Total Distance 21.3 miles. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take the Gopro Hero 7 Black for a spin when the shop I work for bought one. After this test I think I'll definitely be getting one.
We didn't mess with much, set it at 1080p 6fps, left the audio on auto, strapped it to the Chesty and took off. Once I get one for myself I'll definitely be messing with the settings a bit more to fine tune everything and I'll be getting a wind sock for the mics! But this is definitely a set up I can get along with.
I originally planned to tell some sort of story with this footage before I set out to film it but after getting dropped from the group earlier than expected on my Trek Remedy 8 full suspension trail bike I decided it made more sense to just showcase the go pro footage for those who are interested.
Why am I riding a full suspension 32lb enduro bike on a road group ride? Because it's fun! I have taken everything from the 920 to both Trek Staches to even my fat bike on the group ride with pretty good success. Getting dropped so quickly (20min) wasn't so much the fault of the bike but the route and weather. We had a headwind, heading up a long slight grade and to make matters worse those on the front were pushing the pace past 22mph a little too early for me. I'll have to take it out again in the fall. For the rest of the summer I'll take the Trek Checkpoint (like I did the previous week).
When I get my own I will definitely try to take it on much more interesting rides but the hypersmooth stabilization and overall image quality really blew me away and I think it will do a great job for my purposes. I've heard about issues with low light and obviously the audio can be a bit finicky but I think I can work around those things with the benefits far outweighing the cons.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Bontrager Wavecel Blaze - First Impressions review
Who else is excited for the helmet battles of 2019?
https://wavecel.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/ - This will take you to Bontrager's Wavecel information page, from here you can download the pdf version of the study they are making their marketing claims off of.
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html - This is the Virginia Tech Bicycle Helmet Ratings list. All Wavecel helmets receive a 5 star rating with the Wavecel Specter taking top honors. Interesting to note that several other MIPS helmets scored as high or higher than the other Wavecel helmets on the list.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/mips-says-wavecel-performance-falls-far-below-bontrager-claims.html - An interesting read, with no data from MIPS so far I'm not sure what can really be taken from this but it sounds like more information is on its way.
There are many facets to safety in cycling. As mountain bikers, gravel cyclists, roadies and commuters we aren't going to give up what we love doing and I think we all have to accept a certain level of risk each time we jump on our bikes. If anything can increase the chances that we can keep enjoying a high quality of life for longer then that is a piece of tech worth checking out.
Trek/Bontrager's Wavecel Technology makes a lot of promises but how are the helmets in real life? So far my impressions of this Bontrager Blaze are good and I have been very impressed with the Specter as well. I don't think they they fit or function distinctly better than other helmets in their price range but they are at least on par. I'll post additional thoughts as I come across them.
If these helmets are outside of your price range or you can't get on with the fit, looks or slight weight increase then MIPS is a great option. If you read the study you'll see that in many scenarios it actually performed very well.
The ventilation feels slightly different than other helmets but in the cool weather we are experiencing now it has been very hard to tell any difference. Wavecel is a very airy material in person. That said I will have more thoughts in the summer. I do think that it performs much better than Smith's Koroyd material.
Monday, March 18, 2019
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
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