Amperage for the ride
You can capture data from devices – power meters and smart trainers – broadcasting via Bluetooth Smart with your 12 Polar V800 watch ($ 620, polar. com). And let’s say you mix up your training a bit in the winter – with a fat bike on which you can only track your heart rate, a cross-country ski or even the odd run (we won’t judge…much) – then the convenience of the watch is great for tracking all that work and sending it to Strava or Trainingpeaks.
The small, unassuming 13 Quarq Shockwiz ($ 541, quarq.com) can help you ride better on the trails. It takes measurements from your airsprung suspension to help you tune it just right.
During the darkest part of the year, find light. The 14 Bontrager Ion 350 R ($ 67, bontrager.com) and 15 Flare R tail light ($ 80) can have you covered coming and going. The Ion can cast 350 l umens onto the trail or road ahead of you from your helmet or handlebars. During the day, the Flare R can make you visible to a driver 2 km away.
The new 16 Kryptonite Alley F-650 and 17 Avenue R-50 COB ($ 150, kryptonitelock.com) come bundled in a kit. The F-650 will light up any alley with its 650-lumen high beam. It also has five other settings so you can match the light to the conditions. The rear light, with its chip-on-board technology, has
a higher lumen-per-watt ratio than other led setups. It’s small and powerful. The 18 Garmin Edge 1030 ($ 780, garmin.com) has more powerful navigation capabilities than previous computers by the Olathe, Kan.-based company. Trendline is the company’s route-recommending system, which is built with data uploaded from riders. Trendline can send you on a ride, of a length of your choosing, based on popular routes. It’s a great feature for exploring a new area. Whatever you want from a bike computer, the new 19 Giant Neostrack GPS ($ 250, giant-bicycles.com) has it. It’s feature-rich in a no-nonsense way. The computer can provide you with left/right power readings, an ftp test, Di2 information and navigation. It can connect with both ant+ devices and Bluetooth Smart ones as well.