Except it's OK to use the information superhighway to tell other people how much fun you have riding your bike without information... right?

Good thing that cycling can be done a number of ways and for different reasons.

I like mixing it up..... easy spinning, hard rides, shopping, commuting, distance rides etc... Even like having a computer and HRM that may of may not get used. Would even like to get a Garmin someday just to monitor the miles and locations I ride.

It's always nice having choices, otherwise cycling could get a little boring.

I think that you, and this thread, are metastable.

But talking about the nature of the thread, within the thread, would be so meta. So I'll leave it up to the reader to decide whether or not it's ortho, para or meta stable.

I got no computer' on my bent.

I can tell when I'm going fast by the wind in my face,
I can tell when I've gone far by how hungry I am,

My Long Wheel Base Easy Racer Tour Easy LE model is all I need...

IMO Gizmo's are fun if you like toyz but are In No way needed to reach Nirvana on a bike ride of any kind....

For your overall serenity, Try and disengage from arguments and antagonistic, adversarial positions you may find yourself in.
You cannot gain metaphysic wisdom while you are scrapping with others in the marketplace of life.
Your Freedom Is more important than winning turf wars for the ego.

+1

+2 Too many people here think their in a war. I use to say stuff without adding "it's just my opinion" due to the nature of the article being expounded on it was widely viewed that the subject matter was nothing but opinion, but as this forum got more younger people they felt I was trying to tell them how to do something, so I now I have to phrase everything with "It's just my opinion" so I don't get attacked. And then I get attacked because they don't want to hear my opinion and have no right to give one...funny, I thought thats what these forums were all about in some subjects? Subjects like this one, where you gave an opinion, I knew it was your opinion thus it's fine with me, but of course the other ego maniacs here got to argue and try to make you sound inferior. It's like those grammar correctors too, I and others just bang out replies quick, and since this isn't going to be used in the Newspaper or sent to my superior I don't care nor do I want to take the time to get it 100% correct, but the grammar correctors have to show off their "superior intellect" to others.

Anyway you put it far better then I just did.

+100

You can just see the way some people are on an ego trip, determined to show they're wittier and more knowledgeable than others in their replies, usually taking a long time to reply to make sure they get the phrasing just right and land the killer punch.

It's just someone's opinion on riding a bike ffs.

Yes I wonder if those that travel with an electonic suite ever just ride for the fun of it? Please excuse me if I think simply riding for the fun of it is great. Oh----and yes I have a computer on my bike so I can see what my yearly mileage totals up to.

Reading thru all these posts reminds me of something else. Starting in 1983 the company I worked for had us carrying hand held computer terminals that we reported our work on. One feature that it had was we could text other workers with it. Think about that I was texting in 1984, so now days to me texting is now almost 30 years out of date. Yet todays kids think it is modern and wonderful.

I'm thinking with the da Vinci tandem systems, you can use a fourple on the front. (I just made "fourple" up, but I think that's what they should call it.)

If you're racing or something, more gears means gears close together. For the rest of us, the motivation is more about gear range, and a triple will get you some lower gearing than your old 10-speed.
I don't use a lot of the electronic doohingies either. Some of that stuff is essential if you're trying to follow certain specific training plans, but overly useful otherwise.

My thought is that YOU should Ride as YOU want to, with what electronics or lack of, as YOU see fit. It isn't my place to judge anyone on their choices for a bicycle, gear, kit or anything else. If you are riding and enjoy the experience it's good. To judge others on these things is petty and immature, the 50+ gang seems capable of staying above that level to me.

For anyone thinking 36 speed, KCNC and a few others have 12 speed cassettes and the other bits in catalogs or listed as vapor ware. Not sure of compatibility with a triple crankset, though. Let the buyer be wary of his choices.

YOU = each rider

Bill

Because he's a busybody know-it-all?

This may be for the +50 year old gang but I think we get intruders here that are quite a bit younger, and I think it's those people making most if not all the immature comments.

Definitely a problem but, as Denver says, don't feed the Trolls. I've had to discipline myself to not even respond to those types when they do a hit and run in here. Fortunately the 50+ Forum has improved of late, I've quit even visiting, much less posting in the other areas of BF. And, we do have our own set of immature 50+ members, no forum is immune to that problem. I've gained too much positive support from the 50+ Forum during my health issues and recovery to be angry with this group. A few reckless individuals cannot take away the good I get from the place.

Bill

It's pretty easy to come up with more than 36 speeds. Just put a SRAM DualDrive hub on the back of a 3x9 bike. Instant 81 gears.

Of course they do. If you would ride with them as a friend you would see that, and that they use the data to add to the fun. Ever hear of "bench racing"?

Gadgets are fun! Most of my rides are commutes with only have a cheap speedometer but I'll add and remove electronic gadgets depending on the ride's purpose.

Data, information, is helpful. It's half the fun for those of us with analytical inclinations. Plus it's human nature to always want to improve something, especially something you use all the time.

Right, what wphamilton wrote!

I (pretty much) always use my Garmin 800, even on commutes to work, but when I forget to bring it (like on the Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century) I still have a fun ride, still love the scenery, still get to talk with other cyclists as I ride along and it's still all good.

So yes, the "gadgets" are fun and informative . . . but far from necessary.

Rick / OCRR

I agree with Rick on this. I enjoy rides, but the gadgets are fun.

Here we are, once again fending off the anti-performance, anti-lycra, or in this case anti-electronics crowd (they're pretty much all the same folks.) They feel it's okay to take pot-shots at anyone who they consider 'elitists' even though the fast crowd never harangues them for their non-performance. Methinks the slow crowd has self-confidence issues. At the very least, I think they're arrogant as heck to believe that they, and only they, have found the only true path to happiness.

As someone who has made a mistake in the tone posting a header for a thread (I came from the world of free-for-all un-moderated forums) I'd suggest just letting it slide like water off a duck's back and maybe just post what the benefits are that you get from monitoring stuff on high tech devices.

Many of us curmudgeons have our own little reasons for not yet using them but the better arguments usually come from reasoned responses.

Yawn...I just love reading ignorance, it puts me to sleep.

To the folks who disparage and "wonder" about the way other people choose to ride and find enjoyment, I must ask, as we used to say in the olden days, "what's it TO ya?"

Since this thread won't die, a couple of nonsnarky comments.

Our generation is getting pitifully out of shape in a big hurry. Anyone who gets on a bike and spins around the block is becoming elite. If it takes continuous biometric monitoring to motivate folks, so be it. Whatever people enjoy is fine with me, as long as it don't scare the horses.

I must admit, I'd be more willing to drop $600 on a new Garmin, which I don't really need, than on a new wheel set, which I don't really need either but would help my performance a bit.

There is an allure to gizmos.

My smart phone app - free - gives me elevation, speed, map, gps, etc., and will accept bluetooth HRM if desired, and it plots all of this stuff, and uploads it to google or whatever one might like and makes great graphs, etc.