Calling all Hill Experts

[CorsairMac]

Ok all you wise and wonderful women.......I finally actually checked stats on my inclinometer and I have numbers but they don't really mean anything to me! So I'm asking for the wise and wonderful hill incline women to help me please.

My ride home is 5.98 miles long. According to my cyclometer, my avg incline is 5% with percentages as low as 3% and as high as 8%. It says I gained 396' in altitude but I'm not sure how accurate that is since it shows altitude changes sitting on my computer desk! Can someone translate that into Real English for me please? (or for the aussies and the brits - American English?)

Your help is appreciated.

Corsair "yes, I'm going to bed now" Mac

[spazzdog]

I would assume (since I don't use an altimeter), that the number is "gain above sea level", thus it would show a change up on your desk.

When you set the altimeter up, do you first dial in the altitude of your starting location, i.e. front yard?

spazz - operating on pure theory and no practical experience

[Grog]

I'm not sure about inclinometers, but most electronic devices tend to behave erratically when they're in front of computers (because of the electrical/magnetical fields they create).

[jobob]

and garage door openers and other remote devices, for that matter I have a wireless cycle computer and it took me the longest time to figure out why my max speed would often show ~ 48 mph .. uh, nooo... until one day when I noticed that the computer would go a bit haywire when I used the garage remote while on or near my bike.

[CorsairMac]

I would assume (since I don't use an altimeter), that the number is "gain above sea level", thus it would show a change up on your desk.

When you set the altimeter up, do you first dial in the altitude of your starting location, i.e. front yard?

spazz - operating on pure theory and no practical experience

actually you set your altimeter according to the book every morning pretty much so it would be based on setting it by the altitude where you live and then calculated on the inclines you ride. (did that make sense?)

and garage door openers and other remote devices, for that matter I have a wireless cycle computer and it took me the longest time to figure out why my max speed would often show ~ 48 mph .. uh, nooo... until one day when I noticed that the computer would go a bit haywire when I used the garage remote while on or near my bike.

Actually I was reading the book last night and the altimeter uses barometric pressure to sense altitude increases - sitting on the couch with no electronics I gained and lost 4' every time I raised the cyclometer! (levitation maybe?) but the gain could be right.....I live at 5589' and ride down that incline every morning when I go to work so that number may be very close to right.