The RaceBox Micro just launched and the LITPro team has spent the last 3 or 4 months testing, finding the best mounting locations and comparing against the best GPS tracking devices... and here's the scoop!

First let's cover the high notes:

• 15 grams - It's tiny and weighs practically nothing
• $109 USD - It's priced well below anything else you are kitting your bike out with apart from the grips
• You can power it directly from most modern bikes (anything that you can get 3.6V to 16V from... most bikes with electric starts have 5V and 12V available)
• You can mount it inside the bar pad, on top of the triple clamp, behind the number plate... anywhere you can keep it protected from water and that has a direct view of the sky.  See suggested mounting locations.
• It is incredibly accurate (see below)
• It supports all the LITPro app features the Mini S does (jump detection, corner analysis, offline mode, gate drop analysis, etc)

Tips & Cautions:

• It's your responsibility to power it (or use our 9V battery modification - should get you hundreds of hours of seat time on a single battery)
• It's your responsibility to mount it:
• It isn't waterproof; you need to mount it where it is protected, and be sure you don't get it wet while washing (or you can try coating it in some kind of sealant)
• Mount it where it won't get hit by mud and rocks
• Mount it where it has a view of the sky for best accuracy
• Disconnect it from any power supply when it isn't being used (it will slowly drain your battery at a rate of thousandth of an amp every hour... meaning it would drain your 9V battery in about 23 days)
• Replace the 9V battery every 22 hours of recording time (or to be safe about as frequently as you change your tires, which for most people is in the 10 to 15 hour range)

Accuracy: Test Setup & Mounting Location

To get the best accuracy out of any GPS device you should place it where it has an unobstructed view of the sky in all directions.  This is even more important in areas where GPS systems are challenged, like if you are riding in a canyon or an open stadium (not that many of you do that, but you know what those conditions look like).  For our testing we rode at several local Southern California tracks, and we mounted the Micro in the bar pad.  The top of the helmet would be the most ideal location for best accuracy, but that's not realistic for this device as it isn't protected from rocks, mud or water there.  Inside the bar pad, it is protected from the elements, and it is, as you will see, a good enough mounting location to get great GPS accuracy. NOTE: inside the bar pad is good enough for a typical track day, but power-washing your bike with the Micro in there will damage the unit... so don't do that.

The RaceBox Micro mounted in cut-outs we made in the Renthal Twin Wall bar pad.

We used a foam cutter (hot knife) to cut out those inserts in the bar pad, then just put the cover on.  It was protected, clean and nice - you can't tell it's even in there.

Check out more on suggested mounting locations for the Micro.

Note: the RaceBox Micro does have LEDs and a physical button, but none of those are needed as everything is done from the LITPro app (including starting/stopping tracking, determining connection status, syncing, etc).  So covering it up is completely fine.  In fact, avoid pressing the button.

 Accuracy: Test Track

We tested the accuracy at various so-cal tracks, and all had similar results. The comparison images below are all from Fox Raceway in Pala, California.  The track is near rolling hills and some small mountains - it is not a very challenging GPS environment so your results may vary.

Richard Zinn testing at Fox Raceway

Accuracy: Benchmark Device Selection

For benchmarking the accuracy of the RaceBox Micro we used the RaceBox Mini S.  To be honest we could have also used the KTM CUO + GPS mouse, but that's for another time.  Shameless plug... the KTM/HQV/GAS RIDER features powered by LITPro are amazing, so look for that blog post coming soon!  

The RaceBox Mini S is the winner of our past shootouts.  It has the same GPS internals as the Micro; in fact the Micro is just a smaller, lighter, less expensive, non-water resistant or dirt/dust resistant version of it's bigger brother the Mini S.

The Mini S was mounted on the front fender, just ahead of the Micro (which was mounted in the bar pad as seen in the photo above)

 Accuracy: Comparison of Route Lines

 RaceBox Micro vs. RaceBox Mini S (8 laps session showing full track)

Accuracy: Conclusion

The GPS accuracy of the Micro and the Mini S devices is outstanding! You really can't tell the difference in route line between these two. As with all of our GPS accuracy posts we use repeatability (or relative accuracy) as a proxy for absolute accuracy.  This ends up being the most important metric for lap analysis and route line comparison because of the following:

1. Map image accuracy has its own challenges; both the GPS route lines and the map images are positioned using GPS and both have an error
2. Map images are outdated, so unless you happen to be seeing today's satellite or drone image of the track, the rut you might be looking for could be very different from what you see in the image
3. The LITPro app has features like drift correction to let you manually adjust the route lines to fit over the map image as you see fit
4. You as a rider typically know which lines you took, and seeing a line inside or outside of what you remember riding is the most important insight

We still get excited about accuracy, I suppose, because for the many years that LITPro has been trying to deliver a great lap timing and analysis to the sport of motocross and supercross it has been a huge challenge.  This is clearly changing though as even 1hz tracking devices from newer Garmin watches and bicycle head units are so accurate that we can show route line differences from one rut to the next in most cases. Clearly with either the Mini S or Micro that is possible too.  The KTM/HQV/GASGAS CUO accuracy is, as you will see in a future blog post, no exception.  Maybe it's time to start getting excited about the next challenge...  Maybe you should be excited about the mounting option you can customize just for your bike and setup?

Summary

The Micro delivers amazing GPS accuracy - just mount it in a location that gives you a decent view of the sky (we used the handlebar pad).  We've also tried behind the number plate (attached to the number plate with the antenna facing forward), on top of the triple clamp with the antenna facing the sky, and on the frame between the gas tank and the steering.  These all produced great GPS accuracy.  

The Micro is priced so inexpensively there's really no reason not to run your lap times at the track.  It is incredibly easy to use, and once you have set up a nice mounting location that fits your needs it is completely out of the way while you ride.

Focus on a mounting setup that achieves these goals and you'll be set:

1. Keeps the unit protected from water, mud and rocks
2. Has a direct view of the sky (antenna pointed towards the sky)
3. Is connected to a power supply in the 3.6V to 16V range
4. Allows easy enough on/off access that you can take it off to wash the bike, and keep it disconnected from power when you aren't using it

We'd love to see what mounting setups you come up with so send us photos or videos to our instagram @litpro or our customer service channel and we'll share it around.