The iGS800 is a colour touchscreen bike computer with a large display and a broad feature set. And compared to more established competitors, it hovers, kestrel-like, at an attractive price point. That’s not to say it’s cheap. At around £360/$360, the iGS800 represents a fair chunka change. It needs to ... Read more The post iGPSport iGS800 Review: Great Price But Can It Compete? appeared first on Sportive Cyclist ..read more

My Garmin Edge 540 bike GPS review, here’s the ‘too long can’t be arsed to read’: The Edge 540 is compact and, to these eyes, an attractive hunk o’ chunk on my handlebars. It’s incredibly feature packed – Garmin has had years to hone this stuff: All the training shizzle is excellent; The safety and security features are segment leading; The climbing feature is … chefs kiss. And despite its feature-packedness (technical term), the 540 is actually quite easy to use. Garmin has overhauled the software UI since the 530. The man called El Monty, he say yes!   Downside wise, there aren’t man ..read more

Pubic service announcement: you should get a rear radar light for your bike. Yes, they win the prize for least exciting velo tech 2024. And 2023. Probably 2026. Yes, they’re quite costly for something that doesn’t cause loin rumblings of cyclo-desire. But take it from me, for this is my blog and I am the only one speaking, you will feel so much safer and more chilled when there’s a device dangling out of your rear end… And you start riding with a radar. There’s A Video! There’s always (sometimes) a video. On my YouTube channel. Back To The Review A radar adds an extra sensory input on th ..read more

For those of us with deep pockets, short arms and a Yorkshireman’s persuasion when it comes to spending money, buying Chinese bike components from brands you’ve never heard of has a beguiling appeal. Because they’re cheap. Well, they’re meant to be. And in this post, we’re looking at these pedals. Which are knock off Speedplays. Except they’re not really, because Speedplay hasn’t made pedals like these, with most of the body missing, for millenia. Certainly not since Wahoo bought them and became a bit litigatey. Watch The Video Version! Speedplays, like most things in cycling, prompt a viscer ..read more

OG* readers of this blog may recall that I’ve undertaken two very serious training camps road cycling in Mallorca. Which took place in the height of summer and, to other members of my ‘back room team’, been considered multi-generational family holidays. No matter. I’ve road bike holidayed in Mallorca twice now so I feel (semi-)qualified to present my “ultimate” guide on the subject. My aim is help you get the most road cycling goodness out of your holiday to the island, particularly if you have to work around other non-cycling family members who apparently just went there for a bit of sun… My ..read more

The Edge 840 is Garmin’s top end compact bike computer. And it’s grown on me. In a good way. Not like a fungal infection or weird right wing views. It’s featured on the blog already, compared against both its 8 series predecessor and the larger-screened 1040. But I wanted to do a dedicated, long-term review. Mainly because my Edge 530 vid did well on YouTube. And I want the money, money, money…. So here it is: my Edge 840 review after 9 months of use. Please to enjoy. *Yes* There’s A Video Version! Who Is The Edge 840 Aimed At? Cyclists. Next! Ok, sure, the Edge 840 is definitely ai ..read more

In this post, my comparison of the Garmin Edge 840 and the Hammerhead Karoo 2. I bought both with my own cash money, the Edge 840 in April 2023 and the Karoo 2 in September 2021 – although it only left the box in August 2022. Hashtag too many devices in the Sportive Cyclist GPS Stud. I paid £359 for the Karoo 2 (the price on the Hammerhead website) but at least in the UK, you can pick one up for more like £200. The Edge 840 (Solar version) cost me £520. You do see some discounts that bring it into the mid-£400 range. It’s still a fair chunka-difference in price versus the Karoo 2. With that co ..read more

Like every other cycling influ-blogger, I’ve bought some cheap veloshizzle on Aliexpress so I can write a post (and make a video) about it. In this case, I’ve been splashing the renmimbi on a razzle dazzle pair of road cycling shoes. The only thing is, they’re not cheap. And I’m hoping they’re not shizzle. In this post, you will receive in your eyeholes: my first impression of the shoes when they arrived; my second impressions after some real world testing (if that’s what we call me wearing them for a bit); and finally some thoughts on value, if you should buy them, all that good stuff. You ..read more

At first glance, this comparison seems a bit weird: pitching the previous generation button-only Edge 530 against the new touchscreen Edge 840. But wait, there’s a small nutsack of sense in this flippant whimsy. Because… the Edge 840 crimps in both bedpans. Unlike the Edge 830, the newer 840 is fully operate-able (surprise! not a word) with buttons. Perhaps you picked, or stuck with, the Edge 530 over the 830 because you couldn’t entirely get on with a touchscreen. Now you can buy the Edge 840, with all Garmin’s whizzo new features, dip your finger into the screen of touch, whilst kn ..read more

It’s new bike day for the first time in nearly 10 years. And shock horror, it’s a gravel bike. A steel-is-real Ribble CGR 725. A la mode in terms of function, and classic in terms of frame material. So here is my review, in which I will: kick off with an introduction to the bike; give my TED talk on why I wanted a Ribble; run through the specs; and shart out a very high level assessment of what it’s like to ride. All vajazzled with my sparkling repartee. Quite the image. Let’s begin. Watch My Ribble CGR Video! If you want… The Bike This is the Ribble CGR 725. The 725 den ..read more