages that was interesting. When I bought my Tommaso Monza, I received two bottle cages. Both were elevated a little bit, similar to the one on the downtube in the following picture.
You can tell that the cage bracket is actually below the cage, allowing for the setup to work. The bottle cage on the seat tube was from Tracey’s bicycle, and the bracket is where it is supposed to be in relation to the bottle cage.
Well, These cages are quite ugly, and I wanted to swap them out. I found a pair of cheap carbon fiber bottle cages on Alibaba Express, so I ordered them. However, the positioning of the brackets caused a conflict in the bottles, preventing me from using them.
As you can see from the picture above, this was not a workable situation. I was considering manufacturing my own jig/adapter to allow for a fit, but I found an interesting solution on the web. Shimano’s ultra-high end DI2 system has a battery pack that can conflict with the bottle cages, so they ship the system with a part (Shimano Cage Adapter SM-BA01) that allows you to move the placement of the cages.
That Cyfac bicycle is drool-worthy. I can’t afford one, so I’m content with what I have. As you can see in the picture below, the result is a lot better than what I started with.
While I was sitting around growing my beer belly this winter, I created a bicycle upgrade plan. I wanted to do my yearly maintenance and get the upgrades completed before the riding season.
I love my Tommaso Monza. I was only able to do half the riding I wanted to do last year, but I enjoyed every little bit of it. The Monza is a great bicycle to have if you are a beginning cyclist. The basic build is great, and it comes with a mix of Tiagra/105 components, which are more than enough to get started. That being said, there were a few things I wanted to upgrade for this year.
Stem
The first thing I changed was my stem. I bought a shorter stem, by 20mm, so that I would be a bit more comfortable. It allows me to spend more time on the lower bars, making me more aerodynamic. That’s the theory, anyways, since I realized on Saturday that I need to get rid of my beer belly to be really comfortable there all the time.
Cassette
Tommaso ships a Sunrace 11-25 cassette with the Monza. I don’t blame them, since it is half the cost of a Shimano cassette and it is functionally the same. I found that the 25 tooth cog, as a max, made it hard for me to get up hills. So that’s why I decided to upgrade to the Shimano 12-27 cassette, which makes it easier on the climbs. An unforeseen consequence of my upgrade – my shifting is smoother than a baby’s ass.
Wheels
Although I don’t know him, I want to shake John Neugent’s hand. I did 25 miles on my brand new Neuvation R28X wheelset this weekend, and it was incredible. The stock wheels on the Monza are great because they are so versatile and solid. The stock wheels are Alex R500 rims with a Joytech Hub, and standard spokes. They could accommodate a 210 pound rider with no problems. I suspect their ruggedness also means that they were much heavier.
The Neuvation R28Xs felt lighter. They are easier to spin up, both on the flats and in the hills. I bought the R28Xs because they can be opened up and lubricated. In addition, you can replace the ABEC-5 bearings if needed. They came true in the box, and were ready to ride, with the addition of the cassette. One thing I did notice is that the wheels were a bit more “squirrelly” in a heavy crosswind. However, I expected this since the wheelset has bladed/aero spokes.
Bicycle Mirror
Although it nullifies any advantage I get from the aero spokes, I picked up a Mirrycle Mirror (STI). I figured it is better to be safe than fast. The mirror is difficult to assemble, even with instructions. The package was also missing a washer, though I don’t think it wasn’t that important. Once it was installed on my Tiagra brifter, it was great. I could finally see what was behind me, without craning over my shoulder. The one worry I do have is crashing and breaking the mirror off ($15), or worse yet, breaking the brifter ($180).
A few months ago I wrote up a review on my Tommaso Monza on the Giant Nerd website. I purchased the bike at the end of the season in 2009. I put a ton of miles on it this year, and it’s the main reason I’ve lost 2-3 inches off of my waist. The bicycle is great, and it was a great value. I would definitely recommend it to beginning cyclists.
I was really shocked to receive a package in the mail the other day.
What got me is the handwritten, old-school note from the people at Giant Nerd. Sure, the water bottle is great. But someone actually took 5 or 10 minutes to write a nice thank you letter. That’s an awesome way to win awesome customer loyalty.
To contrast this, I recently bought a stick of deodorant that I was allergic to. I tossed out the stick of deodorant and sent a nice email to the company that makes it. I appreciated their response, but it really did look like a form letter. And they did send me a coupon in the mail for more deodorant that I am allergic to.
I have been thinking a lot about customer loyalty lately, and I hope to draw on my own experiences at litl.
Before the Rabobank team became the Rabobank team, they were sponsored by Novell. Novell inherited their cycling team through their acquisition of Wordperfect, which was the previous sponsor. The crowning achievement was a stage win by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov during the 1995 Tour de France. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov was the points winner (Green Jersey) in the 1994 Tour.
I researched this because I ran across a pre-owned Novell skinsuit up for auction on eBay.
Here is a bicycle repair person in Karen, a small town outside of Nairobi. He’s made up his own tools (truing stand, etc.) to repair bikes. Fun to watch, if you’re into bikes.
Oh, one more thing – I won’t be updating this blog for the next two weeks, since I’m heading to Hawaii to get married. See you in a bit!
Went for a 27 mile ride today with a friend of mine, and the knees feel pretty good. Some of the hills that I encountered today seemed a lot less steep than when I started earlier this summer. I’m still in terrible shape, but I seem to be able to climb a little bit faster.
I do need to get some cold weather gear. It was 55 degrees out today, and the shorts and short-sleeve jersey seem almost perfect. I think my next purchase may be a set of arm and leg warmers, so I can take them off if I start overheating. I may also start looking around for a decent cycling jacket.
