[HAMR] Tarzan (Kurt Searvogel)

[offcumden]

Isn't this what happened yesterday?  I realise he put in a lot of late miles - as he could today, the time difference means it's only 3pm in Little Rock - but I do wonder whether he is either inadvertently operating 'below the radar' in that valley, or the numerous zigs and zags are confusing the tracker, which may be computing distances across the lake rather than up and down along the shore.  Pure conjecture, of course.

I've no intention of staying up until the early hours to watch what happens, though!

[Wowbagger]

I reckon Tarzan must be mightily fed up with Little Rock. I mean, he could be cycling up and down the same 11-mile stretch and risk bumping into Bill Clinton!

[Von Broad]

Has he said anything about his future plans? I know he intends to ride various races, but will he base the remainder of the year around a base in Arkansas, does anybody know? [To be honest, I'm kind of a bit surprised he left Florida when he did..but left he has, and he moves on].

[Wowbagger]

He was getting very good miles in Florida, but it was beginning to get a bit hot. I wonder it that's what persuaded him to move on?

My knowledge of US geography is very scant, other than that it gets extremes of pretty well everything weather-wise and that there are some pretty lumpy bits in the middle. OK, Kurt lives in Arkansas, but how good is the terrain for this sort of challenge?

[Hummers]

They both seemed in good spirits.
Keep going Kurt!

+1

H

[duncan]

My knowledge of US geography is very scant, other than that it gets extremes of pretty well everything weather-wise and that there are some pretty lumpy bits in the middle. OK, Kurt lives in Arkansas, but how good is the terrain for this sort of challenge?

I hadn't realized how little US geography I knew until I started following Kurt's exploits. Dropping the Google streetview pin in random places to the East of Little Rock, it seems to have a lot of long straight flat roads that seem ideal. I have no idea what the weather is like over the year though - it seems pretty horrible right now...

[offcumden]

I reckon the terrain is OK, but the weather will be truly hostile at times.  Whereas now it's just plain horrible, as you say, in the height of summer or the depths of winter he'd risk being baked, blasted, swamped or frozen.  No doubt he has a cunning plan to move to more equable climes as the seasons pass.

In the meantime the tracker has him rooted to the spot!

[wajcgac]

Just read this on Kurts page    https://www.facebook.com/tarzanrides

Has anyone compared two Garmins, one with a speed sensor and one without? Can you run them at the same time without both picking up the speed sensor?

I wonder where he's going with this one or just a simple question on GPS operation?

[Wowbagger]

I'm not sure what he's on about when he talks about "speed sensor". My Garmin (Etrex Vista HCx) just draws a measured line on the map to represent movement and then records how much time it takes.

[Kim]

I'm not sure what he's on about when he talks about "speed sensor". My Garmin (Etrex Vista HCx) just draws a measured line on the map to represent movement and then records how much time it takes.

More recent models can log the data from ANT+ sensors.  Typically for heartrate and cadence, but also wheel speed, as per a traditional cycle computer.  How useful that is is a matter of some debate, but it's a reasonable question to ask if you're planning to spend a lot of time riding indoors or in small circles or something.

[Wowbagger]

Aha! The wonders of modern technology. Ta!

[red marley]

It would give you a much more accurate measurement of maximum speed than any GPS-only device.

[Jacamo]

Just read this on Kurts page    https://www.facebook.com/tarzanrides

Has anyone compared two Garmins, one with a speed sensor and one without? Can you run them at the same time without both picking up the speed sensor?

I wonder where he's going with this one or just a simple question on GPS operation?

Looks like he may be trying to compare the accuracy of a stand alone unit to one paired with a speed sensor. I think he'll find that the one with the speed sensor is much more accurate. It could be costing him a few miles each day if he's not using one.

[Jacamo]

It would give you a much more accurate measurement of maximum speed than any GPS-only device.

And distance.

[LeoW]

Looks like he may be trying to compare the accuracy of a stand alone unit to one paired with a speed sensor. I think he'll find that the one with the speed sensor is much more accurate. It could be costing him a few miles each day if he's not using one.

Is the speed sensor calibrated for wheel size by the GPS data or is it subject to whatever inaccuracies you may incur when estimating wheel size ?

[Jacamo]

Looks like he may be trying to compare the accuracy of a stand alone unit to one paired with a speed sensor. I think he'll find that the one with the speed sensor is much more accurate. It could be costing him a few miles each day if he's not using one.

Is the speed sensor calibrated for wheel size by the GPS data or is it subject to whatever inaccuracies you may incur when estimating wheel size ?

Garmin's have an "auto calibrate" as well as manual settings for wheel size. I've found the auto calculate to be very accurate, but I've heard some say that using the roll-out method for circumference is even more so. Either way is more accurate than no speed sensor at all.

[Wowbagger]

When I log miles I use the reading from the Cateye, which has the magnetic wheel sensor. I consider it to be mroe accurate that my old Garmin.

[Psychler]

Just watched one of the videos again - "You don't have to follow me today". Looks like Alicia is having a couple of days off. Hence Kurt staying close to Little Rock.

[Mr Larrington]

My knowledge of US geography is very scant, other than that it gets extremes of pretty well everything weather-wise and that there are some pretty lumpy bits in the middle. OK, Kurt lives in Arkansas, but how good is the terrain for this sort of challenge?

The only bit of Arkansas I've visited was the NE corner - south of the Missouri state line and west of the Mississippi.  That bit makes Florida look like western Colorado.  But it looks a good deal lumpier further west.

[Wowbagger]

I can't find Tarzan's total for 13th March. I'm intrigued.

[wajcgac]

Looks like he may be trying to compare the accuracy of a stand alone unit to one paired with a speed sensor. I think he'll find that the one with the speed sensor is much more accurate. It could be costing him a few miles each day if he's not using one.

Is the speed sensor calibrated for wheel size by the GPS data or is it subject to whatever inaccuracies you may incur when estimating wheel size ?

Garmin's have an "auto calibrate" as well as manual settings for wheel size. I've found the auto calculate to be very accurate, but I've heard some say that using the roll-out method for circumference is even more so. Either way is more accurate than no speed sensor at all.

Surely it is not an option to use the speed sensor as whose to say that the value has been inputted correctly. A potential flaw in the rules ?

Taking things to an extreme if the wheel size was entered as roughly twice the actual wheel circumference would the distance at the end of the day be reported as twice the actual distance or would Garmin connect/Strava report a different GPS based/or say google route distance.

A sealed odometer like Tommys seems not such as bad idea.

[Climberruss]

I can't find Tarzan's total for 13th March. I'm intrigued.

I reckon he's just forgot to post it.

[Wobbly John]

A sealed odometer like Tommys seems not such as bad idea.

As long as you don't sneak another magnet bolt onto the spokes when nobody's looking. 

[Jaded]

A GPS has to be a better way. If a rider is going to fake it then they pretty much have to do it for 365 days on the trot. On my Garmin(s) I'm sure the thing auto sets wheel diameter from the GPS data, and not having the sensor attached doesn't affect the distance travelled, just the maximum speed.

Despite that, I don't like reading about Kurt having problems. It's not how this should pan out, which, ideally, will be based on the athletic ability to ride hundreds of miles every day.

[Mr Larrington]

Looks a bit worrying ATM: nowt on Strava and the ACH page had been showing but 69 miles from SPOT and 97 using Ivan's Googley SCIENCE for a couple of hours when it and I both went to bed some time after 03:00.  Nothing apparent on Bookface either . I imagine the good folks who visit here from the Tarzanian Embassy are now abed.