GADGETS + TECH
THE TECH NINJA the lycra edition
Few of us can fail to be impressed by the massive achievements by Team GB during the most recent Olympic games this summer . One of the lovely side effects of such a great event , is that it will undoubtedly inspire both existing and new participants to many of the sports featured . Cycling now boasts a fan base of over 2 million , and sales of UK manufactured bikes have rocketed since the 2012 London Olympics . Right now , there are literally thousands of middle-aged men littering our roads and byways , clad in lycra . It ' s a terrifying thought , isn ' t it ? BY LUKE YATES
To quote Family Guy , I ' m err ... one of those guys now . I myself have ridden a bike since childhood , but took to cycling in a big way again last year after having injured myself running . Cycling is relatively a very low impact sport , and it not only helped me on the road to recovery , but I was reminded just how much fun it is whizzing about on two wheels . And the technology available to a lycra-clad middle-aged geek these days is pretty exciting too !
My concern for all those who have newly found fitness and happiness levels thanks to these two-wheeled mechanical marvels , is that , to quote Eddard Stark , winter is coming .
Next thing you know , the bike gets covered in dust in the garage , the bike owner regains those lost pounds and inability to run up and down stairs , and it all has to start from scratch come spring the next year . But this needn ' t be the case .
A turbo trainer can be as inexpensive or as pricey as you like , with the bottom end models providing basic functionality , whilst higher-ended trainers feature electronic sensors , simulated hills and other such coolness .
So , you ' ve got your turbo trainer . But that could get a bit boring after a bit on its own . What we need are some gadgets to make those winter training sessions a bit more ... well , fun ! And that ' s where my next Tech Ninja fave comes in ...
WAHOO BLUE SC SPEED AND CADENCE SENSOR
Not only did I find ways to keep on my bike in those rainy , windy , cold months , but I actually managed to discover some extremely fun things to do whilst on the saddle , and increase my ever-growing supply of geeky gadgets ! Here is a guide on what to do when the weather turns nasty , and a list of some of my fave bike-related tech :
TURBO TRAINER
The Wahoo Blue SC speed and cadence sensor is a fantastic little gizmo for allowing your bike to communicate with your mobile phone , tablet , computer , or even a GPS watch . Attached to your bike frame , and using a couple of magnets placed on the crank , a spoke and on the rear wheel , it very accurately measures both the speed you are travelling at , and the rate at which you ’ re pedalling .
If you have dared to visit a gym in the last decade , you will have seen classes of people sitting on bikes with no wheels , sweating profusely and pedalling furiously to “ I ' m Sexy And I Know It ”. Personally , I would rather look like Jabba The Hutt , but thankfully I have found a much beter alternative , in the turbo trainer .
Put simply , a turbo trainer is like a ‘ rolling road ’ for your bike . You secure your bike ’ s rear axle to the trainer , and the back wheel rests on a spinning drum . As you pedal , the drum moves , spinning the wheel , providing realistic resistance , and giving you a good workout .
The SC is compatible with both iPhones and Android devices , and there is a very good free Wahoo app for it . But what really puts this little gadget into the realms of the most excellent , is that thanks to the inclusion of both Garmin ' s ANT + wireless system , and Bluetooth as well , the Wahoo Blue SC can work with a huge range of other devices and apps , giving plenty of scope for fun . Popular sports apps such as Strava and Garmin are also compatible with the SC , so you will be able to share all that lovely data with your sporty chums online .
Personally when I am out , I leave the SC on my bike and connect it to my Garmin GPS watch , giving me a whole bunch of extra functionality . But if the skies are dark and the roads are wet , I like to put the bike on my turbo trainer , hook it up via the SC to my computer and large telly , and connect to my very fave bike-related toy , a rather splendid app , called …
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