Freelap TX Junior Stopwatch Kit

    If you haven’t heard of Freelap, it’s a tool that has taken personal timing to the next level. What it does is allow for a very easy way to accurately time yourself without the hassle of wires or multiple stopwatches.  It helps remove any chance of rider / timing errors that are all too common with conventional self timing systems.  You can take the system to a race course, pump track, XC loop, or wherever you want to get quick and accurate results.

    You can purchase individual pieces to build your own custom Freelap system, but we’ll be focusing on the Junior timing system that comes prepackaged with the basic startup pieces.

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    The Junior timing system comes with two wireless magnetic transmitters and a Freelap watch.

    The Transmitters:

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    The TX Junior Kit comes with two wireless transmitters. They’re powered by two AA batteries, last roughly 300 hours on the two batteries, and are water resistant.  Essentially you place one transmitter at the start of a given course and one at the end of the course. The detection area is 36” and it’s important that you get close to the transmitter to assure that the watch picks up the magnetic signal. Each transmitter emits a magnetic field that the watch picks up on to accurately record each time you go by.

    transmitter base with easy to use On / Off system (click to enlarge)

    The Watch:

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    The watch is the main piece in the TX Junior system. The watch is waterproof up to 30 meters and has a big display that is easy to read and operate even with gloves on.

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    The way the watch works is by recording when an athlete leaves or enters the magnetic field of each transmitter. You can also have as many watches on a given course as you’d like as well. Each watch is not specific to a transmitter so you don’t have to setup multiple transmitters for each watch. The onboard memory can store up to 2000 intermediates, times, and data. There’s also a download option to a PC using an USB adapter.

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    The System:

    Now that you’ve got an idea of the individual pieces, here’s how you use the TX Junior system.

    Turn on the transmitters and place one transmitter at the start and one transmitter at the finish. If you’re doing a loop (XC) or a pumptrack and will cross the start pole within 36” you don’t need to set up a second pole.

    transmitter at the start of the run (click to enlarge)

    The next step is to get to the starting pole and stop inside the 36” range of the transmitter. Press the MODE button to get into the record mode. The word STOP will be displayed. Press the START button once. Your time will not immediately start. The word RUN will blink on the stopwatch.  It will only start after you exit the magnetic field of the transmitter pole.

    Again, after you exit the magnetic field of the first transmitter pole the watch will start.

    Gerrit Beytagh starting his run (click to enlarge)

    If you purchase (or have) more than two poles, you can do split timing by placing more poles along the track. This can let you know where you lost or made up time compared to your previous runs, and you can also compare them with your friends times provided they each have a Freelap watch. 

    Gerrit Beytagh passing a split time transmitter (click to enlarge)

    Once you cross the finishing pole your time is now accurately recorded. After you have crossed the finishing pole you can press the STOP button. Unlike a stopwatch, you do not have to press the STOP button the instant you cross the finish line as the pole tells the watch that you’ve finished. This is a very valuable feature, as you don’t have to time when you cross the finish and press the STOP button, or nearly crash yourself out looking to find the STOP button.

    Gerrit Beytagh crossing the finish transmitter

    After you’ve completed a run, you can easily scroll through the watch to see your time (and split times if you had multiple poles).

    Accuracy:

    According to Freelap-USA, this system is accurate up to 0.02 of a second. This gives you a very accurate way of training or assessing sections of trails. It can help you determine which line is faster, and settle the debate of who’s faster on your home track without the need for expensive equipment.

    In Action:

    The system itself is easy to use and is quite intuitive to set up and start timing. We’ve shot a short video with Gerrit Beytagh (2008 USA National Downhill Champion) talking about the Freelap system that you can take a look at to get a better understanding of the Junior Timing system.

    Options:

    The Freelap system also has numerous pieces that you can purchase separately that can give you more information (additional transmitter poles, watches, speedometer, etc)

    Alternatively, there is also a TX MXTimer Junior Kit that comes with a Freelap MXTimer instead of a Freelap Stopwatch. We didn’t test the MXTimer, but inquired as to what the difference between it and the Jr Stopwatch watch was.

    MXTimer

     

    “The MXTimer has a larger display screen and easier menu navigation. Also, the MXTimer has a slight software tweak. For instance, the MXTimer can be started prior to entering the first transmitter. Once the athlete enters the range of the first transmitter, the Timer resets to zero and the chrono starts. This allows for a little more flexibility at the start line. Also, the MXTimer is pre-programmed for a future “Radio” Concept that Freelap is announcing very soon. This concept really won’t have to great of an impact for DH, more for MotoX and Skiing. This new product is essentially a coaching tool. The MXtimer will automatically transmit training times back to a handheld device. This will allow the coach to get immediate results without having to check the athletes timer firsthand. Like I said, this will have greater impact in sports like MotoX where the athletes will be taking multiple laps, etc.” Freelap-USA

    MSRP:

    • $429.99 TX Junior Stopwatch Kit (reviewed here)
    • $537.00 TX Junior MXTimer Kit

    Insight:

    It would be nice if Freelap included a horizontal mount for each transmitter pole. The manual suggested that ideally, the pole should be placed horizontally for mountain bike use (but no horizontal mount is included). With the Jr. transmitter kit its important to get as close to the pole as possible, so having the transmitter closer to bar/wrist level would be an improvement.

    Transmitter Pole security – if you’re on a public hill its hard to hide/lock these things down and make sure people don’t move / steal / touch them.

    Conclusion:

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    Overall the Freelap system is a very good training tool that is makes every ride that much more fun. It enables you to train faster and smarter by helping you to determine the fastest way down the hill without the penalty of an expensive timing system. In an event where you typically only get one timed run down a downhill to set a fast mark, it’s good to know what your time should be before you even cross the finish line.  The Freelap timing system can help with any cycling athlete or weekend warrior striving to cut precious time off the clock on any given course.  Numerous pro athletes already use the Freelap system (Gerrit Beytagh, Steve Smith, Gee Atherton, and Rachel Atherton to name a few).  Expect to see more athletes with these next year and implemented across more bike parks to help give riders an even better experience on the mountain.  

    You can purcahse Freelap for yourself and learn more at www.freelap-usa.com