Contour Next

I have been using a blood glucose meter (gluco-meter) for the last 8/9 years. But in this period I have used only one gluco-meter. It's a good old Accu-Chek Active from Roche. Very simple to operate or change lancet. The strips or lancets are easy to procure. And most importantly it has been giving me flawless service for the last close to a decade. Roche also has a great free service, whereby, if you are suspicious of the unit's accuracy you can inform them. They will send a technician who will calibrate the machine and check things and certify it to be accurate. I used this service once. In one word, I am fairly happy with my gluco-meter that is 8/9 years old now. Clearly it is very robust. Like those good old Nokias of 2000.

So when my friend, a senior medical consultant from Wales, brought another gluco-meter (Bayer's Contour Next) for me I wasn't too sure if I wanted to switch over. But out of curiosity and also a sense of loyalty mixed with gratitude for my friend I thought I would give it an honest try. Also, earlier someone had brought me two gluco-meters from Canada and I used none of them out of a fear for new gadgets and subsequently lost them. So I had a hidden guilt feeling about it. I wanted not to go through that guilt feeling once again.

Let me jot down my thoughts on setting the Contour Next unit up and using it. 

The gluco-meter with the test strip ready for blood

The first thing that strikes you about the unit is its cute look and feel. Triangular in shape, it is much smaller than my Mac's Magic Mouse. One can easily fit it in the palm of a boy. In fact it is so small that I am worried I might lose it in our house. It is a shiny black unit as opposed to Accu-Chek's matt dull blue.

With my new developed disgust for official "how to" literature I did not even try to look it up but went straight to google. To my utter surprise I found Bayer has a nice official "how to" video on its site (this is the first time I am using anything made by Bayer other their now discontinued but a brilliant product called Baygon Bait). It is an animation video with verbal instructions. But it is a decent enough video, in the sense you can set up the unit by just watching the video once or twice. I had a little trouble opening the tip of the lancing device to insert the lancet. But then worked it out through a few trial and error attempts. It is simple - you just pull the top end of it with a little force :-)

The lancet device

The lancing device is also very smart and handy. It has a smart parabolic banana like shape. As opposed to my pen-shaped Accu-Chek. The force and depth with which the lancet punctures your skin is very fast and deep. I had set it at the highest level. But after the first puncture I realised I must tone it down a little. Perhaps two notches less. Unless one has a very thick rough skin one does not need it at that high speed, particularly with the lancet being new. Setting the lancet ready for a strike is simple - you pull the bottom out till it clicks. The Accu-Chek pen has a dot pen like lever at the back that you just press in. That's definitely simpler.

The video said, one of the features of the unit is it gives you a second chance to put in more blood if at first attempt the total amount of blood is not sufficient. It flashes the message and gives you about 30 seconds to put in more blood. That's a fantastic feature to have. On Accu-Chek if the blood is not enough you have to discard the strip and start afresh.

Lancets

But before taking all that blood, I set up the unit first. It was quite a breeze and intuitive. You select the language. You set the time. You set the reference range - that is, if your reading is found on either side of this range the unit will tell you so. And you are ready. There are just three buttons to grapple with. Up scroll. Down scroll. And OK. To switch the unit on you hold the OK button for a few seconds. To shut it off you just leave it. It auto switches off.

At the time of the actual test I realised this unit requires much less blood than my Accu-Chek. It has a sip up kind of technology on the test strip whereby it sucks the blood up. On the Accu-Chek you need to smear a relatively larger area with blood. Also the position of that place on the strip is such that some blood gets smeared on the Accu-Chek unit itself and stays as a permanent brown spot. No chance of such mess here. The active part of the test strip that sucks the blood is a very small vertical line at the bottom of the strip. 

The most convenient feature of this unit is the log. Your data is stored with date, time and a short note like when the blood was taken (fasting, post lunch etc). I think you can even mention the number of hours between lunch and the test. Since I would never test beyond or before 2 hours I didn't bother to key that in.

And these data is all written on the screen in clearly understood, simple English. No sign language or codes. After that you can even back up the data on your PC. Mark it - only PC. Not Mac :-( . So I need to carry it to work to back up the data. I am not sure how many tests the unit can remember. 

As far as I can see there are a few small problems with this unit. But none of them is serious enough to not consider this unit. The biggest issue for India is it shows the value in millimole per litre. In India we are used to checking our blood glucose level in mg/dl. But then if google is your friend that is not an issue at all. In no time you can find a converter like this. The other problem is this unit comes with a soft nylon pouch. My Accu-Chek came with a hard plastic case. It is very travel friendly. You can rest assured that your electronic gadget will not be crushed. In a soft nylon pouch you have to be careful.

The smart soft package

Another point, if I really have to find out issues, is that this unit needs two NiCad batteries. Since it costs Rs 40 each, I don't think that's an issue.

The main issue for me will be to find out a source for reasonably priced test strips and lancets here in Calcutta. The new box came with a starter kit of sorts with a small number of strips and lancets. But getting the supply on a regular basis in India might be a problem. Because Bayer has officially still not launched it in India. And the problem is that each different model uses a different type of strip. So that Bayer can continue to make more money out of you on a sustained basis :-) 

Firefox Foot Pump

Bicycles can have any of three types of valves on their tubes. Schrader, Presta or Woods valves. Road bikes usually come with Presta valves. They are thin with a nut on top. If you loosen it, you can release the pressure by just tapping on the tip. This is what my Scultura 200 has. Woods (or Dunlop valves) are our good old bicycle valves. I believe all Dutch bikes have this type of valves. Geetanjali's ladies' Hero has this type of valve. The other type is the Schrader valve that even cars have. My converted Hero has this type of valve.

This effectively means I have all the three types of valves in my house !!!

One of the first things I had to buy after Someshwar set up my bike was a Firefox floor pump and this review is for that. 

Supratim had recommended the brand. On his advice I took the one with a pressure gauge. The precise name of this model is Air Pro. They have a small carry along model too. But I chose the stand up traditional style floor pump. My bike needs 120 psi air pressure in the tyres. And it is best to be self sufficient because the automotive tyre repair shops may not have the nozzle for presta valves. Also it might be dangerous to use them on the super thin tubes. Because the total volume of air in them is ridiculously small and it would be easy to blow off tubes there. 

Since my previous experience with a bicycle pump is some 40 years old and I had a particularly bad specimen that never worked (keeping it tight on the valve itself was a major challenge) I was bloody impressed by this pump. It has an alloy barrel. The foot-peg is plastic. So is the handle. They seem cheap Chinese but they work. The pump is well made and doesn't seem it's going to come apart.

From zero to 120 psi, my 700x23 road tube took about 15 full strokes of this model. It gets hard from 80/90 psi. But if you are strong enough, it should not be a problem to pump it as hard as 120. The pump is officially rated for 160 psi. Frankly I don't think it can do that. Even at 120 it is really really hard.

Presta valve

The nozzle in this pump can be used to pump both Presta and Schrader valves. Or so I have been told. Initially I thought this was a lie. It's not. It can certainly pump up my Presta and Woods but not my Schrader. There is a reversible nozzle. One side is for Presta/Woods. The other side is for Schrader. Changing it from Presta to Schrader is a little tricky. But it does work. I will probably write a separate how to for that some time later.

The Woods valve on Mampu's Hero

So my pump can be used to fill in air in both my Merida Scultura 200 with a Presta valve and Mampu's ladies' Hero with a Woods valve and also my Hero MTB with a Schrader valve. But in real life I use the Good Year compressor. 

Schrader valve

My Scultura loses air pressure if I leave it idle for a week. The pump is quite a help for me. It locks fairly easily on the valve with a thumb key. And then all you need to do is just pump hard. 

As with most such items, the worth of this pump will be evident after at least one year's continuous use. I have used it only a few times so far. It has been hassle free. I shall review this review after a year. 

Incidentally the better international brands like Topeak or Crank Brother etc are not easily available in India. But this internationally unknown desi Firefox brand serves its purpose pretty well. I am sure its a Chinese import.

Before going out on a long trip, I will need a smaller carry along pump. This is too big for a long trip. I wonder if I can use the Firefox branded small pumps. Once I do that I shall review that too.

I have asked Goobs to bring me a few Presta to Schrader adapters from the US. Once that comes along, I can use the foot pump for all three types of wheels.

Additional Points Worth Remembering

I have used the pump for a few months now. Let me write down the experience. It is not so much a review as a how to for myself. I tend to forget things and have to once again go through the entire learning process. 

The nozzle can inflate two types of tyres, as I said. For Presta valves the side of the interior nozzle (green plastic) that has a tiny little spring should be facing up and come in contact with the valve when you are trying to inflate. Otherwise, if you have the pointed side up, then it will press out all the air from the tube !!! The pointed side is for Schrader valves. But just changing that green plastic is not enough. You have to reverse the other rubbery small cylinder also.

Point number two to remember - the locking mechanism works by pressing the thumb lock up or down. When you press it down it is unlocked. When you push it up it is locked. This is a bit counter intuitive. But that is how it is, universally.

The steps are as follows 

1. Unscrew the cap off the cycle valve. 
2. Loosen the nut on top of the valve and test by tapping on top. A little air will gush out with a pssst sound.
3. Align the nozzle vertically above the valve and press it in with the thumb lock in the loose position. It should go in and click lock itself somewhere. You can feel the click. The spring inside the green plastic should be absolutely vertical. 
4. Pull the thumb lock up and start pumping.
5. 0-100 psi took me 30 pumps. 
6. I filled close to 120 psi.
7. Once you take off the nozzle don't forget to tighten the nut on the valve.
8. If you have OCD like me you will go back to check it again and again :-)

Cateye Velo9

The other day I got myself a Cateye Velo 9 cycle computer for my Scultura 200 from Amazon. It's a nice little unit that shows useful data about one's ride on the go. It works in conjunction with a small magnet that is attached to the spoke and a sensor is attached to the fork within 3 cm of the magnet. The sensor is wired to the computer. It can count how many times the wheel has rotated and since you have input the wheel size it can measure the distance covered. And time of course is measured through its internal clock. These two pieces of basic information are then processed to find various derivatives like total distance covered, speed, calories burnt etc. 

There is no GPS involved in this unit. So it cannot capture any location data and show the trip on an online map, like my Forerunner 15 can. But it gives information like total distance covered, elapsed time, speed - current, average and maximum, There is a useful feature in the form of a small arrow that tells whether my current speed is higher than the average speed. 

There are other fancy information like how much calorie one has burnt and the amount of CO2 saved (by not using a car). I have no use for these two though. They just add to the USP of the product. 

Setting tup he unit up on the bike was fairly simple. It came with the necessary zip ties. The unit sits on a small bracket that you tie on the handlebar. Sliding it in and out of it is a slightly iffy. There is a CR 2032 lithium ion battery. Apparently it is supposed to be good for 3 years. 

One sets up the unit with three buttons. There is one big button in the front that is also used to scroll through the screens. There are two very tiny buttons on the back. They are so tiny that you need a pin head to push on them to activate. 

There are essentially three things one needs to set up in the unit before it can be used. First is whether you want the figures in km or miles. Next is the size of the wheel. All the popular options are pre-loaded. One just needs to select the correct option. I chose 700C. If one wants, one can even key in the exact circumference of the wheel. The third item that needs adjustment is the time. I found it rather difficult to understand how to do that. Finally I managed it somehow. But I am not sure I can do it again. 

The internet does not have too many instruction videos. There is one very thorough youtube video but the gentleman uses sign languages, which I do not know. 

One problem with the unit is that there is no system for deleting the existing data. So my average speed will always be an average of all my rides so far. This makes it difficult to monitor progress. One can press an all clear button. But that is more like a factory reset where everything will get erased including the total distance covered. My compromise is to use the Strava. 

Clarification: I learnt later that this is not at all the case. Just long press the switch and all the fields become zero except the odo - which is your total distance travelled since installation. 

This is my review after setting the unit up and going for just one 8 km ride. It worked flawlessly. But units like these should be judged for their value after at least one year's use. It looks and feels robust. Let it prove itself on the road.

The first picture is taken off the internet. The others are mine.

Garmin Forerunner 15

After running consistently for about a month last year, I invested in a GPS running watch with heart rate monitor. Being a long time Garmin owner, my brand choice was simple to make. After some research, mostly done on dcrainmaker, which is an excellent website for impartial review of outdoor activity oriented electronic gear, I zeroed in on the Forerunner 15. I went to Flipkart for this, as the seller there is the official Garmin online seller too and offered a very good rate.

After more than a year's use let me jot down my thoughts on the unit. I will not get into the details of how to operate the unit. The internet is full of information of that sort. In fact dcrainmaker itself has a damn good description of how to use the unit. 

Here I will tell you about my agonies and ecstasies of using the unit. 

First let me tell you why I am impressed with this unit. First of all it serves its purpose as a basic watch to tell you how far you have run, how fast your pace is (that is minutes per km) and how fast your heart is beating. On the run you can see all this data on the screen in a highly visible and easy to read format. You can also get an idea of calories you have burnt. It has a few add on features that are nice to have. For example, you can set an alarm that will alert you if your heart rate falls or rises below or above a chosen rate. It can be really useful for someone who is a little ahead of others in terms of age, like me :-), and should worry about his heart going too high. 

It also alerts you after every lap with a small beep. The lap is automatically selected as 1km or 1 mile. You cannot make the lap 2 km or any other arbitrary distance. 

The best part about the unit is that after the run you can download all your information about the run into the computer (in the early days of USB my first Garmin could not communicate with the computer) and on Garmin Connect you get a more or less detailed analysis of your run, including a very authentic real time map of your run. Of course Strava also gives you a map for free but Strava's map is comparatively less accurate. 

Another useful feature of the software is you can mention which gear you used during the run and it will tell you exactly how many km you have used it. For example, I know that as on date I have worn my grey champion socks for 67 kms.

The unit has a few quirks about it which you should know.  One issue for me is and I face this quite often, once in a while it takes a very long time for the unit to get a fix on the satellite. But once it gets a fix it is pretty stable. I don't really know how people who run in race events use this watch at all. Because there the starter won't wait for your watch to find the satellite. I guess you have to be ready with the satellite fix and once the starter starts the race off you simply start the run.

I have also had situations where the Garmin Connect was not working for an entire day. And I could neither sync new data nor see old data. After this I started sharing my run data with Strava, so that there is some backup if I ever lose it all on Garmin Connect. 

The most quirky thing I have found so far is with the HRM. The HRM is pretty accurate (I have checked it both by actually holding my pulse in my fingers and manually count the beats and also on my home blood pressure monitor machine) but once your battery ends then comes the challenge of connecting or pairing the HRM back with your watch. The first time it happened with me I found the HRM was just not working even after putting in a new CR2032 battery. Also, with there being no light or any other indicator you cannot really understand whether the battery has fitted well or whether at all the unit is working. 

Much to my surprise I found a simple hack to fix this problem. Apparently it is a usual problem faced by many people around the world. You just need to manually short circuit the unit first and then insert the battery. I used an open safety pin to connect its two ends to the two terminals in the battery chamber. And bingo !!! The unit came back to life and connected to the watch right away. As a new purchase, the HRM came already paired with the watch.

So, if you want to get to the bottomline advice. Get it by all means if your needs are not top professional grade international races or preparing for them. If your needs are basic, this watch will more than suffice.  

Battery Issues (added on 13th August)

The unit's battery runs out on its own even if you keep it switched off. Of late I have been nursing a plantar injury and have not been running for weeks. Today I went out for a short run but found the battery had quite dried up. However, it came back to one bar within minutes of putting it on charge.

More Notes on Battery (11th June, 2020)

I must mention a queer thing that happened with my unit's battery. I had gone on a longish cycle trip one morning last year - or was it the year before? After about 4/5 hours it started emitting a message saying the battery was exhausted or something to that effect. I ignored it. The message kept repeating a few times. Finally when I went home the watch looked like dead. I realised it had probably reached the end of the road. Did a lot of research on how to change the battery of the unit. It is not supposed to be a user replaceable battery. But then there are hacks for everything and youtube videos for all hacks in life. Then I realised the battery that they are suggesting I replace it with is just not available in India. I don't remember the name now but I remember something similar is available but not quite the same thing as the one suggested on the video.

I decided to get the replacement battery when someone came back from the US and then take a chance with it.

Luckily enough, during all these explorations I had kept the unit connected to its charging unit. After a few days I realised it had come back from the dead. As of now, it is alive and kicking. As I write this from my office I am wearing it because I came cycling to work.