Lots of Assembly Required Bike Ride
It was a good thing I grabbed the jacket as I left to start the bike ride on the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route. I got a late start (1:31 pm) because I watched the University of Cincinnati vs SMC quarterfinal basketball game which started at 11 am. UC won to advance to the semifinal round. After not biking yesterday (Thursday) I was ready to get out on the road to see how the out front mount worked and the Wahoo Elemnt computer did with the fixed mounting tabs (more on both of those in a moment).
When I left the temperature fluctuated between 73 and 75 depending on how much sun made it through the clouds. For the first 5 miles or so I felt overdressed with the jacket but as the sky changed to overcast the SE 20 mph wind made things chilly. Underneath the jacket I wore a long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve jersey atop shorts. I almost wore a thermal long sleeve jersey and skipped the short sleeve one but I didn’t.
On the way to Tavola the SE wind was my friend except for the occasional times heading into the wind. I knew the ride back to the south would be hard but I wasn’t thinking about the wind chill until I was in it. I built my average speed up to 14.9 mph and held it there until about 28 miles into the ride when the paced slowed getting into Kingwood. Biking 33.86 miles later in the afternoon I thought might put in the schools dismissal traffic but they were gone by the time I passed each school. With the 33.86 mile March now totals 260.9 miles out of the 585 mile goal.
I was glad to reach the end of the bike ride at 3:55 pm to get out of the chilly wind and inside.
Wednesday I received the out front mount via USPS from Japan. The “instructions” and other printed materials were in Japanese which meant I was on my own installing it. The pictures were helpful and with the Wahoo Elemnt insert clearly a baby blue. The screws were packed clearly and I got all of the parts arranged and started the assembly and installation. I attached the GoPro like finned mount to the bottom. This would hold the PowerPod once the mount attached to the Canyon H31 ergo handlebar. Not counting the Wahoo insert screws there were 4 screws in all. These pictures show the mount and installation.
The Elemnt was not fixed yet when I attached the out front mount.
Thursday the Wahoo Elemnt mounting tab repair part arrived via FedEx. Opening the envelope I did not get what I expected. I thought the part would the mounting disc that sticks out of the back of the Elemnt. Instead I received the whole back of the Elemnt. No instructions were included like I asked. The screws holding the back on are T-5 Torx which are a special screw. I had a T-5 Torx screwdriver and used it to remove 7 of the 8 screws. The last one appeared to be stripped and I couldn’t get it out. After spending $12.05 for a set of Torx screwdrivers I opened the unit up and found the battery firmly attached to the back that I need to replace. How do I get the battery loose? The USB connector attached to the battery and back appeared to be glued as well as screwed to the back. Frustrated I sent an email to the person I exchanged emails with to get the part. This morning I got an email back with the missing instructions with pictures. After watching two European bike races I got a white piece of paper out, removed the screws and pried the battery loose. The screws holding the USB socket were next and using a sharp knife I pulled the USB connector out. I moved the two-side tape from the old part to the new one and reattached the cables and the USB connector. Before installing the 8 screws holding the back on I turned the Elemnt on and it started up. Turning it off I installed and tightened the 8 screws. Success and the Elemnt sits firmly in the out front mount. Pictures of the back and stuff.
With this work done the Canyon is almost complete. The only thing missing is the carbon water bottle cages in route from China.
I am now able to monitor about every body function now with the PowerPod back in service, heart monitor in place and all of the other sensors working.
SportTracks Bike Ride Summary
Strava bike Ride Summary