michaelbiker

I have had a Karoo 2 since 2019 when it was an early bird unit. I charge it after every ride. It lasts between 5-8 hours now depending on screens brightness but when I use battery save mode I have done 12 hour days without issue. I keep a small battery pack on hand that goes in my top tube bag for longer bike packing days when I need nav and the screen on all the time. The new Karoo 3 I think lasts a lot longer and has a more advanced battery save mode that you can customise.

This look about right? https://share.temu.com/my8TUT8C2hA

You might get lucky on Temu. I have ordered all sorts of stuff like that and it’s worked out well. For the price you can even just order multiples if you aren’t sure one will work.

Hammerhead Karoo for me. Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2 is second on my list. Karoo just keeps improving with every update not to mention older models get almost all of the same updates.

From a tv spectator point of view the Brown Belts was a pretty interesting decision. I love riding these trails myself but the scenery is pretty ugly on tv. Why did they pick this area to have the race? Part of the Tour de France is showing off how beautiful France is, this is showing off how dry, burnt and grey the Cape is - which it isn’t of course.

You’re gonna need to give a bit more info as there are a lot of pack versions. Are you using it for racing? Do you plan to carry a ton of spares? A full face helmet? Or just water? How long do you plan to ride between water stops etc. Rather check the site and see what makes sense to you as it’s just a random suggestion. Their packs are super comfy though and they don’t bounce around when full but they are pricey.

Oh cool. Do you know of any bearing shops in CT area?

I am trying to revive an old set of XTR M9000 pedals and am missing a couple of bearings - don't ask they are tiny. Does anyone have an old pair of broken shimano pedals where I can salvage some internals to rebuild these? I am looking for pretty much anything - seals, bearings - maybe even a spindle if possible - but at a minimum I just need a few of those tiny bearings.

Nice. Have you tried one? Would actually be interested in something like this. Didn’t realise they were so cheap.

Which small compressor is R2k and has enough airflow to seat tubeless tires. I have the air tank and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made. Yet to get a tire / rim combo that won’t seat with it.

Island tribe 50spf - the one in the orange bottle. Otherwise this stuff is expensive and not sure where it’s available but probably the best. Did quite a lot of riding in northern Thailand and Laos - 10 hour+ days and had to only reapply twice a day. https://thinksun.com/products/thinksport-safe-sunscreen-spf-50-3oz-52 I have to scrape it off in the shower after a ride…

Haven’t been to hoogekraal in a few years. Had a blast and got some cool videos with the action cam. temp_video_1740315677891.mp4

SRAM or Shimano 12-speed, the adapters shouldn't be diff. I use a Shimano 105 12-speed HG cassette on my Kickr with the 148 adapter on the one side and the thru axle adapter on the drive side and it works without issue on my Eagle AXS bike. I do have to do a bit of derailleur trim adjustment to get smooth shifting but that's to be expected. Edit: the 148 adapter can be flipped around to be 142 compatible. My Kickr is quite old, so maybe this has changed.

Tokai in the wind

Both TR Expert and Scott seem very close in spec unless the TR expert has carbon wheels - hard to tell. The TR Comp is a much better specced bike. GX is a huge jump from NX in terms of longevity and it does have a better fork. So I would go with that. Geo seems on point too but they are all very similar. Have you seen these bikes in person? It’s often easier to decide that way. TR also have a gen 2 cypher which is a very nice bike but I’m not sure if it’s in your price range.