UNBOUND 200 Karoo Race Report
Answered
The Karoo was brilliant for UNBOUND 200. Throughout the day, there was confusion on where to take turns, yet I was confident on my path thanks for the Karoo's wonderful mapping and navigation. Often others thanked me for directing them to the correct turn. It was extremely welcome to have my computer perform so well on such a daunting day.
I had Live Tracking enabled for the event and had friend's and family watching throughout the day. They kept sending me screenshots of their viewing and the Karoo's wonderful support for Android Smartphone Notifications allowed me to instantly read my friend's messages and boost my morale when I was struggling.
For hardware, I used an external battery inside my frame bag to keep my device charged for the full day, as I wanted to fully exploit every feature possible, such as the always on screen for navigation, phone notifications, live tracking, ability to pan the map for prediction, and to remove any anxiety over battery life. I was a bit worried of the Karoo's stability for such a long ride, but did not experience a single issue for the duration of the day. This was while retaining connection to my AXS Quarq power meter, Hammerhead branded HRM, and AXS gears. There were zero issues with my sensors once the course started.
I did have an issue finding my power meter at the start line, so I toggled Bluetooth, which connected the power meter, but then could not find my HRM. That was when I realized I was surrounded by over a thousand cyclists, each with 3~ Bluetooth/ANT+ devices broadcasting, making it a technical nightmare to find your sensor. Once the ride started, the HRM was quickly found. Throughout the various stops during the day, I did not experience any outages which was a wonderful relief.
FEATURE REQUEST
- Support AXS Gear Data: Existing FIT files do not record AXS data, which can be used to get insights into your ride. Though the Karoo shows my active cassette gear, it does not record that data. It would've been really nice to analyze my AXS data from such an epic event, especially as I was shocked how much I lived in my 52t cassette for the day.
ISSUE
- Activity Clock does not reflect updates when corrected mid-ride. I noticed my clock was an hour behind due to my Time Zone being set to Pacific Daylight Time, instead of Central Daylight Time. This was likely an issue with my Google Fi SIM card using an improperly configured cell network. I disabled Automatic time zone and manually specified the correct time zone, but noticed my Ride Activity retained the original time used at the start of the ride. I expect this is due to the time set inside the .FIT file, but that should be an internal variable and the visible user interface should show the updated time. Also, I did toggle Automatic Time Zone to confirm the SIM was setting the wrong time zone.
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Thanks!
The Karoo battery life is decent, but definitely needs a helping hand. I completed a few more endurance events in 2022 and used an external battery to help. I typically use ANKER as I like their reliability & versatility.
For future events, I plan on using the ANKER 511 as you can use USB-C for everything or plug it directly into a wall: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KZFGGMT (Also a good charger for my cell phone and rest of my USB-C gear)
To charge with my cramped computer mount, I needed a 90* mount. Here is a sample USB-C to USB-C cable that worked for me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H96FWY9
Previously I used this external battery (requires a microUSB to charge): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CU1EC6Y
with 90* USB-A cables such as these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092ZS6SJG
For both of my solutions, I use a top tube bag to hold the charger and route to the Karoo.
I am located in U.S.A. but I noticed this user posting recommendation, though their charger seems to be sold in Europe: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hammerheadkaroo/posts/6304044576306516/
Wish you luck with your adventures!
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