bici_mania

I just checked out the Garmin 200 which led me to checking the Garmin 510 and then I started thinking "ooh, this is what I need". Then I started checking out gadgets and started thinking "...these too!" I tend to be an easy sell for gadgets, especially tech gadgets. RHM is definitely right that there is a progression.

I have used Google Maps, Map My Ride and Strava at various points but every time I do I remember the runner in Fahrenheit 451 that was nabbed when the police could not nab Guy Montag. I generally keep the GPS turned off on my phone and turn off the Wifi when I am not using it for the same reason, but no, I don't wear tin foil hats.

I like knowing how far I have gone and I like seeing my routes on a map. It does help with planning and has lead to some new discoveries that I might not have found otherwise but I have been going through an 'existential thing' the past few months. I want to simplify my life, put more emphasis on relationships and experiences rather than cramming my days with deadlines and hectic schedules.

I work in IT and there is a bit of desire to escape from that. It seems I want to have my cake and eat it too.

bici_mania

I like that, that is great.

RPK79

+3

I wouldn't mind the higher end model for the altimeter or cadence sensor, but the 200 does a great job of tracking my speed, distance, and route for later upload to Strava for tracking. For all of you with ADHD you can throw it it a pocket and forget about it...

JohnDThompson 

I haven't had a computer on a bike for years, aand I haven't missed it. If I'm riding in an unfamiliar area, I might mount a GPS, but not always. Sometimes getting a little lost can be a good thing.

lotekmod

As somone else said, I bike to forget computers. I'm an engineer by profession and work in numbers all day, but never on the bike. I do have a number of routes mapped out and know the mileage so I can roughy plan on a 20, 40, or 60 mile ride. Really though I only have 4 qualifications for rides: Fast, slow, long, and short.

7/8timing

Nope. my legs and sometimes my butt tell me when I've gone far enough. as for speed? I ride C&V only. so I'm not to concerned with how fast I go as long as I'm having fun.

Strava sucks and has ruined some hills and sections of the town I live in with old mid life crisis guys speeding and getting almost hit by cars or hitting runners on the multi use path.

browngw 

I also ride for fitness and even sometimes for bragging rights. The Garmin Edge 200 is reasonably priced and moves easily from bike to bike. I currently have 6 of those little mounts on various bikes. When I title my rides, I usually name the bike I just rode. It always amazes me that my new bikes, vintage bikes, mountain bike and even my folder come in at similar performance levels over similar courses. I therefore must surmise that it is the "engine" that is slow!

southpawboston

Well, that's one progression. Another is that after the batteries die in your first computer, you realize how much you enjoyed tracking your progress as a cyclist, and want to take it to the next level. For me, that next level was GPS tracking. GPS tracking has transformed the way I plan my rides. It allows me to retroactively look at the routes I rode and decide which parts of those to incorporate into novel routes. Before GPS, I would have a vague idea of where that great fire road shortcut through the woods was, but it might be so remote that it's not even on an old-school map.

Sure, Strava and other tracking apps exist for smartphones and tablets, and I use Strava for shorter rides, but smartphones and tablets generally aren't sustainable for all-day rides, as GPS kills battery life (my iPhone 5 will get me five hours tops with GPS on). Better to have a dedicated yet inexpensive GPS-enabled cycling computer. I put a GPS computer on my wish-list for this holiday season, and I'm hoping for the Garmin 310, which is actually a GPS watch which I intend to use for running as well as cycling. It's tiny and can't display maps, but I don't care about that, I really just want the tracking and basic stats.

16Victor

Agreed. I actually am tossing around the idea of lacing up a dyno hub to feed power to a micro USB cable so I can mount my Android to the bars and not run out of fresh electrons.

Somehow, though, I feel it'd take away the vintage-ness of the experience. I may just keep doing what I'm doing: put the phone in jersey pocket, use Maps to get me home if I get lost (which I'm prone to), and just enjoy the ride.

southpawboston

You're going to want to process that dyno output in multiple ways before you feed into into that Anrdoid!!!

WNG

I don't believe there is a right or wrong, depends on your goals, and what aspects of your ride you wish to know. I started out riding without one, never did get one during the 80s. I began adding them (this century) to gauge trips mostly. Now that I'm exploring unridden territory.
It's like food, sometimes you want to know what the ingredients are, and sometimes you only care about how it tastes and wish to be surprised.

Knowing or not knowing personal data doesn't take away from a good day in the saddle.

rhm

But, as you say, that is another progression. If you go this route, do you still have a bike-mounted computer? I think not.

I like the idea of your Garmin 310 but the latter is more money and features than the nexus seven tablet that I carry. The tablet battery lasts long enough to record a 150+ mile ride, displays maps, and can take pictures (the camera on mine is pretty bad; I believe they have corrected this on later models). So though it is bigger than your wristwatch, it replaces maps, which is pretty cool. I often ride places I haven't ridden before; that's kinda the point, isn't it? The tablet also has email (when wifi is available) and any number of other features / aps.

I still have computers on several of my bikes. But I don't think I'll be replacing them as they die. I also have Veeder cyclometers on several bikes; those things are cool!

Phil_gretz

Fascinating Veeder cyclometer... would that require/assume a known wheel diameter in order to record distance (i.e., purchase the ISO 630 model)?

southpawboston

Oh, the Garmin goes for way less than that, that's just the product link with MSRP on the Garmin site. Current prices are in the $150-160 range.

The tablet idea is intriguing at $200, but can you really get a whole day's worth of battery charge with GPS on? And are you using a 3G/4G data cellular plan with this or is it strictly Wifi? If you're not using a data plan can you still use GPS tracking?

Dave Mayer

The last time I needed a computer was backcountry biking. This was in places were there were no cell coverage and before compact GPS devices. In those days you carried maps with distance markers. If you missed a key turnoff, you were in serious trouble. I also briefly used a computer with cadence, but since it showed my cadence to always be 85, I found that this was unneeded.

Since then, I have no interest in computers. If bike racing paid my bills, I would be. Otherwise I'm not interested in vanity stats.

noglider 

Thanks for mentioning the Garmin Edge 200. I might buy one used.

rhm

That sounds pretty good.

As you of course know, batteries age. Mine is less than a year old; no problem yet. Strictly wi-fi; 3G/4G options exist but I don't go there.

Chombi

I bought a VDO computer to use on my C&V bikes a couple of years ago. It has lots of features, including cadence monitoring. It has so many features that the instruction booklet looks like a small phone book. Except for the sometimes slightly slow signal translation from the wheel and crank sensors to the wireless head unit, it's works well and is very nice to look at, but frankly, I just don't really look at most of the information except present speed, maximm speed and time elapsed.....That's why I actually still prefer using the Avocet 20 cyclometer on my 84 Peugeot PSV, which just gives me those basics but still be "period correct" on my 80's C&V bike......
Now if only I can figure out how I can make the batteries last longer on the Avocet.........

PhilPub

A very simple Cateye cordless on the classic steel for various reasons...
1. I cycle for fitness as well as pleasure, so even if I'm in slightly more leisurely mood on the Sunday best than the carbon work-horse, it's good to keep track of mileage, average speed, etc.
2. There is something satisfying (geeky?) about knowing just how many miles you've put in on a particular bike. It almost underlines the satisfaction in knowing how durable a 25+ year old steel bike is.
3. I've got an ongoing (again, geeky?) interest in knowing whether there really is any statistically significant difference in my average speed on the different bikes. Inconclusive at the moment.
4. I can see how many miles I'm getting out of a pair of tyres.

ThermionicScott 

Looks like I'm in the minority here, but I have a separate wired computer for each bike I ride.

jimmuller 

I tried just one and very long wires. It didn't work so well.

Oldpeddaller

A computer's not essential for me, especially on known/local rides. If I'm going further afield I do like to know elapsed mileage, or mileage (distance) between points as it helps with navigation, for which I still mainly use maps. I have wired and wireless, all cheap versions and prefer wireless for neatness. It's yet another thing to remember to take off the bike when parked up though, together with lights, pump, bottles, bag. Can't be bothered with Strava, my racing days are long gone now, a gentle plod with lots of stops to look at scenery, buildings, animals, eat cake and so on makes my days on the bike much more interesting. i do quite enough data plotting to earn a crust! i'm probably a curmudgeon too?

noglider 

You're not the only one. But the Garmin suddenly seems like an attractive idea, because it would cost less than N computers, and it would be less work to maintain than N computers. And to be complete, I don't have computers on all my bikes, and I would like to know how many miles I ride in a month and in a year. Buying a computer for something like a Raleigh Sports just seems silly.

I work my smartphone too hard already. I tried cyclemeter, which is a superb app, but it's too much work for me, and it uses too much battery energy.

rhm

Yes, that's the main problem. The one on my Fothergill is calibrated pretty much spot on, but on other bikes they're 1-3% off. And I don't really care.

Popeyecahn

I use the MapMyRide app on the phone, works good for my purposes (limited mileage/time on the road) in that it does well enough to track mileage, routes, elevation as well as giving some encouragement through course challenges and such (Strava Lite?). I have a Cateye Cadence 200 and it would be nice to have cadence and rolling speed directly in front of me as I put the phone in the saddle pack, but I don't want to muck up the bike with wires and stuff just yet...