In my adventures in trying to dress up as Lala from the Teletubbies I’ve found the ATC Mini Helmet Camera to be an irreplaceable accessory.

Teletubby impersonations aside, what does the ATC Mini Helmet Camera by Oregon Scientific offer cyclists?

High quality HD video

In tests with the ATC Mini helmet camera for cyclists, I’ve found the video quality to be excellent. The camera doesn’t suffer from curved recording edges, you can see licence plates and there haven’t been any issues where the recording has been too dark. Although, it’s not quite the level of the more expensive HD Hero helmet camera, it should be enough for most uses.

However, there is a downside to this high quality of video. For every one minute of video you are looking at around a 100mb file. On a 25 minute commute, you’d therefore have 2.5 gigs of data. You can buy 32GB Micro SD cards which costs around £30 and that should prevent you from running out of juice. The battery lasts for approximately 1.5 hours.

There is one further consideration. If you’ve got an older laptop then it may struggle to edit the HD video. You’ll find that converting the video to MP4 format will dramatically reduce the file size while maintaining the quality.

Wide Range of mounting options

The ATC Mini Helmet Camera has an excellent range of mounting options. Especially, when coupled with the ATC Mini Handlebar Mount. Thanks to the low weight of the unit it shouldn’t be a problem to place it on the helmet. I found the helmet mount provides the most clear angle for bike rides.

What really stood in my review of the ATC Mini is that you can make some excellent micro adjustments to get the recording angle just right. This is thanks to the design of the mount. Out of all the helmet cameras I’ve tested, I’ve found the mounting system in the ATC Mini the most useful.

Despite the lack of an LCD monitor it wasn’t too hard to guess where the camera was pointed. I found that from the first ride my guesses were pretty accurate.

(The video at the end of this post demonstrates the benefit of multiple mounting angles)

Easy to use

The ATC Mini helmet camera is designed to make life simple:

• To upload video you just plug it in to your computer without needing any additional software.
• There are just three buttons on the unit (On/Off, Camera, Video) all of them easy to press even with gloves
• Mounting is quick and painless (just don’t forget to tighten the screw that holds the camera in place!)

Waterproof

With water resistance of up to 20 metres you’ll have to seek out a pretty deep pothole to be in any difficulty. It’s great that this is something included straight out of the box with the ATC Mini, rather than having to invest in additional accessories.

Video Review

Review of the ATC Mini Helmet Camera

Overall, there’s a lot to love about the Oregon Scientific ATC Mini. Waterproof, competitively priced, high quality video and excellent mounting. Any let downs? 1.5 hour battery life may not offer enough juice for all purposes and when mounted to your helmet you do look a little silly!

Just when you think you’ve seen everything in the big wide world of bicycle accessories, along come the folding mudguards.

Full Windsor QuickFix Folding Mudguard review

This British Made Full Windsor Folding Mudguard is a lazy (wo)mans mudguard. As there’s not actually that many days of the year that we are caught cycling in the rain it can be a useful accessory to have to hand. Especially as installation takes seconds as shown in the dodgy home made movie below:

My awful pre-conception of the mudguard would be that it would be flimsy and a pain to install. I was very much proven wrong.

The Full Windsor QuickFix comes in two editions. You can have the zip tie edition or the clip edition. I much preferred the clip edition which makes things quicker and easier to install and remove, and doesn’t waste precious zip ties.

You also have a choice of colours. For testing I was sent the white and yellow edition but I’d probably prefer the slightly less conspicuous black edition. Although, whichever edition you choose, you are going to stand out a little. If that’s in a good way or a bad way I leave to your own sense of reality to decide.

On my test ride in yesterdays petrol soaked London roads I was impressed. The folding mudguard kept my back dry and free of horrible road spray.

When we arrived at the destination (Lock Tavern!) I was a little confused as to whether I should be taking the mudguards off or leaving them on. I chose to leave them on and they were there when we returned after 5 pints a quick non-alcoholic beverage. However, priced at £14.99 on Wiggle I probably wouldn’t leave them on the bike for an extended period. This creates the problem of folding them up and putting them in your bag. Something that isn’t too desirable when they are covered in road muck.

I really like these origami style mudguards. I think they are a clever idea that has been well designed and manufactured. If you always ride your bike with mudguards then you really don’t have any use for them. However, if you want a mudguard that can be installed and removed in seconds for rain related emergencies then these get the big thumbs up from me!

This morning I took a ride to see the Trafalgar Sun. Other than providing a nice bit of publicity for Tropicana, I thought it would also be a good chance to test out to ATC-Mini Helmet Camera.

The ATC-Mini Helmet camera costs £123. Which is a bit of bargain considering the high video quality. However, the price does hop up a little when you throw in the handlebar mount at £25 and a £5 micro SD memory card.

What immediately does stand out is the quality of the mount. This gives a good range of mounting options and allows you to adjust the position to perfection. It is also very easy to use, although you can’t really make adjustments while you are riding.

On first inspection the 720p video is clear enough to see licence plates and doesn’t suffer too much from road vibrations. This should make the camera great for recording mountain bike rides as well as for safety during commutes.

The video below shows the ATC-Mini Helmet camera during the night and daytime. I’ll have a full review on London Cyclist in the next few weeks.

Also, if you are interested in the Trafalgar Sun then I’ve upload some pictures to the London Cyclist Flickr. If you’d like to go and see it for yourself, then it should be there until the end of today.

Compliments ahoy

Let’s start with the looks, because this jacket is going to attract plenty of them.

The Bomber Jacket can just as easily be worn off the bike as on the bike. The cut has however been tailored towards cyclists. With a longer cut at the back and good length cuffs you can lean towards your road bike handlebars and still have a comfortable fit. Rapha have also included a reflective strip for night-time visibility.

When off the bike, I’ve been the welcome recipient of many compliments on the Rapha Bomber jacket. Well, if you are not going to be complimented on your cycling prowess, then you may as well receive some compliments on your choice of cycling gear. The jacket has a smart, urban look, with well placed subtle features such as a Rapha embroidered logo on the left arm. In short, it looks great.

Taking on the winter chills

This morning I awoke to a teeth clattering 2 degrees Celsius. Needless to say, I was pleased to be reaching for the Rapha Bomber jacket to keep me warm. Combined with a base and middle layer, the Rapha jacket is perfect for short rides of up to around 7 miles. For anything longer, I tend to remove the middle layer to keep my body at the perfect temperature.

When we reach the end of the long British winter and temperatures start to rise above 13-15°C (55-59°F) the jacket will be a little too warm. This isn’t one of the most breathable jackets available to cyclists. However, it is excellent for the cold winter months for both short and long rides.

Whilst we’ve had an uncharacteristically dry winter to date, I’ve had the chance to test the Rapha Bomber Jacket during a few downpours. Under both circumstances water was deflected by the durable water repellent finish. The jacket is designed to be water resistant and not waterproof.

Excellent comfort and features

The Rapha Bomber Jacket has two zipped side pockets, an external zipped breast pocket and zipped pocket for your keys with a lanyard. In practise, the most useful pocket is the breast pocket. This is a great place for your mobile phone or music player. As it is situated outside of the main zip you have easy access to it at all times. This means you can quickly check directions on your mobile phone when you are stopped at the traffic lights.

The keys pocket near the wrist is also very useful. I’ve found myself attaching the keys to the lanyard so I can quickly lock my bike when I reach my destination.

Another feature of note is the tough construction of the shoulder fabric. When riding around with a bag on your back this means the shoulder straps won’t rub.

Luxurious in pink

The Rapha Bomber Jacket feels comfortable and luxurious in every way. Exactly what Rapha is famed for. On a basic level you get a jacket that looks excellent on and off the bike. Beyond that you appreciate the more subtle features. The way the jacket doesn’t ride up your back, the comfortable lining and the well placed pockets. It is clear a lot of thought has gone into this and it’s a jacket that will be appreciated during the winter months.

Available from rapha.cc. Image via rapha.cc.

About 12 months ago I thought I’d found my perfect bike light for cycling in London. I was wrong. The Knog Boomer USB is the perfect bike light.

I can tell you exactly why in three words:

Bright, chargeable and convenient

The Knog Boomer stands out as one of the brightest small bike lights I’ve used to date. I’m not the only one who’s noticed. I frequently get comments along the lines of “wow, your bike light is so much brighter than mine”.

With that level of brightness you’d think the battery would be always running out. Indeed, with it being a rechargeable battery you often have to put up with a shorter running time. Not so with the Boomer. I’ve been using it for three months and in that space I can count the number of charges on three fingers.

The third aspect of the Boomer I love is the convenience. It can be fitted and removed in under 5 seconds.

Needless to say I think that me and the Knog Boomer USB have a bright future ahead (Don’t forgive the pun).

So is everything perfect?

Absolutely not. But before I move onto the negatives there are two more things I’d like to mention.

If you are an astute reader of the comments section on London Cyclist you’ll also know that with a couple of Knog lights people have complained of waterproofing issues. I’ve tested three different Knog lights to date and haven’t had an issue with any of them. The Knog Boomer USB is no exception. In the two big downpours I’ve tested it I’ve not had any issues. If any long term issues present themselves I’ll report back on them here.

The second thing I’d like to mention are the four different modes of the Boomer. There’s three different blinking modes and the constant beam setting. From what I’ve seen so far the light doesn’t tend to turn on while it is in your pocket.

Onto the negatives

The Knog Boomer USB sits very near your handlebars. On occasion your brake or gear cables can get in the way. That means you lose out on some of the light that should be shining on the road. The difference is minimal, but it is worth noting.

My second complaint is how difficult it is to remove the Boomer from its silicone casing when you need to charge it. My guess is that it is designed that way to avoid water getting in.

In my three months with the Knog Boomer USB those are my only two complaints.

Overall, I’m going to give the Knog Boomer USB two thumbs up (5/5). I think it is an excellent bike light for riding in the city and the convenience of being able to charge up from your laptop is invaluable. At least as someone who is rarely away from a computer.

Related posts:

Windproof jackets have the advantage of keeping you cool through use of breathable fabrics. This is something that can be rarely matched by waterproof jackets, which tend to cause you to heat up as you go past the first couple of miles on your ride.

The jacket is incredibly comfortable and seems to fit the shape of my body perfectly. More so than any other jacket I’ve tried to date. The effect is that you barely notice it’s there. It almost slips into the background and works its magic keeping you at a good temperature.

Bontrager have come up with a very stylish design for their jacket and they’ve managed to sneak in subtle reflective strips in a way that you could wear this jacket during the day without anyone realising it is meant for cycling.

The jacket includes two zipped side pockets, a larger zipped rear pocket and two buttoned breast pockets. Although, I’ve rarely found myself using the breast pockets.

The Bontrager Commuting Jacket resists light rain but if the heavens decide to open then you will need to reach for something more waterproof.

The material of the jacket feels strong and durable and even after many miles it looks as good as new. Therefore, it should be one of those purchases that lasts many years.

Overall review: A great windproof cycling jacket that I’d highly recommend.
Price: £59.99

Either through the very tight clip or the magic of the magnet, the Knog Wearable Boomer presents an exciting range of mounting opportunities.

The bike light, which costs a couple of clicks under £20, was sent to me by Knog to test out. And test I did. I clipped it on my bag, my belt, my pocket and through my clothes. I almost felt a little violated by it. This innovative bike light is something a little bit special.

However, before praising it as the most innovative thing since hybrid bread (is it white? is it brown bread? – I just don’t know) we should look at the limitations. Namely, the magnet. Whilst the magnet provides hours of amusement for my simple mind as I move it closer and wait to see if it snaps together giggling wildly when it does, in a practical cycling world it just doesn’t work.

When you are cycling and you come across a pothole or bump over a manhole cover, the force is enough to dislodge the magnet. That is despite the two very strong magnetic points in the Knog Wearable Boomer. Unless, and there is always an unless, you are wearing a supremely thin garment.

For those of us with normal thickness clothing we are therefore left with the clip. Fortunately the clip works incredibly well. It allows you to mount the Knog Wearable Boomer to your belt or back pocket. Which creates a rather funny look of a red beam emanating from your posterior. Great for when you are doing those hilarious red bottom baboon impersonations.

The bike light is powered by two AAA batteries which feed enough energy into the LED light to output 20 lumens of light. Which in human terms, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to stare into it for too long. The Knog Wearable Boomer compares favourably with a standard Cateye rear light and a Knog Skink.

Fortunately the brightness of the light doesn’t impact the battery life. Knog claims the Wearable Boomer can achieve approximately 12 hours of continuous light or in flashing mode up to 36 hours. There are three different flashing modes and each one really attracts your eye to the light.

Whilst I’ve yet to test the light in heavy rain, in the light rain it hasn’t faltered.

Review

In my final review of the Knog Wearable Boomer I’ll say this. It’s a very powerful light, that comes with a great range of mounting options. As long as you test that where you’ve chosen to mount the Boomer is capable of holding the light by wiggling it around you should be fine. I feel safer riding around with it and more certain that I can be seen. A solid addition to anyone’s bike light arsenal.

See also my review of other Knog lights and the Knog Kabana bike lock.

Let’s take a look at exactly how it does that.

First of all the eBook dispels the myth of not enough hours in the day and introduces you to the process of getting the life-sport balance in sync.

The book then goes into some common scenarios. Such as disagreements with your partner about how often you are cycling and scheduling too many activities that leave you tired and frustrated without being able to see the results of a consistent improvement.

It then starts to offer solutions and breaks down the process of managing your time and optimising what you get out of each training session. The emphasis here is on quality over quantity. On making sure you are not overtraining and burning out.

If you follow the process and use the worksheets provided in the eBook you start to break down the hours in the day, analyse what is and isn’t working and work out what you want to get out of your training. The book encourages you to really think what it is you are looking for. On the surface that might be to compete in sportives but it pushes you to dig deeper to find your motivations.

Admittedly, it does feel a little “new-agey” and a bit cringe worthy for my liking but it clearly comes from years of Rebecca’s personal experience combined with what she has learnt over time listening to fellow cyclists.

In the next section the book breaks down how to schedule in recovery time, set goals and build a training plan for the year. It also shows you the importance of having a group to push you with your cycling and where additional training time can be fitted in. It rounds off by giving 10 time savings tricks.

Overall, I’m impressed with the Cyclist’s Time Efficiency Formula. Contained within the 58 pages is a lot of practical advice. Like anything, it relies heavily on you being motivated to follow all the steps. Which is probably where most will falter. If you’ve really not got a training plan in place, have no idea when to train and when to recover and you are struggling to improve your performance then its worth a look.

For those who’ve already got a system in place that is working then this isn’t something you’ll need.

The Cyclist’s Time Efficiency Formula is available at $19.95 and there’s a full video explanation by Rebecca on this page.

Therefore, out came the Voodoo Canzo. A £999 mountain bike which performs well above its pay grade. Compared to my road bike, the Canzo is a sumo of the cycling world – ready to take on the meanest opponents with ease.

For such a beast of a mountain bike, only the best would do. Therefore, it was time to head towards what has been voted Britain’s Best Mountain Bike Trail.

Oh yes, it was time for the Voodoo Canzo to meet Swinley Forest.

The challenge is on

In the right corner we have Swinley Forest. Miles and miles of muddy goodness situated in a woodland area an hours train ride from central London.

In the left corner is the Voodoo Canzo. A full suspension mountain bike, packing high end components, beefy 26 inch wheels and at the same time remaining nimble enough to fight its way around the trail.

I wanted to discover if the Canzo would be able to take on hair raising steep drops, challenging deep muddy sections as well as uphill struggles.

Getting a feel for the Canzo

The ride started off gently as I prepped myself for what was ahead by getting a feel for the Canzo. The first few bumps over tree trunks were handled with ease. The Rockshox Ario R rear suspension making light work of obstacles and keeping me riding comfortably.

Picking up some speed and navigating around I noticed the steering felt good. The bike was obeying my moves and I felt comfortable to move on to bigger challenges. Soon the first big challenge presented itself.

A steep drop with a fairly tight line. The margin for error was minimal. As I gulped at the prospect ahead, I cowardly edged myself forward, the bike took over and despite the adrenaline raising speed everything went smoothly. The wheels combined with the suspension gripped perfectly and I was able to steer my way to the bottom. As I came to a firm halt, courtesy of the disk brakes, I surveyed the section I’d just completed. I didn’t know whether to pat myself on the back or give the bike a gentle pat on the frame.

I decided that would be weird so I set self-congratulating aside and pedalled onwards.

Stepping things up a little

I also wanted to take on a few jumps and really fun sections of the trail. Again the bike performed beautifully. With excellent grip and tight control. Only on one particularly large jump did the suspension travel the full way, where you hear that horrible clonk sound. Although, this isn’t an issue and to be expected in all mountain bikes.

What about heading uphill?

Heading on to the next part of Swinley Forest, an uphill section presented itself. I’d already tried lifting the bike and was impressed with the weight for a mountain bike. All signs pointed towards another great performance by the Voodoo Canzo. Unfortunately, I really had to put a lot of strength into the climb. Considering the relatively dry ground, the strength required seemed disproportionate.

I’m still trying to put my finger on why this is and have yet to decide if the disk brakes need some tweaking. Another theory is perhaps as someone who comes from a road cycling perspective, I’m unaccustomed to the muscle required to hill climbing on a mountain bike. Maybe a more experienced mountain biker could bestow me with some of their knowledge on this?

Time for some quick reaction tight cornering

Despite the small disappointment over hill climbing I ploughed on and came across an excellent downhill section. This required some very tight cornering. The Canzo really shined through and it felt completely natural taking on tight bends at high speeds.

Voodoo Canzo Initial Review

Overall, it is safe to say the Voodoo Canzo took on Swinley Forest and emerged victorious. It outperformed my expectations and the only thing seemingly holding things back was the riders ability. This makes me think perhaps the Voodoo Canzo is a mountain bike a little too good for someone who’s still learning the ropes. However, herein lies another strength. At the end of the 10 mile ride I was taken aback with how good I felt. My arms, wrists and hands certainly didn’t feel like they’d taken on some seriously rough terrain. This means I’d be comfortable to head out again on another ride tomorrow.

Over the coming months I’ll be trying out more trails and report back with a full review on the Canzo. However, if you are already convinced and want to take it for a spin yourself then it is worth mention that there’s currently 10% off via this page.

See also:

• Where to go mountain biking in London?

You like running, or cycling, or just generally doing things that burn off those 4 pints you had last Friday after work – it was a leaving do after all. But its hard to stay motivated. Trust me, as an Olympic gold medallist in procrastination I know.

Fortunately, one well known secret that is proven to motivate is keeping track of your progress. Then you can proudly announce “I ran 8 miles on Saturday” as all your friends feign interest. With GPS technology having crept into all modern Android phones, a lot of people have woken up to find their phone makes a pretty damn good training companion. Taking that a step further is the Sony Ericsson Fitness Pack.

Inside you get a arm band carrying case, the LiveView and a wrist band for attaching your LiveView somewhere you can see it. Looks cool you are probably thinking. So did I, so I put it to the test.

Here’s how my first test of the Sony Ericsson Fitness Experience Pack went:

1. Right so all I have to do is Sync the Bluetooth device and off we go. Yea.. oh.. that didn’t work.
2. Check the manual.
3. Okay, I need LiveWare manager which I can download from Android store. That’s strange. I can’t find it.
4. Email the friendly chaps who sent the unit over for testing. They inform me I need a new version of the Android software. How on earth do you do that?
5. I attempt to do it on the phone – gets about 50% of the way through and quits.
6. I now notice that it does actually say in the manual how to do this. Proceed to load software onto computer and try again. Didn’t work again.
7. I need to update the computer software – doing that now.
8. With the new version of Android I have to re-login which isn’t easy for someone with weird characters in their password.
9. Logged in I search for LiveWare Manager. Found, installed.
10. Install SportyPal Pro. Right, that’s surely everything – let’s go. Oh, it didn’t work.
11. Apparently I need to now install Android Text To Speech. Better go do that.
12. Okay, what now? Apparently I need to enter a voucher code. Where do you enter the code?
13. Thank god I studied a degree in Business and IT because I’d never find that option in the phone normally. I type it in to the hidden box and it’s off to the races.

I’m fairly technically competent but the above section of the setup process took me hours rather than minutes. It was somewhat infuriating. Fortunately, once the painful setup is out the way things work much more smoothly.

Using Sportypal Pro

The Sportypal software, which is free, looks good and works well. You can easily switch between different activities and getting started is as simple as it should be.

The settings screen gives you plenty of options as you would expect. You can choose whether to post to Twitter and Facebook at the end as well as tweak the measurement system you use.

The voice notifications stood out as a great feature. It reads out stats such as your average speed and distance. You can also tweak it to your liking. It’s great to see the developers took the time to include these options.

Another nice addition was the weather. The only other thing I could perhaps offer as a good extra feature in Sportypal Pro would be to show at what time the sun goes down so you can plan your training.

Using LiveView

The LiveView, which I’ve reviewed previously, operates via a Bluetooth connection with the Sony Ericsson (or for that matter most Android phones). It has two buttons at the top. One that turns it on and one that activate the selection or turns the screen back on.

The two edges on the left and right are touch sensitive and allow you to scroll through options.

What was really needed is a third physical button. I’ll explain why.

You are about to set off on a ride and your phone is nicely tucked away in the Fitness Pack pouch. But now you can’t hit the start button. Surely it would be logical this would be possible from the LiveView? Unfortunately, not in this version.

The LiveView is more about relaying the information on the screen as opposed to controlling the phone. In practise, when riding a bike, this was very tough to do and required the hand coordination of a street juggler. You had to reach over with your one hand to turn on the screen, then put your hand back on the handlebar whilst raising the other hand to view the screen.

All of this had to be done very rapidly as the screen is only at full brightness for 5 seconds. Then there’s a further 10 seconds at half brightness. However, unless riding in the dark I found the brightness levels lacking. I’ve dived into the settings but don’t see any option to extend this time.

The only way around this is if you mount the LiveView to your handlebars but the strap isn’t really suited for this job.

Overall, it’s clear this is a device better suited to runners as opposed to cyclists.

Fitness Pack Armband

The Armband that is supplied feels comfortable to wear and doesn’t shift around during exercise. I can see it lasting many years as it feels of a quality construction. Unfortunately, it is only water resistant and not waterproof so in a heavy downpour you’d have to secure your phone elsewhere.

Test ride

Here’s a quick 2-minute video of a test-ride I did with the mount where I explain the good and bad points.

Review of the Sony Ericsson Fitness Pack

Overall, I’d have to give the Sony Ericsson Fitness Pack a 3 out of 5. Sony Ericsson have the right idea here. A product that extends the mobile phones capability as a fitness aid. On spec everything looks great. The armband holder is good, having the little screen frees up your hands and gives you quick access to the stats and the overall package feels right. However, the execution hasn’t quite worked out. Setup is too lengthy and looking at your stats on your wrist is difficult for a cyclist.

See also:

• Android apps for cyclists
• Bike repair on your Android