Timing system for training? Options

[DHRM]

Does anyone have any experience with the "Freelap" portable timing system?

We're looking for an inexpensive (that's a relative term) portable timing system for our local Club. The Freelap product includes portable stopwatches that are triggered at the start and optional split/finish removable wands. They also look to have a pretty cool permanent solution (TX full Track). If anyone has any suggestions, I'd sure be interested in reading what you suggest. Cheaper is better, but we want to avoid the junk.

Thanks! Sorry if I posted in the wrong category.

[Bikemonkeys]

Does anyone have any experience with the "Freelap" portable timing system?

We're looking for an inexpensive (that's a relative term) portable timing system for our local Club. The Freelap product includes portable stopwatches that are triggered at the start and optional split/finish removable wands. They also look to have a pretty cool permanent solution (TX full Track). If anyone has any suggestions, I'd sure be interested in reading what you suggest. Cheaper is better, but we want to avoid the junk.

Thanks! Sorry if I posted in the wrong category.

Those guys have been around for a few years, like 5-6 or more. That says they must not be total junk.

I was looking for these the other day, oddly enough. Thought it might help my son race.

[Bikemonkeys]

I also asked about it back a few years ago.

http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/index....&hl=freelap

[joker75]

There is one family at our local track that has these and brings them out to the track occasionally on practice days. They set up the first transmitter off the side of the start hill near lane 8. They place it part way down the hill, so it doesn't start until you roll passed it. They set up the stop transmitter line near the fence along the last straight on the finish line. You have to be on the side of the track nearest the transmitors as they won't pick up from acrossed the full width of the track.

Other than needing to have the starting transmitor part way down the start hill, to prevent premature starting while in the gate, they seem to work very well. And this is only a pet peave of mine, in that it won't give you an accurate start to finish lap time. However, as long as you set up the transmitors in the same place every time, you can fairly accurately guage how your lap times are looking, or if your training is actually helping your overall track speed.

Also is this just for you, or are you looking for something that you can allow others to borrow the stopwatch and see how they are doingas well? If it is just for your personal use, you may also want to look into the Ripxx. It monitors you for the entire track. You can set up sections to time seperately, as well as timing the full track. It shows your speed during turns and jumps, so you can take different lines through turns and rhythm sections and actually see what lines allow you to go the fastest. I don't know how much of the info you can dig into straight from the device, but it looks like on your PC, you can get very detailed logs of what you are doing.

Good luck in your search and let us know if you get one and how they work out.

This post has been edited by joker75: Aug 5 2011, 09:52 AM

[nobull]

There is one family at our local track that has these and brings them out to the track occasionally on practice days. They set up the first transmitter off the side of the start hill near lane 8. They place it part way down the hill, so it doesn't start until you roll passed it. They set up the stop transmitter line near the fence along the last straight on the finish line. You have to be on the side of the track nearest the transmitors as they won't pick up from acrossed the full width of the track.

Other than needing to have the starting transmitor part way down the start hill, to prevent premature starting while in the gate, they seem to work very well. And this is only a pet peave of mine, in that it won't give you an accurate start to finish lap time. However, as long as you set up the transmitors in the same place every time, you can fairly accurately guage how your lap times are looking, or if your training is actually helping your overall track speed.

Also is this just for you, or are you looking for something that you can allow others to borrow the stopwatch and see how they are doingas well? If it is just for your personal use, you may also want to look into the Ripxx. It monitors you for the entire track. You can set up sections to time seperately, as well as timing the full track. It shows your speed during turns and jumps, so you can take different lines through turns and rhythm sections and actually see what lines allow you to go the fastest. I don't know how much of the info you can dig into straight from the device, but it looks like on your PC, you can get very detailed logs of what you are doing.

Good luck in your search and let us know if you get one and how they work out.

I talked to them a few years ago and they said that it was possiable tie there system into the gate controls and put a loop under the gate that when triggered would start the timer. You would then put a timing loop at the finish line. My hangup was the cost of the timers. All in all a pretty neat setup.

[joker75]

I talked to them a few years ago and they said that it was possiable tie there system into the gate controls and put a loop under the gate that when triggered would start the timer. You would then put a timing loop at the finish line. My hangup was the cost of the timers. All in all a pretty neat setup.

Sounds like that would be a very nice setup. Not that I will be picking one up any time in the near future, but it could be very helpful for a team/track to look into pooling together to get the transmiters. Then any racers that want to be able to use the system only have to wory about their own stopwatch.

[Bikemonkeys]

I emailed them, for more info. It'd be cool to be able to offer this to racers at the track.

[DHRM]

This was the original video I saw. I could see this being a good fit for BMX also!

Freelap MTB video

[Bikemonkeys]

They just responded to me an hour ago. I'll have to see if anyone or team at the track wants use this, I asked about the permanent setup. It would be good for training, but a little pricey for just me and my kids.

[DHRM]

They just responded to me an hour ago. I'll have to see if anyone or team at the track wants use this, I asked about the permanent setup. It would be good for training, but a little pricey for just me and my kids.

Did you end up getting a kit? if you did what are your impression on it? Good training tool?