The new satnav arrives!

A quick pick of Holly, Leo and myself. Leo attends Kangaroos, the charity we are raising funds for.

Ooh, new goodies....

I jumped in and ordered the Garmin Edge 800, a satnav for a bike. This particular package comes with a cadence (how fast you pedal), wheel rotation sensor, and a heart rate monitor. Which combined can work out where I am, how fast I'm travelling, where I need to go, how steep the hills are, how unfit I really am... well, you get the picture.

Perhaps I missed the smallprint, but I forgot to check which maps the thing comes with. It does come with a map, but it's only good for major roads rather than a nice detail of back roads one might expect. Instead you need to go to their website and order the type of map you want. OR you can go and grab one of the open source free maps. I'm very interested in the Ordnance Survey maps, but at £199 they can go take a running jump!

My phone can do good maps for when I need that level of detail which I doubt will be that often. I decided to go for the basic UK maps which provide clear road info and turn by turn instructions. I'll be pulling in pre-defined route maps to explain to the thing how to tell me which turn comes next. I'll be installing the London to Brighton route ready for the weekend to test it out.

So, satnav is now installed on the bike with all the little sensors it needs to monitor progress.

Also in the post are my new waterproof pannier bags to keep everything as dry as possible. I'll be carrying all of Holly's stuff in one bag and mine in the other to keep the weight off her bike. And as the bags fold down small we can travel light without large flapping bags all over the place. I am getting very aware of all this weight being added so some of the heavy small items will be put in a saddle bag under Holly's saddle. The idea being bulky light things on my bike, small heavy on Hollys. Trust me, it'll all balance out!

It's going to be a pants week this week....

... I'm expecting some shorts to arrive at some stage. I already have the special before and after cream to keep the sensitive bits comfy. And Holly gets her own pot of the stuff. Everyone keeps telling me, no double dipping! Errgh

So, I'm shelling out the most amount of money I think I've ever spent on a small (but important) piece of material. Have you seen the price of these things? Go on, have a guess at how much! Nope, more than that. More, look, it's over 100 notes. These things it would appear need at least £100 spent on them with even better ones at around £150. It's all in the detail, you go commando in these things to prevent any chances of rubbing your skin away from hours in the saddle. The shorts are designed to work with the seat, and you use special cream to lubricate between you and the shorts. Anything else getting added to the mix is asking for trouble. And for me, I want the most comfortable ride possible and therefore need to hand over some cash. I'll be trying them out this weekend during the London to Brighton ride.