Yeah, it's a silly question!

[Kano]

So, the "odometer" -- do we keep racking up miles year after year, or reset 'em to zero at the start of a new season?

Believe it or not, this one kept me awake for hours the other night, trying to decide whether to tack this year's miles onto last year's or start fresh! (DH foolishly asked why I wasn't sleeping -- he ALWAYS regrets that question!)

Of course, it would be an easy choice if it were a brand new road bike instead of last year's "not-so-road-like" hybrid! Seemed a good idea at the time to have a bike that allowed me to try both road and mountain, but it didn't take long to realize that I don't belong on wheels on hilly dirt trails!


Karen in Boise

[KnottedYet]

I can't find the instruction manual for my bike computer. So I'm rackin' 'em up!

[russtaitai]

Interesting question. I let mine rack up because I like to see the cumulative mile total. (plus I'm too lazy to take the time to find my instructions to see how to reset to 0) And since I keep a journal at bikejournal.com, plus one at home with paper and pen, I always have each year's mileage.

[VeloChick]

So, the "odometer" -- do we keep racking up miles year after year, or reset 'em to zero at the start of a new season?

I always reset for the new year, Karen. Your mileage may vary, though.

[LadyinWhite]

I let mine continue to build so I can keep track of total miles on the bike/components, just like a car. Problem is, I just got a new one and it is starting over at zero obviously so I wrote down the old mileage so I'd have it for reference.

[withm]

I was going to put in fresh batteries for the first of the year, bue ended up just resetting it because I found out that when the battery dies, when I replace it, I can reset the odometer to the mileage I was at when the battery died. I keep a cumulative log on my computer so don't need to have it on the bike too.

[SadieKate]

I'm too lazy. I always just let battery-replacement be the odometer reset. Besides, components and tires need replacement at different times so using the odometer as your only source if you care about miles per part isn't very accurate. If you use the same computer on multiple bikes, you can't track anything cumulatively except the total miles for those bikes.

Use a log like bikejournal.com and track whatever you want on a calendar year basis. It willtrack lifetime mileage for each bike.

[MomOnBike]

It never occurred to me to reset the odo. After all, the bike and I have gone all those miles. If I delete the numbers, I've deleted the effort. Nope, nope, nope, I ain't gonna do that! And besides, I want to be out on a ride someday with a camera and capture the roll-over to 0.00 again. {sigh} Bliss.

That being said, it's your bike, your computer, your psyche. I really don't think there are any bike computer police around to enforce any rules, one way or another. Do what feels like the right thing to you.

[7rider]

So, the "odometer" -- do we keep racking up miles year after year, or reset 'em to zero at the start of a new season?

DH and I have a new New Year's Day ritual: The Re-setting of the Bike Computers Back to Zero!

Yes, we live a sad, boring life!