2019-11-01_Bicycling

ROTOR 2INPOWER MTB

CRANKSET $1,3 00

This powermeter is a data nerd’s dream.

It reads and measures the angular veloc-

ity of the cranks at an astounding 200Hz.

That’s critical for measuring power when

using ovalized chain rings because, unlike

standard rings where the angular velocity

is constant, the angular velocity of ovalized

chainrings is always changing and requires

constant measurement to avoid overesti-

mating power output. Although it measures

all of that data at 200Hz, most computers

only read data at 4Hz, so the 2INPower

translates and transmits it at 4Hz. It can

also be set to 50Hz for use with a compat-

ible computer. Riders can take a deep dive

into their files with Rotor’s INPower soft-

ware. But if you find that level of analysis

to be overkill, the Rotor Power app acts as a

translator so you can easily utilize the spin

scan function without needing to be well-

versed in power analysis. And the battery

life is magnificent—Rotor claims the it will

last 250 hours. I have no reason to doubt

that—through four months of riding, I’ve

yet to see the low-battery warning come on.

WHOOP STRAP 3 .0

TRACKER$ 30

Quickly becoming the gold standard

for athletes wanting to track sleep,

recovery, and stress, the Whoop Strap

monitors heart rate, heart-rate vari-

ability, and activity 24/7. Version 3.0

boasts a longer-lasting battery (up

to five days), a strain coach function

to make daily activity level recom-

mendations based on how much

time you may need for recovery, and

the ability to overlay data on photos

or videos (which can be shared on

social media). But the true gold here

is that the Whoop can share real-time

workout and physiological metrics

with coaches in remote locations.

CYGOLITE HOTSHOT
TAILLIGHT $ 20

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more
feature-rich taillight than the 50-lumen,
USB-rechargeable, 20-buck Hotshot. Two
buttons allow you to toggle between cus-
tomizable blinking and strobe modes, as
well as six programmed modes: steady,
zoom, triple flash, random flash, DayLight-
ning (bright f lashes), and SteadyPulse (a
beam that gradually changes intensity).
Though the Cygolite is intended for com-
muter use, we found the clamp is strong
enough to survive mountain bike rides, and
after accidentally sending it through the
wash, we can vouch for its water-resistance.

Cycling Tools and Gear, Rigorously Vetted by Our Test Team

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