Something look funny? Read this newsletter online!

Hello! 

Welcome to a very bike focused version of the DC Rainmaker Newsletter. This is The Girl writing to you from… Amsterdam… Whomp Whomp! I wasn’t invited on the RV’ing adventure with Ray and his new partner in crime, Shane Miller, to Friedrichshafen, Germany for this year’s Eurobike conference. But that’s okay, I’m enjoying good coffee and hot showers every morning whereas they are waking up each day in a parking lot. 

At the bottom of this newsletter I hope to give you a good insider look at the life and times of Eurobike 2018. Just scroll to the bottom for the In Depth Thoughts of The Girl for this special edition. As always, if you’re new to the newsletter and want to catch up on all the news, you can find all of the archives here. 

Finally, Ray has arrived at the much anticipated Eurobike, and the posts and videos have been pouring in. Let’s get down to it!

There’s another new power meter in the game. WatTeam launched their Gen3 PowerBeat Power meter. I don’t know much about these guys except they are the ones who show up with water bags every time they come to install a new device for Ray. I understand this company is helping drive down the costs of power meters, but… I only wish I could be a fly on the wall for some customers “DIY” projects in their garages. Water bags, and glue timers, personally I’d rather pay for a unit I have the confidence in knowing I didn’t screw up the install? [Update: Ray says they can do that too] That’s just me… for Ray’s take on it all check out his Hands-On post.

Zwift has made a lot of people happy. The company has (finally) made the software available on Android devices. It’s currently in Beta, but better than nothing for you anti-Apple users.

Garmin dropped another product on us just as the excitement of Eurobike rounded the corner. Now, admittedly, I am big Garmin fan, but for the love of all the doughnuts out there… do we need another Edge head unit? I dunno, maybe we do. This is the latest Edge Explore with full mapping and navigation. To be fair, at $249 a unit, it’s a good buy. But don’t take it from me, read what Ray had to say in the “Everything you wanted to know” post.

There are two posts up for grabs geared towards indoor cycling setups. By this I mean, smart bikes that aren’t meant to take a spin on the asphalt. First there is the Tacx Neo Bike Smart. A fairly impressive line up of specs. You can read up on Ray’s First Ride and Final Specs or simply sit back and watch the video. 

Now the second indoor bike option is a much prettier bike! No offence Tacx, your bike is cool and pretty in its own right, but this bike is suuuuuuper pretty. Elite dropped this little bombshell on the world at Eurobike- the Elite Fuoripista. Never mind the ridiculousness of the name, look at those lines! That fine piece work is the only other lady Ray is allowed to sneak back to the RV while he’s away!  

I believe Ray said it best last week, “this year is a bike trainer-palooza”. Seriously! So. Many. Trainers. So I’ll keep my sarcasm to a minimum here and just point you in the direction of who has released what. Elite Drivo II smart trainer, Cycleops Indoor Trainer Platform, Wahoo Fitness KICKR CORE, and Tacx Flux 2 Smart Trainer.

Rounding up the gadgets for the week is the new Wahoo Headwind. A very fancy, tech saturated, fan. Yup. For more sarcastic details on the fan, or simply to watch Ray’s most uncoordinated unboxing video ever, check out the Headwind In-Depth Review. 

As always, if you want to save yourself from using a lot of brain power and watch instead of read, check out Ray's YouTube channel, there is so much happening over there!

In-Depth Thoughts from The Girl

As you know, this week is Eurobike. The show officially started on Sunday, and the boys hit the road previously on Wednesday afternoon. Since Ray goes into hibernation mode during events like this, I’ve been getting most of my information via Shane’s Instagram feed- GPLama.

From what I understand it was a pretty romantic drive. They hit the road making their way south towards the famous Lake Constance.

The boys traded off driving as one or the other had to finish up work on the laptops. Then, Wednesday night, they finally pulled off for the night at this beautiful spot on the river.

Eventually they arrived on Friday to the parking lot they will call home for the next bunch of days. 

In case you were wondering what do you get when you pair up two super geeky sport tech pros in an RV? I spy: 3 laptops, 2 coffee makers, and one very expensive fan! Anything else guys? I guess with all of those electronics buzzing in that tiny camper, the fan was a must have. 

I’ll end things on that note. If you’re looking for more insider looks at how Ray and Shane are operating this week, check out Shane’s Instagram or YouTube Page. We all know that Ray only posts about once a month to his Instagram… Finally, if anyone sees my husband this week, let him know all is good in Amsterdam, and the kids are fine! Maybe try to feed him as well?

See you next week.

~The Girl.

Don't forget to support the site at Amazon or Clever Training
by using the links below!