Cycling - Fat Girl Fit

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Product Reviews

Zwift Ride with KICKR Core 2 Product Review

For years now I have had an indoor set up using a KICKR Core turbo trainer and what was intended to be a winter bike, that ended up just being a turbo bike. When I got my Specialized Aethos it was 12 speed and my turbo trainer only worked up to 11 speed. Not a big deal as I had a bike (Trek Domane) that stayed on the turbo, but since living in Sweden I have looked at potentially upgrading. It is super seasonal here and so winter definitely has several turbo months!

I follow many people with varying indoor cycling setups, a number of which have moved to the Zwift Ride bike.

What Is The Zwift Ride?

You can purchase the Zwift Ride on its own or as a bundle with the KICKR Core 2, which was what I opted for. This was mainly as I had a neighbour who was interested in buying my bike and turbo together from me so I would not need either and my turbo would not have worked with the Zwift Ride bike either.

The set up is essentially a smart bike by Zwift that attaches to the turbo via a Zwift cog. On my previous set up I had some of the Zwift add ons such as Zwift Play (which you can ready my review of here). With the new set up this is built in functionality to the bike frame so I can essentially so everything from my handlebars such as giving Ride Ons and using Powerups. Now don’t get me wrong I have never been a computer game player and it took me the whole route of Repack Rush to figure out the controls (for a person with normal brain power I am fairly certain this would have been a lot quicker/easier!).

The bike has 24 gears, which you control using the buttons on the handlebar shifters. There is no big/little ring as you would typically find on a normal bike if attaching to a turbo trainer. The gear you are in shows on the Zwift screen when you are in game. You can set the shift style you want in Zwift including sequential, SRAM or Shimano. You can also choose your gear range depending on the type of ride you are doing.

Delivery

One of my pet peeves of ordering items and deliveries in Sweden is that the timeframe is often a little unknown and definitely not as quick as when I was based in London. I would note that this is in part due to the fact that I live in a small summer beach town and not a major city.

Regardless of the above, on ordering I was a little surprised that the delivery cost was €100. This seemed super steep to me but having had a KICKR Core before I was aware of how heavy these items can be and with insurance via a courier, in retrospect the cost is probably not that surprising.

I received an email with tracking details and this was super easy to follow along and arrived seamlessly.

Setting It Up

There were multiple boxes with this delivery (four in total); the Zwift Ride bike frame, KIKCR Core 2 turbo trainer, I purchased the Zwift Ride tablet holder, and the fourth box included the handlebars, Zwift Cog and Zwift Play controllers.

I would say that one annoying/unusual thing was that not everything was where I feel it should be. For example the bolts to connect the bike frame to the turbo appeared to be missing. After a quick search online we found other online discussions where people had the same but it turned out that they were not missing but in a different box, which is not overly intuitive. However, once you locate everything it is a very easy and simple set up, with instructions provided and a handy bright orange (you can’t miss it) Zwift hex wrench that is the only tool needed/used when setting up and you store on the frame of the bike for future use, which is handy.

There is added information to ensure the bike fit up is correct for you. I am comfortable with the setting up of my bike but this would be super useful to those who are not and the Zwift Ride is slightly different so always a good addition to ensure you have it set up right to get the best out of it.

The other issue I had was that the frame itself had a noticeable dent on it. Given the cost of this set up, this was more than disappointing and definitely ruined that new bike day feeling you get! However, I would note that the box it came in was packaged perfectly, everything was where it should be inside and there was no damage or marks on the outside of the box. I contacted Zwift support and sent photos and will say their customer service was outstanding! I was offered two options being some money refunded or a replacement. I opted for a replacement and within minutes had a new tracking email for the replacement frame.

Packing it back up again was not so much a fun part of this – you do not really pay too much attention when unpacking but it was packed so well we then had a bit of a jigsaw packing it back properly. We ended up looking online at some unpacking videos to figure out what went where.

My Opinion So Far

I was slightly worried about the single front fork – would it be stable enough? It is a sturdy unit weighing at circa 35kg and feels incredibly stable so no worries there. I can’t say balance is my biggest skill and I never got on with a rocker plate so was a little worried this could be similar, but I think the size of the front fork compared to the size of a front wheel on the floor when a bike is on the turbo is actually a fair bit more so no worries there at all.

It is nice and quiet, smooth gear changes and feels very comfortable. I did swap out the saddle for my usual Specialized Mimic saddle so cannot comment on the saddle that came with the bike frame. Same for the pedals, it comes with flat pedals that I swapped out for my usual SPD-SL pedals.

I had to go through the gears to find my typical sweet spot as I found to start (being used to a big and little ring) I was spinning out on the downhill and my power was less on a flat but higher cadence. I usually work off cadence so didn’t take too long to get to grips with – just a different set up than used to.

I am of average height I think and this is fine – not sure how it would be for someone very short or very tall, whereas a set up including your own bike would obviously be on a frame to fit your height. I only note this because the Zwift Ride is a single size unit that you adjust to your requirements although the set up size chart would indicate it would be fine.

I have the attachment to have my ipad on the bike, which is good and again really stable. I also love that there is a flat surface for your phone and a towel. I had previously used a quad lock but it was not my normal everyday phone case and if you have used one you will know they are great, as in your phone is not coming out, but taking on and off for turbo use is an exercise in itself!

I have levelled up in Zwift since using it and really enjoying it so far!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Hiking, Running, Sweden

Exploring The Beautiful Nature Reserves In Sweden

Sweden as a country is covered in 70% forest, which is 28 million hectares according to the Swedish Forest Industries Association. It also has almost 9% water coverage with over 95,000 lakes. You quickly get the picture I am painting that Sweden is like a natures playground and one of the reasons we fell in love with it.

When we arrived we quickly looked at where the local nature reserves and forests were and soon found we could download an app for our Kommun that is like a nature map and shows lots of information about cycle paths, hiking paths, canals, lakes and much more. This has become like our bible when deciding where we should explore next (and the dog loves it too).

Sjöbo-Knäppan

Sjöbo-Knäppan was the first that we visited in the height of winter and it was like a winter wonderland with everything covered in a white blanket of snow. It is on Lake Boren which is a short walk from where we now live.

The parking is limited but there are picnic areas, toilets, easy access to the lake for swimming (in warmer months) and the trails are all clearly marked with one being a boardwalk path in the trees.

Håleberget

Håleberget is our local favourite. We attempted to go in the winter but the steep winding road up to it that clearly had no one else make the attempt, judging by the snow, changed our plans. It is a short walk (two routes available) basically up to the top and then back but worth the views for sure.

The only thing I would say is that the road to the car park is single track with no real space to pass so in the summer when more people visit I would imagine this could be a problem?

Fålehagen

We actually looked at a house in the woods that is in the middle of one of the trails of Fålehagen forest and in the winter when we visited there were they were in the middle of putting in the ski lines for the winter cross country skiers.

At the car park there is a center where you can also hire skiis to use on the trails.

There are also MTB trails and frisby golf here, whilst it is also right next to Motala Golf Course.

Karshult

Karshult is round the corner to where we now live so super convenient. In the winter the fields that the trails pass were super deep with snow so made a short walk feel tougher than it should have!

Råssnäsudden

Råssnäsudden is very near Varamon beach (the largest fresh water beach in Europe) and a perfect short walk for our ageing dog. The trail follows the water line out to a small picnic area and back.

There is ample parking and there are also running tracks there too.

Omberg

We wild caped at Bokskogens when we went to Ekopark Omberg, which was a small area for 5 campervans that overlooked Lake Vattern. It was stunning with a short stairway to access the lake for swimming, fire pits, firewood, shelter and several picnic tables. We have cycled up Omberg on the Tjejvattern and Halvvattern events so had seen the stunning views from the top and the hiking and off road bike trails. We hiked from where we camped on the trails to Omberg Touristhotell, that we cycled past on the previously mentioned bike rides. We then hiked back into the park to the viewing station at the highest point of the park, Hjassan.

Tiveden

Tividen is hands down our favourite so far. We wild camped in our camper van at Sorangs Bergsjo fishing lake. It was a beautiful spot with a little jetty, fire pit, firewood, shelter and picnic table. We hiked the Trehorningsrundan trail, which was a 9.5km loop around the lake and stunning.

This is definitely one we want to go back and spend more time at but the walks are a little long for our doggo to join now.

Blå Lagunen Skanninge

So not a nature reserve but I had seen some videos of a stunning blue lagoon in Sweden and when I checked the location found it was only 12 miles from where we live. So……..it would have been rude not to explore and see if we can find it, and we did!

No car park as such but there is a layby on the nearby main road and it is a short walk on an easy trail to get to the lake. I will admit I was a little worried it would be one of those social media versus reality and we would arrive at a small grey puddle, but I am pleased to say I was wrong. We could see the lake through the trees as we approached and the colour was visible immediately (maybe more green than blue but still stunning)!

I am looking forward to exploring more of the natural beauty here!

Category: Cycling, Hiking, Running, Sweden, Van Life

What Is There To Do On The Göta Canal In Sweden

The house we have purchased in Sweden is a 5 minute walk to Lake Boren, which joins part of The Göta Canal, also known as ‘Sweden’s Blue Ribbon’.

This morning is the annual docking at the dry dock where the boats go out for the season. This is a 200 year old tradition where they add the water to the dry docks where boats are stored and there just so happens to be a cafe next to it, Mallboden, that sells tasty food whilst you watch it all unfold and they were actually the ones that told us about the docking today.

A Bit About The Göta Canal

The canal was historically the main waterway from the east to the west, starting at Söderköping on the east coast. The canal navigates some of the gorgeous Swedish countryside and goes past Lakes Roxen and Boren before joining the Vattern.

We knew of the canal from our previous visits to Motala to see friends and participate in the Vatternrundan bike ride. Now we have moved here and been exploring we were intrigued as to how far the canal is and where it goes.

The canal has 58 locks over the 190km distance that it spans and there is a lot to see and do with full information on this website. Given the distance of the canal this means that it also boasts the longest avenue of trees with circa 10,000 trees and as they need replacing there are around 50 trees per year planted by sponsors and should you be interested in being a sponsor you can find more info here.

What Can You Do On The Göta Canal?

You can hike and cycle the towpaths or take a boat along the canal and even better it is completely car free!

There are events on the canal, including:

guided bike ride or you can hire bikes or ride your own and there are routes available here
boat trips on the canal and on the lakes that it passes
cruise on the canal over 3 days
rent a kayak or canoe
Kanallopet run in May with options for 5km, 10km or half marathon distances
stand up paddle boarding (and in the past there was a race for this, which could return)
part of the canal had an event for skiers in the winter as a one day event

There are many food and drink stops too, that include:

Mallboden – their tarta Flambé is one of our favourites and they also have a few pitches for motorhomes right next to the canal as well as hostel accommodation
Camarda – this is an Italian deli, which is on our list to visit but comes highly recommended
Cafe Baltzar – this is located in an old shipyard, which also has shopping and above a museum
Tva Sma Hus – this is located where the canal joins the Vattern and a perfect stop for an ice cream
There are many more to choose from here and I would love any recommendations you might have!

More Info…

There is a lot of information about the canal available on the West Sweden website here.

You can also divert from the canal to neighbouring towns to explore, for example it is 24km from Tividen National Park, which is one of the favourites we have visited here so far.

Category: Cycling, Product Reviews

My Review Of The New Zwift Play

Zwift has launched their new Zwift Play and kindly sent me a set, which I have been having a play around with.

So what did I think? Let me tell you……

What Is Zwift Play?

When I was contacted by Zwift, I will be honest, I had not heard of this so was intrigued. A relatively small box turned up and I quickly fitted them to my bike to check it out.

I was sceptical and must admit I didn’t really get it. I use my set up with Apple TV and Companion App on my phone, which I have on my bars using a Quad Lock and it works well. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the controllers can be used for not just steering but also accessing settings, which is much easier.

Is It Easy To Set Up?

The controllers are clearly market left and right, easy to attach to the handlebars and out of the box there are also spacers if you require them.

Log into Zwift you can connect via the pairing screen as easy as you would for heart rate or cadence sensor for example.
Press the Zwift button and the light will come on and it will power on.
You can see paired devices including battery life for the controllers too.
Then you are pretty much good to go!
Good to go after a short tutorial, which explains how to use them.

How Does It Work With Apple TV?

As I mentioned earlier I was pleasantly surprised that the controllers can be used for not just steering but also accessing settings, which is much easier.

When pairing using Apple TV, this is limited to 2 devices so in setting up I had to use the Companion App for this.

What Did I Really Think?

All of the pics I had seen showed the controllers level but I found that due to the handlebar drop I was unable to get them level unless I was to roll my bars right up, which I don’t want to do as it is set up following a bike fit.

The steering can be done both on the road and at junctions without having to use the app/Apple TV controller to select anything, which is much easier when you have the options of straight/left/right. I find depending on the road or if I am doing a structured training session the last thing I want to do is mess around too.

Think of the menu options and ease of use at your fingertips including power ups, ride ons, drafting (always a winner) and braking (which I have accidentally used more than once!).

I use Zwift with my road bike but I have seen others use with a mountain bike and I can’t see how these would work for that or bikes with flat bars in general and TT specific bikes too. Basically you need drop bars to use these.

It can be a little bit laggy and it did drop a couple of times.

Battery life says 20 hours and I have not had to charge mine but you can do this whilst riding, which is handy.

They are currently £99, whilst in beta, on the Zwift website so you can save £50 right now. Depending on how much you use Zwift this could be seen as really reasonable or a lot of money for a bit of functionality. Check out the technical requirements here before you purchase to make sure they are compatible with your set up.

Product was gifted but all opinions are my own.

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Hiking

Christmas Gift List Ideas

I am not sure about you but I hate when people ask me for ideas for Christmas or Birthday presents as it is like a tap has been turned on and all ideas I previously had disappear!

I do, however, have some gift ideas that I can recommend and you may find useful.

The new book from GCN and Mark Beaumont, The Complete Guide to Cycling, £16.99. I have reviewed this book and you can read what I thought here.
One of the bottles on offer from Hydrate M8, whether it be a water tracker bottle or an insulated bottle now we are in cooler months. You can use discount code _FAT_GIRL_FIT_ for 20% off your purchase.
Big Bobble Hats, a firm favourite of mine and you can never have enough! You can use discount code FATGIRLFIT20 for 20% off your purchase.
Winter cycling cap – I have one from Rapha though they are no longer made but this Stolen Goat hat looks very similar and they are fab in the winter months when out in the elements, £35.
Queens of Pain, Legends & Rebels of Cycling book, £25. An inspirational read about female cyclists over the years.
Kapz customised headset caps. I have one of these that says Fat Girl Fit (in pink of course) and it is a fab subtle customisation to any bike. They also have stock designs, all from £18.95.
VeloPac Ride Pac from £20. I have had these on my gift guides before but they are fab and I am a huge fan so here it is again!
Fleece – it’s definitely fleece season and I am here for it, so any fleece. I recently got this one, which is very retro!
Five Tens MTB shoes from the Breast Cancer campaign, £130. I recently got these and they’re the usual Five Tens fab shoes and have pink and boobies on them – what’s not to love!
Ordnance Survey Maps – of like me you like to be outdoors this shop is like a treasure trove including custom maps that you can find here and they currently have 15% off too!

Happy Christmas shopping!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Product Reviews

The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology Book Review

I was very excited to be sent the new book from GCN written by Mark Beaumont and Dr Jim Taylor.

Mark Beaumont

Mark is an endurance cyclist (however there is so much more to Mark than this and I would describe him as an avid adventurer), but in relation to cycling he currently holds records for:

fastest cycle on Scotland’s North Coast 500
fastest cycle round the world covering a distance of 18,296 miles in 194 days and 17 hours
fastest cycle from Cairo to Cape Town covering a distance of 10,000 km in 41 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes
hour record on a penny farthing

Dr Jim Taylor

Dr Jim Taylor is a specialist in the psychology of performance sport and has worked with professional cyclists and athletes in many other sports. He is also an Ironman and world-championship age-group triathlete.

Basically we are in good hands with the authors!

Favourite Quotes From The Book

I am a sucker for a good quote and this book had loads but a few notable that resonated with me:

‘It is about knowing yourself better and using cycling as a means for personal growth and meaning.’

‘Understanding your ‘why’ is at the heart of this book.’

‘Contrary to popular belief, when you focus on the result, you are less likely to get the result you want.’

‘Putting the fun and social back into training made me feel more energised when I got back on the bike.’

‘Knowing you can ‘out-suffer’ the rest is good motivation when the going gets spicy.’

The quotes above are areas that I think are so important for us individually. We all have different goals, different reasons for doing anything we do and know what works best for us and this often gets lost and we need a reminder!

Cycling Psychology Assessment

This is referred to as the physical testing for the mind in this book and delves into 5 attitudes that affect performance. During this process you rate yourself against each attitude (ownership, process, challenge, long-term and balance).

This assessment is at the start of each stage within the book and each stage is a section that goes into further detail of each attitude mentioned earlier. Each talks about its individual importance and how this relates to your cycling performance and mental attitude towards it.

Main Takeaways From The Book (for me)

This book was so relatable. I cycle therefore I am a cyclist, of many disciplines and varying distances. I am my worst critic and the mental side is my biggest weakness – when my head goes, it is game over! I was surprised to read that Mark suffers from imposter syndrome – so easy to assume athletes do not worry about things like this – we are all human!

I think too often we forget to focus on what we can affect, there is no point in worrying about what we cannot after all. The book talks about grounding yourself in order to set yourself up to cycle to your capabilities.

We can use our motivators to bridge the gap between our goals and efforts to achieve those goals. Are we setting ourselves up for success? Do we know how to identify when we are suffering with low motivation and how to change that mindset? Is there a pattern? How can this be addressed for the better? Do you need a way of staying accountable?

It covers what constitutes quality training, consistency and dedication, and what you can have in your mental took kit to set yourself up for success. I often use my social media channels to voice my goals/objectives for public accountability – it may not work for everyone but I find it does for me. I keep a log of my training activities, how I felt, what worked and didn’t – I think it is the project manager in me treating it like a retrospective and identifying lessons learned so that I can turn negatives into positives.

This book covers it all with real life examples how Dr Taylor worked through this with Mark for his various challenges. I cannot recommend it enough and will be sure to add to my Christmas 2022 gift list!

Product was gifted but all opinions are my own.

Category: Cycling

Being An E-Racing Team Captain

The latest season of the Zwift Racing League just finished last night. As I am still recovering from my knee injury I withdrew myself from the race team, knowing I would not be able to race properly as I could do further damage to my knee. I was asked, however, by Aeonian if I wanted to captain the team I am in, the Diva’s.

You can read more about Aeonian Race Team here. I love being a part of this team and so I was very keen to contribute despite the fact that I could not race. I had never been captain to the team though so whilst I thought I knew what was involved I was keen to make sure I was doing all I could to help the other ladies in the team before, during and after the races in the schedule.

E-Racing Team Captain Responsibilities

As always Aeonian are super helpful and more than happy to share their knowledge so I was soon up to speed and knew what my role would entail.

Be aware of all the rules/regulations
Communication to team members on a regular basis
Facilitating training sessions
Ensuring all team members have up to date race category/height/weight on Zwift Power
Sharing race pass information from WTRL for those racing to sign up and making sure all are signed up in advance of the race date
Completing route recce’s every week for the route that is upcoming on the race schedule
Sharing notes from the above recce with the team, including route, distance, elevation, areas to note, where points could be gained, best bike choice
Acting as directeur sportif (DS) to the team
Encouragement – lots of it as motivation helps a lot!
Sharing of results
And repeat each week

Before I was captain I found a very funny article on Zwift Insider about the role that you can read here (the images with chat messages are hilarious).

Directeur Sportif (DS) Role

I know from racing that having a DS is so useful for the racers. The DS can see overall where everyone is in the race and provide advice, especially in the TTT where they can inform if gaps are forming or you are approaching teams to overtake.

The DS can provide encouragement and push riders to perform their best. When you are head down, teeth gritted, sweat pouring and giving it your all, it is easy not to know who is around you. Knowing someone is just ahead or just behind can motivate a rider to push more and can ultimately make a big difference in points for the team, whether that be finishing points or on a segment.

The DS is essential for the team time trial (TTT) but equally as valuable for the individual points races too. For the TTT, as all races, you are looking to finish as high as possible and whilst you start with 6 riders you only need to finish with 4 and so you also need to be the one to make the tough call to cut riders if needed for the good of the team.

Although I was not racing I still kept every Tuesday evening free so that I was logged on for the team as they were racing.

Is Being Captain Enjoyable?

I won’t lie, I was nervous taking on this role. I am always happy to ask the stupid question though, although hopefully I didn’t have too many. I didn’t want to let any of the ladies down but by being captain I did feel that I was still contributing even though I couldn’t race and I actually really enjoyed it. This is mostly in part to the ladies in the team who make it so easy!

Thank you Aeonian Diva’s!

Lastly I want to thank the Aeonian Diva’s who were an absolute dream to captain and who were consistently awesome week on week. Where did they finish you ask? Oh they won…..

Category: Cycling, Product Reviews

New Bike – Specialized Aethos Comp

If you have been under a rock you may have missed that I sold my beloved ‘pink princess’ bike recently and I purchased a new bike!

The new bike is a Specialized Aethos Comp and I got it from the lovely people at Cycle Evolution in Colchester, Essex.

Why Was I Looking For A New Bike?

I’ve been asked this a lot and I added a video to my socials showing the new bike in the shop but the sound is muted. Why is it muted? My friend Karen was in the shop and you can hear her saying to me ‘Lisa, why did you want a new bike?’ and then my replying ‘Karen, what a stupid question’. Meant entirely in a nice way but also serious – who wouldn’t want a new bike?!

I loved my Tarmac and was really sad to see it go, but I have loads of great memories with it and it went to a lovely new home. I was injured and off the bike and figured I would take a look and see a) if I could get a bike I wanted in my size (as they are not as easy to source these days) and b) if I could sell mine for what I wanted to help fund the upgrade.

My Tarmac was rim brake and I had no issue with it at all but as my gravel and MTB are both disc brake bikes, I knew I eventually wanted to upgrade my road to be the same.

I had looked (drooled) over the Aethos for a long time and so this was what I was looking at. I did also look at other options but kept going back to the Aethos. I had test ridden it, knew the geometry was almost identical to the Tarmac so it would be a comfortable ride for me and also spoken to others who had ridden both the Tarmac and the Aethos to get some feedback and everything seemed to confirm my choice so Aethos was it!

The Technical Bits

Frame – Aethos FACT 10r Carbon
Fork – FACT Carbon
Handlebars – Specialized Shallow Drop
Stem – Specialized Pro SL
Tape – Supacaz Super Sticky Kush
Saddle – Body Geometry Power Sport
Seatpost – Roval Alpinist Carbon Seatpost
Brakes – SRAM Rival 1, hydraulic disc
Shift Levers – SRAM Rival eTap AXS, hydraulic
Front Derailleur – SRAM Rival eTAP AXS
Rear Derailleur – SRAM Rival eTap AXS, 12-speed
Cassette – SRAM Rival, 12-speed, 10-36t
Crankset – SRAM Rival
Chainrings – 48/35T
Bottom Bracket – SRAM DUB BSA 68
Chain – SRAM Rival 12-speed
Wheelset – DT Swiss R470 rim, 20mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples
Tyres – Turbo Pro, 60 TPI, folding bead, BlackBelt protection, 700x26mm
Inner Tubes – Presta, 48mm valve

Of Course I Changed Some Bits

When you purchase a bike the bulk of the cost is the frameset. I already knew I wanted to change some parts on it and so after buying I left in the shop with some parts on order to upgrade as follows:

Roval Alpinist CLX II front and rear wheels – I had deeper rim wheels on the Tarmac but had been looking at these for the Aethos and they are the ones recommended
S-Works Carbon Hover handlebars (40cm) – on my Tarmac I had the handlebars rolled up slightly for a more comfortable fit and initially was looking at the Alpinist bars but was recommended these, which also meant it raised 15mm)
Shimano Ultegra R8000 SPD-SL pedals – again what I have used before so tried and tested
Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres (700 x 28) – I am general a Continental girl so this is new for me, partly following recommendations but also those tan walls are just lush
Latex inner tubes – recommended and is a little bit of a learning curve for me with the lower PSI and having to remember to pump up every ride (which I forgot to do on my very first ride)
Custom Fat Girl Fit stem cap cover – I had this on my Tarmac and like to add a bit of pink where I can so always planned to swap this over to any new bike I got
Mimic Pro saddle – my go to saddle that is tried and tested and works for me (I also have this on my turbo bike)

Where Did I Get The Aethos?

Full disclosure I work with the guys at Cycle Revolution but I will always give an honest opinion and I can hands down say they could not have done enough to help me. I can talk! And I spent several hours in the store asking questions and discussing options and they were nothing but patient and super helpful.

I also met a friend in their Colchester Evolution store who was struggling to source a bike suitable for her needs and in her size and they were equally as great helping her and she has a bike on order from them too.

Most Importantly What Do I Think So Far?

I will admit it is early days (I have only had it for just over 2 weeks) but so far I am seriously impressed! She rides like an absolute dream and is just as comfortable as the Tarmac.

I was sceptical about SRAM as I have only ever known mechanical and Di2 but after a few ‘oops that’s the wrong gear change’ I picked it up.

Naturally I look to see how I can pink up my bikes but not sure I can with this one. My Tarmac was fairly in your face and I loved it but part of what attracted me to the Aethos was the simplicity of it. I liked that it stripped it back to being a bike I would just love to ride – less is more was something a friend said when she saw it last weekend and I couldn’t agree more!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Product Reviews

Beeline Velo 2 Cycling Computer Review

I am always up for trying new cycling gadgets and kit, so when I was asked to try the new Beeline Velo2, of course my answer was yes!

This is the second iteration of the Velo cycling computer from the computer and follows a hugely successful kick-starter campaign.

The Techy Bit

Here are the main details:

Cost – The unit itself costs £79.99 and for that you get the bike computer, charging cable, handlebar mount (two different sized rubber bands to allow for different sized handlebars) and instructions. I was also sent to the carry case, which easily holds the bike computer, has a net to hold the charging cable too and a carabiner to secure when transporting.
Battery – battery life is over 11 hours ride time so less when comparing with other major brands offering competing products but still more than a respectable battery life. When I complete in rides longer than this I would carry a battery pack so I can charge on the go/at rest stops as a fall back and could do this for this unit too.
Display – 32mm LCD screen, with rocker top buttons rather than touch screen so great if you are riding with gloves as you don’t have to take them off! It has ambient lighting and back lighting, which is great for rides not in daylight but also if off road and in heavily shaded areas too. You can adjust the brightness as well.
Shock and water resistant (including dust for the off road riding)
Weighs just 25 grams!

Getting Started

Initial set up was super simple and complete very quickly. The bike computer works with an app and once downloaded and device paired you are good to go. I have an iPhone but this is available on android too. I would note that you need software of iOS 13.0 and above to run the app on an iPhone. This does mean you need your smart phone with you when riding although for me I always carry my phone so this is not an issue and it’s not super heavy draining the battery either, which is good, although I have not tested on any endurance riding.

Route Planning

You have the following two options:

Route mode – this uses the most commonly used route and best for road riding and you can add points to go via by simply dragging the route on the screen in the app
Compass mode – this is best for off road riding and is an ‘as the crow flies’ navigation, so you are given an arrow in the direction you need to go and can pick the path to follow to get there

In addition to the above you can also choose from the route mode out of:

Fast route – will select a route to get you to your destination as quickly as possible
Quiet route – will select a route that uses more quiet roads
Balanced route – a blend of the two options mentioned above

The routes are feedback led too and so you can see those that have been rated good and not good by others and amend your route if you wish. You can do this too when riding using the red and green rocker buttons on each side – reminds me of the Waze navigation system I use in the car and helps other users.

It is also compatible with Strava and again super simple to pair and claims worldwide navigational coverage but I have only used in the UK so cannot comment on that.

You can also import routes from other planners, so once I paired with my Strava the app showed immediately routes I had from there that I could select and use.

Like other bike computers the route planning uses turn by turn navigation, easy re-routing when off the planned route and although it uses the app on the smartphone it will still work if you do not have any service on your phone.

Recording Data

The unit itself tracks all the usual/expected things you would expect from a bike computer including speed, average speed, distance covered, distance remaining and estimated time left on the route with your ETA. Personally I prefer not to have data overload and just enjoy the ride and if possible would remove some metrics from the display. I did reach out to Beeline support to ask if this was possible and they confirmed and got the following response:

Unfortunately at the minute, it’s not a feature we have. But, it is a very popular request, I will make note of your email, and who knows what the future may bring!

Not so long ago we launched our largest ever single update that was almost entirely made up of user-based ideas and feedback, we made a brand new UI to go along side major improvements done to our route planner. So it is how we as a company like to work, so stay tuned, and do share any further ideas you may have!

I did reach out to Beeline support to see if it was possible to pair heart rate and cadence and got the following response:

At the moment, Velo 2 is unable to connect with heart rate or cadence trackers.

I would say they were super quick in getting back to me and offered further help with anything else so was impressed on that front.

My Thoughts

I love the simplicity of this and the price point is far more accessible than competitor units.

Part of what I love about being on the mountain bike is exploring and making up routes so I love that I can use this unit to do just that and think it will live on my MTB. The mountain bike I also find goes back to just loving being on the bike and that simplicity is matched with the unit.

I was really impressed with the customer service and that developments are very much driven by customer feedback.

I also loved that the brand have intentionally designed this unit to be carbon and plastic negative with sustainability in mind.

I will probably stick with my current bike computer for my road bike as I use that for training and require access to some functionality that is not available on this unit but for MTB and casual riding (as in not specific training sessions) it is perfect.

Product was gifted but all opinions are my own.