If you were following us on Instagram this week you would have seen our Scott Plasma 5 being used to test products from Quarq, FLO, Profile Design, and PRO. And if you weren’t following us … why not? Following us on Instagram is the easiest way to keep up with what’s going on at AeroGeeks HQ.
And speaking of social media, one of our favorite ways to showcase our readers is our Readers’ Rides album on Facebook. You can check out our entire collection at http://on.fb.me/12jEqE3. If you would like to have your bike featured in our album, just tweet us at @AeroGeeks, Facebook message us, get us on Instagram, or email us at info@AeroGeeks.com. Don’t forget to also follow #agreadersrides on Instagram as well!
This Week’s Posts
Tuesday – KitBrix – Review
Wednesday – Recon Jet – Review
Recon Jet Update
Speaking of our Recon Jet review, Recon reached out to us concerning race eligibility and had this to say:
“Recon is in contact with WTC and working toward clarification regarding use of the Jet as a cycling/running computer in competition. Jet was granted provisional approval by WTC last fall. We are now working towards official and broad approval. Until such approval is granted, permissibility of Jet for use in WTC races is subject to the discretion of the head referee at each WTC competition. We recommend that racers check with the referee for their particular event, in compliance with Rule 4.04.”
Campagnolo EPS V3 Update
We took our first look at Campagnolo’s EPS V3 at Interbike last fall. This week, Campagnolo introduced support for the Garmin Edge 520 and 1000 computers. Owners of the Campagnolo EPS V3 groupset head unit can take advantage of this new opportunity by simply installing the new software update, which will permit several options for visualizing current gear position, gear ratio, and battery life directly on their Garmin device.
WatchOut!
This week one of our readers, Stefano, reached out to share an app called “WatchOut!” that he developed for the Garmin Connect IQ platform. And while we haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, we did want to share it with you. WatchOut! lets you wear your store loyalty cards, flight boarding passes, and much more right on your wrist. Those that wear a 920xt, Fenix3, and even vivoactive regularly can take advantage of functionality that, to date, has been more regularly found in traditional smart watches like Pebble and the Apple Watch. You can check it out at https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/2fceef7e-c40b-4c89-af99-a1447ab6eff5.
Silca and Roubaix
It seems like every week we have something new from Silca to share with you. This week it’s Josh Poertner’s story of introducing carbon wheels to Paris-Roubaix when he was technical director at Zipp. While not really a tale for triathletes, it is a fascinating read and well worth the time: http://silca.cc/blogs/journal/115178628-road-to-roubaix-the-complete-story.
Current Reviews
Scott Plasma 5
The Plasma 5 got plenty of time on the road this week. The first thing you notice while riding it is how light it feels. Even though kitted out we weighed it at 21lbs (with wheels, hydration, etc.), it felt much lighter. The second thing you’ll notice is stiffness. Every watt is transmitted from your feet to the wheels, and every bump makes it from your wheels back to your feet. But man does it fly!
Quarq ELSA RS
The ELSA RS is Quarq’s bolt-on upgrade for Shimano’s 11-speed Dura-Ace 9000, Ultegra 6800 and 105 5800 group sets. Setup was a breeze, and after a standard calibration process (only took about 60 seconds), we have been good to go. Look for power comparisons between the ELSA and KICKR SNAP in the near future.
Pearl Izumi P.R.O. LTD Speed Jersey and Bibs
We took the LTD Speed kit on the road this week, and so far we are impressed. The chamois is on the thinner side, which we tend to prefer since it’s more similar to tri kits. One other thing to note – this kit is definitely race cut. So if you’re still struggling to shed a few extra off-season pounds, the peloton will notice.
FLO 90 Carbon Clinchers
As we get closer to the first preorder of the new carbon clinchers, we have been making sure we are ready with our Final Thoughts just in time. To that end, we have been spending lots of time with the new carbon clinchers and the biggest impression is “wow can these stop.” From the first stop sign to the last, the braking performance has really stood out.
Profile Design RMP
The RMP is super easy to adjust. We love that you don’t have to unbolt if from your seat to adjust, simply loosen one bolt and you can easily lower and raise it. We have it current holding two Profile Design Vice Kages, and the name really stands for something – these cages hold your bottle tight, maybe a little too tight as we sometimes really had to wrench our Camelbak Podiums out of them.
In your article about the FLO 90s please go into the decision to get the 90s over the 60s. The 90s are just a hair quicker than the 60s in the carbon clincher version. I run 90s now and was thinking about downsizing the next set.
Chris we will absolutely make sure to address it. At the end of the day it comes down to what exactly you want from the wheel set.
I’ve been riding a old 60ish V style front and have no issues. I will be waiting for the review. Last tri I rode them in had a 20mph N wind on a east-west course only time it was hairy for me was coming from behind bldgs to the open and vise versa.
Chris, I’ve found the exact same thing! During a recent time trial I found the old 60 V style to be excellent despite a strong northerly wind.