I like my bike computer, too… but No, yesterday we had a ride trough the valley of river Ahr starting with a 10% descent: 63,2 kmh/39,3mph. It was a nice trip from the spring at Blankenheim to the mouth at Kripp.
87,00 km; 4:04:03 h; 63,2 kmh max., 21,4 kmh ø
Unfortunately, in a city that’s too easy with some wireless bike computers: they tend to respond to “electromagnetic” noise, like cell towers’ signals, trams passing by, etc.
i’m not talking about those fake occasions .. sitting at home short-circuiting the device ..
actually you dont really need a cyclometer to know when you hit ridiculous speed .. your undies will tell
haha .. though i’m a native german speaker i had to read it in english context to get it right phonetically .. were i come from its pronounced slightly different. i totally missed the fart-part that makes it redundant
Case 1: I’m riding for the sake of riding, so I don’t care about speed, cadence, or any other data or statistic. No cyclometer is necessary.
Case 2: I’m trying to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. If I have the energy to look at and process the information from a cyclometer, I’m not riding as hard or fast as I should be. No cyclometer is necessary.
I wanted to keep track of mileage out of curiosity and have always kept one on my rides. I was not the only one surprised to see I did 5,000 miles in one year of commuting. Lots of folks at work were tracking my progress. In some small measure that helped build curiosity in cycling in those who didn’t think it could be done. I guess I wound up using it as bragging rights in my small pond of influence even though I well know there are others who pedal much more than I ever will.
It’s nice to have an additional reference that tells me I’m moving forward … especially in the darkness and/or bad weather.
I also find that having a speed indicated makes it easier for me to maintain the same tempo.
Heartrate was also useful thing to watch when I tried to climb the Alpe d’Huez.
They can be handy, but I think they are too complex as well,they can be handy with maintenance issues, like knowing how far you ran on a chain or a set of tires. What you can always do, mount the head unit on the seat post, facing the back, put the sensor on the rear wheel, and just ride, or mount it to the bottom of the saddle. You still have the ability to track distances, but you don’t have the display staring you in the face.
Better yet…I use my iphone4 with Runkeeper (RK has a cycle mode). It is in my pocket, so I see nothing while riding. But after I can read all stats on a graph, plus see my route on a google map.
With not only accelerometers and a gps, but a built-in gyroscope, as well, it is surprisingly accurate.
And if you really have to know how fast, how far instantly, you can turn on the voice announcer to tell you while you ride.
Second. No bike computer for me either. But what I like to do since I’m gay for statistics is to do my route on Google Maps and look in what time I did it so I get my average speed, including stops and all.
I find that the most used part about my bike computer is the clock. Wish it was larger on mine. (Filzer dZ4L) The rest of the time it’s only of interest if going a long way and I want to calculate when I’d get there. It’s useful and accurate for that.
As a fan of gearing I use the speed n cadence info to help get the best range. When the Trandem arrives it will all be academic (An infinite range of gearing with a NuVinci!)
i just try to increase the cadence to get a better training during my commute. thats the best way to increase my range for my twice-a-year sporty ride.
I have one, because I like to know how far I’ve travelled. Generally, though, I forget to turn it on until I’m a mile into the ride. My better half sets the pace for the ride.
Don’t use a bike computer to set numbers as a goal. Rather, use it to let you know if something is wrong. Works especially well with heart rate monitors. If you’re happy zone is a given range and you can’t stay in it, then you’re nutrition or hydration is off. Work to stay in that range and you have amazing rides and get faster and faster!
But that’s the basic problem most people have with any kind of measurement.
They tend to become blind to the reason why they were targeting that value to begin with …
This week’s ‘Gadget Show’ had a guy being scientifically tested to get the best range for a race. He was able to maintain a faster pace as a result instead of burning too quickly and hitting ‘the wall’ btw – he lost!
He now knows what cadence will give him the best range etc. Empirically, I discovered mine as 60RPM in my teens – good for an 06:00 to 22:30 ride and 75 miles. I know there are many who will laugh at that, but I was using a cheap touring bike with panniers etc loaded with food and stuff. With my ICD/Pacemaker today I still find 60rpm a good pace. I am not a racer or trying to get awards, just enjoying rides as long as possible. Into my 70s if I am lucky. Only 9 years to go
I ride a single speed so I pretty much put in the same effort no matter head winds etc, and sometimes I’m just not paying attention. If it’s feeling particualary slow I have a look how fast I’m going, I’ve caught a couple of slow leaks that way.
Left to my own devices, I ride like a masher. This is something which my knees have developed strong opinions about, but they only let me know some hours after the ride.
I’ve known about the advantage of a higher cadence in situations like this for years, but breaking habits and retraining a pattern like that is hard.
Besides, everytime I thought about it my cadence was OK, but then I’d get caught up in the flow of the ride instead, and my cadence would drop to my default masher value. This left me with a very false impression of what my average was.
Getting a computer that put the numbers right in my face has been instrumental in raising my average cadence from 70-75 to 85-90, which apparently is something my knees can tolerate a lot better.
Odometer was a good help when I tried keeping two chains in rotation on the same cassette.
Heart rate monitor is helpful when I ride with people who are fitter than me. Without it I have a tendency to try too hard. With the numbers, I’m a lot better at pacing myself so that I can finish with my dignity intact.
You should try riding singlespeed, it helps with the knee problems you can develop, I started riding a bike after three years off and it’s a singlespeed and even after a 75km ride I don’t have any knee pain when I couldn’t ride 20km on a multispeed bike…
To get the maximum therapeutic benefit from every ride (physical, emotional and spiritual) a fixed gear is the only way to go.
Of course if you need to haul stuff/terrain is harsh/time is of the essence, afew gears and the ability to coast can be valuable allies. But when you ride your bike to ride your bike, there is nothing in the world that can compare to a fixed gear.
fixed gears and gods are for people that cant keep pace in life. they need an instance of correction that keeps them pedalling even if they’re distracted or not motivated.
@mongo
Unless, of course, you’re one of those cyclists who actually enjoy coasting from time to time. For me, coasting is an enjoyable part of the riding experience.
I’m one of those rare folks who got into fixed gear with no clue as to the trendy component. Sheldon Brown was my sensei, and since he was a curmucgeonly gent of a certain age, as was I, I figured I’d give it a shot.
And it’s funny-The control and instant feedback of a fixed hub had me riding fixed exclusively for about three years. Any time I set forth with freewheel, the tendancy of the bike to go on when I tried to backpedal filled me with a sense of dread.
But I’ve since put my geared vintage Gary Fisher back together and have actually been enjoying it. It’s set up as a geared townie/backroad tourer with fenders, rack, panniers, handlebar bag and kickstand. As a bike to take me up the endless hills of Western Maryland, or to haul near a week’s worth of groceries home, or as something to ride after a long hard day of commercial electrical work when I’m just too tired to focus on riding a real bike, it’s wonderful.
But to “ride my bike to ride my bike”-to ride for the sheer unfettered joy I felt as a kid-nothing will do but a fixed gear.
After I bought my singlespeed, I considered converting it to fixed, also due to the influence of Sheldon Brown. Since my budget didn’t allow the conversion immediately, I rode singlespeed for a year or so, during which time I gave my only other bike to a friend whose bike was stolen. I have since come to realize that, for my needs and desires, fixed gear isn’t practical on my only bike. It would significantly reduce the performance envelope compared to singlespeed, and that’s simply not an option without an additional bike or two.
That would run contrary to what I’ve heard from a physical therapist, who said the increase in popularity of singlespeeds led to a parallel increase in the number of patients she saw with knee problems. Sure, a singlespeed might keep you spinning on the flats, as you’re unable to reach for too high a gear, but as soon as you hit a hill you’ll start grinding the cartilage out of your knee joints.
I love my singlespeed, but I limit its use to flat or rolling trails; grinding up hills on it is too literal an experience.
(But no computers on any of the bikes–they add nothing to the ride for me.)
I take it that you live somewhere that is flat as a pancake? Come to Charleston and try to take your singlspeed up Wertz Street or Holts Avenue. If you can do it, I salute you; most of us mere mortals need gears for that.
What is the grade of those hills, WV Tenor? I haven’t yet encountered a hill too steep to climb with my singlespeed, but I don’t think I’ve tried anything of any substantial length that exceeded 45-50% grade. Mind you, I don’t particularly enjoy climbing such steep hills, but they’re definitely doable without gears.
I try to avoid cycling on highways if alternate routes are available, and sometimes such alternate routes have steep hills. Personally, I much prefer the physical challenge of climbing steep hills to the noise and mental stress of cycling in heavy, high speed motor traffic.
I don’t know the percentages; I just know that there are a lot of streets here in Charleston that even CARS struggle up. If you can go up them on a singlespeed of a fixie, more power to you. Many of us mere mortals can’t.
I have’nt had a cycle computer in the last six years. But then again – I have’nt been doing any real training in the last six years either. These days I put a GPS in my back pocket so I’ll be able to log my mileage when I get home. Then I’ll be free to concentrate on the experience of riding.
I love my cyclocomputer, I love my cycling GPS. I am a data junkie. So when I saw the IPhone bike mount and an App that displays all the cyclocomputer stats with maps I started thinking Wow, I could have all that plus ITunes, web browsing, email, and phone all on my handlebars!! But then it dawned on me that I ride to get away from all of those and the last thing I need is another large monthly expense. I still like my gps which records a wealth of data I can piddle around with AFTER the ride but I sure as hell won’t be buying an iphone.
I reset my computer each year, then update my mileage, along with the other members just to see how far we go each year… Last year, I did 4013.8 miles. This year is going to be a challenge to beat that, as I’ve been off the bike for the better part of the month due to injury.
Today I was able to drag out Dammit Mk. VII (“Mark”) , and get a mile in without too much discomfort. I asked the Orthopedic surgeon if I could/should ride, and he said “Yes, it’s part of the physical therapy for a torn meniscus” . The MRI is scheduled for Thursday, results will be given to me on Friday.
I think a computer is useful for improving your gear changing technique; the speed is a bit irrelevant-you need to know if it’s increasing or decreasing though. But. like our hero, I was initially a bit upset to find how slow I was going.
But, why no backlight? The thing is next to useless at night, and I do quite a lot of night riding, esp. in winter. I have rigged a little light to my helmet facing downwards to illuminate the computer, but it’s a bit of a lash-up, and looks it.
I use one as a whip and carrot as mentioned above and for tracking cue sheet info on long organized rides. I have to change it from metric to English for them though, I don’t do MPH except when I have to.
When I started to cycle and race seriously, I gave up my cyclocomputer. It was inadvertant, in a way. I had bought a new one to fit OS handlebars, and it was the last thing I was going to put on after I built up my bike. But two years and x miles later, it’s still in a box in my basement.
All along, I’ve used them. But now I wonder if they tell you anything important. The important things when I’m racing include what’s going on in the field, where the wind is, what the course is ahead, what the lap card says. The computer only distracts from these areas. I can’t think of when looking at a computer during a crit would help you, and I think the temptation would be to look at them during the stupidest times — for example, to see how fast the sprint is, or to see how much time is left when you’re hurting.
Powermeters and GPS have their own benefits, and I’d rethink my position of not putting anything on my handlebars if someone else were paying.
But all in all, I’m happy without a computer. I know some people who measure their seasons in terms of total miles, but you just learn other markers: how many points you’ve earned in races and what veins are showing in your legs.
What a bunch o’ fushaw! Computer. No computer. We’d all be better off using this time wasted on a debate over data aquisition by just riding. BTW…It’s better to have loafed and lost than to never have loafed at all!
I wanted a computer before they were invented. i used to dream about how I’d make one. I was THRILLED when Cateye came out with their Solar. (I still have it. I don’t use it, but I have it.)
Now I have a Garmin 305. It’s a blast to plug the data in Ascent and play back a long hilly ride through Gogle Earth. Bike computers ROCK. Information is good, and fun.
In real life I have a 305, use it for log rides, and like others have learned to ignore it while riding. Data is fun and maybe even useful, but while riding I most enjoy keeping focus on my surroundings, bike and body.
I keep a bike computer for 2 things, the time, and my current speed. I like knowing how fast I’m going because I’m always faster than I think I am, and it makes me proud, and that gives me more energy, and all around makes things more fun. I don’t like that the silly thing does a million other things I can’t understand or figure out and more importantly, the blasted thing keeps defaulting to something other than speed and time. Speed and some blasted number I don’t understand, possibly related to how far I’ve gone since I last pushed some button that reset a counter, maybe, except I don’t even know how to do that. In trying to make it go back to time I’ve pushed buttons till it was broken and had to get the LBS to set it again. It always takes like four or five pushes to get the time back, and not ten minutes later, it’s back on that blasted huge row of numbers. ~sigh~ Why can’t they just make a speedometer? I gotta know if I’m breaking the speed limit!
For me, cycle computers are good for two things. Touring, helping follow cues on the unmarked routes and estimating the next services. GPS is making this less importent but is still more of a hassle than the set it and forget it cycle computer. Maintanence, I reset the odomoter when I do a general overhaul of the bike at about 5,000 miles and record intermin events like chain replacement on a notecard in my toolbox . I regularly ride three bikes and remembering which one got what is difficult. Things like true,tire, chain and brake pads can and need to be checked regularly but I find that hub, headset, and bottom bracket problems can sneak up on me.
I bought a cheap cycle computer a few years back just out of curiousity about my average speed and commuting distance. After a few weeks, though, I realized that I’m pretty boring. I almost always average between 10 and 15 mph and my commute distance of about 8 miles one way remaines about 8 miles one way because 1015 mph is considerably less than the speed of light (I’m not warping space time). After a while I was just using it as a clock. After it broke, I electrical taped some pipe insulation to my bars so I could strap my watch there. If I go for a ride that’s different than usual and I want to know how far I rode, I use this cool little web app: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ . It uses google maps and automatically traces the roads for you so you don’t have to clicky click click at every little turn a road makes.
cyclometers, lightweight everything, crooked racing scene, and every ride being more about numbers almost ruined cycling for me. luckily single speeds and platform pedals bought me back to the basics and my true love. Oh, and NO cyclometers!!
Ditto! Thanks for that link – it woke up a memory of 1963 for me that I lost with my heart-attack.
My next was a unit that clamped on the side of the wheel that had gears to turn a cable to the bars to operate a motor-cycle type speedo (Can’t remember the make!) It once showed 50MPH when I was going home after a girlfriend chucked me.
Later it showed 40mph when I passed a Rover 3500 going down a lake district hill – his speedo said 30, I looked!
I like my bike computers! I really like the Cateye Strada because it has the autostart/stop, speed, time of day, distance, and odometer that was on the Vectra plus a second trip distance, average speed, and most importantly a trip time. I mostly check the time of day while I’m riding and occasionally my speed. Recording mileage and time has helped me for planning trips as well as a given me sense of accomplishment overall. I don’t need all the heartrate and elevation stuff.
My husband’s bike computer recently read 88 mph as a max speed, but we chalked it up to a radio interfernce incident. He was riding with me and I only hit 23. He does seems to have those sort of glitches more than I do, probably from traveling downtown. Or maybe his Vectra is more succeptable than my Strada.
If y has been doing brevets without a cyclometer then is is no wonder that he missed his turns all the time.
For commuting, especially in heavy traffic like I do now, morning and back around 5 pm, “fast” means fast enough to stay alive and “far” is only as far as the next safe harbour.
I use my computer to help me keep up my cadence because of my bad knees. Too much mashing kills them, so I watch to make sure I downshift to stay above 90 RPM. My comfortable cadence is 100110 RPM with platform pedals, 105115 with toeclips and straps, and 100150 clipless. And yes I practice my racing with the clipless pedals.
Does it mean I’m slow if I can’t catch-up with what appears to be a very, very slow cyclist a short distance in front of me on the morning commute to work? Just Wondering as I approach 64.
I love my bike computer… and Yes, I ride that slow on the flats…
Mount the magnet sideways. Doubles your slow speeds.
Or put two magnets on the wheel
I like my bike computer, too… but No, yesterday we had a ride trough the valley of river Ahr starting with a 10% descent: 63,2 kmh/39,3mph. It was a nice trip from the spring at Blankenheim to the mouth at Kripp.
87,00 km; 4:04:03 h; 63,2 kmh max., 21,4 kmh ø
when you reach the 99.9 on your cyclometer you’ll be free at last.
Unfortunately, in a city that’s too easy with some wireless bike computers: they tend to respond to “electromagnetic” noise, like cell towers’ signals, trams passing by, etc.
i’m not talking about those fake occasions .. sitting at home short-circuiting the device ..
actually you dont really need a cyclometer to know when you hit ridiculous speed .. your undies will tell
You only need a dynohub for that! 99.9 max, avg etc
Just enter the maximum calibration number your computer allows.
“When this baby hits 88 miles per hour… you’re gonna see some serious sh*BEEP*…” – Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future.
I see you rode past a place called ‘Cafe Fahrtwind’ – what an interesting name for a business.
haha .. though i’m a native german speaker i had to read it in english context to get it right phonetically .. were i come from its pronounced slightly different. i totally missed the fart-part that makes it redundant
Ooh! I want to go to Cafe Fahrtwind!
Love it :-)
“Do I really ride that slowly?”
Priceless, one of the best today R&B.
Yehuda has a point there.
Ditto. I had a bike computer when I was a kid, never more…
Just one more thing to break.
Or get stolen.
Case 1: I’m riding for the sake of riding, so I don’t care about speed, cadence, or any other data or statistic. No cyclometer is necessary.
Case 2: I’m trying to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. If I have the energy to look at and process the information from a cyclometer, I’m not riding as hard or fast as I should be. No cyclometer is necessary.
I wanted to keep track of mileage out of curiosity and have always kept one on my rides. I was not the only one surprised to see I did 5,000 miles in one year of commuting. Lots of folks at work were tracking my progress. In some small measure that helped build curiosity in cycling in those who didn’t think it could be done. I guess I wound up using it as bragging rights in my small pond of influence even though I well know there are others who pedal much more than I ever will.
It’s nice to have an additional reference that tells me I’m moving forward … especially in the darkness and/or bad weather.
I also find that having a speed indicated makes it easier for me to maintain the same tempo.
Heartrate was also useful thing to watch when I tried to climb the Alpe d’Huez.
Here’s where Mongo thinks that when riding a fixie he KNOWS when he’s moving forward without instrumentation backup!
They can be handy, but I think they are too complex as well,they can be handy with maintenance issues, like knowing how far you ran on a chain or a set of tires. What you can always do, mount the head unit on the seat post, facing the back, put the sensor on the rear wheel, and just ride, or mount it to the bottom of the saddle. You still have the ability to track distances, but you don’t have the display staring you in the face.
Better yet…I use my iphone4 with Runkeeper (RK has a cycle mode). It is in my pocket, so I see nothing while riding. But after I can read all stats on a graph, plus see my route on a google map.
With not only accelerometers and a gps, but a built-in gyroscope, as well, it is surprisingly accurate.
And if you really have to know how fast, how far instantly, you can turn on the voice announcer to tell you while you ride.
Second. No bike computer for me either. But what I like to do since I’m gay for statistics is to do my route on Google Maps and look in what time I did it so I get my average speed, including stops and all.
I find that the most used part about my bike computer is the clock. Wish it was larger on mine. (Filzer dZ4L) The rest of the time it’s only of interest if going a long way and I want to calculate when I’d get there. It’s useful and accurate for that.
This discussion reminds me of this Biseekell strip:
http://biseekell.blogspot.com/2010/05/2-changing-conversation.html
“Gay for statistics”? Is that like having sex with men only so you can mark it down in your log book?
No, it means I enjoy numbers, I see it like a IRL achievement, but only unlockable at the end of the journey.
i’d be interested in cadence and heart rate and probably a stop watch but the stream of velocity information couldnt be more useless and distracting.
As a fan of gearing I use the speed n cadence info to help get the best range. When the Trandem arrives it will all be academic (An infinite range of gearing with a NuVinci!)
i just try to increase the cadence to get a better training during my commute. thats the best way to increase my range for my twice-a-year sporty ride.
I had one of those gadgets until it malfunctioned. Life’s better without it. No more striving to increase my average, I just enjoy the ride.
Bike computer = combined whip and carrot
In certain cases, ignorance IS bliss.
I think ignorance is putting electronic gadgets on mans most simple and efficient machine.
I just luuuuuvvvveeee my garmn 705, gps, maps, heart rate, cadence, mesa likey very much…..
I have one, because I like to know how far I’ve travelled. Generally, though, I forget to turn it on until I’m a mile into the ride. My better half sets the pace for the ride.
Don’t know. Don’t care.
If Joe bought it for him, how come Yehuda’s out of pocket? (Frame 2)
Not to mention out of pencil.
Complete mileage junkie, including spreadsheeting my bikes. In the mundane world, I’m a bookkeeper. Surprised?
Then world’s only as “mundane” as you choose to make it.
but why have so many people troubles keeping their world as mundane as they’d need it to be ?
I’ll leave that for you lot to sort out. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
Me. too. My real world job involves numbers. Not a bookkeeper, but a construction estimator.
I can’t help it.
Bookkeeper – you mean like the guy who put Capone away? Hardly mundane!
Don’t use a bike computer to set numbers as a goal. Rather, use it to let you know if something is wrong. Works especially well with heart rate monitors. If you’re happy zone is a given range and you can’t stay in it, then you’re nutrition or hydration is off. Work to stay in that range and you have amazing rides and get faster and faster!
But that’s the basic problem most people have with any kind of measurement.
They tend to become blind to the reason why they were targeting that value to begin with …
This week’s ‘Gadget Show’ had a guy being scientifically tested to get the best range for a race. He was able to maintain a faster pace as a result instead of burning too quickly and hitting ‘the wall’ btw – he lost!
He now knows what cadence will give him the best range etc. Empirically, I discovered mine as 60RPM in my teens – good for an 06:00 to 22:30 ride and 75 miles. I know there are many who will laugh at that, but I was using a cheap touring bike with panniers etc loaded with food and stuff. With my ICD/Pacemaker today I still find 60rpm a good pace. I am not a racer or trying to get awards, just enjoying rides as long as possible. Into my 70s if I am lucky. Only 9 years to go
I ride a single speed so I pretty much put in the same effort no matter head winds etc, and sometimes I’m just not paying attention. If it’s feeling particualary slow I have a look how fast I’m going, I’ve caught a couple of slow leaks that way.
I ride recumbent … so I don’t notice head winds anyway
Left to my own devices, I ride like a masher. This is something which my knees have developed strong opinions about, but they only let me know some hours after the ride.
I’ve known about the advantage of a higher cadence in situations like this for years, but breaking habits and retraining a pattern like that is hard.
Besides, everytime I thought about it my cadence was OK, but then I’d get caught up in the flow of the ride instead, and my cadence would drop to my default masher value. This left me with a very false impression of what my average was.
Getting a computer that put the numbers right in my face has been instrumental in raising my average cadence from 70-75 to 85-90, which apparently is something my knees can tolerate a lot better.
Odometer was a good help when I tried keeping two chains in rotation on the same cassette.
Heart rate monitor is helpful when I ride with people who are fitter than me. Without it I have a tendency to try too hard. With the numbers, I’m a lot better at pacing myself so that I can finish with my dignity intact.
You should try riding singlespeed, it helps with the knee problems you can develop, I started riding a bike after three years off and it’s a singlespeed and even after a 75km ride I don’t have any knee pain when I couldn’t ride 20km on a multispeed bike…
Nonsense. Freewheels are the work of Lucifer.
To get the maximum therapeutic benefit from every ride (physical, emotional and spiritual) a fixed gear is the only way to go.
Of course if you need to haul stuff/terrain is harsh/time is of the essence, afew gears and the ability to coast can be valuable allies. But when you ride your bike to ride your bike, there is nothing in the world that can compare to a fixed gear.
fixed gears and gods are for people that cant keep pace in life. they need an instance of correction that keeps them pedalling even if they’re distracted or not motivated.
@mongo
Unless, of course, you’re one of those cyclists who actually enjoy coasting from time to time. For me, coasting is an enjoyable part of the riding experience.
I’m one of those rare folks who got into fixed gear with no clue as to the trendy component. Sheldon Brown was my sensei, and since he was a curmucgeonly gent of a certain age, as was I, I figured I’d give it a shot.
And it’s funny-The control and instant feedback of a fixed hub had me riding fixed exclusively for about three years. Any time I set forth with freewheel, the tendancy of the bike to go on when I tried to backpedal filled me with a sense of dread.
But I’ve since put my geared vintage Gary Fisher back together and have actually been enjoying it. It’s set up as a geared townie/backroad tourer with fenders, rack, panniers, handlebar bag and kickstand. As a bike to take me up the endless hills of Western Maryland, or to haul near a week’s worth of groceries home, or as something to ride after a long hard day of commercial electrical work when I’m just too tired to focus on riding a real bike, it’s wonderful.
But to “ride my bike to ride my bike”-to ride for the sheer unfettered joy I felt as a kid-nothing will do but a fixed gear.
After I bought my singlespeed, I considered converting it to fixed, also due to the influence of Sheldon Brown. Since my budget didn’t allow the conversion immediately, I rode singlespeed for a year or so, during which time I gave my only other bike to a friend whose bike was stolen. I have since come to realize that, for my needs and desires, fixed gear isn’t practical on my only bike. It would significantly reduce the performance envelope compared to singlespeed, and that’s simply not an option without an additional bike or two.
Plus, I realized that I enjoyed coasting. It is an integral part of the unfettered joy of cycling that I felt as a kid!
Howdy–
That would run contrary to what I’ve heard from a physical therapist, who said the increase in popularity of singlespeeds led to a parallel increase in the number of patients she saw with knee problems. Sure, a singlespeed might keep you spinning on the flats, as you’re unable to reach for too high a gear, but as soon as you hit a hill you’ll start grinding the cartilage out of your knee joints.
I love my singlespeed, but I limit its use to flat or rolling trails; grinding up hills on it is too literal an experience.
(But no computers on any of the bikes–they add nothing to the ride for me.)
Happy Trails,
Ron Georg
Corvallis
It might also be the Biopace crank I’m using…
I take it that you live somewhere that is flat as a pancake? Come to Charleston and try to take your singlspeed up Wertz Street or Holts Avenue. If you can do it, I salute you; most of us mere mortals need gears for that.
What is the grade of those hills, WV Tenor? I haven’t yet encountered a hill too steep to climb with my singlespeed, but I don’t think I’ve tried anything of any substantial length that exceeded 45-50% grade. Mind you, I don’t particularly enjoy climbing such steep hills, but they’re definitely doable without gears.
Even hillbillies have enough sense (usually) to keep their highway grades under 10%. 60-65 gear inches makes it a piece o’ cake.
I try to avoid cycling on highways if alternate routes are available, and sometimes such alternate routes have steep hills. Personally, I much prefer the physical challenge of climbing steep hills to the noise and mental stress of cycling in heavy, high speed motor traffic.
I don’t know the percentages; I just know that there are a lot of streets here in Charleston that even CARS struggle up. If you can go up them on a singlespeed of a fixie, more power to you. Many of us mere mortals can’t.
Computer? check… Heart rate monitor? check… GPS? check… Radio? check…. Water bottles? check… Gloves? check… Road ID? check…
Wait…. what am I doing today???? Way too much stuff on pur plates… As Lee Dorsey wrote: ride your pony; get on your pony and ride, yey hey….
I have’nt had a cycle computer in the last six years. But then again – I have’nt been doing any real training in the last six years either. These days I put a GPS in my back pocket so I’ll be able to log my mileage when I get home. Then I’ll be free to concentrate on the experience of riding.
I love my cyclocomputer, I love my cycling GPS. I am a data junkie. So when I saw the IPhone bike mount and an App that displays all the cyclocomputer stats with maps I started thinking Wow, I could have all that plus ITunes, web browsing, email, and phone all on my handlebars!! But then it dawned on me that I ride to get away from all of those and the last thing I need is another large monthly expense. I still like my gps which records a wealth of data I can piddle around with AFTER the ride but I sure as hell won’t be buying an iphone.
For the last two years, I’ve been running the Commuting Mileage Threads at BikeForums.net.
. The MRI is scheduled for Thursday, results will be given to me on Friday.
The 2011 Commuting Mileage Thread
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/704283-The2011-Mileage-Thread
I reset my computer each year, then update my mileage, along with the other members just to see how far we go each year… Last year, I did 4013.8 miles. This year is going to be a challenge to beat that, as I’ve been off the bike for the better part of the month due to injury.
Today I was able to drag out Dammit Mk. VII (“Mark”) , and get a mile in without too much discomfort. I asked the Orthopedic surgeon if I could/should ride, and he said “Yes, it’s part of the physical therapy for a torn meniscus”
I think a computer is useful for improving your gear changing technique; the speed is a bit irrelevant-you need to know if it’s increasing or decreasing though. But. like our hero, I was initially a bit upset to find how slow I was going.
But, why no backlight? The thing is next to useless at night, and I do quite a lot of night riding, esp. in winter. I have rigged a little light to my helmet facing downwards to illuminate the computer, but it’s a bit of a lash-up, and looks it.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Bike-Computer-Nite-Light/dp/B003L9EL48 A handlebar light to shine on your computer.
I find them handy for tracking the distance traveled. When I last moved, a computer and Googlemaps were a great way to find my way around.
When I first got into the habit of riding a bike, I didn’t want to find out how slow I was.
By the time I finally got a bike computer, I realised that I wasn’t as slow as I thought.
I don’t think it’s that distracting. Once the novelty has worn off, I mainly just check it at the end of each day to see how far I rode.
I use one as a whip and carrot as mentioned above and for tracking cue sheet info on long organized rides. I have to change it from metric to English for them though, I don’t do MPH except when I have to.
When I started to cycle and race seriously, I gave up my cyclocomputer. It was inadvertant, in a way. I had bought a new one to fit OS handlebars, and it was the last thing I was going to put on after I built up my bike. But two years and x miles later, it’s still in a box in my basement.
All along, I’ve used them. But now I wonder if they tell you anything important. The important things when I’m racing include what’s going on in the field, where the wind is, what the course is ahead, what the lap card says. The computer only distracts from these areas. I can’t think of when looking at a computer during a crit would help you, and I think the temptation would be to look at them during the stupidest times — for example, to see how fast the sprint is, or to see how much time is left when you’re hurting.
Powermeters and GPS have their own benefits, and I’d rethink my position of not putting anything on my handlebars if someone else were paying.
But all in all, I’m happy without a computer. I know some people who measure their seasons in terms of total miles, but you just learn other markers: how many points you’ve earned in races and what veins are showing in your legs.
What a bunch o’ fushaw! Computer. No computer. We’d all be better off using this time wasted on a debate over data aquisition by just riding. BTW…It’s better to have loafed and lost than to never have loafed at all!
I wanted a computer before they were invented. i used to dream about how I’d make one. I was THRILLED when Cateye came out with their Solar. (I still have it. I don’t use it, but I have it.)
Now I have a Garmin 305. It’s a blast to plug the data in Ascent and play back a long hilly ride through Gogle Earth. Bike computers ROCK. Information is good, and fun.
Yehuda today is me.
Electrical tape on the face helps.
In real life I have a 305, use it for log rides, and like others have learned to ignore it while riding. Data is fun and maybe even useful, but while riding I most enjoy keeping focus on my surroundings, bike and body.
I keep a bike computer for 2 things, the time, and my current speed. I like knowing how fast I’m going because I’m always faster than I think I am, and it makes me proud, and that gives me more energy, and all around makes things more fun. I don’t like that the silly thing does a million other things I can’t understand or figure out and more importantly, the blasted thing keeps defaulting to something other than speed and time. Speed and some blasted number I don’t understand, possibly related to how far I’ve gone since I last pushed some button that reset a counter, maybe, except I don’t even know how to do that. In trying to make it go back to time I’ve pushed buttons till it was broken and had to get the LBS to set it again. It always takes like four or five pushes to get the time back, and not ten minutes later, it’s back on that blasted huge row of numbers. ~sigh~ Why can’t they just make a speedometer? I gotta know if I’m breaking the speed limit!
For me, cycle computers are good for two things. Touring, helping follow cues on the unmarked routes and estimating the next services. GPS is making this less importent but is still more of a hassle than the set it and forget it cycle computer. Maintanence, I reset the odomoter when I do a general overhaul of the bike at about 5,000 miles and record intermin events like chain replacement on a notecard in my toolbox . I regularly ride three bikes and remembering which one got what is difficult. Things like true,tire, chain and brake pads can and need to be checked regularly but I find that hub, headset, and bottom bracket problems can sneak up on me.
I bought a cheap cycle computer a few years back just out of curiousity about my average speed and commuting distance. After a few weeks, though, I realized that I’m pretty boring. I almost always average between 10 and 15 mph and my commute distance of about 8 miles one way remaines about 8 miles one way because 1015 mph is considerably less than the speed of light (I’m not warping space time). After a while I was just using it as a clock. After it broke, I electrical taped some pipe insulation to my bars so I could strap my watch there. If I go for a ride that’s different than usual and I want to know how far I rode, I use this cool little web app: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ . It uses google maps and automatically traces the roads for you so you don’t have to clicky click click at every little turn a road makes.
cyclometers, lightweight everything, crooked racing scene, and every ride being more about numbers almost ruined cycling for me. luckily single speeds and platform pedals bought me back to the basics and my true love. Oh, and NO cyclometers!!
Then I take it you live somewhere flat? Come here to WV and try going up some of our streets fit for mountain goats and see how your singlespeed does.
Yeah my area is completely flat…. except for the hills
I have a feeling that what you would consider a hill we’d consider a gentle slope.
Yehuda should ride with this, fits his image:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/2372406590_cb6e69f72d.jpg
Looks just like the one I used to have.
Ditto! Thanks for that link – it woke up a memory of 1963 for me that I lost with my heart-attack.
My next was a unit that clamped on the side of the wheel that had gears to turn a cable to the bars to operate a motor-cycle type speedo (Can’t remember the make!) It once showed 50MPH when I was going home after a girlfriend chucked me.
Later it showed 40mph when I passed a Rover 3500 going down a lake district hill – his speedo said 30, I looked!
I like my bike computers! I really like the Cateye Strada because it has the autostart/stop, speed, time of day, distance, and odometer that was on the Vectra plus a second trip distance, average speed, and most importantly a trip time. I mostly check the time of day while I’m riding and occasionally my speed. Recording mileage and time has helped me for planning trips as well as a given me sense of accomplishment overall. I don’t need all the heartrate and elevation stuff.
I had one of those until I hit a pothole one day – it jumped out of the cradle and fell right in front of my wheel!
When that baby hits 88mph.. you’re gonna see some serious sh*t!
My husband’s bike computer recently read 88 mph as a max speed, but we chalked it up to a radio interfernce incident. He was riding with me and I only hit 23.
He does seems to have those sort of glitches more than I do, probably from traveling downtown. Or maybe his Vectra is more succeptable than my Strada.
If y has been doing brevets without a cyclometer then is is no wonder that he missed his turns all the time.
For commuting, especially in heavy traffic like I do now, morning and back around 5 pm, “fast” means fast enough to stay alive and “far” is only as far as the next safe harbour.
I use my computer to help me keep up my cadence because of my bad knees. Too much mashing kills them, so I watch to make sure I downshift to stay above 90 RPM. My comfortable cadence is 100110 RPM with platform pedals, 105115 with toeclips and straps, and 100150 clipless. And yes I practice my racing with the clipless pedals.
Does it mean I’m slow if I can’t catch-up with what appears to be a very, very slow cyclist a short distance in front of me on the morning commute to work? Just Wondering as I approach 64.
I used to think I was a badass. Then I properly calibrated my computer.