Point of peace blog

Posts Tagged ‘viper’

I am part of a large running group in the SF Bay Area and almost half of the folks in my group seem to own a GPS watch so I finally got one just in time for my most recent marathon. The Garmin Forerunner 305 is by far the most popular model amongst my teammates. I’ve only used the GPS functions so far and that has worked out very well and is very accurate also. For example, during the California International Marathon, the watch was accurate to within 0.1 miles over the entire 26.2 mile course!…and I did not experience any signal loss either. The real-time pace information and average pace readings were extremely helpful in helping me meet my time goal during the marathon. I considered getting the Forerunner 405, because it’s smaller and more stylish, but my teammates who have the 405 tell me that it’s a bit too sensitive to the touch and can’t be turned off. Style points aside, it turns out that the size of the 305 isn’t a problem because it’s so lightweight that you don’t even know you have it on. The upside is that it has a larger, customizable LCD display (you can display up to 4 data elements on one screen) and actual push buttons which are probably easier to use while running. I haven’t used the heartrate monitor yet, so I can’t comment on that, but the only drawback that I have found so far is with the battery life. It only holds a 10 hour charge, so you need to make sure to charge it before each run. Overall, I think this is an indispensable accessory for any serious runner.
Avon AM63 Viper Stryke

Alright…but could be better. I would have to say that this bike is mediocre. It is a great value for a road bike, but I have had some difficulty with Diamondback Jr Viper BMX Bike since I have bought it. The front tire has gone flat twice because the insert in the rim punctured the tube twice. This was a manufacturers error. Other than that the two rides that i have had the bike on it rides very smoothly, shifts nicely and rides well. I have the 58 cm frame and am 5′11″, which might have been a little big but it works well. For a sale price of 250 bucks, you can’t go wrong. Just a few mechanical updates and it will be a great bike.

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Good, but…. I bought this bike a couple weeks ago. It seemed real sturdy, good quality, well built. Unfortunately I got hit by a car trying to cross an 8 lane highway. The bike didn’t protect me at all, I’m in the hospital right now. Not only that, but the bike wasn’t all that sturdy after all. It was all bent up and mangled after only a 50mph impact.

So all in all, it’s a good bike for basic and light usage. But if you plan to ride on busy roads or highways, then this isn’t the bike for you.

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