Stronger, Fitter, Faster

Stronger

Twelve years behind a desk does things to your body. For the first time in ten years I've started hitting a gym 3x a week but that doesn't mean I can muster too many pushups just yet.

Fitter

Lose a serious amount of weight. This is definitely key to making everything else work, so I'll be focusing on dropping pounds to get not only into a healthy range of BMI, but to also increase my endurance and fitness.

2 posts categorized "gadgets/bikes"

NAHBS 2009

IMG_2823.JPG, originally uploaded by YiPsan bicycles.

I really wanted to go to Indy this weekend to catch the North American Handmade Bike Show. I attended last year in Portland and was amazed by the craftsmanship and design.

This year I'll be watching the NAHBS tag on flickr closely and remotely living vicariously through the photographs. One of these days I'll finally plunk down some money for a brilliantly painted and equipped rando/touring rig like this one pictured here.

Posted on February 27, 2009 in gadgets/bikes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pairing a Garmin 705 with a powertap ant+sport hub

After a few weeks of waiting, my ant+sport upgrade for a 2008 Powertap SL hub came in and Seth and I applied the patch and got the green light. I couldn't seem to pair it with my Garmin 705 bike computer though, until I followed these steps:

• Check that your Garmin has the latest firmware version (2.6 currently)
• Update your bike profile by pressing Menu > Settings > Profile & Zones > Bike Profile > Check the "Power Box" button
• To pair the PowerTap to the Garmin, press Menu > Settings > ANT+Sport > Accessories > Select "Yes" for Power Meter Present? Spin the wheel for at least 30 seconds just as you do this to ensure the hub is transmitting.
• Select "Restart Scan" which will take you back to the ANT+Sport screen under Accessories where a "Power Meter Detected" message will be displayed (eventually, after 20-30 seconds) when the Garmin detects the PowerTap.

The secret seemed to be clicking off the power box button and making sure the back wheel was spinning (hold the front brake, take the rear off the ground and give it a good tug on the cranks). Before I did this, the "Restart Scan" button seemed to do nothing but kick me back to the ant+sport menu.

I took a quick spin and the data looks pretty accurate. I'll now have good deep data for my rides and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out.

Posted on February 4, 2009 in gadgets/bikes | Permalink | Comments (0)