Your Most Recent Purchase (Pic required)

maelochs said:

Really glad to hear about the Arkel ... I might have to grab one if they are on sale. DSLRs are big and heavy and not all of my bikes have racks. Plus, I have been in love with Arkel products since I started commuting/camping etc many dozen years ago, but then I didn't have the funds and now I don't have the need .... but a good bar bag .......

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Thank you! I am looking forward to a visit from Brown Santa.

The large handlebar bag page on Arkel's website indicates the product will be discontinued and orders for out of stock colors will not be accepted. Sadly, there is no sale at present. It appears the small handlebar bag has escaped the axe and will remain available. At present the website shows the large bag as being available only in red. I imagine you might be able to find other colors on other websites, but I haven't looked. I specifically wanted mine in red. Happy day!

I, too am a long time fan of Arkel. I've found it hard to justify the cost of their products over their competitors. I got years of excellent service out of my big Ortlieb handlebar bag, but having it never stopped me from sighing internally when I ran across bags from Arkel. I hope the new bag proves itself worth the wait.

I hope you're able to find something which works for you. It's nice to have fast access to a DSLR while riding...for those who like their cameras extra heavy, at least .

lectrichead said:

Was curious how those Magene's are working out for you?

And the 530 - been looking at that myself but so similar to the 520 Plus it seems a shame to replace the one I have when there's nothing wrong with it and the 530 doesn't seem like it has a plethora of enhancements, just some here and there.

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So far as I can tell, the Magene sensors have performed flawlessly. I have connected them to my phone, an Edge 500, and the new Edge 530. The phone connection over Bluetooth appears to function without interfering with the ANT+ signal to the Garmin. I would buy them again in a heart beat.

If you haven't used this type of sensor before - I had not - the instructions matter. A light on the sensor flashes either green or red when the battery is inserted. The manual will tell you which of these colors is associated with which sensor type, speed or cadence.

As for the 530 vs. the 520 Plus, I remember reading that there is a difference, but darned if I can remember what it was. I chose the 530 because it offers hard buttons. If you wanted a touch screen, the Edge 830 might be worth a look - and offer a more compelling function-based reason for making the jump. It runs about $100 more than the 530. I understand manipulating the map on the device with the touch screen is far more intuitive than the button-based approach offered by the 530 and presumably the 520+. Nevertheless, buttons are the right answer for me, at least for now.

I have Garmin and Wahoo sensors, but I've been curious about the cheaper clones and models of sensors for replacement in the future and their reliability and whether they have any dropouts and such, so good to know that they work well.

As far as I know the 530 has a faster chip, is very slightly larger, and has the Garmin ClimbPro & Heat and Altitude Acclimation feature (all of which I am interested in), has about 5 more hours battery life, has WiFi in addition to the Bluetooth that the 530 has. Oh and it has a bike alarm and hydration and nutrition alarms but the latter two can be added to the 520 Plus via Connect IQ's apps and data fields. A few other things, like Find My Edge, etc.

I guess if I were going for the upgrade model you're right and the 830 would be the way to go, I thought it was quite a bit larger but just looking at the stats I see that it's actually the same size as the 530.

I don't mind the buttons on the 520 Plus but there have been times when I have wanted to scroll around the map and it's awkward so I have had to reach back, open my seat bag and get my phone out. But otherwise the touchscreen doesn't seem necessarily a big plus.

I just did some feature comparisons and it seems like the touchscreen and the ability to navigate to a certain address or point of interest is basically the only difference between the 830 and 530 though - and there's a nice Connect IQ app that gives this ability (in conjunction with a phone) to do this on any Garmin Edge, whether it has the feature built-in or not.

Well, stuff for me to think about for sure, thanks for the info. Probably not something I would buy until Spring anyway - not looking forward to the next 6 or7 months of riding on the trainer, unless we have Indian Summers here.

newleaf150 said:

So far as I can tell, the Magene sensors have performed flawlessly. I have connected them to my phone, an Edge 500, and the new Edge 530. The phone connection over Bluetooth appears to function without interfering with the ANT+ signal to the Garmin. I would buy them again in a heart beat.

If you haven't used this type of sensor before - I had not - the instructions matter. A light on the sensor flashes either green or red when the battery is inserted. The manual will tell you which of these colors is associated with which sensor type, speed or cadence.

As for the 530 vs. the 520 Plus, I remember reading that there is a difference, but darned if I can remember what it was. I chose the 530 because it offers hard buttons. If you wanted a touch screen, the Edge 830 might be worth a look - and offer a more compelling function-based reason for making the jump. It runs about $100 more than the 530. I understand manipulating the map on the device with the touch screen is far more intuitive than the button-based approach offered by the 530 and presumably the 520+. Nevertheless, buttons are the right answer for me, at least for now.

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When it rains, it pours. Sometimes in a good way indeed. More on that later. For now, my Arkel bags are in!
That's the large handlebar bag on the left, TailRider trunk bag on the right.

Please accept my apologies for the recent mystery. On an unrelated note, happy new bike day! Today I got the call from the not-so LBS: the Ice Cream Truck was built and ready for a test ride. I went, I rode, and I bought 😎. Then came home and waited with bated breath for some minor adjustments to be completed. Late this afternoon, I made the pickup. Please say hello to my new girl, a 2022 Surly Ice Cream Trucker.
She rolls on Surly Bud & Lou tires, 26x4.8, mounted on 'My Other Brother Daryl' rims. Surly's naming convention is one you either love or hate. I love it.

The bike's color is not one I'd have chosen, but it's grown on me quickly and is the only choice if you want this year's model. My color choice on the pedals was influenced by Mrs. Newleaf for sure, but I'm digging 'em. Eventually there will be grips and other bits to match, but for now I'm about spent out. No matter. I've got a lot of getting to know her in my future, and I'm thrilled .

oops, then there were 2.....longboard cruiser project on the way. Already have upgrade parts on hand from previous brand new build......new wheels and different griptape will be only fresh stuff for this one.....



$53 score including shipping.....no pools ramps parks or tricks with this one, just cruising. Wife should be good with it. 😁

From the left. New HR sensor for me, speed and cadence sensors for the Truck, screen shield for the Garmin Edge 530, and a couple of purple bottle cages, the latter courtesy of Mrs. Newleaf.

New Polar H10 HR chest strap and sensor, to replace a Scosche HR optical armband that had a battery that wasn't holding a charge for more than an hour any more.

The Polar is VERY comfortable and super-accurate with no dropouts, comfortable so I barely notice it. I have to say I like the chest straps better than the optical armbands because of comfort, plus it's easier to wear long sleeves because the armband staying in place always was problematic when pulling on anything with sleeves.



Also, got a GCN jersey, which fits nicely and I really like it. Wasn't sure if I would get a chance to wear it outside but still managing a few cool, windy rides here in Northern NY.

Not big on posting pics of myself but what the heck. Really nice jersey, fits well (got it a bit large to make room for my belly, though I think I lost most of it this Summer), and is really comfortable.


Also, no pic right now but ordered a new Saris Smart Trainer, looking forward to that - well, not exactly looking forward to indoor riding but nice to have a new smart trainer.