The new best power bank and charger for Ultra Cycling in 2021?

[@nimbophy]

I need this exact thing today, I was googling in my lunch break - it's always worth talking to real people in the world :) Dani (met you at M&S!)

[@TurnCycling]

:-) Yes amazing what conversations you can have in a petrol station 🤣 Good to chat yesterday Dani, and if you want to find the route on Strava then you can find me here - www.strava.com/athletes/niel_copeland

[@nomap2161]

Thank you, Neil. I ordered the charger and 2 of the battery packs. They’ll be dual use for cycling and traveling. Amazon USA actually had them discounted pretty good.

[@TurnCycling]

Glad it helped NOMAP!

[@aliis2000]

Great informations Niel, you are really enlightening us

[@TurnCycling]

I do try Omar

[@EdgarBos]

Good video! Indeed always problems for power and charging. This looks great, so I ordered both. Will see what they do and always nice to have new toys.

[@TurnCycling]

We’re you able to get them delivered to the Netherlands Ed? Glad you liked the video.

[@haicobianchi7832]

Where did you order them Ed? I could not find a supplier.

[@EdgarBos]

@@haicobianchi7832 you can order at Amazon.nl at pay by ideal or card

[@haicobianchi7832]

@@EdgarBos I was looking there and can't find the one Niel is using. I have a small stubby one from Zendure but that one is twice the price so this looks nice. I also have one from Xtorm thats longer, wider but much thinner that does the same as the one Niel is showing but I am looking for the small stubby one.

[@EdgarBos]

@@haicobianchi7832 I also use the powerbanks from Xtorm (10k and 20k) but they are heavier and larger as far as I can see. The biggest problem is the charger with enough output!

[@shaunellis1]

Another great informative Tech Video Niel, i would check how much pass through charging is reduced as opposed to direct from the charger. In my testing of Xendure pack and same charger , the charge rate appears to be reduced when using pass through. Possibly not an issue with a 4 hour stop, but could be an issued for a shorter stop, and whether to prioritise charging the block or using pass through?

[@Tommycheck]

Very informative. Thanks you. Do you know if the battery will charge exposure toro 13?

[@TurnCycling]

I’m now using the Anker 737 power bank or a Zendure 10k Supermini. Both charge all my exposure lights.

[@carlsimmons305]

As always Neil, informative review of the equipment, can you share the links for the equipment please :-) Hope to catch up i the future again on some random bike route, ride & or event. Let me know it you have something coming up I can join you on :-). Keep up the good work.

[@peterpienkowski5287]

Hey Neil! Love your tech videos, but I was curious if you could explain one decision - why did you choose the Exposure Diablo over their more conventional on-road choices? I'm in the market for a lamp (preferably stvzo) and was curious about this particular choice...

[@TurnCycling]

That's a good question Peter. I do a lot of off-roading too so wasn't necessarily after a road specific item. At the time I bought my first Diablo I just liked the look of it and it gives a very broad pattern of light. Great when off road or descending a tight twisty mountain descent. The new version with the extra battery cell is an excellent light. The equivalent road going one would be quite a bit larger I think.

[@peterpienkowski5287]

@@TurnCycling Thanks for the response Neil! I ordered a Strada from Exposure, because I wanted something a bit more road-y and didn't want to worry about STVZO rules or blinding drivers here in Europe. Would love to know more about your Diable light though!

[@blahblah24304]

Ive got an exposure light and wonder how best to keep up with charge. My power bank seems to struggle to charge it and Exposure have told me high power GaN charges wont charge it. With a regular usb to smart port connector it takes a long time to charge! How do you manage this? Do you just rely on the support cells to get you far enough that you need a longer rest by the time theyre flat? I dont have the support cells and they seem very expensive for their capacity.

[@TurnCycling]

So I’m now using either the Strada SB or the Six Pack depending on whether I’m doing road or off-road. Both will recharge from high capacity power banks at pretty decent speeds. And with the battery capacity they have anyway they are lasting 3 nights of riding for the Strada and probably 6-7 off-road for the Six Pack assuming 6 hours use a night.

[@Sator810]

One problem I have encountered with passthrough charing on batteries is swelling, so use it sparingly.

[@TurnCycling]

Interesting Kai, I've not heard of passthrough charging causing swelling. I will keep an eye on it.

[@declanohara]

Hi Neil, Thank for this info I have just ordered both, very informative and saved me a pile of research, quick Q do you use any specific type of charging cable? or just the ones that come with the devices? Regards, Declan

[@TurnCycling]

At the moment I use what came with the device however I"m going to be doing some testing as not all cables are created equal. The important thing is to use a USB C to Lightening cable for your iPhone as that will charge much faster than USB A to Lightening.

[@sbcoombs]

Do you not use a dynamo Neil? For me it allows the freedom to maintain lights and power without the need to plug in.

[@TurnCycling]

Hi there Steve. I've just never been tempted to go down the dynamo route. It's more expensive, it's more difficult to fix/replace if anything goes wrong, it's heavier, it's more likely to go wrong, it adds drag. I get more capacity in with 1 hour of charging with a fast charger than a day of trickle charging on a dynamo. A power bank or charger is easy to replace as they are available in most petrol stations. I'm not really searching for a sense of freedom, I'm after the most efficient and simple way to keep my lights, Garmin and phone charged :-) That being said if I were properly off the grid (and I'm talking Silk Road not GB Divide or TCR or anything like that), then I would definitely consider a dynamo. I've just not had the need yet.

[@christopherhood9241]

Hi Mr Turn Cycling, really useful video, I'm preparing for my first ultra ... how did this work out for you ? I've undertaken long rides before but trying to stripe back to basics for weight etc.

[@TurnCycling]

Hi there Christopher, what ultra are you doing? In general this set up worked really well last year. I have now switched to Zendure power banks as the Aukey one isn't available in the UK any more and I just rate Zendure really highly. The minix charger is excellent. So good I've now got the new 4 port 100w charger. I do now use the Garmin extra battery cell for my 1030 Plus. Allows about 85 hours of riding time between charges. Then light wise I use the Exposure Support cells so get 3-4 days of night riding out of that. So right now I'm using a single 5,000mAh Zendure power bank to top up my phone and try to get into a hotel every 4th or 5th night. But, it's worth noting that weight makes a lot less difference than people think. 1kg of extra weight on something like the Transcontinental would add just 1 hour to the total time. Irrelevant in the context of a race like TCR.

[@christopherhood9241]

@@TurnCycling Many thanks for the info, really useful. Ride I'm taking part is Pan Celtic race. Would love to have a go at TCR one day. Undertaken a number of supported rides for various distances and rather like pushing myself. Unsupported seemed the next step especially after my own rides of Hebridean Way & NC500 back to back..

[@brianmorin9632]

Hi Neil could you confirm the precise product information for both the Minix and Aukey please? I want to make sure I order exactly what you have recommended. Thank you for the informative video.

[@TurnCycling]

Hi there Brian, glad you found the video informative: Aukey PowerBank www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08H8KKW5Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Minix Charger www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08M3L8BFT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Very pleased with them so far. Hope they work out for you. If they do then a subscribe to the channel would be appreciated :-)

[@brianmorin9632]

@@TurnCycling Hi Neil I have subscribed thank you again. I tried to find the same thing on either the Canadian or U.S. Amazon site and also wen to Aukey and it seems the power bank might be sold out. Can you reiterate what features I should be looking for? I am trying to go the non Dynamo hub route for my adventures and I think the combo you showed might be the answer but don't want to order the wrong ones- there are endless models advertised and it is tough for me to distinguish. Can you assist?

[@danielmartin4956]

Can’t find that power bank in the uk now. Strange 🤷‍♂️

[@TurnCycling]

Yes a real shame as I dropped mine and broke it! Will replace with a Zendure instead.

[@haicobianchi7832]

The charger is a lot more square than I thought. the one I bought is long and thin but has the same specs. Still not able to order those aukey powerbanks.

[@cycling_rob]

Hi Haico. Which one did you bought? Thanks, Rob

[@Vicks7]

Hi Niel, how can I contact you about coaching for ultra cycling?

[@TurnCycling]

Hi James, how are you? Best thing would be to PM me through the Turn Cycling Facebook page facebook.com/turncycling I look forward to hearing from you.

[@Vicks7]

@@TurnCycling thanks! Saw the Facebook link but I don’t use Facebook.

[@TurnCycling]

@@Vicks7 Ah okay :-) Email is the best bet then niel at turncycling dot com

[@podgey65]

Vg video 👍🏼