What type of cycling do you do?
JRA--Just Riding Around, commute, shopping, day trips, about one century a year just to prove I still can.
What information do you rely on while cycling? Mileage, Odometer, Time, Current Speed, Avg. Speed, Max Speed, Peak Power, Time in Zones, Current Power, Avg. Power, Max. Power, Current HR, Avg. HR, Current Cadence, Avg. Cadence, Energy Expenditure, GPS data, other_________________________________.
Current speed and mileage, mostly just for fun. I calculate everything else in my head or estimate on the basis of perceived exertion. I'd pay extra NOT to have a cadence function--if you can't tell how fast you're pedaling, you need more help than a computer can give you.
Do you use the same information with all of your biking (road, mountain, cycle-cross, trainer, commuting, ...). If not, how does the information differ and why?
Sometimes I just, what's the phrase I'm looking for? Oh, yeah: Sometimes I just ride the bike. One of my road bikes is fairly comprehensively instrumented, but the others and my mountain bike have very basic computers or none. I already know how far it is to work...
What information would you like to have that you don't have already? Is there something already out there that you don’t have and is there something not on the market that you feel would be useful?
No--if anything, the opposite is true. Many riders are preoccupied with the numbers at the expense of just enjoying the ride.
What factors determine the information you use currently? Price, what's available, desire, quality, etc.
Desire, plus an occasional digression into conditioning.
Do you feel that having as much information as possible is or would be a benefit to you? Please explain.
Absolutely not. I don't race anymore, and I realized long ago that I was going to get slower every year, or at least every other year. I enjoy the ride and push myself enough to feel good about it, but that's as far as my interest goes.
Do you feel that being able to have this information on all your bikes is or would be a benefit? Please explain.
No, it's of no use to me beyond navigation in new areas, where it's sometimes useful to know how far you've gone. I'd certainly not want it on ALL my bikes, or even most of them.
What do you do with the information when you’re done with your ride?
Clear the computer and forget it, except for remembering approximate average speed on my frequently-ridden routes.
Do you feel that having a way to keep track of this information is or would be a benefit to you? Please explain.
When I used to keep track--which I did, carefully, for several years--I did it in a small notebook. It allowed instant access and comparison, easy reference, fit in my seat bag, didn't need to plug in or require Internet access and cost about 79 cents. Computers are wonderful for many things, but keeping records for the casual to semi-serious cyclist may not be one of them.