eja_ bottecchia

OK, now that I got your attention.

Last Sunday I went on my last hilly training ride before this year's Tour de Cure in Long Beach California. Just as I was getting ready to roll out I noticed that all the settings and profiles in my Garmin 510 had been wiped out.

Rather that spending 15 minutes re-setting the computer I decided to go riding sans a computer...in other words, I went riding "naked."

Initially, the lack of a computer to track my time, distance, speed, heartbeat, etc., really, really bothered me.

But as I got further into the ride I began to enjoy the freedom of not being tied to my electronic monitor. The more I rode the more fun I was having without having to look down at that stupid little screen.

The roads where I ride have handy mile markers, so if I wanted to know how fast I was riding I could just figure how long it took me to get from mile 1 to mile 2 and then multiply in my head to get my speed. As for my heart rate, I am familiar with this particular course and the hills in it (Trojan Horse, if you are reading this, this course is the same as the Cruisin the Conejo "easy" 67 miles ride). So instead of looking at my HRM monitor, I could just "feel" how my heart was doing and compare it to previous rides on the same course. Easy peasy...

I can't tell you how much more fun it was to ride without the 510. No segments to worry about, no PR to try to beat, no competition with others. Just me and the bike having fun on the road....like when I was a kid and rode my 3-speed all over Havana.

I am not sure that I am ready to chuck my 510. BUT, from now on I may leave it at home on more rides and enjoy the ride and not fret about numbers.

Have any of you had similar experiences? I am curious to know...maybe I am finally shedding my Type A personality.

RPK79

Heathen.

eja_ bottecchia

But I am not a Luddite.

LabRat2k3

I understand where you are coming from. I am "training" for my first Tour de Cure ride and had to take a fun ride just the other day. It seemed like every ride had became so serious, tracking everything, it really had sucked the enjoyment out of it. Have to keep it fun sometimes.

eja_ bottecchia

Which TdC are you doing?

These are great, fun rides for a good cause.

If you have diabetes, they will give you a red jersey. Nothing beats hearing the crowds yelling "Go Red Rider" to encourage your efforts.

Good luck!

LabRat2k3

Charlotte, NC May 31st. It will be my first Metric century. Fortunately I do not have diabetes, but I have several friends who do. I ride for them.

Keith99

By that standard I ride naked all the time.

Only thing I consistently used my computer for was the odometer, makes it easier to follow a route slip.

I'd sometimes check the max speed. (My max on level ground was 35.5 MPH, 5 whole seconds, at 10 I would have puked). For a brief time I used the cadence feature, it was useful while learning to keep the cadence higher.

I feel a lot more naked without a hat or gloves.

awfulwaffle 

This thread failed to deliver (and I'm kinda glad)

bbeasley

You can always setup another screen that only shows the Temp or time of day. That way you can still collect data to **** out over later

Sometimes when I'm fighting a strong head wind I only display cadence and HR as it's too depressing to see speed and distance.

FrenchFit 

I doubt there are many here that are more type A, ENTJ, than me.

Best bike upgrade I ever did was to chuck all my speed/cadence/monitors/apps into the can. All that stuff makes my biking more work than play.

I do run with a pedometer though, an accurate answer to the question how effing far was that? seems important after runs.

TrojanHorse

Put your garmin in a jersey pocket if you don't want to see it - you'll still get the data tracking for later.

I take it you've already signed up for the 67 miler? I'll let you know when I stop waffling. If you do cruisin the conejo naked I have to warn you - we're going to have different start times.

AWB

+1 This is what I do

mrodgers

Yup. I don't have a Garmin, but I track with Mapmyride on the phone. I don't have a mount and just carry it in my pocket or if I have a bag on the bike (not currently on my new bike) I put it in the bag.

I do have a cheap cycle computer. When I'm on just the bike trail, I am looking at speed a lot. Since I've started riding on the roads though, I find I don't look at it much. I'm way too slow on the roads to look at the speed anyways since I ride up hill about 6 mph and I'm on the brakes about the same speed for 90% of the downhill since it's usually gravel or sandy where I ride.

JReade

When I'm riding hard in a pace line, I don't have the time to look at my garmin. When I'm doing interval training, I have to. I have three mounts, but that leaves 2 bikes without.

eja_ bottecchia

My friend, jersey pockets are for carrying essentials: cheese, brioche, mini bottle of champagne, a jar of Grey Poupon...the bare essentials! (Did you see what I did there to maintain the thread's "theme?")

Yep, signed up for it. OK, no naked riding for me at the Cruisin' the Conejo...I will be riding through my neighborhood. No point in scaring my neighbors or having them call the cops on me.

TH, I will miss you, BeachGrad and PJ at this year's Tour de Cure. It was really fun riding with the three of you, especially during the last 40 miles slugfest in the wind tunnel. (BTW, this year I am not doing the 100 miler.)

MikeRides

I guess by definition, I ride naked all the time. I have a $25 Bell computer on my bike that I only use as an odometer. I look at it very rarely, I usually pay more attention to traffic or wildlife around me. It's the reason why I never looked into buying a device that includes HR or cadence monitoring. When I get home, I record all the data (ODO, DST, TM) into a spreadsheet to see any improvements over my former rides.

TrojanHorse

Good call - the first 60 miles were awesome, the last 40 were "what am I doing here"

eja_ bottecchia

WOW type A personality plus ENTJ! That's a double whammy.

I recently had four stents put in to treat four blocked coronary arteries, including the "widow maker" artery.

During one of my initial visits with the cardiologist he observed that I exhibit "classical" Type A behaviors. He told me that he could fix the arteries, but that if I wanted a long-term solution I needed to work on my Type-A behavior. Then he referred me to the work of Dr. Meyer Friedman, M.D.

Dr. Friedman and his colleague, R.H. Rosenman, developed the theory that Type A behavior raises the risk of heart attacks. I picked up a copy of Dr. Friedman's book, ''Type A Behavior and Your Heart'' (the book is out of print but you can usually pick up a used copy from Amazon). What I read in his book about the way the heart and the coronary arteries work and the connection between Type A behavior and coronary disease was a real eye opener.

Needless to say, I am using this new insight to work towards a healthier heart...chucking the computer, at least for some rides is one step in that direction.

indyfabz

The battery of my road bike computer is dead. I will replace it at some point. I rarely pay attention to it unless I am doing a ride that I am unfamiliar with and am following a cue sheet. I use the computer on my touring/commuting bike far more when I tour in un/less familiar places so know how far I have gone and how far left I have to go and also where I am in relation to the next potential food/water supply. As for heart rate, etc. I couldn't care less.

PhotoJoe 

Agreed. There were two rides that day. Tour de Steep Hills and Beautiful Sights - then the Tour de Stop Sign.

Ride safe!

mlander

I'm gonna join the chorus. My dinky little computer ran out of batteries and I've enjoyed my rides much, much more ever since. I turn on Strava on my phone, throw it in a seat bag, then check out my performance afterward.

eja_ bottecchia

Tour de Stop Signs and Wind...don't forget the wind.

I had done that ride before and having the three of you riding with me made it a lot more fun. With everyone picking up part of the pace, that portion of the ride was a lot more enjoyable. Like I wrote before, I will miss you guys (and gal ). Maybe I will see you again at the Cruisin' the Conejo ride.

Ursa Minor

Lol my bike has 2 speeds: slow and slower so I hardy look at my bike computer at all.

Charlie

PhotoJoe 

Agreed. It was a fun day. Always a pleasure riding with the crew from BF. Yes, even TH.

Beachgrad05