Regarding SRAM's Karoo, since there's no decent Japanese manual,
I'm currently compiling articles based on what I've noticed through actual use
in a category called "About SRAM's Karoo".
There's still plenty I haven't written about yet.
Also, regarding the altitude specifications, there was a misunderstanding in my previous article
which I won't delete, but I plan to write a correction article.
For SRAM's Karoo,
you can either buy it as included in the new RED component kit,
or it's available as a standalone product,
but the standalone stock sold out at the distributor on first delivery
and has remained out of stock from then until today.
However, there should still be several dozen units circulating in Japan,
and I'd like to finish writing about this before it becomes widespread.
As for my weakness, except for the Yupitel handheld GPS unit that came out in the past,
I've never used a cycling computer that displays full-color, high-definition maps,
and in that sense, when comparing it to the Garmin Edge 1000 series as a rival product,
I can't really say what's good or bad about this versus that.
So when I write about SRAM's Karoo like
"Wow, amazing, nowadays cycling computers can do this kind of thing!",
you might think to yourself
"Well, that's already implemented in Garmin though"
so I might be writing things like that.
That's the preamble; now for the main topic.
The dedicated mount that comes with SRAM's Karoo,
the Hammerhead System, has
the Karoo body on top, and a universal mount for cameras and lights on the bottom,
to which I've attached a Rec-Mounts (レックマウント) CatEye light mount.
The acronym for the Hammerhead System is
HAMMERHEAD SYSTEM, so it's not HHS...but rather
HAMMERHEAD SYSTEM, so HMS.
There's a satisfying click when attaching and detaching,
and the fixing is solid.
There's a possibility it could wear and loosen with long-term use over the years,
but for now there's no problem at all.
It's compatible with 31.8mm diameter handlebars,
but for those who want to attach it to a conventional Garmin mount,
or have a stem-integrated handlebar,
or want to attach it between aero bars,
there's an adapter included with the Karoo that you insert into the back of the unit to convert it for Garmin mounts.
Rather than wanting to avoid mentioning a competitor's name,
they call it a "Quarter Turn Adapter" since it's a 1/4 turn to attach.
Garmin calls this adapter
by a de facto standard name that's become popular and dominant
(unlike CatEye's light mounting base H-34, other companies are tacitly allowed to make compatible products,
so it can be called a de facto standard),
"Universal Mount"—quite a pretentious name.
Naturally, Hammerhead
would never want to use this name.
Now for the main topic—the underside of the Hammerhead System.
I removed the Rec-Mounts CatEye light mount.
I also removed the lower universal mount for cameras and lights, which allows angle adjustment.
The back side of the Hammerhead System.
The screw holes in front and back are for the universal mount,
and the screw hole slightly offset from center
is for the cycling computer mount.
Flipping to the front side, I removed the cycling computer mount.
A specialized slotted washer is sandwiched so that when sliding,
the bolt shoulder doesn't rub against the plastic.
The bolt is an M4 cap screw head.
Looking at the back side again.
The universal mount for cameras and lights
is designed to be tightened with M4 countersunk screws,
but the hole on this Hammerhead System
for that purpose is M3.
The hole spacing is also different, and when I align one side of the universal mount with a center
the other side shifts by about this much.
The lower universal mount that matches this Hammerhead System
isn't included with the Karoo,
and there might be a dedicated version available,
but since the Hammerhead SRAM Karoo's predecessor
Karoo 3 only comes to Japan at the personal import level,
accessories aren't very well stocked currently.
However, with M3 countersunk screws,
the contact pressure on the blue tapered portion shown in the diagram above is sufficient,
so it can be fixed without problems.
In the diagram above, I drew the screw length a bit too long,
but I'll upload a picture of the actual product later.
The shoulder length below the tapered portion
must be approximately 2.5–2.8 mm.
↑This is the actual product.
I made it by cutting from a longer countersunk screw.
The thread pitch is about 3.5 turns.
If it's any longer, it hits the Hammerhead System body
and you don't get enough clamping force.
If it's any shorter, there aren't enough threads
and the holding force becomes questionable.
The tolerance on length is quite tight.
I tightened an M3 countersunk screw
on just one side of the camera/light lower universal mount.
The other side is offset just right so the threads contact the circumference of the mount's hole.
If you want to attach a light to the bottom of the Hammerhead System!
try making or buying M3 countersunk screws.
Bonus
↑This is a low-head stainless M5 bolt.
It comes with stainless washers,
but without a washer when tightening on the universal mount
you can adjust the angle by hand with some flexibility,
but it won't change angle during riding—
if you tighten it to this degree it looks like this.
When adjusting the angle, not only grab the mount with one hand,
but also hold the Hammerhead System body with the other hand.
There's a non-zero chance it could break or snap off.
The bolt head side looks like this
The bulges on both sides have similar shapes
and look neat, so I like them.
They're sold in 10-piece sets,
and I've stocked several sets in the past.
This is the one from the upper part of the image.
Washers are also included.
The product was originally intended for bottle cage mounting bolts.
I took a photo at the same angle as in the catalog,
but in the catalog image the bolt head diameter is smaller than the actual product.
The text that's cut off says
"Rust-resistant stainless M5 low-head bolt set.
Suitable for use on bottle cages and more."
In my environment "rust" only comes out as
"rust" or "corrosion" in kanji, but
in the catalog it showed up as "gold blue resistant" with a character.
This bolt is an ADEPT (アデプト) brand product handled by a distributor that carries Topeak and DT,
the AB5 Stainless Bolt Set,
with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of ¥1,000 (excl. tax) and ¥1,100 (incl. tax).
The distributor's internal product number is
BOS00200, and you can search for it this way too.
The second character of BOS is O, not zero.
Their M5 Alloy Bolt set, which is
4 black aluminum bolts,
is BOA00700, so
BOS stands for Bolt Steel,
and BOA stands for Bolt Alloy.
00200 is because it was the 002nd item they handled,
and the last two 00s are for classification based on detailed specifications.
This distributor's internal product numbers often have 00 at the end,
but for example with DT's XM481 rim,
RIM05702 is 27.5" 28H
RIM05700 is 27.5" 32H
RIM05703 is 29" 28H
RIM05701 is 29" 32H
—this is how the last digits are used.
For this stainless bolt 10-piece set,
many places sell it at about ¥990 including tax,
but a shop called FIND SHOP on Amazon lists it at
¥1,230.
Since it's a size that fits in the mail, they claim free shipping
but are adding that to the product price.
Shops on Yahoo Shopping selling it for around ¥1,600
have breakdowns like product ¥1,600 shipping ¥0
or product ¥880 shipping ¥770.
Our store sells it by the piece,
so if you want a low-head stainless bolt for the lower universal mount
regardless of the Karoo, feel free to contact us.
Below is advertising(when you call it advertising, it stops being advertising)
REC-MOUNTS® Rec-Mounts has released
【H34-Light6】,
a universal adapter that allows you to attach cylindrical lights,
mobile batteries, and the like to CatEye mounts using rubber bands.
The manufacturer's direct sale price is ¥2,585 (incl. tax).
↑It's like this
True to its name "universal," it's quite convenient.
I've also, when using the Karoo while charging,
given up this spot for a mobile battery
and moved the light to the handlebar
and used itonce or twice.
For those concerned about the security of rubber band fixing,
REC-MOUNTS® Rec-Mounts has released
【H34-Light8】,
a universal adapter with the same purpose but using three cable ties for fixing
instead of rubber bands.
The manufacturer's direct sale price is ¥2,420 (incl. tax).
There are similar products with the same concept that bolt directly to the
lower universal mount without going through the CatEye mount—GP-Light6 and
GP-Light8 respectively. But with the cable tie version 8,
you need tools to remove the light or mobile battery, which is a hassle. So if you don't mind
the cycling computer mount hanging down a bit longer,
it's more convenient to use the CatEye H-34 mount in between.
I'm currently compiling articles based on what I've noticed through actual use
in a category called "About SRAM's Karoo".
There's still plenty I haven't written about yet.
Also, regarding the altitude specifications, there was a misunderstanding in my previous article
which I won't delete, but I plan to write a correction article.
For SRAM's Karoo,
you can either buy it as included in the new RED component kit,
or it's available as a standalone product,
but the standalone stock sold out at the distributor on first delivery
and has remained out of stock from then until today.
However, there should still be several dozen units circulating in Japan,
and I'd like to finish writing about this before it becomes widespread.
As for my weakness, except for the Yupitel handheld GPS unit that came out in the past,
I've never used a cycling computer that displays full-color, high-definition maps,
and in that sense, when comparing it to the Garmin Edge 1000 series as a rival product,
I can't really say what's good or bad about this versus that.
So when I write about SRAM's Karoo like
"Wow, amazing, nowadays cycling computers can do this kind of thing!",
you might think to yourself
"Well, that's already implemented in Garmin though"
so I might be writing things like that.
That's the preamble; now for the main topic.
The dedicated mount that comes with SRAM's Karoo,
the Hammerhead System, has
the Karoo body on top, and a universal mount for cameras and lights on the bottom,
to which I've attached a Rec-Mounts (レックマウント) CatEye light mount.
The acronym for the Hammerhead System is
HAMMERHEAD SYSTEM, so it's not HHS...but rather
HAMMERHEAD SYSTEM, so HMS.
There's a satisfying click when attaching and detaching,
and the fixing is solid.
There's a possibility it could wear and loosen with long-term use over the years,
but for now there's no problem at all.
It's compatible with 31.8mm diameter handlebars,
but for those who want to attach it to a conventional Garmin mount,
or have a stem-integrated handlebar,
or want to attach it between aero bars,
there's an adapter included with the Karoo that you insert into the back of the unit to convert it for Garmin mounts.
Rather than wanting to avoid mentioning a competitor's name,
they call it a "Quarter Turn Adapter" since it's a 1/4 turn to attach.
Garmin calls this adapter
by a de facto standard name that's become popular and dominant
(unlike CatEye's light mounting base H-34, other companies are tacitly allowed to make compatible products,
so it can be called a de facto standard),
"Universal Mount"—quite a pretentious name.
Naturally, Hammerhead
would never want to use this name.
Now for the main topic—the underside of the Hammerhead System.
I removed the Rec-Mounts CatEye light mount.
I also removed the lower universal mount for cameras and lights, which allows angle adjustment.
The back side of the Hammerhead System.
The screw holes in front and back are for the universal mount,
and the screw hole slightly offset from center
is for the cycling computer mount.
Flipping to the front side, I removed the cycling computer mount.
A specialized slotted washer is sandwiched so that when sliding,
the bolt shoulder doesn't rub against the plastic.
The bolt is an M4 cap screw head.
Looking at the back side again.
The universal mount for cameras and lights
is designed to be tightened with M4 countersunk screws,
but the hole on this Hammerhead System
for that purpose is M3.
The hole spacing is also different, and when I align one side of the universal mount with a center
the other side shifts by about this much.
The lower universal mount that matches this Hammerhead System
isn't included with the Karoo,
and there might be a dedicated version available,
but since the Hammerhead SRAM Karoo's predecessor
Karoo 3 only comes to Japan at the personal import level,
accessories aren't very well stocked currently.
However, with M3 countersunk screws,
the contact pressure on the blue tapered portion shown in the diagram above is sufficient,
so it can be fixed without problems.
In the diagram above, I drew the screw length a bit too long,
but I'll upload a picture of the actual product later.
The shoulder length below the tapered portion
must be approximately 2.5–2.8 mm.
↑This is the actual product.
I made it by cutting from a longer countersunk screw.
The thread pitch is about 3.5 turns.
If it's any longer, it hits the Hammerhead System body
and you don't get enough clamping force.
If it's any shorter, there aren't enough threads
and the holding force becomes questionable.
The tolerance on length is quite tight.
I tightened an M3 countersunk screw
on just one side of the camera/light lower universal mount.
The other side is offset just right so the threads contact the circumference of the mount's hole.
If you want to attach a light to the bottom of the Hammerhead System!
try making or buying M3 countersunk screws.
Bonus
↑This is a low-head stainless M5 bolt.
It comes with stainless washers,
but without a washer when tightening on the universal mount
you can adjust the angle by hand with some flexibility,
but it won't change angle during riding—
if you tighten it to this degree it looks like this.
When adjusting the angle, not only grab the mount with one hand,
but also hold the Hammerhead System body with the other hand.
There's a non-zero chance it could break or snap off.
The bolt head side looks like this
The bulges on both sides have similar shapes
and look neat, so I like them.
They're sold in 10-piece sets,
and I've stocked several sets in the past.
This is the one from the upper part of the image.
Washers are also included.
The product was originally intended for bottle cage mounting bolts.
I took a photo at the same angle as in the catalog,
but in the catalog image the bolt head diameter is smaller than the actual product.
The text that's cut off says
"Rust-resistant stainless M5 low-head bolt set.
Suitable for use on bottle cages and more."
In my environment "rust" only comes out as
"rust" or "corrosion" in kanji, but
in the catalog it showed up as "gold blue resistant" with a character.
This bolt is an ADEPT (アデプト) brand product handled by a distributor that carries Topeak and DT,
the AB5 Stainless Bolt Set,
with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of ¥1,000 (excl. tax) and ¥1,100 (incl. tax).
The distributor's internal product number is
BOS00200, and you can search for it this way too.
The second character of BOS is O, not zero.
Their M5 Alloy Bolt set, which is
4 black aluminum bolts,
is BOA00700, so
BOS stands for Bolt Steel,
and BOA stands for Bolt Alloy.
00200 is because it was the 002nd item they handled,
and the last two 00s are for classification based on detailed specifications.
This distributor's internal product numbers often have 00 at the end,
but for example with DT's XM481 rim,
RIM05702 is 27.5" 28H
RIM05700 is 27.5" 32H
RIM05703 is 29" 28H
RIM05701 is 29" 32H
—this is how the last digits are used.
For this stainless bolt 10-piece set,
many places sell it at about ¥990 including tax,
but a shop called FIND SHOP on Amazon lists it at
¥1,230.
Since it's a size that fits in the mail, they claim free shipping
but are adding that to the product price.
Shops on Yahoo Shopping selling it for around ¥1,600
have breakdowns like product ¥1,600 shipping ¥0
or product ¥880 shipping ¥770.
Our store sells it by the piece,
so if you want a low-head stainless bolt for the lower universal mount
regardless of the Karoo, feel free to contact us.
Below is advertising
REC-MOUNTS® Rec-Mounts has released
【H34-Light6】,
a universal adapter that allows you to attach cylindrical lights,
mobile batteries, and the like to CatEye mounts using rubber bands.
The manufacturer's direct sale price is ¥2,585 (incl. tax).
↑It's like this
True to its name "universal," it's quite convenient.
I've also, when using the Karoo while charging,
given up this spot for a mobile battery
and moved the light to the handlebar
and used it
For those concerned about the security of rubber band fixing,
REC-MOUNTS® Rec-Mounts has released
【H34-Light8】,
a universal adapter with the same purpose but using three cable ties for fixing
instead of rubber bands.
The manufacturer's direct sale price is ¥2,420 (incl. tax).
There are similar products with the same concept that bolt directly to the
lower universal mount without going through the CatEye mount—GP-Light6 and
GP-Light8 respectively. But with the cable tie version 8,
you need tools to remove the light or mobile battery, which is a hassle. So if you don't mind
the cycling computer mount hanging down a bit longer,
it's more convenient to use the CatEye H-34 mount in between.