Originally Posted by
coasting
all this talk about garmin...when did cycling become so complicated. I remember when I picked up the bike and just rode with gay abandon. Now I dress funny, I fiddle with my nads to get comfortable, I eat, I digest, I check tyres, I check my bag, I check my pockets, I worry about food and drink, I put on my funny shoes, I fiddle with computer (well that has ended now), etc etc.
Such a palava!
As I see it here is the deal. If riding is by itself the object, then an old time bike speedometer/odometer with just a few functions will be fine. Or heck, no computer at all. But if riding is a means to accomplishing a stretch goal, then there is no end to the electronic assistance that cyclists will seek out to achieve that goal and to verify that it has been achieved. As the electronic aids that are available have become more complex, they have been adopted by the goal oriented, and that complexity has been incorporated into cycling.
I have no goal, so I have no need for measuring my performance. I just like to ride and even that only in a very narrow temperature band. I use a $6 wireless computer. But other folks are really concerned about reaching a goal, and they need a way to know that they have.