Cycling tech has focused too much on integrating other equipment in the greater “suite” of cycling gear. But how well does it integrate the most important part- you, the cyclist?
Post-graduation is a tumultuous time in one’s life. The familiarity of student-life is suddenly gone, and one is faced with starting one’s ‘real’ life. Finding myself in this liminal time, I just moved to Boston, a city known for its (not-too-logical) road infrastructure. Faced with a new city, unfamiliar roads, and no way to make great sense of it all, how does Karoo fit in?
To quote the Bostonians around me- Karoo is a “wicked-good” tool for combatting the unfamiliarity of a newfound landscape. Boston has good roads and Boston even has great access to rural areas immediately outside the city limits. But relying upon older navigational tech or here-say from local cyclists would have left me unsure of where to begin, of how to ride, and of how to fully integrate myself into the physical cycling layout of the city.
Enjoying some of the paths through Cambridge
This is where Karoo really has eased a lot of the anxiety of this huge move. With the plethora of online route-finding resources (mapmyride, ridewithgps, Strava, etc.) I was able to see that Bostonians are crazy for cycling, and log a huge amount of miles even in some frigid temperatures. Equipped with just a laptop and a few minutes of idle curiosity, I was able to find routes that appealed to me in distance and elevation, and the accompanying notes from each ride made it easy to figure out what route would be best for a given workout or ride type. Everything from endurance rides to interval rides were easy enough to find, and with a simple “copy and paste” I was able to send dozens of routes directly to Karoo, have them sync instantly, and ride and train as if I were a local.
Quality pavement and wide bike lanes- combatting the New England stereotype of ragged, chip-sealed roads
Finding yourself in a new area coupled with the stress of moving and the anxiety of starting a new job takes its toll mentally- one physically doesn’t have the mental bandwidth to add the amount of time it takes to research, download, then juggle the myriad of apps commonplace with other devices to just get a single route onto a head unit. The streamlining of Karoo frees up time and energy to tackle other problems off the bike, and makes the time on the bike far more engrossing and fulfilling. I feel integrated to the greater-Boston roads, and riding is now a valued escape from all the other stressors following a move.
Ride free, feel integrated, and don’t be afraid to go into the unknown- you would be amazed how nicer your time on and off the bike will feel when so much stress is lifted from your shoulders.
Please feel free to share with us how you ride or your stories about moving, touring, or just plain old riding! Tag us on social media, and if you have a story you would like featured on the HH blog, please email andrews@hammerhead.io or harold@hammerhead.io