Commuting - bike computer

I just got a bike computer on Sunday. Ironically I was up late Sunday night installing it and was too tired to bike in on Monday :)

This morning after my ride in to work I was a bit shocked at what it told me:

1. My 6.23mi commute, according to Yahoo maps, is actually 7.45
2. It's not taking me an hour to get to work it's actually only taking 33min. The rest of the time is spent chaining up my bike and taking a walk to the shower. I remember I took my watch the very first day in mid Dec. and from home to work garage was 1hr + 5min!!!
3. I assumed my avg speed was about 10mi/hr but its actually 14 and I got a 18mi/hr as max speed (may not seem like much but I consider myself a beginner).

Very Cool!

One other thing I noticed, I keep glancing at the computer and trying to beat my max speed. Not sure if this is good or bad.

I just got a bike computer on Sunday. Ironically I was up late Sunday night installing it and was too tired to bike in on Monday :)

This morning after my ride in to work I was a bit shocked at what it told me:

1. My 6.23mi commute, according to Yahoo maps, is actually 7.45
2. It's not taking me an hour to get to work it's actually only taking 33min. The rest of the time is spent chaining up my bike and taking a walk to the shower. I remember I took my watch the very first day in mid Dec. and from home to work garage was 1hr + 5min!!!
3. I assumed my avg speed was about 10mi/hr but its actually 14 and I got a 18mi/hr as max speed (may not seem like much but I consider myself a beginner).

Very Cool!

One other thing I noticed, I keep glancing at the computer and trying to beat my max speed. Not sure if this is good or bad.

1. You may not have the computer calibrated right. Usually the circumference of the wheel is entered in mm, like 2050. The chart with the computer is a good starting point, but if you want to be as accurate as possible, first pump up tire to normal riding pressure, mark a spot on the tire tread with a light slow dry paint (like white out). Get on the bike and ride a few wheel revolutions. Measure the distance between the marks left on the pavement. That distance is the most accurate circumferencre for your wheel,tire,pressure and riding weight. Finally yahoo maps could very well be off my that much - I woudnt; count on their distance algorythms to be that accurate for short distances.

2. The computer can be set to Auto Time (only records time when wheel is moving) or elapsed. It takes me an hour from garage to desk, but only 34min of ride time and 30min of moving time.

3. Most important is to maintain a steady and relatively high cadence. Worry less about max/ave speeds as these are so dependent on how many lights you hit, the wind, etc.

x. It is interesting to track your average speeds every day in a spreadsheet. But max speeds are best left for drag racing in your neighborhood or the like. Overall focusing on your computer can be a downside - its better to go by how your body feels (or measure your heartrate). Improving avereage speed is not just your physical ability, but luck with wind, how you deal with stop signs (roll thru, full stop), and how many lights you hit. Try and go a steady speed and cadence between stops.

Al

My cyclocomputer has told me that no matter how good or bad I feel, i usually average the same speed on the way to work. There's been days when I don't feel like riding at all, I feel slow and lazy, but when I get to work, I find that my average speed and time are the same as the days when I feel like "Quadzilla".

I don't usually try to race my max speed, but I find myself all the time pushing to stay above my current average speed. My computer has an indicator when I'm below or above my current average speed. When I drop below, I find myself standing on the pedals trying to get my speed back up. This is more aparant on my longer rides. Last week I did a 30mile ride and did it in 15mins less than I did a couple of weeks before. And there was a much stronger headwind this time!

[QUOTE=super-douper]My cyclocomputer has told me that no matter how good or bad I feel, i usually average the same speed on the way to work. There's been days when I don't feel like riding at all, I feel slow and lazy, but when I get to work, I find that my average speed and time are the same as the days when I feel like "Quadzilla".
QUOTE]

My experience is quite different. When I feel bad for a reason (for example: a cold, didn't stay properly hydraded during day, missed lunch due to unforcasted meeting) I average 1-2mph less than on normal days. This is especially pronounced during the hot summer days.

However when I feel 'mentally' bad, tired, stress headache I don't have a reduction in average speed.

Al

I just have a cheapy computer but it tells me what I want to know. Sometimes MORE than I want to know. But at lunch I was going down a road in a local subdivision. The road loops and is all uphill one way, all downhill the other. I was able to figure out the best position for the downhill, as I tucked in as best as I could on my mountain bike LOL. I managed to hit 27mph without pedaling one stroke, though!

I wouldn't trust yahoo maps for jack other than general placement of roads. Especially not it's "distance" fucntion. Even so i'd double check with a car if possible, even though that can be off as much as 20%.