Originally Posted by
southpawboston
Well, that's one progression. Another is that after the batteries die in your first computer, you realize how much you enjoyed tracking your progress as a cyclist, and want to take it to the next level. For me, that next level was GPS tracking. GPS tracking has transformed the way I plan my rides. It allows me to retroactively look at the routes I rode and decide which parts of those to incorporate into novel routes. Before GPS, I would have a vague idea of where that great fire road shortcut through the woods was, but it might be so remote that it's not even on an old-school map.
Sure, Strava and other tracking apps exist for smartphones and tablets, and I use Strava for shorter rides, but smartphones and tablets generally aren't sustainable for all-day rides, as GPS kills battery life (my iPhone 5 will get me five hours tops with GPS on). Better to have a dedicated yet inexpensive GPS-enabled cycling computer. I put a GPS computer on my wish-list for this holiday season, and I'm hoping for the
Garmin 310, which is actually a GPS watch which I intend to use for running as well as cycling. It's tiny and can't display maps, but I don't care about that, I really just want the tracking and basic stats.
But, as you say, that is another progression. If you go this route, do you still have a bike-mounted computer? I think not.
I like the idea of your Garmin 310 but the latter is more money and features than the
nexus seven tablet that I carry. The tablet battery lasts long enough to record a 150+ mile ride, displays maps, and can take pictures (the camera on mine is pretty bad; I believe they have corrected this on later models). So though it is bigger than your wristwatch, it replaces maps, which is pretty cool. I often ride places I haven't ridden before; that's kinda the point, isn't it? The tablet also has email (when wifi is available) and any number of other features / aps.
I still have computers on several of my bikes. But I don't think I'll be replacing them as they die. I also have Veeder cyclometers on several bikes; those things are cool!
