Karoo 2 with Creo...Garmin still the best for long rides

[kattanm]

First my setup...
Riding an 2021 S-Works Creo on long rides (90 miles or so), not terribly flat, trying to keep up with younger healthier friends. I don't really use the range extender, my phone, Mission control, or the TCD when I ride. I only use a bike computer and am willing to use any. My primary goal is managing my battery life for these long hilly rides. I also always use programmed routes, so I know what is left.

	Garmin 830	Wahoo Elemnt Roam 1	Hammerhead Karoo 2
1. Percent Distance Remaining for Route	Yes (as Connect IQ add-on field)	No	No
2. Percent Ascent Remaining for Route	No	No	Yes (but see footnote)
3. Separate Battery Level for Range Extender (but see note)	No	Yes	No
4. Power Provided by Motor	No	No	Yes

In my opinion, 1 is the most important, so Garmin wins. I'm always comparing battery life percentage with route distance remaining percentage to make sure I'm working as hard as I need to be just to finish.
For item 2, while the Karoo has this, it is in a tiny font size on top of a large graphic that takes up 2 fields on the device. So, although there, it is very hard to read. I would love to have this on the Garmin, but no.
For item 3, I don't think this is all that useful. It certainly isn't useful if you drain with main battery. And given that the bike power goes completely dead when you unplug the range extender and have to restart the bike, I just haven't found a great use case for an endurance ride.
For item 4, this is really just entertainment value I would say. Cool, but not a major priority.
Note the Karoo has a field called Estimated Range Remaining. This seems like it could be very useful for what I'm doing, but this field is blank for the Creo.
Another downside to the Karoo is that it does not work with Di2 the way the other computers do, so you can't use hood buttons, see Di2 battery level, or other Di2 goodies.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

For item 3, I don't think this is all that useful. It certainly isn't useful if you drain with main battery. And given that the bike power goes completely dead when you unplug the range extender and have to restart the bike, I just haven't found a great use case for an endurance ride.

As I use up to 4 Range Extenders on my long Vado SL rides, the Wahoo is the only computer that meets my criteria.

I think the Mastermind SL e-bikes would provide the Range Remaining figure to Wahoo, as that field is there.

 

[Ben J]

Wouldn't the easiest way to do this be to use mission control to set the distance/ascent and desired remaining battery in the special power mode?

 

[kattanm]

Wouldn't the easiest way to do this be to use mission control to set the distance/ascent and desired remaining battery in the special power mode?

Good question. I don’t use Mission Control while riding because I’m unwilling to mount my phone rather than a bike computer.

 

[kattanm]

As I use up to 4 Range Extenders on my long Vado SL rides, the Wahoo is the only computer that meets my criteria.

I think the Mastermind SL e-bikes would provide the Range Remaining figure to Wahoo, as that field is there.

Wow, carry them in a backpack? I have thought about a long mountain bike ride I want to do on my Levo but carrying even the second RE holds me back

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wouldn't the easiest way to do this be to use mission control to set the distance/ascent and desired remaining battery in the special power mode?

Explain please how you would do it with one main battery and four Range Extenders To make it easier for you, these are the possible scenarios:

• You set the "Discharge the Range Extender first" and you ride on the REs first. A little complicated thing here is the main battery starts helping with its own charge at low RE charge level (from 20% down)
• You use both the main battery and Range Extender in parallel. They both will die at nearly the same time. Then you start using the remaining Range Extenders one by one.

Please tell me how you would do that with Mission Control on a 160 mile ultramarathon with an overnight stay when you can recharge the main battery and two Range Extenders only because of two chargers and a single Y cable you cannot recharge more in some 4 hours

I rode for 163 miles on that race. Had to swap the Vado SL for Vado 6.0 for 74 km (46 mi) or the battery plan would have not worked otherwise.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wow, carry them in a backpack? I have thought about a long mountain bike ride I want to do on my Levo but carrying even the second RE holds me back

A Tailwind pannier. It is only 3 kg extra. The fourth RE is on the bike.

 

[kattanm]

Explain please how you would do it with one main battery and four Range Extenders To make it easier for you, these are the possible scenarios:

• You set the "Discharge the Range Extender first" and you ride on the REs first. A little complicated thing here is the main battery starts helping with its own charge at low RE charge level (from 20% down)
• You use both the main battery and Range Extender in parallel. They both will die at nearly the same time. Then you start using the remaining Range Extenders one by one.

Please tell me how you would do that with Mission Control on a 160 mile ultramarathon with an overnight stay when you can recharge the main battery and two Range Extenders only because of two chargers and a single Y cable you cannot recharge more in some 4 hours

View attachment 157493
I rode for 163 miles on that race. Had to swap the Vado SL for Vado 6.0 for 74 km (46 mi) or the battery plan would have not worked otherwise.

That is cool! So did you drain REs first or in parallel? I did a 100 mile race with Creo programmed at 100% assist, draining first, and I regretted that.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I rode in parallel first. Then switched to the big Vado. After that I rode Vado SL again on extenders (the terrain became difficult including crossing a creek so I needed a lightweight, agile e-bike there).

The overnight stay was short. I managed to recharge the main battery and two Range Extenders, and that set lasted to the finish line!