Like many cyclists, the holiday season has derailed my training and my riding. Between the cold, the rain and getting dark well before 6pm, it is hard to get out and get the work done, and with the holidays, there are so many distractions that things just slip.

Then comes the new year. January is always such an interesting month with people in the New Year, New Me mindset, the gyms are full for a few weeks. Cyclists though, they are a slightly different breed, and for them it is about rededicating to the ride. So, here I am, like many others, getting back on the road, and realizing that I have some gear issues that I get to sort out, because lights left drained sometimes don’t charge anymore, or worse, in my case, many of those things are no longer usable for other reasons…

For me, this means two things:

1. Getting the indoor trainer setup situated
2. Making sure all my outdoor stuff is in good shape and working order.

The indoor trainer, well, it’s rollers, and up until lately an iPad, but that setup really wasn’t getting it done. I had recently replaced my Windows laptop/tablet for some work projects, so I decided to see how it worked for that setup too. I love it. I had purchased the Lenovo Yoga Book 9 dual screen device, and it is absolutely perfect for the job.

Which then leaves, getting the bike ready for outdoor use again. Since I had recently switched to a Karoo Hammerhead device, I needed new computer mounts for Garmin style quarter twist mounts. This is easy, I always fall back to the K-Edge XL Combo in specific so I retain the GoPro style under mount for lights or one of my cameras. Lights however, I decided to explore some things I have not tried before. The RAVEMEN FR160 which mounts between the computer and the mount with a quarter turn mount has been on my review list for a while, but since I haven’t been a quarter turn user for a while, it has not been an option. Early opinion, I love it as a ‘be seen’ light, but still prefer a traditional projector style headlight for ‘to see by’ in the darkness.

So here we are, 3 weeks into January, and the bikes are set, and my indoor training is underway. Just remember, the time change is coming, as is spring…

With the cooler temps, and more rides in the dark, many of area riders have switched to gravel bikes and gravel tires deal with conditions. What is the impact on the speeds and effort levels of those tires. Well, back in June, GCN did a really good video comparing the two tires on the same bike…

https://youtu.be/TCrL7yHPMqo

Some really good information in there.