Performance Bicycle is the #1 choice for people who love to ride, and the Performance Bicycle RU-vid channel is the #1 place to find maintenance tips, new product reviews, and more. Whether you’re new to the sport or a seasoned pro; ride road, mountain, or just around town, our RU-vid channel is the best place to find out about the latest gear, learn tips and tricks that can help you get more from every ride, and watch how-to guides that can help you take better care of your bike. New videos are posted all the time. Click here to discover all the ways to make your next ride a great one.
I use the smaller size Varia 315 radar (same radar but no tail light) with the 130 Plus. It's a must have. So much safer and more relaxed riding. I have a couple tail lights already so didn't need the 515.
Given the price and the questionable durability; wide tires, low psi’s, trained legs, arms & body can accomplish a very supple ride. Gravel bikes showed me that for many many years, I lugged around and spent excess money on pointless mtb suspension to tackle terrain, body and tires could more effectively handle.
It has allowed me, a person with carpal tunnel to enjoy riding a bike. I don't have the STR though, just the front suspension. I may add a Cane Creek to the seat though.
I’ve been using a 130+ for over a year now, and my only complaint is the lack of reliability in sending a saved ride to the phone in my jersey pocket, while I’m pedaling home on my cool down stretch. I had decided to get a Varia though, in spite of price. That is what brought me here.
The bike where the cables cut the stem / handlebar? Imagine this happens on a downhill... 🎉🎉🎉 Unless you get a new one from your team every year - no thanks
I knew you'd be fast on the paved descents but was super impressed on how you humbled so many solo riders on the single track climbs and chunky stuff as well. Major props.
Is there a benefit to this, over the self sealing tubes? I live in the desert and goat heads and other cactus debris is a real issue here when it comes to constant flats. How hard is it to change the tubeless tires when the tread wears out? nnThanks
We have not directly compared a tubeless setup to self sealing tubes but that sounds great for future content. With small punctures like goat heads and thorns, this is where tubeless really shines. The majority of these punctures will be sealed up while you ride, possibly without you even noticing. A tell tale sign is when you finish your ride and there is a bit of sealant spray on either your fork/downtube or seat tube. As far as changing out tires, they are very similar to a regular tubed tire. If you look in our profile we have another video on installing tubeless tires that can provide some insight!
I have the Tannus solid tires on my hybrid commuter bicycle best decision I ever made absolutely no maintenance no flats I can ride over glass Nails everything absolutely the best investment I ever made
Thank you for your quick response for me my solid tires have been a game-changer you do lose some performance but I noticed all I have to do is put my bicycle in a lower gear and my cruising speed is exactly the same as with the regular tires but if you're looking for flat-out Speed tubeless is definitely the way to go
Great job covering the event! The removal of the E. Louie Jeep Road sector changes your tire selection quite a bit. When it’s in, the road bikes will lose time…but is it enough to justify hauling around those wider tires the rest of the time🤔
None of this is any different than any other tubeless setup. The problem with road tubeless set ups is that the tire pressures are generally much higher than on gravel or mountain tires. This means the sealant is less likely to seal the puncture before a significant amount of air is lost. Secondly, most sealant does not work well with CO2 inflation systems and when you are on the road with a mini pump, it is much harder to get the optimal higher pressures that the road tires require. There are a few sealants that work "OK" with CO2 and you should have pointed that out in your video so that viewers will know they need to be careful about sealant choice for this one reason. Finally, the only major benefit to tubeless is that it allows the rider to use lower tire pressures for increase grip and eliminating pinch flats. Since neither of these are issues with tarmac riding, the two most important reasons for going tubeless in the first place don't apply. I run tubeless on my gravel and mountain bikes but the tube is still the best option for road.
We appreciate the feedback. There are many considerations to take in before deciding if road tubeless is for you and we understand that it is not for everyone. Riding in Northern California we encounter many less-than-fair roads where the lower pressures allowed by tubeless have a tremendous benefit. We do intend to expand into the details of road tubeless in the future; but just like riding, we have to take one pedal stroke at a time.
The old Performance Bicycle was a great retail chain with great products and employees who were involved in their local cycling communities. You do them a huge insult by continuing to use their name.
I have been using this combo (Garmin Varia 515 and Edge 130 Plus) for two weeks now (4 rides or 200 km) and can highly recommend it. Display on 130 Plus is big enough for all the data I need, it is crisp and highly legible and it shows the radar function perfectly. I was afraid it would be a bit inadequate for displaying Varia radar alerts because it is small and not a color screen, but that`s not the case. You can easily see where the car is behind you (or cars) and how fast it is approaching. Even a glance at the screen tells you all you need to know: is there somebody behind me or not? Alert tone is more than loud enough, I have not missed a single radar alert even in strong wind or loud traffic. I thought I would miss the "all clear" alert which is present on the phone app but not on Edge 130 Plus, but that is not the case. One glance at the screen after the car has passed and I can see if it`s all clear or if there are additional cars approaching, no "all clear" alert needed. The only small issue I have is with the Varia mount: since the unit is a bit heavier and bulkier than the average rear light it can go slightly askew after hitting a bump and isn`t aligned perfectly any more. That doesn`t affect its radar functioning at all, but the light is probably not that visible to rear traffic. This is maybe more of an issue with my aero seatpost (Trek Madone), but worth noting anyway. Other than that, perfect combo. I dissagree with reviewer on the subject of "When the car is approaching from behind I`m looking at the screen instead at the road ahead", I had no problems with that. Since the radar function is displayed very legibly on the screen you only need a perfunctory glance to see that the alert is meant for the radar and to see where the car is behind you. After that I usually take a small glance to check the position of the car: no need to look at the screen all the time. All in all, I can highly recommend both the Varia 515 and the Edge 130 Plus.
Thank you. I have my RTL515 paired with my phone but would rather have this small Garmin 130 unit attached to my bike at all times and not deal with a phone.
