Polar USB Infrared downloads and “blue screen of death”
I boot my MacBook Pro into Windows XP to use the Polar heart rate software. (Yes, it’s a Mac, but that’s no different than saying “generic PC” as far as Microsoft Windows XP is concerned).
Unplugging the Polar USB infrared reader crashes Windows XP 100% of the time with the infamous “blue screen of death” shown below:
It took years for Polar to make their software work reliably. Now there’s more “fun” to be had with their USB driver.
While we’re on the subject, downloading with the Polar USB infrared reader is quite unreliable. Positioning the watch with the reader sometimes requires as many as 10 attempts to get it to finish downloading; it will often fail 1/3 or 1/2 of the way through. This was a problem with the serial port USB infrared reader on my regular PC, and now remains a problem on my MacBook Pro.
The good news is that when it works, all the data has always been fine—but you might need patience to get things downloaded, especially with a full memory in the watch, because the software is not smart enough to start where it left off; it always starts at the beginning of the download.
I’ve had zero problems of either type with the Ergomo Pro download, although it uses a more robust physical connection instead of this wireless nonsense.
One of the nice things about working with asutsitrail.com is that they were able to customize my order on the Wilma X—I wanted the higher-capacity 6.5 amp-hour battery (vs 4.5 amp-hour), and they were able to do this for the price difference between the batteries.
The Lupine Edison 5 received its first workout last night. This light is very bright, making me wonder if the Lupine marketing department should simply rename the unit the “Edisun 5”. My forthcoming in-depth report (see Bike Light Comparison below) will be available within a few weeks.
Because the unit inadvertently included a European-prong wall charger, I had to hot-wire the European wall-charger to a US cord using electrical tape because the fuse inside the included Edison 5 car charger failed after a few hours of charging. The wiring works just fine because the charger accepts either 240 or 120 volts.
The distributor, Gretna Bikes, is to be commended for their fast resolution of this issue; they will be overnighting me a US wall charger and car charger. While it is certainly best to supply the correct product the first time, this apparently was a “from the factory” mistake from Germany, as Gretna Bikes is the USA distributor, and does not (intentionally) sell units with European 240V chargers. Gretna Bikes was also quite responsive over the phone, and easy to reach with no waiting.
Gretna Bikes had drop-shipped me the Edison 5 based on my order from asutsitrail.com. While asutsitrail is a small company, they are easy to reach via email or phone, and respond very quickly via email, far preferable to some larger “mega” outlet.
You can order Lupine lights directly from Gretna or from asutsitrail.com (at a slightly lower price).
The Ergomo Pro power meter (ISIS drive) with Zipp 300 cranks
The Ergomo Pro power meter is now installed on my main bicycle. An extensive report, eclipsing anything currently available on the web will be posted on this site within the next two weeks. You might have to pay $15 or $20 for the full report, but given that the Ergomo Pro + Zip 300 crankset cost about US$2500 to purchase, your money will be well-spent as a pre-sale research tool. As always, the review will be of very high quality as with diglloyd photography reviews. Stay tuned!
I received my $669 Lupine Edison 5 bike light today which I purchased from asutsitrail.com (helmet mount is $34 extra). The unit arrived with a European-style charger, so I would have been unable to charge it except for the fact that it includes a 12V vehicle cigarette-lighter adapter.
The battery is now charging, and a night ride is on tonight’s agenda. We shall see how asutsitrail.com resolves this snafu and it shall be duly reported here—so far their email response has been excellent to all my inquiries, so I have high expectations—but this sort of screwup should not happen in the first place.
By the way, the only difference between the Edison 4/5/10 is the battery, and you can purchase an of the batteries for use with the lamp. If the light meets my expectations, I might purchase a backup battery.
Stay tuned for a head-to-head comparison between dual Light and Motion ARC LiIon units and the Lupine Edison 5. I will probably also include my older NiteRider Digital Pro 12 Extreme and NiteRider HID.
I’ll likely go with a helmet-mounted Edison 5, along with two bar-mounted L&M ARC lights. A darn-bright setup, given that the dual L&M ARC setup currently is already so bright that sometimes I think a car is approaching from behind—but it turns out to be my own lights! I already have great success with most vehicles dimming their high-beams as soon as I appear with the dual L&M setup—one on the bar and one on the helmet.
L&M rates the ARC at 675 lumens, whereas the Lupine Edison is rated at 950 lumens, with a beam coverage of 18 degrees. The coverage of the L&M ARC is not clearly specified, but it does have a center hot-spot area for long-range illumination.
I mentioned the PowerFlare (192.1 grams as-weighed by me) in my August 4th entry. I measured it as 4.25" in diameter. Click to see close-ups of the front, rear and internals. It takes a CR123 battery. You can pay $5 each for a CR123 battery, or you can buy them for as little as $1 at batteryjunction.com. Battery life ranges from 8 hours (solid-on high) to 100 hours (single blink). I like the “Rotate” mode, which is good for 15 hours. It also offers an SOS (morse code) rescue mode, good for 24 hours.
Here’s what it looks like in operation (though of course the pattern of the LEDs can’t be seen in a still picture). A carabiner is attached to it in the picture below; that is how I attach it to my bike bag.
I did a brief test with the NiteRider Storm HID and the Digital Pro 12E last night, as compared with the Light and Motion ARC HID (see yesterday’s entry). In brief, the L&M ARC is notably brighter than the NiteRider Storm HID, even on its low setting (it offers 10 or 14 watts). The L&M ARC has a brighter center area, but also seems to cover the rest of the area better as well. Still the NiteRider Storm HID is a brighter light than most people have ever experienced.
But the NiteRider Digital Pro 12E on the 32 watt setting (two beams: 20+12) was impressive—eclipsing the L&M light, even at 100 feet out (the L&M has a very bright center spot). The downside is that at 32 watts runtime is only an hour. The 20 watt setting was still brighter than the L&M light, and I think runtime is probably more like 90 minutes (not yet tested). It just goes to show that claims of 3X brighter for HID than halogen are at least partly marketing hype—the 32 watts of the Digital Pro 12E were far brighter than the 14 watts of the L&M HID, whereas the 3X claim would suggest an “equivalent” 42 watts for the L&M ARC.
Useful links for bike lights and other high-quality lights
I’ve compiled a list of useful links for bike lights and other high quality lights. My philosophy on this is simple: if you do your own research, by all means buy at the cheapest price. But if a bike shop (or other store) invests time with you demonstrating a product, buy from them. Some products might be available only through mail order.
| Lights: Company and Product Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Company | Comments | Buy At |
| Light and Motion | bike lights | |
| NiteRider | bike lights, dive lights, ATV lights | |
| Lupine Lights | bike lights, general-purpose headlamps | |
| Supernova Lights | bike lights | |
| Surefire web site | outstanding | |
| Streamlight | flashlights (no personal experience) | |
| Allsman Enterprises (AELight) | Powerful HID flashlights [google, reviews] | |
| Imago Metrics Flashlight Evals | flashlight reviews | - |
* Support this site: by clicking my link I get a small commission, at no cost to you.
†The sole source/vendor.
Some of the more common lights can be found on ebay as
well, but prices aren’t necessarily any better there than through a regular store. Remember, too, that rechargeable
batteries for high quality lights often comprise more than half the cost of the light! So proceed carefully with used
lights.
Light and Motion ARC HID LiIon bike light
As the days grow shorter and/or the weather is unusually hot, I’ve extended my riding time into dusk or night. I tried using some handheld Surefire military-grade flashlights such as the L4 Lumamax, the C3 Centurion and the M6 Guardian, surely the most amazing flashlights I’ve ever used by far, with outstanding beam patterns, pyrex windows, and light and durable hard-anodized bodies. But burn time is limited to an hour for maximum brightness (or 20 minutes for the 500 lumen M6 Guardian [or 1 hour for 250 lumens]). Don’t compare those numbers to cheap half-assed imitations—the beam quality and lenses on these lights are second to none.
Buying advice: if you regularly use a flashlight, run, don’t walk, and buy a L4 Lumamax—it will last a lifetime and easily outshines a 4 D-cell standard flashlight while weighing a measly 3.4 ounces. The L4 Lumamax easily fits in a jersey pocket, and is a superb backup light if you think you might miss sunset by an hour or less. It is also more than adequate for modest-speed trail riding—just velcro-strap it to your helmet and carry a few extra (and very lightweight) CR123 batteries, which can be had for about $1.00 each in quantities of 40. It burns for 1+ hours at 100 lumens, then degrades in brightness gracefully for another hour or so. Other models at lower brightness and longer burn times might be a better choice for slower sports, such as nighttime hiking. If you’re into extreme brightness, the M6 Guardian with the 500 lumen bulb will obliterate the beam of those half-assed million-candlepower lights you can buy for your car’s cigarette lighter—I verified this personally. Then there is also the 3500-lumen HID Hellfighter for your car, or if you really want to freak out homicidal motorists, strap one onto your bicycle (bring a backpack for the car battery). Come to think of it, that would be really fun once in a while for certain rednecks I’ve encountered. The 50-caliber machine gun is optional, and might be questionable in some liberal areas, such as California. Besides, mounting it to a bicycle would be difficult.
But for riding where there is real darkness and/or cars, and/or speeds up to 35 mph, a serious light is needed, so I’ve acquired two Light and Motion bike lights—the ARC LiIon HID ones. (HID = High Intensity Discharge; the HID bulb produces about 3X the light of a halogen bulb for the same wattage). The ARC LiIon burns at 13.5 watts (675 lumens) for 3.5 hours or 10 watts (550 lumens) for 4 hours—plenty of time for me. For the hard-core, there is also the ARC LiIon Ultra, but the only difference is a larger battery that can burn for 5 hours at 13.5 watts or 6+ hours at 10 watts.
Alternative lights of similar or possibly better quality exist, such as the Lupine Edison 10 ($799) or Edison 5 ($669) [reviews: 1, 2, 3]. Another high-end alternative is the Supernova P99-E or SX-14 ($1000) . The dual-beam P99-E can burn at 28 watts (!) for 2 hours, or 14 watts for 4 hours, and looks to be a superbly built light—if $1000 sounds good to you. There are also other HID lights, such as those from NiteRider. Some models require a water-bottle style battery, which I find quite limiting because I lose the ability to carry water in the bottle cage, and it restricts use to a bicycle (unless you enjoy a large bottle in your pocket). So I prefer the models with flat battery packs that stuff into a jersey pocket and/or strap to the bike frame.
I was able to buy two (2) Light and Motion ARC LiIon units for about $729—about the price of one Lupine Edison 5, for a total of 1250 lumens, vs the 900 lumens of the Lupine Edison 10/5 and roughly the same lumens as the Supernova P99-E, but with 3.5 hours of burn time. One light, cable, battery and mount weigh about 520 grams, so two of them weigh about 4 1/2 pounds. Are the lights worth it? If your life isn't worth much to you, buy a cheap helmet (or go without), a cheap and dim light, and stop reading this blog!
The ARC LiIon light throws a beautiful beam— a bright center area with a fairly large but less bright area around it. I find it works extremely well for road riding. 20-25 mph even on a curvy downhill is no problem with this light. With two of them, speeds up to 35mph are possible when the curves straighten out—they're that bright. I avoid such speeds however, as it’s still hard to spot sand or gravel and a hazard around a corner is always a possibility.
Why two lights? Because in spite of their tremendous brightness, the front wheel points in the direction of the handlebars , not in the direction of the road! This doesn’t matter on a straight road, but on a curvy one it’s a big deal as the light will nicely illuminate a tree to the side of the road, but the curve ahead remains inky black.
I mount one light on the handlebar to illuminate the immediate area from the bike forward, and mount the other light on my helmet, which lets me illuminate anything I can swivel my head to look at. This is incredibly useful for turns, for forcing cars to pay attention, for scanning for wildlife, etc. Yet the light on the handlebar is always providing light right at the front of the bike, in case a pothole suddenly attacks out of nowhere.
Still another reason for two lights is that you can carry one light (lamp) and two batteries. The major cost of HID light systems is the battery (often 60-70% of the cost), so it makes little sense to buy an extra battery alone. A Light and Motion ARC LiIon with two batteries yields 7 hours at 13.5 watts—enough for even the hard-core night rider. Alternately, it allows combinations: 1 X 10 watts, 1 X 13.5 watts, 2 X 10 watts, 2 X 13.5 watts, or 10 watts + 13.5 watts. I also means that if a bulb or battery fails, you have a backup system.
I top the system off with a PowerFlare attached behind the seat [see review]. It is a real attention-getter, and runs for 15-100 hours on one CR123 battery, depending on the pattern chosen.
How do vehicles respond to this setup? Vehicles approaching from the front apparently see something very bright, and generally dim their headlights right away. Vehicles approaching from the rear carve a nice wide arc around me. I actually feel safer than in the daytime, where many homicidal motorists seem to enjoy cutting too close for comfort. Still, a drunken driver is always a risk, so I pay close attention as a vehicle approaches (this is a daytime risk too).
I’ve been looking at getting a power meter for about a year now. I've read various reviews [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ], but come away with some concerns.
The CycleOps PowerTap SL requires a wheel with its own special hub, and adds significant weight as well. No thanks—I want to ride my favorite wheels that I already own. Cost is somewhere around $1000, depending on the wheel you choose.
The SRM Pro ($3400) and Amateur ($2300) include modified cranks [1]. The price is high, but performance is excellent.
When training with a power meter, heart rate relative to power output is a crucial measure of performance. Thus, it’s simply mind-boggling that neither the PowerTap nor the SRM units record altitude! At 6000-10000' in elevation, power output with respect to heart rate drops up to 15%. Without altitude data, the power data relative to heart rate is thus off by up to 15%, making comparisons at different altitudes very difficult. Worse, there is not even a crude record at which altitudes the measurements were obtained, so it’s a guessing game. Take a notepad, and scribble while you ride.
The Polar Power System ($300) works with their heart rate monitors, so if you already have a Polar S710i, S720i or S725X, it is appealing. And the Polar *does* record altitude, so power output can be analyzed taking altitude into account.
I have personally used the Polar unit, and while the data was of good quality and consistency, I had frequent problems getting the crank magnet to stay in place, so much so that I gave up on it and sold it. Installation is a real hassle too—I broke the cable doing it and had to send it for repair.
The newest entrant, the Ergomo Pro ($1600), shows great promise. It has a nice display, the lightest weight, records altitude, and has other goodies too. The Ergomo Pro is not compatible with Shimano DuraAce cranks, so the cost of a compatible crankset ($300-$600) must be added to the cost of the unit itself. Price aside, this is a major drawback to those of use who love the stiffness of the Shimano DuraAce crankset.
The Ergomo Pro unit uses locked software tied to a single computer. After spending $1600 for their hardware, you are treated like a potential thief with respect to the software—if you want another copy for another computer (say for a home desktop and a travel laptop), you have to pay another 40 Euros. There is also compatible software from Cycling Peaks, but I haven’t investigated it yet (and there is a free trial). I have inquired as to the multi-computer scenario.
But that’s only half of it. Lots of PC software is poorly designed and/or unreliable (crashes/bugs). So how do you determine if you’ll like or dislike it, or if it will even work reliably on your particular computer? Even a dealer can’t tell you, because to install the software, they have to use a license key from an in-stock unit, which makes it unsalable!
Problems abound with this “customers are potential thieves” locked-software approach:
- If you get a new computer, you’ll have the hassle of dealing with the license key issue;
- If for some reason you reinstall the operating system, you’ll have the hassle of dealing with the license key issue;
- I’ve seen keyed software go bonkers before, and insist the copy is illegal.
- You can’t carry a “just in case” backup disk, because you won’t be able to install the software elsewhere without another key;
- My MacBook Pro can boot Windows XP, or it can run Windows XP in virtualization software such as Parallels for Mac OS X. Without a doubt, keyed software will consider this two computers, even though it’s actually one.
- There is no way to try the software on another computer (say if you’re considering a switch), since it’s locked to the existing one.
Another problem is that the download mechanism is a serial port. Many laptops, including my MacBook Pro do not have a serial port. So you must use a USB-to-serial-port adapter. Will it work reliably? Who knows without trying the software!
Zipp Z3 tubular wheels with ceramic bearings
I put it off for years—never liking the idea of a glued-on tire and the hassle a flat tire would entail. Well, I have needlessly suffered too long! A big thank-you to Jeff Selzer at Palo Alto Bicycles for helping me choose these wheels.
With Zipp Z3 tubular wheels (with silicon nitride aka “ceramic” bearings), these are the smoothest wheel I’ve ever experienced. Hold a Z3 wheel in one hand and give it a spin—it spins...and spins...and spins...and spins...well, you get the idea. I chose Veloflex Criterium tires for them. A spare with one coating of glue weighs in at 280 grams, according to my 1/10-gram-accuracy scale. Veloflex claims 250 grams as sold. A Veloflex Record tire would shave off another 70 grams, and I'll probably try those at some point.
The Z3 wheelset are “racing wheels”. Well, I ride them every day on my Trek SSLX. Why pay top dollar and then ride them only for races? It’s like eating the one rotten apple out of the barrel every day—you never get a fresh one! They work pretty well on dirt trails, too (seriously).
Here’s my brief summary of the Zipp Z3 wheelset, after a week of riding. I have previously ridden Bontrager Race X Lite aluminum wheels (2004 model) and Bontrager Race XXX Lite Carbon Clinchers (2006 model) and Shimano Scandium wheels (for about a month).
| A brief review of the Zipp Z3 wheelset |
|---|
Summary: wipe the grin off your face, it’s like cheating to ride this wheelset! These are hands down the BEST ride I’ve ever had, exquisite would be about the right term. The difference was obvious from the start. The overall impression with the Z3/Veloflex Criteriums is a ride of exceptional ease and efficiency combined with outstanding comfort and handling. I feel no need to quantify the efficiency aspect because the ride is so pleasing that even if there were no efficiency gain it would still be worth it. Still, it seems that I am exerting less effort and going faster, both at low and high speeds. I use 120-130 psi. Another 20 psi and the handling goes to pot as the Veloflex Criterium tires become too hard (180 pound rider). 1. Wind - Straight into the wind, the wheels are phenomenally stable, and just seem to slice effortlessly into it. With the Bontrager XXX carbon clinchers, the bike moves around much more, to the point that concentrated effort is needed to maintain an unwavering course. Not so with the Z3 wheelset. With a crosswind, stability of the Z3s is excellent...very impressive indeed given the relatively large rim section (which is larger than it appears in the Zipp photos). I was pushed around a bit with some 30 mph sudden gusts, but only a little. A 130 pound rider might not far quite so well, but would have trouble with virtually any other wheelset too. 2. Noise - the wheels seem SILENT eg there is no detectable wind noise, at least not that I can detect above the wind whistling past my ears, even if I turn my head to hear something. I suppose this is a confirmation of their outstanding aerodynamics. The tires are far more quiet than running a Veloflex Record clincher, making little or no noise when run over road grit. With a bit higher tire pressures, there is a high pitched sort of faint chatter, sort of like an Imperial Probe Droid (Star Wars). Interesting sound, but a non-issue. Braking noise is a distinctive higher pitch that makes for excellent auditory feedback. 3. Handling/Braking – Outstanding...and very confidence inspiring. I am able to fully “commit” to the turns more than I ever have before. Stability over rough pavement was superb. Fear (and appropriate caution) of idiot cyclists or motorists around blind corners is the only limiting factor on my favorite ride now. Compared to the Veloflex Record clincher, and even at 10 psi harder (130 vs 120), the grip feels much better; the clincher feels harder and thus like it would "wash out" if I hit a bit of sand or gravel (maybe that's a pressure issue, but it's also probably due to the minimal rubber on the Veloflex Record clincher, which is a superb handling tire). Braking is outstanding, and I would rate it as good or better than the Bontrager aluminum rims I’ve ridden. I’m using the Bontrager cork pads on the Z3s. 4. Comfort - I could hit the rough stuff and say “so what?”. I am sure I could ride all day with more comfort than ever before. This is probably mostly due to the tubular tires, as opposed to clincher tires; the tubulars just conform better. At about 130 psi, the tubular setup is very comfortable and handles great for me (180 pound rider). 5. High speed - Once spun up, the Z3s are VERY fast. It’s like cheating...coming down a favorite descent I was very conservative on turns (given that the tires had barely 24 hours of glue-drying time). Even so, the speed gains going downhill were very impressive. I have never ridden a wheelset that flies down the hill this way. My 130-140 pound riding buddies are going to stare in disbelief as I roll away from them (even as they pedal furiously!). 6. Acceleration - Here I’m used to Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon clinchers with an ultra-light tube and a Veloflex Record clincher tire (tube and tire as-weighed are 209 grams). This is the one area I'm unsure about, and I suspect the relatively heavy tires. The tubular Veloflex Criterium is at least 280 grams when glued onto the rim, so that's a 70 gram difference that could well account for a slightly slower spin-up. Then again, the wheels are so solid and quiet that I’m unsure on this point. I have no timings on sprints to compare with. That was my initial impression—a bit more than a week of additional riding suggests that the wheelset in fact handles hard sprints better, with superior power transfer. |
Beware of high-Sierra snowplows
My riding buddy Terry Morse of udctours.com (highly recommended) had the fright of his life a month ago in June riding in the high Sierra. Don’t let this happen to you! If you hear loud grinding noises, and you’re near an uncleared snowpack, watch out!
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