So I got a Garmin etrex right after Christmas, and finally got to take it out and ride today (in spite of being a little sick)...

It was blowing between 5 and 10 mph so I broke out my new favorite toy,... The 6.8m viper s to see what I could do. The direction of the wind dictated shortish runs. In spite of the light wind and the short runs, I was able to clock a high speed of 16.3 mph,... Woot woot,.... I know it's by no means a Brian Holgate or PTW worthy speed,... In fact I'm sure I've gone a little faster on JI, but as of right now it's my recorded PB.



But now as I write this I'm sitting in the ER waiting to be discharged as what I thought was just a minor ear infection turned out to be a raging skin infection around my ear,... So after a great day of kiting, and having my butt shot full of antibiotics, I'm going to head to the 24 hr pharmacy them go home and go to bed,... Woot woot.

Way to go Spence !! Hey maybe you should use one of those fields for total distance traveled, so you know how many miles you've ridden.

VIPER kite is awesome...I purchased one for WBB (5.3) and WOW! Had a pretty good OBE with it too. You should enjoy it especially if flying it in gusty conditions..It just kept going.

Are you enjoying the Garmin? Though about getting one for those two reasons...speed and distance...It's not like the car ones that are going to tell you while you're on the beach...."Keep left after the sand dune" in .3 miles make a u-turn. :D

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Originally posted by BEC VIPER kite is awesome...I purchased one for WBB (5.3) and WOW! Had a pretty good OBE with it too. You should enjoy it especially if flying it in gusty conditions..It just kept going. Are you enjoying the Garmin? Though about getting one for those two reasons...speed and distance...It's not like the car ones that are going to tell you while you're on the beach...."Keep left after the sand dune" in .3 miles make a u-turn. :D

Yea, Vipers are pretty awesome, it's a shame they've been discontinued,... I've got a 2.6m and the 6.8m, and both are pretty awesome.

I like the etrex,... I have literally NO experience with GPS, and it is REALLY simple to operate. You're right, the distance and speed are all I really care about. Not terribly expensive either. I bought a mount for about $7 more dollars and it fits perfectly on the downtube (though I had to use bigger zip ties).

Now that you have your first one in the books, its only upward from here. You'll try to up it every time you go out. It gives you something to strive for.

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Originally posted by BeamerBob Now that you have your first one in the books, its only upward from here. You'll try to up it every time you go out. It gives you something to strive for.

I know, ... I found myself pushing to go faster in just the first session with it!

What r u using for a gps mount

This is the amazon.com listing for the mount,... It's made to mount on a bicycle

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-11023-00-Colorado-Oregon-Se...

Congratulations on your "first" personal best. That is still a respectable speed, especially in those wind conditions. Now you gotta head out to NABX and really lay it down. Let us know how you progress and what the next session brings.

Update,...

Today I went out with knkmanthey in similar conditions as previously. Kevin let me try out his 7m bullet and I subsequently beat my PB by a whopping .5 mph.

The wind was blowing such that I could make longer runs than before, so when that big green monster flexi hit its butter zone I was moving!

Now it stands at 16.8 mph!

WOOP WOOP!

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Originally posted by soliver Update,... Now it stands at 16.8 mph! WOOP WOOP!

soliver record published

well done

This is great to hear. You are an inspiration to us older guys that lack great speeds of the champs!! :wee:I need to get a camera so I can take a picture next time I get over 10mph so I can get on that list too.

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Originally posted by soliver Update,... Today I went out with knkmanthey in similar conditions as previously. Kevin let me try out his 7m bullet and I subsequently beat my PB by a whopping .5 mph. The wind was blowing such that I could make longer runs than before, so when that big green monster flexi hit its butter zone I was moving! Now it stands at 16.8 mph! WOOP WOOP!

Enjoy these fun days. Beating your previous PB gradually gets slower and slower until one day you stop progressing altogether. I wish I could go back.

After seeing that last video posted of your PB I think your doing O.K. :tumble:

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Originally posted by RedSky Quote: Originally posted by soliver Update,... Today I went out with knkmanthey in similar conditions as previously. Kevin let me try out his 7m bullet and I subsequently beat my PB by a whopping .5 mph. The wind was blowing such that I could make longer runs than before, so when that big green monster flexi hit its butter zone I was moving! Now it stands at 16.8 mph! WOOP WOOP! Enjoy these fun days. Beating your previous PB gradually gets slower and slower until one day you stop progressing altogether. I wish I could go back.

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Originally posted by popeyethewelder Quote: Originally posted by soliver Update,... Now it stands at 16.8 mph! WOOP WOOP! soliver record published well done

HAH! What a trip

Thanks there PTW, that's pretty funny to see myself waaaaaay down at the very bottom of that list. Hehe!

Thanks for all the encouragement guys, it's a blast!!!

BTW, just FYI if it matters Popeye, the surface was grass, not beach.

I can't wait to see what I can do when I get some REAL wind,... You know, at least above 10 mph!

It will be great to see that speed you can hit when we go back to Jekyll

Setting and breaking PB's are great. But, I always look to see who had more fun. What I find really cool is watching the rider get off their buggy with a grin a mile wide after what they felt was an epic day/run.

How big is your smile today! :D

when you fall off at 30 and bounce a little bit, you'll be wanting the 16 again.

Having been inspired by this tread, I've just secured a 2nd hand etrex. With any luck, I'll be reporting back soon...

My only fear is the possability of finding out that my most hardcore white knuckle runs are maxing out at 4mph or something...

Lol, :D

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Originally posted by Casmo My only fear is the possability of finding out that my most hardcore white knuckle runs are maxing out at 4mph or something...

That's how I felt @ 16 mph,... "HOLY CR@@@@@@@@@P,... Wait that's only 16 mph,... Well poo!"

I'm starting to think I may need to bring a spare pair of pants if I start to go any faster.

I just recently picked up an Etrex too, can't wait to try it out. My PB is currently 0 mph, so you're kickin' my ass soliver.

Regarding mounting, ive looked at a couple of the options people generally go with. Am i naive in thinking that a strip of adhesive backed velcro on the down tube and on the unit would do the trick?

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Originally posted by Casmo Regarding mounting, ive looked at a couple of the options people generally go with. Am i naive in thinking that a strip of adhesive backed velcro on the down tube and on the unit would do the trick?

If the back of the GPS is rubber, the velcro will stick for now but wont last long. I added a velcro strap around the unit and the downtube to be sure it didnt fall off.(bought a package of velcro tie straps for using on coiled up hoses/extension cords, etc. which worked great)
Kitemaker4 and buggybags makes a gps holder for the bugs. I got a few stainless holders from Popeye a few years ago that worked very well for the eTrex.
There is a few more expensive gps units out on the market that are worn on the wrist, some of us can see those a bit better than the downtube mounted units without our glasses on.

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Originally posted by Casmo Regarding mounting, ive looked at a couple of the options people generally go with. Am i naive in thinking that a strip of adhesive backed velcro on the down tube and on the unit would do the trick?

Posted this up above,... I bought this mount for my etrex and it works really well

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-11023-00-Colorado-Oregon-Se...

Went with the buggybags.co.uk gpod in the end. Now fingers crossed for some some wind this weekend.

way to go, nobody started with 60MPH+.
patiente, you'll get faster soon enough..

Well, the etrex battery died so I have no photo but 31.6 mph on one of my first runs.. Pretty sure I was going quicker later on but either way, happy with that...

I bet 16 feels crazy fast on grass in a small space. I had 84 square miles of dry lake bed and panicked when I hit 40. so your PB is a legitimate accomplishment. We need to remember what we are actually doing here, we aren't driving sports cars that will stop on a dime and something else to remember is that mother nature has her foot on the gas pedal Nice Job, and the biggest smiles come from new benchmarks.