grand opening takes a twist...

For some reason I now see fit in a span of just a couple of weeks to start what is my third freakin' blog. Well this one, as the title suggests will be about nothing but the miracle of the CPU clock cycle, and our need as powergeeks to overclock them...sorry, wrong blog.

So as many others before me I’ll be sharing my training, experiences, as well as some noteworthy cycling news links. But, I’m also going to tap into my wealth of cycle industry insider knowledge and give you plenty of unbiased (hopefully) reviews and opinions on everything cycling related.

I was going to start off showing you my latest ride by way of the data collected by my Polar s720i, but this is where things took a twist. If you read my blog Coffee Induced Stupor, you’d know I recently built a new computer. As w/ all things computer related, new doesn’t always mean perfect, especially w/ existing peripherals like the Polar infra-red USB device. Polar to their credit does have info and downloads for problems installing the sensor, but it doesn’t seem to be working for me this time. One of the reasons for building another computer is that my previous C: drive decided to start talking to me just before it died! Yes, all my files from the past 2 years of riding were on there, and NO I didn’t back them up…

This isn’t a dig at Polar, as their watches are great, but like many other companies that have great tech in the signature product, the accessories and software included usually suck, are overly complicated, or hopelessly outdated. Case in point for outdated: the Specialized Speed Zone P.Brain Cyclometer and HR monitor generously include the PC download module and software but the computer connection is serial, and the software is on a floppy! Granted the model is on closeout, but even in the past 4 years USB has been a standard as well as CD-ROMS. It’s just disconcerting, that’s all.

So somewhere in my vast array of junk, I DO have a serial connect Polar sensor, but of course I can’t find it when I need it. I’ll keep you updated w/ any changes. We’ll see how Polar does in support as well.