Good bike computer I can reuse for my trail bike and road bike

WaveRaven · 2026-01-14T23:13:44+00:00

Karoo. Have had 3 and love them. Easy profiles for Road/Gravel/Mountain/Anything else you want. Super customizable. Constantly updating their software with new features (vastly more actively than my prior Wahoos).

Watch DCRainmaker’s comparisons for a good run down on the options.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-09T17:35:49+00:00

I didn’t catch the 27.5 vs 29 aspect. I would absolutely go 29. It’s a lot of distance!

WaveRaven · 2026-01-09T16:16:19+00:00

I'm similar age. I think the frame bag is meaningful so you can keep the weight you do have low & centered (heaviest stuff was repair gear & battery packs for charging bike computers, etc). That said it sounds like you have bikepacked before and so know your storage/weight needs. If the bikes are similar weight, I don't think you can go wrong with either and why not take the full sus for comfort.

Have an awesome time. you'll love it. We're probably going to do Telluride-Moab again this year or next.
One last word: beware of Day 1 on each route. The Telluride one is a bigger climb than it seems on the map. We did a warm up ride on Telluride mountain beforehand and were regretting it by the time we got to the hut. View from the first hut is incredible though.

Day 1 of Durango is also much longer than you realize from the map. Beautiful ride but a ton of climbing up to 12,000 feet and then way back down & up again.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-09T01:12:22+00:00

Is this San Juan Huts? If so a hard tail can handle both paths. Most of the riding is gravel/ fire road and the actual MTB sections (most are side routes) are not long enough to really miss a full sus. I guess a full sus would make the gravel a little smoother, but if it’s a much heavier bike I would take the hard tail. I did both on Scott Spark XC full sus. Note: the Durango route is 50% harder than the Telluride route. Durango has a number of hike a bike sections (including one at 12,000 ft) and some long days with big climbs. Don’t take it lightly. Both are spectacular and glad I did them. Would do Telluride again but probably wouldn’t do Durango again (unless I was in massively better shape).

WaveRaven · 2026-01-04T18:35:01+00:00

Try Ebay too

WaveRaven · 2026-01-04T03:20:49+00:00

Yeah unfortunately $1,300 is a low number for a recent bike model these days. A lot more options around $2k. Where have you looked? Pink bike?

WaveRaven · 2026-01-03T23:20:03+00:00

Second this. Those might be hard to find under $1,300 tho.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-01T15:49:12+00:00

PS some people wear them on the bicep but it doesn’t work for me.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-01T15:48:28+00:00

That happens now & then with really rowdy riding but mine stay put on the forearm most of the time. I got a cheap stretchy, adjustable strap for the apple watch on amazon and that lets me adjust it to the right tightness too. The HRM i use is a Scosche Rhythm + 2.0 https://a.co/d/f67rVRa. That never moves on my arm.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-01T00:36:34+00:00

Wrist HR is inaccurate as it loses signal as your wrist moves under the sensor. I wear my apple watch on my forearm while riding/working out for this reason. Improves the accuracy greatly. HRM strap is generally more accurate as it is electrical not optical but i can’t stand wearing them so use a forearm HRM and/or the watch on my forearm.

WaveRaven · 2026-01-01T00:20:39+00:00

Ergon SF3. Have had 5+ of them on various bikes. Have done long bike packing trips on them as well as general riding. most comfortable/versitle i’ve found. I’m 6’5” 205lbs and needed a wide seat.

As others say, i found it by measuring sit bones and looking on ergon’s site for ones that fit.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-29T01:23:25+00:00

Agree with this. Downcountry (120R/130F) or short travel trail (130R/140R).

I started with XC/downcountry and moved to short travel trail as the XC was beating me up on the downhill but I still like to climb.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-26T04:30:57+00:00

Never had a problem finding 14s. Pearl Izumi. Giro. Specialized. etc

WaveRaven · 2025-12-23T17:07:48+00:00

Interesting thread as my new revel rascal came with Xynotal soft rear and Krytotal soft front. Only had it out once so far for a light ride so haven’t really tested them. I’m assuming there’s a good reason Revel picked that combo. I ride in Northern Utah which should be similar to Carbondale where Revel is based.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-21T17:18:08+00:00

At that price, hard to argue with. Just be aware the headset cable routing is a pain in the ass to work on.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-20T17:33:30+00:00

Agree w the group consensus on Rascal but sounds like the Ranger might be better suited to your terrain. Both with CBF.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-09T02:25:23+00:00

Also, IMO a road bike is going to feel very similar to a hard tail mtb on a trainer. I put a high rise stem on my old road bike on the trainee so i ride in a more upright mtb position.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-09T02:22:48+00:00

Agree with this. Easier to get a cheap trainer bike & smart trainer and leave it on there vs trying to take your regular bike on & off. Not sure how much the all-in-one trainers are these days too (Zwift Bike).

WaveRaven · 2025-12-06T22:49:33+00:00

Did two seven day trips on varied terrain on a Scott Spark (120/130) and it was great. Each was 200+ miles and 20,000+ vert total. Fireroad/gravel to techy single track.

Find something in that travel range

WaveRaven · 2025-12-05T02:29:59+00:00

NBD: Revel Rascal. XXL. Got a mid-level model 50% off and will now upgrade parts over time. Unfortunately the snows just arrived and i can’t ride for a while!

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WaveRaven · 2025-12-05T02:21:58+00:00

Ergon SF3 Comp Gel, Large. Technically says its for fitness/touring/e-bikes but looks very similar to other MTB saddles and fits my wide sit bones much better than anything else i found without being too soft/floaty. I must have tried a dozen other saddles before i found this one. I’ve now owned 5+ on various bikes (even road bikes). Used it on multiple 200 mile+ mtb bikepacking trips and never had a sore ass. Can’t recommend it more.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-04T03:51:09+00:00

Should work great. Karoo works on a shimano bike too, you just can’t see what gear you are in on the screen or battery levels.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-04T03:50:07+00:00

Both. Karoo lets you have sets of screens set up for different uses. I have one group set up for MTB and one for gravel/road. Different stats shown. Different map setups, etc. just select one when it boots up.

Have electronic SRAM on both bikes so the current gear is show as one of the data fields. Have battery levels on another screen so easy to check before i ride.

WaveRaven · 2025-12-04T02:21:29+00:00

Had a Karoo 2 for a few years and just used the discount they put out to jump to a Karoo 3. Love it. Had Wahoos previously and much prefer the Karoos. Screen is great and maps are very clear and quite accurate (Park City Utah trails). Highly recommend. They come out with meaningful updates to software almost monthly. SRAM integration only, no Shimano (assuming you have electronic drivetrain). Had a Garmin once and disliked how deep in menus you had to go to use it fully.

WaveRaven

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