After the lengthy post on the bike and what I’m putting a majority of the commuting miles on, I thought I’d list some of the electronics that I’m using for the ride.
First, I have two different Garmin units that I use. The Garmin Edge 510 & Fenix (1):
Garmin Edge 510 & Fenix side by side comparison
The Edge being the go-to for all of my rides since the ability to see speed/cadence/heart-rate on the large display worked well. It also works well for multiple bike and activity profiles. The advantage to this was being able to set up different data pages based on commuting or regular riding. Here’s a picture of it as it mounts onto the bars:
Garmin Edge 510, Cockpit View
If you’re interested in a really good in-depth review of the Edge 510 (and a boatload of other bike tech), DC Rainmaker did a great one.
The Fenix, which I picked up for hiking and walks with my wife, also does a good job with tracking the commute. Since I don’t track cadence during the commute or casual rides, the Fenix is great for a quick activity track.
For heart rate, I use the Mio Link ANT+ wristband.
Mio Link ANT+ heart rate monitor
I picked up the Mio because I kept having trouble with heart rate straps on my chest having problems with keeping a connection. From what I read, you can get electrode gel to help with this, but the Mio seemed to be the answer. I’ve had good luck with getting the readings from it and it connects well with both the Edge and the Fenix.
As I started commuting more, I wanted to find a way to bring a laptop with me. That, along with a wireless hotspot allows me to stop anywhere and log in. My normal laptop that I’d use between the office and home was a 17″ lenovo ultrabook. I liked it because it had the full number pad and the screen size to make it easy to work on multiple things or have two different documents up at the same time. Unfortunately, while it wasn’t a problem to lug around in a laptop bag, it doesn’t fit very well into the Ortlieb Office Bag that I use. So after doing a bit of research, I settled on a ASUS Transformer Book.
Asus Transformer Book
It’s esentially a tablet with a keyboard that detaches.
Asus Transformer Book Separated
Also pictured here is the Microsoft Bluetooth mouse that I use with it.
It’s really handy when the email server at the office has a problem or I need to send off an email that is longer than I’d care to shoot off with my phone. I’ll be doing a more in-depth review of it as I go along.
Two Wheel Distraction 