RubeRad

When I started full-time bike-commuting at the beginning of 2013, I maintained a spreadsheet with my daily times each way, trying to motivate myself to work hard and improve and achieve personal bests. But before long I gave up; Mostly because I'm lazy, but partly also because I realized the time is too dependent on luck with the stoplights, and not enough of a direct reflection of my own effort.

But recently, I realized that, rather than timing myself with the chrono on my wristwatch, I could just use my cycle-computer's handy-dandy elapsed-time function, which stops advancing when I'm not moving.

So on the one hand, wall time is not a true reflection of how well/hard/fast I rode, because stoplights interrupt (the more stoplights, the more total time).

On the other hand, time in-motion is not a true reflection of how well/hard/fast I rode, because stoplights give me a rest, and so I can work harder when I'm moving. (more stoplights ==> less total time? or would that gain be canceled out by the time it takes to recover lost momentum?)

Anyways, I'm curious to hear from those who track their commute times, what's your methodology, and how well does it work for you?

bmthom.gis

I tend to use Strava. At the moment I don't have a computer on my commuter (they just don't look right with quill stems, IMO). I have found it freeing not to always look at distance/time elapsed while riding, but I like to have that info after.
Strava has always worked well enough for me to get a general sense of speed and distance (there are big limiting factors to the GPS on your phone). I lets me track multiple bikes, I don't have to worry about a spread sheet, and if I am feeling frisky I can shoot for going fast on the segments created (I rarely feel that frisky while commuting)

pdlamb

I worry most about clock time, as in: I need to be at work and clean for an 8:30 meeting. What time do I need to leave to get to work, cool off, shower, and make the meeting? (A: 6:45)

On the way home, who cares?

RubeRad

Yeah, if I were a smartphone person, I would probably use Strava too, but me and my $10 Tracfone from 7-11 are still resisting the revolution.

RubeRad

I'm very fortunate to have a job that not only has flexible hours, but I am blessed to have very few meetings. Software R&D, they mostly let me make progress on my own. Point being, I'm usually not in a hurry to get to work.

But on the way home, I want to see the wife&spawn, want to eat delicious dinner-food, etc. Also, my commute is almost all downhill on the way home, so it's more fun to try for a fast time.

gregjones

I'm with you.

I did have to upgrade to a "modern" slider phone that has Bluetooth when the west coast states and DOT all put $2000+ fines on big trucks and handheld phones. Now that I don't drive anymore I couldn't find the ear thingy the other day to give it to my son.

bmthom.gis

Once you go smartphone, it is hard to want to go back. It is too beneficial for me to be able to always have access to my email and the internet, especially for work (I have a job that requires travel, often times at the very last minute and to more remote places). Not having a home phone, the costs don't really bother me. Aside from that, I would just use your cycle computer. You should care more about moving time than overall - if you are working hard, it is yoru moving time that will improve and not necessarily your overall time. You can't control the lights or things that make you stop (yesterday, I had two trains cross my path, one of them sat completely immobile for 10 minutes blocking the road). You expend more energy with a lot of stops/starts getting back up to speed than a the benefits of waiting for a traffic light to turn green.

TransitBiker

I use "mapmyride".

- Andy

noglider 

As Grant Petersen says, measure whichever way you have to so you come out a winner.

RubeRad

That's why I'm resisting. Also the cost, but it seems for you your work should foot the bill!

RubeRad

I've used mapmyride just through their website, because I like how when you map a route it gives you good elevation profiles. Are you talking about a phone app though, to time your trips and maintain stats? Also in addition to Strava which seems to be most popular, there's Endomondo. Any reason you chose mapmyride over the others?

And for any of those apps (not that I could practically use them without smartphone/gps), do they separately track total time vs moving time? Or do you just focus on individual segments (which are probably laid out to avoid stoplights)?

bmthom.gis

Hahahaha. I mean, I kind of agree there, but they certainly won't.

RubeRad

Then tell your work you made a personal decision to simplify your life and cancel the personal smartphone you had personally chosen to personally pay for in the past, with the added bonus of not being bugged by them 24/7. Now if they want to still be able to contact you other than when you have time to visit the 'business center' in the hotel, they can buy you a suitable communications device...

RubeRad

Good plan. So another vote for moving-time! I guess I had already decided that was the better option (for me), but I was curious if others had faced the same dilemma.

noglider 

I set mine to moving time, but it reports both. Here is this morning's commute. Moving time is 1:17, and elapsed time is 1:22. If I want my average speed for the moving time, I can do the arithmetic myself, and it's not that different, because I don't stop much on my commute. I have blessedly few lights.

RubeRad

Nice. Looks like that is maybe mostly riverside MUP? I'd love a commute like that.

For me, my downhill evening commute works out to almost 20min moving (I still haven't beat 20min yet!) but up to 30 if I wait max time at a lot of lights.

PatrickGSR94

I use Strava on iPhone to help track things like mileage on parts. However it doesn't give the true picture because I don't run it every single time I ride. I have a small wired computer on the bars mainly for speed and trip distance readout, but also to keep track of the actual miles on each bike (I have one each of the same computer on each of my bikes).

Trying to use a smart phone for instantaneous readout of speed, etc. is IMHO a huge waste of battery power.

noglider 

Yes, I'm on the river's edge for most of the ride. It is gorgeous, but it's also extremely windy. I had huge headwinds coming to work today. I see the wind hasn't shifted, so I'll have a nice tail wind going home now.

TransitBiker

Originally i used "mapmyhike" then they came out with a cycling specific app "mapmyride". I like the features of the base app (free). It does show elevation, intervals, route on a map, calories burned, average and top speeds (including per interval), and can post to twitter/facebook (i only use facebook of those two). Then there was that national bike challenge thing, which i could use with mapmyride via facebook data sharing. The app DOES auto-pause, but i'm not looking at the screen to tell if it's doing it at stop lights. I don't want it to pause at stop signs, as the stop is typically short and i all most keep moving if i get my balance right and i'm not moving super fast to begin with. I have seen it auto-pause at the end of rides, which is super useful. I am not sure of the minimum thresholds for the auto-pause to kick in.

I try to track total time, but if i'm trying a new route i'll look at the intervals (which you can set in distance and time). It can also post to facebook automatically as you're riding so people can track you for say a charity ride or whatever. The people on my friends list are cool, family ,close friends, people that know i'm into riding, so i enable that feature now and again just to change it up from the normal sharing links and stuff.

I really have not pushed it to its usage limits of all the things it COULD be doing without the in-app purchases, so i can definitely get back to you on that one!

- Andy

bmthom.gis

If I didn't use it as much as I do for personal usage, I would be tempted...but to have access to my music, the internet, a GPS, etc. Problem with some of the places I go is I don't always stay in hotels. I had a good couple of months of staying in fishing/hunting camps in Louisiana with no wifi and very spotty phone reception. The other problem is it isn't just my work trying to contact me when I am traveling, but clients and other agencies (oil/chemical spill response work in an incident command posts). Now, they might "lend" me a work phone for just those times (if they had any to lend) but I don't think I would feel right using it for my own personal use as well. I really don't want to be the only SOB in my company who tries to pull that off...

It isn't that I am always traveling and can tell them to do that, but when an incident does happen, it could be weeks, months or (in the case of the BP spill) years of traveling.

Booger1

All of this drama so you can ride to work?

So you get it timed perfectly.....OOPS!....got a flat,what's your smartphone/speedsheet say then?

I get to work early,stuff happens.

tsl

Clocks tell time. If you're using a clock to measure physical effort, you're using the wrong device.

My cyclometer also has a heart rate monitor. That tells me how hard I was working--both peak and average. Even takes into account headwinds where I put in more effort for less speed (and therefore more time).

bmthom.gis

Well mh smartphone would pause the ride time while I fixed it.

AlTheKiller

I use my Vostok Amphibia diving watch. Purely mechanical, very water tight, and accurate to within 2 minutes a day! lol

Mr IGH

I just dumped my smartphone and went stupidphone. Saves me $45/month and no more stupid emails or internet on my phone. I dug out my old Cateye strada 200 bike computers and mounted them on the two bikes I ride the most. Good enough and fits my retro groucheness.