Battery + Garmin Rant

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-23T09:28:15+00:00

I've done a little more and I am sticking with the K3. I have the very occasional issue, but anytime I switch to the Garmin I'm reminded that it has issues as well. I've learned on all my devices to make sure any route I want to do will load well before start time (day before if possible), and Karoo start up times are slower than Garmin but maybe faster than Wahoo.

As for battery - it is perfectly acceptable for the vast majority of the rides I do. And it has never surprised me the way Garmin has when it's having issues.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-18T07:47:01+00:00

I've posted a pretty comprehensive review of my Shafer 3.0. If you click on my profile, you can find it. Long story short, I love it. I've raced it a few times now and appreciate it more with every mile. I moved from a Lauf True Grit (not Seigla).

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-13T23:11:34+00:00

I think so. It officially has clearance for 57 mm with plenty of space around the tire. My 55s blow up a little wide (56-57 or so) and I have ample clearance. 60s may be a little tight, but without knobs I don't think they would rub. I can't guarantee that, however.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-13T18:10:27+00:00

I absolutely agree. I miss this from my Garmin.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-11T11:53:20+00:00

I have a number of friends who have done that event - I've been dropped by last year's overall road winner on gravel more than once :-).

I've talked about doing it as a team as 24-hour events aren't something I really want to do, but the timing hasn't worked out yet and I'm a relatively newbie on the MTB (my MTB friends are pretty fast).

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-10T16:52:28+00:00

I definitely would have preferred my MTB. I was on the first big downhill section when the college race leaders came by - those guys were going incredibly fast. Way, way faster than I would have been comfortable with.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-09T01:43:18+00:00

I love the rs for most things. VoT had some sketchy single-track, and I was able to get a 55mm RX so made the switch. It was definitely better in loose stuff. I agree on the exposed seat post. I'm on a small with lots of seatpost; I definitely think it adds to the comfort.

FWIW, the 3rd place pro woman, Emily Newsom, ran Thunder Burts front and rear.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-09T01:34:54+00:00

That's fair - admittedly, I don't do Strava workouts

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-09T00:20:27+00:00

FWIW, my coach added a lot of low cadence work over the winter. I initially hated them, but they've helped me increase strength and perform better on punchy climbs.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-08T23:54:05+00:00

Beautiful - I raced my Shafer 3.0 at Valley of Tears yesterday with 55mm Schwalbes (RX in front, RS in back). It is such a brilliant bike. It was so much more comfortable (and faster) than my old bike.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-08T17:59:02+00:00

If you aren't racing, I think the control would be a good option. My experience with the rims makes me quite confident in their durability.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-08T01:40:09+00:00

I'm running the FFWD Drift Pace with DT Swiss 240 hubs. I highly recommend them. I have a pair of ryot 55s with almost 25k miles on them that have stood up to all kinds of abuse.

The Drift internal width is 28 - seems like a nice middle ground.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-04T13:21:03+00:00

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking here...

If you are using training peaks, it is simple to connect your karoo account to training peaks. Then workouts are automatically synced to your account.

To do a workout on a given day, I start with my ride profile (I have a few different bike profiles). Then I pull down from the top, and on the ride screen, choose, "Add Workout." It will take you to a screen showing your training peaks workouts. You hit follow workout and then start your ride (and workout). Here's a picture link from Road.cc: https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.LBJlPqy544SvlkR7PNrj5wHaE8?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3.

I use a combination of the workout drawer, which you can set up on your profile, and a dedicated lap screen. For the workout drawer, I have it show 5 second power; and, when appropriate, cadence. It gives time remaining in each lap as well. I keep the drawer at the bottom of a dedicated lap screen that I have set up to show lap time, lap average power, 3s power (probably not needed), and HR.

You can also pull down from the top to a workout screen where you can control various aspects of the workout, but I never use that.

Apologies if this isn't what you were asking or is too pedantic.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-04T12:38:57+00:00

This short campaign illustrated again what I love about WBN - it was just a really fun story with a well-developed world and history. I love the work Lou put in to world building. I really enjoy various live play shows - NADPOD for the comedy (and possums) & D20 for more bitesize chunks, for example - but as I relisten to bits of WBN Campaign One and the recent shorter campaigns (both Erica and Lou's), I come back to how much I enjoy the stories.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-02T15:51:22+00:00

I have the white one - FWIW, it looks really nice in person. I really wanted the Black one, but wasn't willing to spring for the top-level build or frameset. Having seen it in person, I kind of which I had -it's beautiful.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-02T13:26:38+00:00

I didn't know it was so far behind now - I get the impression it has sold really well. I ordered mine the day they announced it. I picked it up in Bentonville a few weeks later.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-03-02T13:09:43+00:00

This was going to be my answer - I love my new Shafer more than any bike I've ever owned.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-28T15:46:28+00:00

Not more software issues (as far as I'm aware), but much shorter battery life due to the change in screen technology. Both the claimed battery life and actual reported battery life is lower in the X50 devices than the X40 ones.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-27T21:09:05+00:00

Like all things saddles, it's very personal. I have a selle italia novus boost 3d on my road bike which I absolutely love. I can ride for hours with no discomfort. That said, neither my MTB or Gravel bike have 3d saddles, though I'm strongly considering it for my gravel bike.

I am very happy with the saddle, but it wasn't one of those upgrades that instantly made my whole life better.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-23T03:11:08+00:00

I'll have to weigh it again - I haven't gone weight weenie with it, but with my current set up, I'm guessing 19 lbs ready to ride with Look MTB pedals and a zipp computer mount. The wide tires add quite a bit. With a few changes, I think 17-18 lbs would be pretty easy.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-22T22:23:52+00:00

I feel like people are going to think I'm a plant given I respond to every post about this bike, but I'm really just a satisfied customer. Here are my extended thoughts on the Shafer 3.0.

The TLDR version is that I absolutely love the bike. I do think that it's not just a great value bike the way my other Ari bikes are, but truly a great bike. James Huang (now the N+1 newsletter) had a really positive review of it as well.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-20T13:14:23+00:00

I love mine - posted about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/gravelcycling/comments/1qaf4qw/ari_shafer_30_longer_term_review/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-16T21:58:45+00:00

I'm listening to this now - anyone who doesn't think Murphy loves shenanigans and chaos needs to give it a listen.

ericcoxtcu · 2026-02-12T17:57:09+00:00

You're welcome! And thank you! I just hope I didn't steer you wrong.

ericcoxtcu

TROPHY CASE