Reid Falco Elite 2014, 1 year on. Plus, all my other bike accessories that I haven't mentioned yet

Reid Falco Elite 2014, 1 year on. Plus, all my other bike accessories that I haven't mentioned yet.

Bike stuff.

I was always planning on doing a long term review of the Reid Falco Elite 2014, and it just so happens that I recently passed the 1 year anniversary since I bought it.

This time last year, I had plans to be riding a lot more than I actually am now. I envisaged riding after work everyday, at night, in traffic, epic long distances, and while I've done all those things, I don't actually do them that often. Due to other interests and factors outside my influence like the weather and the atrocious local cost of cold season riding gear I've settled into mainly a weekend ride with a possible sneaky one during the week along the local bike track which constitutes about a 35 minute ride each way for just over an hour or so riding in total.

Since buying the bike I've also had one major accident that saw me fall/flip over onto the bike path embankment while trying to avoid crashing into 2 small children who, having just received their shiny new Christmas presents, thought to go riding together.. side by side.. across the entire track width.. around a blind (for their height) corner.

The derailleur hanger did a fair job of taking the brunt of the impact, but sadly the rear mech was also bent and while serviceable will never shift the same again.

I don't really have the desire to go used, or new 105 5700 components, and if I want to go for 5800, it makes more financial sense to spend a couple hundred more on the newer version of the same bike. Along with full 5800 I'd be getting some upgrades to the frame such as internal cable routing, better seat, new forks, better handlebar tape, plus 12months free servicing.

All in all, I cannot fault the bike in any way. For the price it has been, and continues to be, extremely good to me. If there was one thing I wished was different it would be more tyre clearance of the forks. I'm sure a 25 would fit but a 28 would probably rub. Given the trend towards wider tyres with lower pressures and the general state of the bike paths and roads around my area I would have liked to have the option to go wider.

That about wraps up my long term review. Everything I stated in the original review still stands and at the price I would still recommend the old 2014 model. If the updated model is as good as it's predecessor I'd recommend that as well.

I should also mention that the Mavic Axiom wheelset I bought has also gone through some rough abuse and are holding strong after 2 accident related re-truings.

Now on to the accessories:

Elite Super Jossanova water bottle and Mejio bottle cage

Got this pair on sale at Chain Reaction Cycles. I use the bottle all the time, everyday, even off the bike, just drinking water all day long. It won't spill, flows fast, and matches the colour scheme of my bike. One of the best investments I've ever made. The only downsides are:

1. The elongated triangle graphic indicating which direction is close and open has worn off from the way you have to grip the cap the screw it closed and unscrew it open. No big deal as by that time you know the direction off by heart.

2. Upon receipt there was a distinct plastic odour that had to be washed out. I gave up and just started using it. I await any long term side-effects.

3. Below a certain fill level, the air inside the bottle will interact with the pressure in the room you are in, so if you are in a small room with limited ventilation, the membrane can 'wheeze' and 'pop' with your breathing while you are trying to get to sleep. This is easily fixed by closing the cap before going to bed, but waking up in a haze and desperate thirsty for a drink is always made more annoying when you go to squeeze and forgot you closed the cap. YMMV.

10/10

The bottle cage has been flawless. Easy to use, doesn't snag on clothing. My one complaint would be finicky installation but I don't have any other bottle cages to compare to.

9/10

Airace Fit Tele Road mini pump

This pump is small and compact, but not very light or effective. I used it exclusively as my primary pump for months before upgrading to a floor pump. Only useful as a backup emergency pump, it comes with a clip that mounts beneath a bottle cage. The first one of these I had, the mount sheared off at the bolt holes from road vibration (not excessive in any way) releasing the rubber strap and letting the pump drop to the ground where it bounced directly into my spokes before getting torqued backwards, painfully into my shin, then falling beneath the rear wheel where it was crushed beyond repair.

I was lucky in this instance that only one side of the wheel spokes caught it as if it had bridged across both sides I probably would have been flung over the bars.

I took it back to Reid cycles where I got it (free with my bike purchase) and the lady took one look at the mount and replaced it free of charge.

It's attached to my bike but I haven't had need of it since getting the floor pump.

Apart from the bad luck I've had with it, I really did like the head mechanism design. You clamp the socket to the valve, pulling the locking lever, then twist the handle releasing the telescoping head. This disconnects the movement of the body from the head so you can be as vigorous as you want with your pumping and not fear damaging the tyre or valve.

As for the actual pump action, it's only in the compression direction, and the drawback only serves to fill the pump chamber. Pretty standard for this class of mini pump.

Where the pump falls short is the handle. The portion you grip with your hands is too small. Inevitably you pinch your fingers between the two moving halves or slip off either of the sections. Having one of those swivelling end caps on the lower section which allows you to get your palm involved would have required a shorter lower section, allowing the upper section to be proportionally longer, aiding grip and reducing hand muscle fatigue while avoiding pinched fingers. There's not reason this couldn't be done and if they can keep the aesthetic of the current design while stowed then it would be a definite recommend from me. As it is, there are probably better pumps out there that don't look as good and conversely better looking pumps that have less functionality.

5/10

Jetblack Jetrace Saddle Bag (Large)

The large is too large for the height and aft position of my seat. There isn't enough room above or below it on the seatpost to mount a rear LED flasher (the small ones like the Knog frog series). Capacity is good as is construction and materials. The storage chamber has hard, slightly flexible walls so items inside won't be crushed in an accident.

The velcro strap is atrocious. It's way too long for it's intended fitment and the ends are so sharp that they have actually sliced a hole in my lycra bib shorts. This sharpness combined with the excessive length is a bad combination as my bare skin will attest.

Utilizing a quick release clip mechanism would have been way smarter and less mess/fuss. If I ever replace this bag, I'm going with one of those designs. I bought this because it was cheap, but being instore-purchase only I wasn't able to bring my bike that far into the shopping complex to judge size.

I have no negative things to say about this company and if they brought out a similarly priced quick release version of this with a wider but squatter and design I'd definitely go for it.

3/10

Smart USB 500 lumen LED front light (BL185USB).

I bought this light based on the generally positive reviews of the 400 lumen predecessor to this model, especially when priced among the 100-250 lumen offerings from most other brand names.

The box contained the light and two mounts. A flexible rubber one and hard plastic one. The flexible one is fine for road use while the hard one has a screw retention mechanism which seems a lot more firm and suited to offroad use.

I can't vouch for any of the claims on the box but the battery is stated as Sanyo or Panasonic Li-Ion, the LED CREE.

Turning on the light is neat. Hold the button for 2 seconds and the light comes on with the mode you were previously in. While on, click the button once to cycle (no pun intended) to the next mode.
From my experience quoted run times are accurate at 2.5hours on high, with around 10hours on low. Charge time is also accurate at around 6.5 hours from almost dead.

Low mode is quoted at 250 lumens but I'm inclined to think either it's higher than that, or the high mode does not actually reach 500 lumens.

In either mode it's super bright. Probably blindingly so for oncoming motorists, so angle appropriately (very easy with the rubber mount).

There is also one other mode which you will never use short of firing this up at a rave concert. The 'Superflash' mode turns the light on and off rapidly and is quoted at 40hours run time. This mode would have been really useful had the flash rate not been so fast. It needs to be about 1/8th the flash rate to even make sense. It's also flashing at the high output setting which makes it doubly annoying to other road users. Perhaps there's a hack you can solder onto the circuitry to accomplish this but I'll wait for someone else to try first.

The quick release mount is super easy to use, and as such I can use this light as a general purpose light, or camera spotlight in a pinch, and I do. All the time.

The charge port is covered by a rubber flap and grommet so waterproof for the most part. Build quality in general is superb with aluminium front and very strong plastic for the rear and mounting point in a fairly light package. I wouldn't be surprised if this survived a fall from a second story building.

Would highly recommend this or any future version, especially if they can fix/tune the strobe rate of the flashing mode, and perhaps add an additional low setting while strobing.

8/10

That's all the stuff that currently attaches to my bike. My next post will not be specifically a bike related product but does have an interesting connection to bikes and also the Sony Action Cam I reviewed a while ago (of which I now have 2 after adding an HDR-AS20).

Shimano 2014 SH-XC30 Mountain bike shoes.

Shimano 2014 SH-XC30 Mountain bike shoes.

The XC-30s are mainly black, with a red and black inner lining, and grey accents on the outer. 3 velcro straps secure the foot, and there's not much else out of the ordinary from a visual standpoint.

The XC30s are SPD compatible clipless shoes and the XC in the name seem to allude to Cyclocross. Being SPD, they will interface with SPD pedals which are more often seen on non-road disciplines and are not compatible with the more usual road-going SPD-SL clipless mechanism.

While they arguably supply a smaller contact area and platform than SPD-SL, their smaller cleat profile allows for shoes that can designed so the cleats do not contact the ground when walking out of the pedals.

This is the also case with the XC-30s. They have hard, grey colored plastic ridges that extend from the edge of the shoe sole downward, raising the sole and cleat above ground level. The spacing in between the ridges also allows clicking in and out of the pedals with little interference.


Cycling shoe soles aren't meant to be flexible so as to transfer maximum power to the pedals, so walking in any cycling shoe is strange at first. It's also not recommended to do any amount of extended walking in them, and may even cause injury if used in such a way. I've not had much experience with other shoes of varying stiffness, but the sole of the XC-30 does not seem to flex much if at all for my use.

The sole inner and shoe upper are quite comfortably padded and after numerous rides I haven't found those areas to be a problem. Where I do have issues is the width across the ball of the foot. I have a fairly standard heel width and toe width but I have an unusually wide foot across the ball. Shimano do make a W variant for some shoes but I wasn't able to find a version for the XC-30s available. Had I known then what I know now after riding with them, I would have opted for one size larger, and then adjusted the velcro straps appropriately. I guess I'll know that for the next time I need to buy a new pair, but the main concern at the time was reducing movement of the foot within the shoe. As it is now, I need to let my feet out of the shoes every 90 minutes or so during a ride otherwise I start feeling pinching along the outer edge of my foot.

I did have to retorque the cleat bolts after a short ride when they were first installed, but I hear that this is the norm for most new shoes. The bolts themselves (2 per shoe) require a small dab of grease or anti-seize when installing. I used the same as what I used when installing my pedals to the cranks.

I'm also quite happy with the durability so far. I've come off the bike twice now and landed/slid on the outer of my right shoe and there only seems to be a small scuff showing. The velcro straps also seems to not be losing any adhesion. This was something that always plagued me during my younger not-coordinated-enough-to-tie-laces years. Being velcro, there is little limit to how loose or tight you can have the shoe which is great for people like me whose feet seem to expand and contract with the seasons (see fat fluctuations).

Cleaning is easy and the underneath doesn't attract much debris, apart from sticky mud or similar. So far I haven't had anything collect on the bottom of the show that caused the clipless mechanism to fail.

Ventilation is standard, but during the colder months don't expect the lining of the inner to keep your feet warm. The cold goes through these shoes readily and a waterproof overshoe is recommended if riding through the wet or cold.


Apart from the sizing (which mostly boils down to my inexperience) I'm extremely happy with these shoes and they haven't failed me yet over the couple of hundreds of kms I've ridden in them so far.


The Good:
- Price. I paid around $70 instore, but you could probably find them cheaper now.
- Build quality. Has survived well through scrapes and crashes.
- Clipless. As with the previous pedal review, anything that gets rid of those horrible toe-clip pedals is welcome.
- Maintenance. Cleaning required is minimal and they look good.
- Adjustable. Velcro straps allow freedom in fitment (to an extent).

The Bad:
- Weight. You could probably get a lighter shoe but you would probably pay more for it.
- Width. Could be stock availability, but I couldn't find a W variant anywhere instore.
- No included/pre- grease. You need to supply your own grease or anti-seize compound when installing cleat bolts.
- Hard to walk in and get used to. This is common with all cycling shoes.
- Not the latest. I believe there is an XC-31 out now.


 - Overall:
For the price, and how they perform I can't complain. Obviously they are not going to be the lightest or stiffest shoe, and while they look good they are definitely an understated affair. Basically, like the SPD pedals in the previous review, they are an inexpensive workhorse of an item that gets the job done without much fanfare.

Score:
9.0/10

Up next (I think I'll do them all together):
Elite Super Jossanova water bottle
Elite Mejio bottle cage
Airace Fit Tele Road mini pump
Plus a whole lot of other small items.
Basically, all my bike accessories.

Shimano PD-M520 SPD Clipless mountain bike pedals

Shimano PD-M520 SPD Clipless mountain bike pedals

FYI, this and the next few reviews tie into my last review of the Reid Falco Elite as in they are all road bike related. They will generally be shorter and can be thought of as an extension to the bike review. This is to balance out the fact that it's not entirely random (not that this blog is 'entirely' random, but you get the idea).

Durianrider, an Adelaide based YouTuber has a few videos on cycling tips for new cyclists. One of those is to get mountain bike, or touring pedals and shoes, as the standard road shoes while lighter, make you walk funny at the cafe. A quick search online revealed that the M520s should work with any SPD compatible shoe, of which there are a large range, so I bought the pedals with a mind to get some shoes locally where I could try on some sizes.


Not going to lie. The main driving force behind me choosing these pedals was the price. They were AU$26 delivered from ChainReactionCycles in the UK. The cheapest other pedals I could find locally were about twice that for pickup in store.
Also they were white which goes well with my bike colour scheme.

They are made of aluminium and chromoly steel, and are probably the heaviest SPD pedals in this category of PD-M pedals. There are other heavier pedals from Shimano but they usually have something extra like a flat platform or are reversible for use with non-clip shoes.


Given that the toe-clip pedals I was replacing weighed more than the M520s and had also already contributed to all 2 of my crashes, I looked forward to the day I could swap them over.

A few days later they arrived.

The pedals were easy enough to install with the advice I had been given when I bought my shoes: The left pedal needs to be threaded the opposite way from intuitive. The right pedal is as you would think, just like a normal threaded screw. My shoe purchase also had some lithium grease thrown in which came in very useful as anti-seizing agent on the threads.

Of all the upgrades to make to a bike, I think clipless pedals are right near the top in terms of how they affect the way the rider interacts with the bike. When in the saddle, there is a reassuring feeling that you can thrash the crank through the full rotation of the pedal cycles and not worry about your foot slipping off. Out of the saddle, that same reassurance is there, and also provides the ability to lift up with the back foot to help get up climbs easier. The release mechanism is also very deliberate and this aids in getting your foot out quickly to prevent toppling over (something that can't be said about the toe-clips).

Unfortunately, on my first outing with these pedals, I crashed rather badly (but not at all due to the pedals). Long story short, my right pedal took most of the damage that was bike related. The skin on the left side of my body didn't fare as well. After getting some help from the other cyclists in the immediate area, I was happy to discover that though most of the outward facing name plate on the pedal was sheered off, the pedal itself, clip system, and the spindle still worked as before. There was quite literally no functional damage. I was able to ride home with no issues.

Since recovering, I've ridden a few hundred more kms and they are still going strong. I can firmly state that these pedals are tough and do everything they claim to do and at an amazing price.


The Good:
- Price. Cheapest SPD compatible pedals around.
- Build quality. Survived a crash taking most of the initial impact and related scraping on the road surface.
- Clipless. More pedaling versatility than flats and a bazillion times better than toe clips.
- Colours. Comes in silver, black, and white.
- Narrow. Since they don't provide a platform for the entire foot, the overall width of the bike is about 5-10cm narrower. This is great for getting it in and out of my car boot, and walking beside the bike through narrow or semi-blocked off doorways.

The Bad:
- Weight. Probably the heaviest Shimano SPD pedal offering only clipless with no platform or dual function.
- Addictive. They can make you go faster. This is both a good and bad thing.
- No included/pre- grease. You need to supply your own grease or anti-seize compound when installing.
- Nothing. There is literally nothing else bad I can think of about these pedals.

Overall:
Clipless pedals are amazing and there are a multitude of brands and models out there. These are the most basic of basic pedals but it gets the job done, and is durable at an extremely good price point. For most road cyclists in my situation (eg. not racing or doing 100km+ a day), this pedal will cover 99%. The other 1% would be those with specific physical needs or those who cannot guarantee the availability of their SPD shoes (in which case they will need the dual function pedal). As always, more can be spent to go to a better looking or lighter pedal, but apart from longevity, functionally there would be little difference. If these wear out, just get a new pair. They are so cheap.

Score:
9.9/10

Up next:
Shimano 2014 SH-XC30 Mountain bike shoes.

Reid 2014 Falco Elite Road Bike

Reid 2014 Falco Elite Road Bike

Wow, it's been almost a year since the last review. I'd like to say I have been busy, but I guess I've just been lazy.

And by lazy I mean watching too much anime. Which is a good segue into the product I'm writing up today, because fitness and getting out of my chair and moving about is something that can be done with a bike. Also I was watching Yawamushi Pedal which is an anime about an Otaku who gets into road bike racing.

I'll get to the bike now, but if you want to read a bit of back story on how I went about buying from Reid, there is more at the bottom of this post.

The 2014 Falco Elite is a 6061 aluminium frame with Reid's own carbon brand forks. The steerer tube is aluminium which from what I could gather online, is the best starting point for someone just beginning road cycling. Seat tube, stem, and handlebars are also aluminium and also recommended.
One of the big selling points of the bike is the full Shimano 105 groupset. Everything including the chain and brake calipers is 105 (albeit the last generation 5700 version). All up it weighs under 9kg, although that includes the $200 optional Mavic Aksium wheel upgrade, otherwise 9.57kg with the default Alex 450 wheels.
At ~AU$1000, this is great value, and from what reviews I have read and my own experience I don't think the price takes anything away from the bike.

The paint job is mainly black with white and red highlights. I really like this colour scheme although it's not to everyone's tastes. The Reid website address is also painted on the chainstay. I'm not sure they needed to do that and it's the only thing about the looks which I think is out of place. The stock seat and bar tape also fit the look, although my bar tape is black.

I'm not a bike expert and I haven't ridden a lot of road bikes, but so far I've clocked more kms on this bike in the last 4 weeks than my mountain bike in the last 4 years. Every time I get on it I just plain have fun and I haven't been able to say that about any other bike I've owned before. I've installed the Strava app on my phone and log every ride and post it so everyone (with a Strava account) can see my progress.

Shifting gears is smooth and distinct, and the STI levers make it so easy. This is a far cry from my mountain bike even though it had thumb and trigger shifters. Brakes are excellent and I've had no issues stopping or starting on the Mavic tires.

The seat that comes stock is a Velo racing saddle and it's slightly slippery. I actually asked the sales staff if I could have the saddle from the Falco Advanced as I felt that was a lot better, but they said it had to stay with that bike. :(
It's not a bad seat but after a few rides I've found it to be too narrow for my sit bones width and my weight is being supported by the wrong bones. I have to continually 'clench' to avoid getting sores in some areas, but this could actually have some firming benefits as a side-effect.  ;)

Now that all the good stuff is out of the way, I'll get on to some not-so-stellar things.

The stock pedals are bad. Not just bad quality, but a bad idea and for me downright dangerous. The stock pedals are toe-clips which means hoops of flexible flat cord which your feet slip into to stop your foot sliding too far forward off the pedal, and also allows a limited amount of lifting up on the back stroke as your other foot pushes down.
In theory it's a cheap and simple way to get some extra power over standard flat pedals but in reality what happens is the top-heavy weight of the hoops flips the pedal upside down, so you have to use your foot to try and flip it up and at the same time slide your foot under the (never properly arching) strap. Every single time (and I'm not exaggerating) I've not been able to keep my eyes on the path ahead of me because I'm too busy looking down at my feet trying to get my pedals upright and my feet into the hoops.
This actually contributed to my first two crashes. First one was as I was at a standstill heading up a hill, and I had stopped to get my bearings and quickly eat a small muesli bar. I had forgotten that when I had stopped I was geared upwards and so when I went to push off, it took me ages to get my foot in the hoop and start pedaling and by that time my small momentum had abated. Being in such a high gear I wasn't able to move the pedals and began to fall over. Had I been on flats or clipless I could have gotten my foot out easily to stop my fall, but the hoops require sliding backward out of the strap before you have move your foot sideways. Suffice to say I landed on my side quite heavily and scraped my knee and palm, and jarred my wrist.
The second time, I was also going quite slow and had to take my hand off my bars. I wasn't able to get my foot out of the strap in time and landed heavily on my left hip and elbow. The hip felt like I had broken bone and even after 2 weeks it was still black and blue and yellow around the area (FYI, bruising has subsided now).

Since that crash I have bought proper pedals and clipless shoes so I never have to deal with those awful toe-clips ever again.

One other thing that isn't quite perfect about my bike, or rather the bike fit, is the stem length. By default it comes with a 10cm stem. For me, my centre of mass is quite biased to my upper body so given a properly adjusted saddle, when I reach forward I find I'm stretching quite far to hold the levers in the proper position. This is something I've only been aware of since my first long (68km round trip) ride, when my shoulder muscles oblique and lower back began to hurt. Also where my (gloveless at the time) hands met the hoods, in between thumb and pointer finger, I developed massive blisters. This indicated I was putting too much weight forward into the handle bars, which the slipperiness of the seat did not help. I find that if I set my hands back about 1 to 2cm the increase in comfort is astronomical, on all body parts mentioned above. Being that far back though I cannot reach the levers properly so I'm going to have to invest in a shorter stem and get it installed at my next service.


The Good:
- Price/Value: Reid label this as the best value race-ready road bike in Australia, and I'd have to agree.  Getting full 105 on a comparable bike from another brand starts at around AU$1500 and even then sometimes they mix in other components form lower tiers.
- Fun. This is a personal point, but I find riding it fun. This might be the case with all road bikes though, but for me the Falco Elite is definitely not left out of that group.
- Strong/Durable. I've had 3 crashes so far (2 stationary/low speed, and 1 high speed, not my fault, 25km/h+ double forward flip on a bitumen bike path) and it's come away with minor scratches and no breaking/warping/bending in the frame or handle bars. I've been able to ride away from all without needing to re-adjust anything. My wheels will need slight truing though as some of the spokes have probably been stretched but that would be the case with any other bike.
- Looks. This bike (IMO) looks really good. It's not a spray painted, hipster, steel thin tube relic. Nor is it a flashy, Italian, carbon fiber, wallet shrinker. It sits pretty much in the middle of the spectrum of what you might see going down the road in and around outer-CBD or suburban areas.


The Bad:
- Toe-clips come stock. Get rid of these works of the devil as soon as you can and get a proper set of pedals and shoes. I was able to source pedals for $25, and shoes can be had as cheap as $49 online. I didn't get the shoes at that price because I didn't know my size. When I went in store to purchase them I got amazing service and great advice and I value that quite a lot so gave them my business. (FYI, the store was Adrenaline Cycles, Ringwood).
- No bike fit. Apart from the test rides they provide, Reid Melbourne did not have any fitting facilities onsite. I have had to consult mostly online bike fit guides to get my settings adjusted but things like the need for a wider saddle and shorter stem would have been good to get out of the way at purchase, even if it cost an extra few hundred dollars.
- Lack of sizes. I would think that the stock of Small and Mediums would be increased given that's where most of the customers fall, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
- No compact crankset available on 2014 model. The newer 5800 model of Shimano 105 has been out for ages and I would have thought they would give me the option for those given the similarity in price but they have only just started using them on the 2015 Falco Elite (went on sale in the last few weeks).
- Website on chainstay. I could probably paint over it, or stick some stickers to cover it up, but it just seems like a pointless way to advertise your products. Just having Reid on the side of the bike should be enough for anyone interested to Google it. I don't see any Giant bikes with www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/ written on the side.
- Sketchy customer service during peak hours. They really need to get extra staff on hand during the 10am - 2pm period. There just aren't enough staff to properly cater for the number of customers to the point where it affects earlier customers who are halfway though getting served.
- Additional costs. So far I have bought a bottle, bottle-cage, flashy lights, pedals, and shoes, and I'm about to buy a track pump with pressure gauge, new stem, torque wrench, headlight, hi-viz jacket, cycling shorts, gel padded gloves, possibly upgrade to the newer 5800 groupset of 105....I'm getting sick just thinking of the amount of money I might sink into this, especially when I think of some brands of bikes going for $3000+ and that's the entry point!


Overall:
I have to say that overall I'm exceedingly pleased with the Falco Elite. I love my new bike and I love riding it everywhere. I've had some crashes and they did hurt. Quite a lot, actually. But had I known I still would have bought this bike. It has been worth the pain.
I deducted points for the stock pedals and lack of bike fit, and to a small extent the customer service during my first visit to Reid, but the bike itself brings the score back up.

I would recommend anyone getting this bike, or a similar bike online or in a shop where there is no fitting process, to consider looking into at least a basic bike fit so you aren't uncomfortable on a long ride.



Score:
9.8/10.


Upcoming future reviews:
Shimano PD-M520 SPD Clipless mountain bike pedals.
Shimano 2014 SH-XC30 Mountain bike shoes.
Elite Super Jossanova water bottle
Elite Mejio bottle cage
Airace Fit Tele Road mini pump



My experience buying from Reid.

I bought the Falco Elite from Reid Cycles Melbourne on my second ever visit there, and after visiting the website many times. The first time I went in I was looking for their Osprey model as it was a sale model. It was during lunchtime so it was packed with people on their lunch break. I didn't get served for about 45min and even had people served before me who entered the store after me.
Just before I was about to leave in a huff, I was able to grab one employee and ask if they had any stock of the Osprey in my size. They only had Large and XL and he noted I would be too small to fit a Large, or even if I did it would be uncomfortable with little room for adjustment. He mentioned to come back next week and they might have some more Mediums.
I noted that later that week they discontinued the sale model and started stocking the new 2015 model. After many searches on the internet for what to look for in a first road bike, my choice of components was different but I still ended up looking at Reid for their (on paper) value, although now I was looking at their top of the line range, the Falco.

When I entered the store the second time, it was very early and had literally just opened its doors and there was no other customer there. I had the full attention of the staff member on the floor. I enquired about their road bike range and also the available sizes. It seems they didn't have any Mediums but they did have the new Falco Advanced 2015 model in a 'labelled as Large but due to the expanded size options for 2015, Large is actually closer to 2014 Medium'-size. He let me take it out the back lane for a test ride and I fell in love immediately, even though the gears hadn't been setup correctly and were clicking in one of the configurations.
Coming from my old heavy mountain bike with offroad tyres, this comparatively featherweight frame and skinny tires made me feel like I was flying. From the stupid grin I had on my face as I returned to the store, he could probably tell he was going to make a sale that day. Even so, he suggested I try the 2014 Elite in Large, just to see if the bigger size was not an actual issue. Unfortunately it was. The seat was too high, even when slammed and I couldn't get comfortable at all in the test. I also took out one of each of the other models just for fun but came back wanting each time. It looked like the 2015 Falco Advanced was going to be the one. He said that he would chuck in a discount because they didn't have the model I wanted which brought the price down a bit and I was all ready to go ahead.
I asked if he could make a quick adjustment to the seat height, and the gears so I could take it out one last time before making my mind up.
Just as I walked back into the store, my mind made up, one of the staff I hadn't seen before wheeled a Falco Elite over to the display area. It looked slightly smaller than the one I test rode so I inspected the label. To my surprise it was a Medium! I asked if this was a build order for someone else but he said it wasn't and had just come from the workshop after a re-wrap of the bar tape. When the original employee came back from speaking to another customer (I had been there for a few hours already and the store was starting to fill up at this point), I asked if I could take this one out for a test. After a few adjustments I rode it up the laneway and it was perfect (although as I would find out later, not 100% perfect due to stem length).
I committed to the purchase and he sent the bike to the workshop for final adjustments. During the wait, I ended up buying a small hand pump, flashing lights, chain lube, spare inner tube, and tire leavers. The guy was actually quite apologetic about it taking so long to finally get the right bike model in my hands, so he retained the discount he mentioned earlier and threw in a couple of the other items for free or at a big discount.
Overall, my experience on the second visit was night and day compared to the first visit. Looking at some forums, it seems the case for this store is that as it gets busier, customer service goes down, but if you can get in early and onto one staff member for your whole visit, you should be fine. It's been about 6 weeks since I bought it and haven't been back since. It's due for its first service (free servicing for first 12 months) so I'll be booking it in sometime during the week and dropping it off as early as possible.

Breville BM800 Custom Loaf Pro breadmaker

Breville BM800 Custom Loaf Pro breadmaker

The BM800 is counter top bread making machine with quite a lot of flexibility. It's extremely easy to use and the manual that comes with it is detailed, informative, and also contains most (if not all) the recipes you will need to satisfy your bread making needs.

I received my unit as a gift, so I cannot comment on the value for money, but I've seen these being sold anywhere from around the AU$250-$400 mark, locally and shipped to here in Australia.

Visually, apart from the black plastic opening handles and feet, and the window and screen, the entire unit exterior is shiny stainless steel, with chrome buttons. Everything looks really well made and durable, and would blend in very easily into most kitchens. The flat surfaces attract fingerprints though.

Once you open the (removable) lid, you can see the non-stick baking dish inside. This is where all the ingredients go and where the magic happens. Taking out the dish, you can see the drive crank and the heating element.

The lid has an integrated fruit/nut dispenser but I like to call it the auto dispenser, since you can put in a whole variety of things in there.

Usage:

For a fairly broad usage video, watch this:

http://youtu.be/oZzerNhgsCk


It really is as simple as adding the ingredients in the specified order and then hitting some buttons and walking away. 3 and a bit hours later, you will have a fresh loaf with the most amazing smell wafting through your whole house. For anyone who has been up partying all night and found themselves at a shopping mall looking for Gatorade and chips at 4am in the morning, the smell reminds me of the small bakeries they have along the walkways.

The unit comes with a timer so you can start the process whenever you like. What isn't mentioned in the video, but is very clear in the manual, is that if you plan to use the delay timer, use powdered milk on top of the dry ingredients so there is no curdling happening during the waiting time. Fresh milk can be used in with the wet ingredients if you are starting a loaf immediately.

While there is a light button on the control panel to let you see what's happening, I found that most of the time during kneading the window was fogged up and I could hardly see anything anyway. The light button also needs to be depressed the whole time you need the light on. I would have rather had a toggle switch or an auto off button for 2 minutes. The button on my unit doesn't activate very early in the press so you have to hold it and sometimes it flickers if you don't put enough pressure on it.

The first few time I made a loaf, I sat holding the light button the entire knead cycles. I'm sure this wore out the globe and I don't think it's an LED.

The auto dispenser is very handy, compared to other models without it. I've heard from others who have the dispenser-less model that the most annoying part is having to wait for the beeps to tell you when to add the flavouring ingredients. With the auto dispenser, you load it up at the start and it drops them in at the correct time. This lets you do a flavoured bread on a delay timer overnight and you don't have to worry about attending to it until it's finished baking.
My one gripe about the dispenser is that it is gravity activated both for the dispenser door, and ingredients. There is nothing mechanical to push the ingredients down with, so there is a chance that sticky raisins or fruit pieces can get stuck on the edges. It has happened to me once, so I might try dusting the tray with some ground cinnamon next time and see what happens.

One finicky thing that happens which is kind of glossed over in the video is that you should set the paddle alignment while it is in the machine, then take the dish out to add ingredients. If you take the dish out, add the paddle, then add the ingredients, when you go to put the dish back in it might not sit correctly. Then you have to either remember which orientation the paddle was in (I always put it at the same orientation so I know) and fiddle around with the crank, or guess. Doing this while holding the dish from it's handle in one hand is annoying and tiresome. If you move the paddle slightly past where you would normally orient it, then turn it back slightly while it is in the machine, then when you go to put it back in it should align and just slide right in.


Cleanup.
Cleaning the unit is easy as long as you always ensure ingredients are not able to fall out of the dish. A lot of dry ingredients will tend to fall onto the dish lip so brushing them off or back into the dish before placing in the machine will ensure the heating element and crank area remain spotless. The non-stick dish can be washed by hand normally with a soft sponge or just your hands. I like to get a toothbrush (used solely for washing up) to remove baked bread from the paddle, crank pin, and lower indents of the dish. With a bit of water, crust and baked on stuff come easily off.
Exterior cleanup just requires a wipe with a damp cloth.

The Good.
- Dead simple. Apart from the unloading processing when the dish is hot, a 3yo child could use this machine.
- Satisfying. There is something satisfying about making your own bread (even if the machine did all the elbow work). Putting any flavouring you want is like adding your own signature to something.
- Bread. Bread is amazing. Fresh out of the machine, I sometimes just have a slice of fruit loaf with nothing on it, it tastes that good.
- Easy cleanup. Cleaning takes about 3-5 minutes, or a bit more if something spills on the outside or into the heating/crank area.
- Flexibility. The settings on the machine are easy to understand and use for a beginner, but you can hit the Modify button to open up deeper custom options.
- Not just bread loaves. The machine also has setting for pizza dough, twist rolls, dense loaves, sweet loaves, and Jam (I have no idea about the jam function or how it works, or ever why you would want to use it. I want bread. Not jam. Good to know though, if ever I need jam and the store isn't open and I happen to have lots of berries lying around.)
- Build quality. The machine exterior, control panel, drive mechanism, and heating element look like they take a beating and last a really long time. Excellent IMHO.

The Bad.
- Whine. When my unit is powered on, there is a noticeable electric whine coming from the unit. I believe this has something to do with the power supply transformer connected to the drive unit but I notice it changes pitch whenever the light button is pressed. At 240V, 830W, it's drawing 3.5A. I'm pretty sure that's enough to get electrical burns with so don't try messing with it. Refer to customer care for any electrical faults/issues.
- Vibration. The unit tends to oscillate violently when the dough ball is off centre. This is normal and helps bring in ingredients that are stuck to the walls of the dish. It does however mean that the unit should be placed on a solid bench area, and not on a random plank of shelf wood sitting on top of the shipping box it came in like I have it currently.
- Auto dispenser stickiness. The dispenser should have had some sort of spring mechanism to push the ingredients down. I'm not 100% confident with sticky flavourings like raising when using the delay timer.
- Wear. I'm baking about a loaf every third day for myself and family members to enjoy, as well as the occasional guest or work colleagues. I've noticed the pins in the collapsible paddle become slightly looser than when new, but it still seems functional. Time will tell how long it holds up.
- Light switch. The light should have either been a toggle or a timed switch. I had to be there holding the switch while my sister held my niece above the viewing window. I guess I had fun watching the knead cycle too..
- Beep toggle is all or nothing. I would have liked to been able to turn off the beeps during the auto dispense action, but keep the beeps for start and end. Unfortunately, you either have to have all the beeps off or on.
- Heat. The outside of the unit can get quite hot. I wouldn't have thought so given the design and vents but it's something to look out for. There is also no easy way to get the dish out after baking without tea towel/oven mitts and using your hands. I would have like to have had a hook (like those used to remove billy cans from campfires) to remove the dish as the tea towel method I use is cumbersome. If you look at the video, the dish is already cool when she takes it out of the machine, otherwise she would have burnt her left pointer finger and probably her other hand's fingers just after the cut in the video.

Overall.
I was expecting the BM800 to be good, but I wasn't expecting it to be this good, or that I would be using it so often. I have only used the loaf function so far, but I intend to make some pizza dough and twist rolls next. I might update this post too once I do those.
For anyone who likes to eat bread, make bread, watch bread being made, watch bread rising, watch bread baking, or just wants their house to smell like a bakery, getting a breadmaker is a must. I would wholeheartedly recommend this product to anyone. It ticks all the right boxes and aside from a few small niggles which aren't really problems, it's basically perfect.

Score:
9.8/10.

ASUS Google Nexus 7

ASUS Google Nexus 7 32GB WiFi-only

A recent sale at Dick Smith had the 32GB WiFi Nexus7 (N7) on sale at AU$279. I was hoping to pricematch this (and get the 5% difference discount = $329-$279 * 5% = $2.50 off!) from Officeworks, however the closest store had a problem with their barcoding system so the backroom staff member wasn't able to determine where the stock for the device was located. He also appeared to have a cold so I decided to head to the next closest store and discovered they had already discounted to $279, which meant I couldn't get a pricematch discount, but still saved me a 20minute drive to the nearest Dick Smith.

Pretty soon I had the device unboxed and downloading the latest Android update off my home WiFi. This took around 10 minutes and another few minutes to sync my Google profile to the device.

If you want the full specs for the N7, just google it. My reviews tend to be more subjective so you're getting a feel for my experience with the device, and hopefully some insight from a user that you don't get from a dedicated gadget review site.

In the hand, the soft-touch plastic on the back is extremely comfortable and just feels nice to hold. It's a different experience than the all aluminium unibody of an iPad, although apart from the size, the heft is very much like that of an iPad2 (I wish Apple would just call it that rather than calling each new one "The New iPad" each iteration). Embossed in the soft-touch is the nexus logo and a small ASUS logo. For some reason I like them there and think the back would feel a bit bland without. The tall, skinny dimensions of the device basically forces a 2 hand hold in landscape and a one hand in portrait, and the thickness and weight don't impinge on this.

In portrait, the headphone jack is on the top and well placed to be out of the way when in either orientation. Bottom centre is the microUSB port. There are dual speakers facing backwards on the rear and these can get quite loud, enough to vibrate the device on a hard table surface.

I believe the screen is Gorilla Glass 3 but double-check that on google. It picks up fingerprints quite readily, but you don't really notice any smudges when an image is being displayed (unless very dark such as a scary movie). Images and text are very crisp and has a very high resolution. Even so, I don't notice any lag or tearing when swiping to other screens. The GPU in the N7 is definitely up to the job in 2D apps, but in 3D, I've noticed some lag and stutter when there are a large number of object edges on the screen or lots of shadows/effects. Coming from a Galaxy S2, this is like the polar opposite of that phone where the low resolution and great (at launch) 3D performance meant never hitting a processing ceiling. In terms of touch, for me at least, the accuracy almost seems too fine. On-screen objects that I would touch on my phone don't seem to register on the N7, or would miss by a very small distance. I expect I'll get used to it in time and then curse my phone for being so innacurate (until I get the Nexus 5  :D   ).
Leaving the screen on auto-brightness I don't really notice the changes in brightness when moving from room to room at home and honestly, as a WiFi only device you can probably set the brightness to a static value and leave it there. If you get the LTE/4G version, the auto-brightness will be infinitely more useful when outdoors, where the screen is able to go VERY bright when needed. Colours are good but I do notice a shift in both colour and brightness when changing viewing angles.

Overall performance is snappy and apps launch quickly. The back of the device does get hot during gaming, but in casual use you won't notice anything.
Battery life is excellent and I can watch a ton of YouTube content @ 1080p without making much of a dent in the battery. Games drain quicker but you can get a good couple of hours gaming in and still have enough left for the rest of your daily usage such as email, youtube, music playback, and ebook reading. Charge time is really good and a quick stint plugged in will give you enough to be away from power for a good while, although this is only from the wall plug, not over USB.

The Good:
- Value. For the price you get a lot of bang for your buck. ASUS and Google have cut corners to get the price so low but they've done it mostly in all the right places and you generally don't notice. It feels a lot more premium than slightly cheaper no-name brand devices and definitely performs better.
- Ergonomics. The dimension and weight of the device make it easy to hold and portable enough to take anywhere you could take a large phone. I'm able to lie in bed and hold it straight upwards with both hands in landscape at arms length away from my face and still get good visuals and audio without getting too tired.
- Stock Android. As with all Nexus devices you get no 3rd party skin overlay on top of the OS. I've had a ton of fun activating apps and initiating google searches with just my voice. I haven't turned on Google Now just yet as it seemed to deactivate my voice control options but if I get it working I might try using it.
- Display. The display resolution is great and even small text is easy to read.
- Battery life. My battery widget reports about 1 and a half days left of light usage. I think I could probably get about 6 hours of solid gaming before having to recharge.

The Bad:
- Build quality. While overall the device feels solid, it's still a plastic device. You can ever so slightly twist it when holding in landscape with two hands and I wouldn't want to sit on it. The power and volume buttons are also plastic and feel wobbly and insecure to the touch. This is probably the cheapest feeling aspect to the N7. I wish they had done something closer to the nexus 5 and had ceramic buttons.
- Button placement. I also wish they were slighly further apart. I keep hitting the power button when I want to increase the volume.
- Heat dissipation. When it does get hot, you can feel the heat concentrated to the top (headphone side) section. This is slightly worrying as it indicates limited or no heat sinking and the imbalance of temperature make holding the device less comfortable.
- No expandability. As with all Nexus devices, there is no removable battery or memory expansion slot. In saying that, I haven't found this a problem and would still have a lot of space left, even on a 16GB model.
- Speakers are rear-facing. A major dissappointment is the lack of frontfacing speakers like in the HTC One, especially when there is so much real estate for it in those large landscape orientation handholds.
- Camera placement. I would have liked the rear camera slightly more centred than in the corner where it is now. Also the front facing camera needs to be tilted slightly downwards to give the user a more centred appearance during video conferencing. I also hate that you have to longpress and slide to the camera switch option to toggle front/back camera. They already have permanent buttons taking up room on the interface so why not put it there, or at least give the option to put it there.
- Camera quality. I haven't transferred any photos to my PC but looking at photos taken by the rear-facing camera only look good when zoomed in. As soon as I zoom in any amount I start to see artifacting. There doesn't seem to be any compression options for photos in the default camera app.

Overall:
I have to say, since getting the N7, I'm liking it more and more as I use it. I'm finding out little things that make it so much more enjoyable than using my SGS2. As of now, I've moved 90% of my games to the N7 and only kept the ones such as Simpsons Tapped Out on my phone that store data online so I can play from both devices. I've also turned on Forced 4x FSAA for OpenGL 2.0ES apps as I prefer a better image over smoother frame rates in the slow paced games I tend towards.

Another unexpected bonus with the shift to a tablet is that my phone no longer needs charging every night. As most of the media consumption and mobile gaming is handled by the tablet instead of my SGS2, I can get away with going to work with a ~50% charge and make it to bedtime without the phone dying on me.
I haven't even used the NFC or wireless charging aspects of the N7 so I'm keen to get into that also. I really hope someone mounts this in the console of a car and puts a video up on YouTube. It seems like the perfect budget alternative to an in dash iPad. At the current price I would recommend this tablet to anyone who can do with using a device smaller than 10inches. If your phone has portable WiFi hotspot functionality, then you could probably do with the WiFi only version, but if all you want to bring is the tablet itself and you are away from WiFi, the LTE version is an option, but it's more expensive. It may not be worth it given the Nexus 5 just got released.

Score: 9/10

If you read this far and have any questions/comments about anything I may have missed that you think is important, please let me know and I'll try to answer.

Ninja Master Prep Professional system

Ninja Master Prep Professional system.

I recently went to Japan and while I was away my sister commandeered my Breville Optiva blender. She had just purchased the Ninja Master Prep Professional system (which I will henceforce refer to as 'Ninja') for the purpose of creating smoothies, but had found that some of the ingredients were not liquifying. Since the smoothies that I make usually don't require such thorough blending I agreed to leave the Optiva with her and test out the Ninja to see if I could live with it. As such, I don't have a price for the Ninja.

If you've watched any telemall/homeshoppingnetwork style commercials then you've no doubt seen the Ninja ads and the overly enthusiastic hosts. For those who haven't, the ads have the hosts running through all the main types of uses of the Ninja, and also comparing the Master Prep system to other food processing/blending/juicing systems.

After using the Ninja for a few weeks now, I can honestly say that the device works as advertised. Sure, the editing doesn't show every little quirk of the Ninja, but the main claims are all true.
It chops, blends, or purees based on how long you hold the button down and how many pulses you give it.

The actual design of the system involves a container portion with blade stalk, a lid portion, and the 'power pod'. There are 3 container sizes, 16 ounce (2 cups), 40 ounce (5 cups), and 48 ounce (6 cups) respectively. Each container has it's own blade set, either 2, 4, or 6 blades with the 2 blade stalk in the smallest container able to accept an additional pair to bring it up to 4 blades if needed.

When the blending lid is on a container, a hole in the lid allows the stalk holding the blades to protrude from the top of the lid and the power pod spins this to actuate the blades. When not in active use, the blade stalk can be removed from the container and a flat, sealed lid can be attached and the container stored in the fridge or freezer.
The fact the pod must be pressed down to spin the blades means the system is extremely safe in that you don't ever get in a situation where the blades can spin without the lid on the container and without downward pressure on the power pod. This ensures there is never the situation where you turn on the blender and have a mess everwhere or more importantly, something that can take your fingers off.

In terms of performance, the motor in the pod is a 450W motor, a lot less powerful than the 750W motor in the Optiva. The Optiva however only has 2 small blades at the very bottom of the glass container, so most of the power is being used to create the vortex to circulate the contents of the container. The Ninja has multiple blades at differing heights within the container so it doesn't need to swirl the contents so much, which makes even chopping of things like vegetables possible with a quick push or two on the pod. Longer pulses or holding down the button for extended periods will start liquifying the contents and allow them to settle and fall down to the two lowest blades.

All the parts other than the power pod, obviously, are dishwasher safe and can be stored in the fridge or freezer, and also microwaved once the blades are removed. The containers are plastic and despite being light and thin walled feel extremely sturdy. They also have rubberised rings on the bottom so it won't destroy your counter and is quieter than just bare plastic or units with the motor on the bottom closer to the countertop. The blades are extremely sharp and you need to be careful when handling them. The stalks which hold them feel very sturdy, and are most likely metal cores coated in plastic. The large active lid has a spout cover so you can go straight from blending to pouring immediately. This lid is interchangeable between the 48ounce and 40ounce container, but the 16ounce container has it's own lid without a spout.

Thus far, I've chopped garlic, onions, cabbage, carrots, and made countless banana smoothies and apart from a bit of trouble the small container had with the cabbage the system worked fast and the results were great.

The Good:
- Fast. The act of chopping takes no time at all. The multi height blades make short work of most things.
- Tidy. Using the Ninja is a lot less messy than a chopping board and also lets you dice onions and garlic without crying or getting smelly fingers.
- Safe. It's impossible to process your hand, even though you can cut yourself on the blade when extracting the blade stalks. Treat it as you would a sharp knife and you won't have any problems.
- Storage. The physical dimensions of all the pieces combined is fairly small. You can remove the blades and change to the sealed lids and store the containers and contents in the fridge/freezer.
- Versatile. Having a single activation button which allows pulsing or blending depending on how long you hold the button down means you can get variable results from a single, simple design.
- Fun. One thing the Ninja has that I haven't found with other blenders or food processors is the 'wow' factor. Everytime I press the large button I feel more involved in the chopping or blending than with a standard food processor or blender. I suppose it can be compared to driving a manual or automatic car. They both get the job done but one is more involved and rewarding than the other.

The Bad:
- Small. The 16 ounce container is just a tad too small. If it was just a bit deeper with the optional blade pair slightly higher, it would be perfect for chopping cabbage. As it is, it doesn't fit large leaves and sometimes leaves behind unchopped parts of the cabbage floating on the top. The sides of the container rise up quite high, but as the lid dips down in the centre, the actual space inside when the active lid is on not very large.
- Leftovers. There are ridges on the inside of the containers which give the structure strength and potentially also aid in the mixing of the contents, but when extracting the contents out of the containers, they can sometimes get in the way and trap food.
- Slippery. The power pod has textured sides which are supposed to help you grip it, however the angle of the flat cutaways cause it to slip if your fingers are covered in oil or other liquid. Either the cutaways should be wider at the top, or there should be some kind of wide lip on the current design so you don't slip right off the end.

Overall:
Without knowing how much was paid for the Ninja, I can't make a comment on value for money. What I can say is that it does everything it says it does on the ad. It can cater to almost all of my chopping and blending needs in a way that doesn't require a high power motor. It also sometimes puts a smile on my face when I get the number of pulses just right.

Score: 9/10.