Computer? Why or why not?

[tjodit]

I was wondering if you all used a cyclocomputer and the reasons behind using one or not using one. Also, those of you who use them do you have a cadence feature and do you find it useful?

[Nanci]

I would _die_ without my cyclocomputer. I _have to_ know my mileage and how fast I am going. It ruins the ride for me if the computer is not working. I don't have cadence- IMO just one more thing to not work right/break. Not saying knowing your cadence isn't useful, though.

It's so cool to look at the cumulative mileage, too, for the bike's lifetime, for the year, etc.

Plus, once you get into randonneuring, :-) you will need an odometer to follow the cue sheet.

Plus you don't have to remember your watch.

Nanci

[bikerchick68]

I find my computer very helpful... it tells me how far I've gone, How fast I'm riding at the moment and my average speed as well...

these are the 3 most important things to me... (cadence IS important too, but mine does not have cadence so I will leave that to someone else!)

the distance is helpful in the beginning so you can tell where you're at physically... everytime you increase mileage is a stepping stone... as you get into longer distance riding you can check the mileage to see if it's time to SAG and take on some carbs etc... for events rides, it tells you how much farther to the next SAG where there will be food, restrooms and mechanical support.

how fast I'm riding at the moment... this helps me in several ways... first, if I ride a regular route I will give myself goals of maintaining a certain speed... and then go for it. It is CRITICAL in a group ride if you are the lead! You check the computer and maintain a consistent speed so that the group stays together! When you drop to the rear the next lead rider should maintain the same speed... hard to do without a computer... also, when I have helped new riders learn to ride and build strength, it also allows me to set a realistic pace for them. I start off with new people riding 11-12 mph on a flat route... we slowly over the weeks increase both speed and distance...

and last avg speed tells me how I did overall on a ride... so let's say you begin riding 25 mile loops regulary... if on your first ride your avg speed was 12 mph and a month later it's 13.5mph, you KNOW you are improving! Gives you a real sense of satisfaction!

Hope that helps some... I'm sure there are lots of other reasons, but those are my main ones... :)

[CorsairMac]

I've used a computer since they first came out - guess it's coz I'm a middle child and I've always been competative?? I've always wanted to know how fast I was going and how far, now I also want to know cadence and incline. I feel lost without it anymore!

[DeniseGoldberg]

I can't imagine riding without a computer. My current computers are very basic and don't include cadence. What is important to me is distance, speed, and average speed. If I'm riding where I am not familiar with the area and I have directions that tell me to turn after a specified distance - it's very helpful to know when I hit that mileage (or kilometer).

I added a computer to my bike so long ago that I can't remember which year it was. But I got the computer after I caught myself going for a ride and then jumping in my car to drive the same route so I could figure out how far I had cycled. I figured that driving my riding route for that purpose was a pretty big waste of time!

--- Denise

[Grog]

Computer, absolutely! For all the above reasons.

Cadence is also very important to me. The dbl4w computer I have (23$ at MEC.ca for the canadian folks, but I'm sure you can find them in the US somewhere) has cadence, so that's proof that's you don't need to pay big money for that. I use it to self-monitor myself: sometimes I don't realize that I'm tiring myself out but I check my cadence monitor and realize I'm at 70 rpm. Time to get on a lighter gear. I instantly get better...

[allabouteva]

I'm a newbie too, but DH who'd been cycling a bit longer than me, just bought my bike with a computer, so I've always had one too.

Mine has cadence, which I always use, because from what I've read, you should cycle at around 75-90 rpm. If you spin too slowly, it puts pressure on your knees. Although I also understand it's a bit of a personal thing too. I've read that Lance Armstrong is a bit of a spinner, and Jan Ulrich is a bit of a masher (goes the big gears).

Like all the others, I use speed, ave speed, distance and also time ridden. All this is really important for training, because you need to know that you're improving!:D For example, when I first started, I couldn't get past 20kph, around the neighbourhood circuit. But at my last ride, I averaged 24.4 kph. And as I ride a hybrid, I reckon that's not too bad although like everyone else I want to go quicker!:D

It's all useful info and money incredibly well spent. And I think it brings a big dimension to your riding.

[Trekhawk]

I love my computer. My DH got me a new one for Xmas which includes an altimeter ( I stuck my old one on my MTB) . Hey if Im gonna ride hills its nice to know how much climbing Im doing. I cant imagine riding now and not having a computer to tell me how far I have come, what time it is (useful when you need to pick up the kids from school) and how fast or should I say for me how slow Im going.:D

[tjodit]

I guess the reason I'm asking is that I just dropped off my bike at the LBS during lunch to have a new computer put on. I somehow managed to nearly sever the wire on the one I had. I decided to just spend the money for one with cadence. Now I'm wondering if I wasted $65.00. There is a guy I tend to stick with on our club rides (well, I did last summer (when I first started road riding)...haven't riden but twice all winter) and he is always telling me to downshift and increase my cadence. I guess I tend to mash instead of spin. So I thought the computer with cadence would be a good idea. I guess I'm just trying to reassure myself that I didn't waste my money. I can be such a gear head!

[DrBee]

I love my computer. It does have the cadence feature. I find that knowing my cadence helps keep me riding at a steady pace, without killing myself in a higher gear. You did the right thing!

[Adventure Girl]

I use the cadence meter on my computer when I ride my bike on my trainer. I find it very valuable when doing spinervals drills.

One of my mountain biking buddies has an altimeter on his computer that is either not calibrated correctly or VERY generous! The last ride we did was 25 miles and we did more than 28,000 feet of climbing!!:eek:

[kiwi girl]

I wouldn't be without my computer :)

I have a cadence function on my road bike and I think its great - I am using my gears much more efficiently to keep my candence over 80 now that I can monitor it

[SadieKate]

The last ride we did was 25 miles and we did more than 28,000 feet of climbing!!:eek:You da Woman! I'm afraid, very afraid.:D

[withm]

without getting too technical, how does the computer measure cadence? Is there a sensor on the pedal? I thought I made a quantumn leap with my current computer cause it has average but apparently I'm missing something.

[Adventure Girl]

without getting too technical, how does the computer measure cadence?Sensor is usually on the chain stay. The magnet is on the crank.

[Adventure Girl]

Shimano Flight Deck figures "virtual" cadence. You program it with your gears, wheel circumference, and crank length. It computes the virtual cadence by calculating how fast the cranks have to turn to get the bike to go a certain MPH in a certain gear. It's pretty complicated to me. But it won't work on a trainer.

[Quillfred]

I heard the wireless might be easier to install but otherwise wondering if one tends to be more reliable. Also is moisture much of an issue?

Thanks

[sydney_b]

I love mine too. I didn't realize how much until one night on the way home something was off and it wasn't tracking. I could barely concentrate on just getting home and out of the cold. I was so tempted to stop and trouble-shoot in the dark. I'm not even really training, I just like to know.

Sigh. A slight case of obsessive/compulsive maybe.
:o

Oh well.

/s

[fixedgeargirl]

Shimano Flight Deck figures "virtual" cadence. You program it with your gears, wheel circumference, and crank length. It computes the virtual cadence by calculating how fast the cranks have to turn to get the bike to go a certain MPH in a certain gear. It's pretty complicated to me. But it won't work on a trainer.

Why won't it work on a trainer?

[Adventure Girl]

Why won't it work on a trainer?It won't work on a trainer because on the trainer, your front wheel doesn't rotate. The sensor on the front wheel determines your miles per hour. The flight deck computer uses the miles per hour as one of the variables to calculate the virtual cadence.

[Grog]

I heard the wireless might be easier to install but otherwise wondering if one tends to be more reliable. Also is moisture much of an issue?

Thanks

I was worried about humidity too and I can tell you that after a winter in Vancouver - WET - it's still holding on (I'm still talking about my 23$ dblW4 here). I guess it wouldn't appreciate being totally immersed in water though.

Wireless is a tid bit easier to install but some models may be sensible to interference with other cyclocomputer and, in my case, street sensors that control lights. When I lived in Montreal, it would also freak out at a specific spot on my ride where I was riding really close to a concrete wall (which probably bounced the wireless signal back twice to the computer). So my "highest speed" is often 99.9 km/h. I don't care that much.

[nuthatch]

I love my computer, too. But I've got to say, taking a ride without it can be a freeing experience once you get over constantly glancing at the spot it took up on the bars! That's when you get to take one of those "la, la, laa" kind of rides!

[tulip]

I'm in the minority here, but I prefer to ride without a computer. I think they have become a crutch in many ways. When I raced, computers were very expensive, and I learned from a great coach how to spin without depending on a computer. My legs tell me.

I no longer race, but I love to ride my bike. Not having a computer allows me to enjoy the ride. Years back when I had a computer I ended up putting tape over it during my ride. That way I could get the mileage and average speed at the end of my ride without getting obsessed about it during my ride.

Just something to consider, otherwise you might miss the world as it goes by.

[Deanna]

I ride with a computer, but pretty much keep it on the average speed view and only checking the other stats at rest stops. I take time to "analyze" the rest of the data as I log it. I used to keep it on distance until one very tough climb that I knew to be "only" a mile. It seemed like it took FOREVER for each tenth of a mile to turnover. It was very unmotivating and made me feel like a slug.

[Pax]

I have the attention span of a flea on crack so I LOVE my computer! It gives me a place to re-focus when I'm off in my head solving the worlds problems instead of paying attention to traffic.

[Nanci]

My calorie counting software wants to know how many hours I rode at what mph- so I have to have a computer! (I think my calorie expenditure Saturday will be about 10,000! EEK!!)

Nanci

[MomOnBike]

I've been trying hard to increase my cadence, so the computer set to show the cadence is (for me, at least) necessary.

I'm also a wee bit obsessive/compulsive so knowing how far/fast I've gone fills a psychological need. Also, since I post on bike journal, those numbers come in handy.

My computer also continuously shows MPH, but I don't worry about it much, I'm slow. I know it. I don't worry about it any more. I still like to know HOW slow, though. Go figure.

[RoadRaven]

Why won't it work on a trainer?

You could get a "spare" back wheel and set it up with a magnet and leave it there to connect to your bike when you bring it in....


Or... even better... buy another bike... yeah... have at least TWO bikes and then your trainer bike can be permanantly set up with its own bike computer... and all your worn out tyres can be used up completely on the trainer!

[madisongrrl]

I have a rear wheel computer with cadence. It works great, especially on the trainer. The down side is you have to run cord down your frame to the back wheel. Small price to pay for knowing your stats.

I couldn't live without my computer. If you are doing specific training (especially if you are racing), you need to know your stats, including cadence (very helpful when doing speed and power intervals). Some people like to go by "feel", but 90rpm can feel different depending on how recovered/tired your body is (which is very similar to heart rate....175 bpm can feel comfortable or it can feel like death depending on how recovered I'm feeling).

[natheless]

I really enjoy having a computer. I love watching my average speed increase every year, post-winter, and knowing how far I've gone. I also like to ride routes I find in books, which are usually measured out by segment length, so the computer makes it easier to locate my next turn.

I usually only watch my trip segment odometer while riding, and I might check how I'm doing if I stop for a rest - I don't like to get too bogged down in the stats while I'm out on the road.

I'm actually considering getting a new computer to monitor cadence, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth it - plus, I'm having a very hard time finding one that isn't viciously expensive that has both cadence and two trip distance odometers. I'd rather have two trip odometers than cadence - I'm pretty much only interested in cadence from hearing people talk about it! ;)

[Tater]

I have a Cateye wireless on my road bike and I love it! I did the installation myself, as it was rather easy. I like to see the accumulative miles pile up, my average speed and my trip mileage. I would be absolutely lost without it and would most likely resort to taking my GPS out so I could still count miles! :rolleyes: