GlennR

If you have a Garmin it can upload to Garmin Connect where you can get all sorts of stats you never knew you needed.

indyfabz

That’s even more work than writing down a number on a piece of paper sitting around. I’d rather watch paint dry.

Kapusta

Hey, I just think she should have gotten a jersey like he did.

GlennR

I turn it on, I press start and it runs. When i'm finished I press stop, it uploads automatically and I turn it off.

Unless someone else did the painting you have to open the can, put paint on the surface, close the can and cleanup before you can sit and watch it dry.

Obviously you are just being being difficult for entertainment.

Joe Bikerider

I disagree. I think cycling should be simple. I spent many years managing computers systems big and small. I try to keep computers out of my life now. My bike requires no batteries or updates. The most electronics I’ve ever had on a bike is a cheap plastic girls watch I had on my handlebar for a while. It told me what time it was. Based on that I could decide to go one way or another or go back. Also factoring in the weather and my fatigue level. When I read the instructions for setting ip a Di2 I know I’ll never do that.

Yes, I am typing this on my phone which I keep in my pocket while riding. But that doesn’t count, to me anyway.

BlazingPedals

Well, since you don't keep track of your miles, I hope you use the extra time you have to wave at everyone.

walnutz

In this thread: “You enjoy cycling differently than I do and this frightens and confuses me and I need to tell you why you are wrong”

Edit: Feel free to substitute “this thread” for “BikeForums”

GlennR

The phone doesn't count... however you justify things.

BTW, i'm a retired mainframe systems programmer. Started on IBM 360/30.

Does you car still have a carb and points or does it have a dozen of computers that are networked and upload diagnostics automatically?

Whatever makes you happy, but let's face it before the decade is over Skynet will be in charge.

JayKay3000

Count your miles, don't count your miles it makes no difference if you're out there riding and enjoying yourself, using the bike for chores, getting your personal weight goals or just smashing down gnarly trails.

Some people want to be the best at a thing or enjoy the competition, use it as motivation, keep it as a memory, track it for progress.

Everyone is welcome in cycling. Live and let live.

...or don't and do what everyone is good at... complaining.

indyfabz

Actually, no. I had no idea it uploads automatically. I (wrongfully) assumed you had to take the time to connect it to a computer and do something to get it to upload the data. You’re talking about someone who still makes paper cue sheets.

And painting is something I never do. And being difficult doesn’t entertain me.

BEC111

When I started riding again after a 50 year layoff I used my Apple Watch to monitor my heart rate, distance and so forth. I’m a bit of a data nut, so tracking these stats is just something I do. I experimented with several cycling apps, mostly at first for route mapping but got into tracking my stats with Strava.

I ride an ebike and it has an odometer. That data is important for maintenance reasons. Especially since I’d not ridden in decades and wasn’t familiar with bicycle maintenance issues.

I don’t really compare stats with others, but when I had a top ten strava segment for 70-74 year olds, it was fun. Even though the segment was less than a mile. Downhill. With a tailwind.

Flip Flop Rider

There may come a time when I won't count miles or time. But even if I wasn't using a Garmin gps that is keeping track of everything, I would know the approximate (within 1 mile) miles based on the time ridden

I typically ride a certain amount of time rather than a certain number of miles, but it's still recorded with me doing nothing

JohnDThompson 

Whatever turns your crank. If quantifying your riding is motivating and enjoyable for you, go for it, and more power to you!

bocobiking

I've recorded the route and miles--and usually a note or 2-- for every ride since January 1, 1982. Since that day, I've ridden 146,260 miles. I really enjoy this tracking; I like looking back at all the rides and years. I'm not at all competitive, not even with myself; too old for that. Anyway, just goes to show the different ways of enjoying cycling.

Kapusta

I am going to assume you are not referring to me.

I find nothing wrong with folks tracking their mileage.

DeadGrandpa

I take notice of the length of each ride, but my fiancee actually logs the distance in a calendar for reference. If only I had connected the monthly average to the age of the chains on our bikes, and replaced them before they ruined the front chain rings and the cassette teeth. On the one hand, feel kinda proud to have ridden so many miles, but also feel a little stupid.

Notso_fastLane

I don't care.

Notso_fastLane

Worse than that, there are entire websites just for the Mooneys.

Machka 

ok.

indyfabz

Do you mean the Moonies?

Koyote

Mooneys.vs Moonies.

Reflector Guy

I'm not the fastest guy out there, so speed is pretty much irrelevant to me. I live where the geography is very flat, so climbing is irrelevant.

Mileage is the only barometer I have to judge if I've ridden a lot, or a little.

Or maybe I should just log hours ridden? I could log onto the forum and say I rode 55 hours this past month, or whatever. Next month I'll shoot for 60.

shrtdstncrdr

This thread is interesting just to see how people think. This is my thinking:


I tried riding with a meter. A phone app too. One day I noticed the wire for the meter was dragging. No idea how long, so I removed it. Well, phone apps don't drag wires but I realized how much I'd been riding without consulting it. So I deleted that and ride as much as I want anyway.


I maintain my bikes in pretty good order so I don't carry many tools. We don't have those eeevile goat-sherd things here in minnesota either. ( think I recall one flat as a kid) If I flat out there somewhere, I'm pretty sure I'll live.

prj71

I keep track of mileage for two reasons:

1.) I sometimes have goals in that I want to ride XX amount of miles or I want to exceed the mileage of a previous ride I did. My longest ride is 120 miles in one day. This year I want to exceed that.

2.) Using Strava it keeps track of the mileage on each of my bikse and I can use that data for maintenance such as tires, cassettes, chainrings or chain replacement and if I put up a bike for sale someone will inevitably ask..."how many miles are the bike?" Strava keeps track of the total mileage on each bike.

Germany_chris

Some folks like to quantify and those folks always have the coolest spreadsheets, I like those people I just don't want to be one.