Garmin

Garmin Tacx Neo 3m Review: Erg mode excellence

From CyclingNews.com

By Josh Ross

For a few years, there was a kind of status quo in smart trainers. Every major brand had an entry level product with slightly lower specs. Generally that meant a 16% max gradient, accuracy at +/- 2%, and somewhere around 1800 watts max resistance. It was decent for most people and you could save a bit of money.  If you decided to go for a more premium experience then you’d look at the next level and price point. These premium offerings felt about the same but looked nicer. They were also more accurate and could simulate a 25% max gradient. This year the whole system changed.

Although our list of the best smart trainers still has a variety of options, nothing looks quite the same. The low end was already hard to pick winners in and the Zwift Hub decimated whatever choice there was. Now with the Zwift Hub One and Wahoo Kickr Core offering essentially the same product with virtual or mechanical shifting respecitvely, it makes very little sense to bother with anything else for a lower spec trainer and that shift seems to have opened up the top end. Now the major players are competing for your dollars by trying to top each other.

The Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is the latest high-end trainer to try and compete in this new landscape. In some ways Wahoo entered the market first with the Kickr Move, but Garmin Tacx isn’t standing still. The Tacx Neo 3M is a smart trainer that’s more than the sum of its specs. If you are looking for the best indoor training experience available, keep reading to see if the Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is worth the money.

 

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7 cutting edge cycling gadgets from CES 2023 featuring Garmin, Samsung, Jabra, a ‘smart bed’ + more

From Road.cc

The Consumer Electronics Show returns this week with more exciting new tech. Here’s our pick of the most interesting cycling-related gadgets…

by EMILY TILLETT

Of course, the word ‘interesting’ can cover a lot of different things but these include smart tyres, a smart bed and smart watches, as well as, noise-cancelling earphones and “the lightest turbo trainer” on the market.

Space-age METL airless bicycle tyre

What do you think of these blue tyres originally developed and tested by NASA for future Mars Rover missions?

First up on our list of winners are tyres from The SMART Tire Company. The METL bicycle tyre is made from Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology (SMART), a superelastic material called NiTinol+.

Due to the elasticity and high energy return of these alloys, The SMART Tire Company says that METL is the first airless tyre to feature low rolling resistance and a smooth ride for cyclists, in addition to eliminating flats.

Photo TrueKinetix

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Garmin’s new heart-rate monitor, stainless steel bottle cages and Supersapiens blood glucose monitoring kit

From BikeRadar.com

By

Christmas truly has come early to you lucky BikeRadar readers. First Look Fridayhas fallen on Christmas Eve-eve here in the UK.

While a long freeze and postal strikes have jeopardised festive gift deliveries, BikeRadar’s internet elves have been helping Content Claus publish presents for you.

Before casting your mince pies over what Cycling Santa’s dropped down the BikeRadar chimney, tuck into the week’s website highlights.

Pre-season training camps for professional road cyclists always prompt tech speculation among those interested in WorldTour bikes.

On Monday, the sighting of a new Specialized aero handlebar set the new Tarmac SL8 rumour mill in motion.

Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel was pictured riding a blacked-out aero road bike. Could it be a new Canyon Aeroad prototype?

Team Movistar riders were spotted using what could be prototype SRAM Red shifters.

On firmer, but bumpier ground, senior technical editor Tom Marvin issued the latest update to his Revel Ranger long-term review. In other MTB news, our buyer’s guide to the best downcountry mountain bikes now has even more options.

More MTB kit featured in Luke Marshall’s Gear of the Year and Oscar Huckle’s multi-disciplinary selection.

Elsewhere, digital writer Nick Clark did a bike check on Kate Courtney’s Scott Contessa Scale RC.

Back on tarmac, the BH RS1 5.0 scored 4.5 stars for its blend of aero and endurance road bike prowess.

Lastly, the new Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2 upheld the brand’s reputation for producing some of the best bike computers.

Photo courtesy of Garmin

 

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The Best Cycling Computers

From Wired.com

By Stephanie Pearson

Track your mileage, keep tabs on your heart rate, or map a ride from here to eternity with these handlebar-mounted biking companions.

THERE ARE TWO schools of thought when it comes to cycling computers: Love them or hate them.

Those in the latter category crave the freedom of riding without technological interference. I used to be one of those people. I was disdainful of taking along a computer that could talk to GPS satellites, display where I was on a map, and tell me my speed, distance, heart rate, cadence, and a whole host of other data I didn’t particularly care about or even knew existed. Then my partner started training for a 350-mile gravel race, which in turn inspired me to train for the companion 100-mile race. I quickly discovered on our training rides that it was pretty nice to be able to have a trustworthy device designed to attach to my handlebars so I can safely see it.

Sure, you could always just mount a smartphone on your handlebars, but a bike computer is purpose-built to handle bad weather, a crash, and full days in the sun: all situations where a smartphone might become unreliable or difficult to read. And on those extra-long days when I bailed and my partner was out riding solo in the dark and in hypothermic conditions, I realized it might be good to have a way to find him should he run into trouble, which happened during the race. He blew out the sidewall on a tire and was stranded by the side of the road at midnight. Since his GPS-enabled cycling computer allowed me to remotely track his ride via a companion app on my iPhone, I knew exactly where to pick him up before my own race started at 7 am.

GPS devices aren’t foolproof when it comes to safety, however. Last May, gravel cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was murdered by a bad actor who purportedly stalked her via her public settings on a popular training app. It is especially important for solo riders to carefully monitor their fitness apps’ privacy settings so their whereabouts remain protected from public view.

And as for carefree cyclists who prefer to enjoy the ride rather than obsess about stats, there’s a way to have it both ways: Most of these devices have screens that can be preprogrammed to turn off while riding. So I can still enlist safety features like precision mapping, ride tracking, and alarm alerts that will still go off if I get lost or have a crash. If I want to check where I am or how long I’ve ridden, I can push a button and the screen comes back to life. The dopamine rush of a hard-won Strava trophy, however, will have to wait until I get home.

Be sure to check out our other cycling-related guides, including ourbike accessories buying guide, which includes advice on finding the right helmet, lock, saddle, and other essentials. We also have buying guides for ebikes and electric cargo bikes.

Photo: Garmin

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