Computer free...

[bikerchick68]

I've been riding computer free since I got back on the bike. Mine is dead. I thought about replacing it... but did a couple rides before I got it done... and heck, now I'm just sort of enjoying not knowing... it's weird really. I have no clue how fast I'm going at all... and it's great! I feel sorta free... just riding for the sheer joy of it without putting any pressure on myself to perform any certain way...

I DO have the new computer tho... and am amping up my training again (thank goodness for the early time change!!! Comeon 3/11/07!) so will be putting it on soon. The new one has even more gadgets... including cadence and heart rate and altimeter...

anyone else ever ridden without a computer briefly? And did you enjoy it like me or did it make you crazy?

[Pax]

My SO laughs at me playing with my computer, she points out that I'm on a PC all day at work, a bunch of time in the evening and on weekends...then we go for a ride and I constantly play with my bike computer. So far I've resisted the urge to put one on my hybrid/commuter.

[Running Mommy]

I have a garmin 205 mounted on my stem and I would be lost without it. I'm such a geek! I need my info! lol
I guess the term "tri geek" is fitting in my case ehh??

[Popoki_Nui]

When I restored my 60's vintage Falcon last summer, I debated whether or not to add a computer to her. I decided not, because computers didn't exist in this bike's era, I usually ride her on roads and paths where I know the distances, and I find I like the feeling of not knowing (or caring) how far/fast I've gone. Just riding for the joy of riding is very appealing. I have other bikes with computers, so having one without is kind of liberating.
Back in the day, we had those soup-can size mechanical speedometer/odometer thingys. Big dial mounted to the bar with a thick cable going to a gear on the front hub. Remember those? If I found one of those in good shape, I might consider installing it on the Falcon. They were pretty cool. Otherwise, it's au naturel for now.

[Artisan]

I have a garmin 205 mounted on my stem and I would be lost without it. I'm such a geek! I need my info! lol
I guess the term "tri geek" is fitting in my case ehh??

I feel the same way for the most part. I have the garmin 305 edge and I get all excited about hurrying home to check out all the data it has collected.

I do like going computer free some days because sometimes I just want to enjoy being outside, say howdy to people I pass by and enjoy the calmness of it all.

[Bad JuJu]

Interesting thread--to compute or not to compute.

Since a couple of you have mentioned the Garmins, let me ask whether you actually use/pay attention to all the info they collect. I had thought about adding a Garmin Edge to my Christmas list last year, but decided not too because I thought it might be information overload. OTOH, I'm kinda like some of you in that I just love coming home and checking out my computer's take on how the ride went--and comparing to my own intuitive sense of the ride. I like that synthesis of "responses" (if you can call what a computer does a response ).

Anyway, do any of you Garmin owners feel like it's a bit much, or are you pretty happy with your computers?

[Mimosa]

I ride without a computer. I do have a heartrate monitor/watch on my handlebars, the rest I do based on time on the bike. I set out on a specific heartrate and time.

I had a compu on the bike to measure speed and distance but took it off since I found it irritating. I kept on pushing to keep a certain speed and no longer on my heart rate.

[Artisan]

Anyway, do any of you Garmin owners feel like it's a bit much, or are you pretty happy with your computers?

I'm extremely happy with the Garmin. The detailed information is great. I come home and go over the entire ride. I don't really look down at my computer much at all while riding so coming home and seeing what my cadence, heart rate and speed was at a particular section of the ride is great. You can see exactly where you hit your max heart rate, highest speed and more. I especially like uploading the info to motionbased because you can map out the ride and view it from an aerial perspective.

[KnottedYet]

I have a computer on my road bike and none on my commutermobile. (I took the computer from the commuter and put it on the roadie when i got the roadie.)

The first time I rode the commuter sans computer I had that same sense of freedom and liberation and light-heartedness.

I wouldn't know my heart rate from a hole in the ground, and don't really care what my speed is (though it seems clear I was paying attention). But somehow not knowing how fast I was going or how far I'd gone was nice.

[Bad JuJu]

It's not that speed is such a big deal for me--good thing, too, since I'm about as speedy as your average tortoise.

But I do like to see whether I'm improving. Also, I keep an eye on my heart rate on most solo rides because it keeps me focused--unless I'm just out on a have-fun-stop-and-smell-the-honeysuckle kind of ride. And I do like seeing those miles add up, regardless of what kind of ride it is.

I'll admit to having enjoyed the rides I've taken without the computer, but I guess I have an inner geek because when I get home, I always want those blasted numbers.

[Kalidurga]

I have my computer base attached loosely enough that I can easily twist it on the handlebar so that the computer isn't showing. I do that on a lot of rides. Sometimes I'm focused on trying to improve time or distance or speed, other times I just wanna ride. I always take the computer with me so that I can get my stats at the end of the ride, but if I decide after a mile or so that it's just a "play day", then I just flip it up out of sight. And, actually, I've sometimes found that I do better on those rides, when I'm going purely on the feel of my pedal stroke and breathing rate.

[bikerchick68]

kalidurga... you hit the nail on the head... sans computer I was hawling butt! One day I was pulling off the front apparently at 19mph in a flat... my friends told me that when we arrived at the turn around point... I was floored... I'm just not a 19mph rider... except that day! I let them take the lead on the way back... one friend is JUST back on the bike post-surgery... I didn't mean to make it a hard fast ride...

It's been interesting to see what I can do when I'm not poking the computer to see my speed

[spokewench]

I quit riding with a computer about 10 years ago! I never miss it. People will ask me how far I went, how fast, etc. I just tell them far enough and the time that I was out. I gave up being a mileage and speed geek a long time ago. I gauge myself if I can keep up in a peloton with certain people, how long I'm on the bike, by my interval efforts, etc. I used to wear a heart rate monitor when I'm racing or training to race, but not really for my hard efforts as much as when I have to ride slower for recovery (which is so hard to do).

[annie]

It depends on which bike I am riding. I have no computer on my mtb. Miles don't add up very quickly off-road so I've just never bothered to put one on. I have no computer on my touring/commuting bike. That one, I ride till I get where I am going. Doesn't matter how fast, doesn't matter how far. I DO have a computer on my speedy little road bike. It seems to require one. Each to a different purpose. Obviously, I do not keep count of my yearly mileage. That is very freeing for me. There were many years when I'd ride around the block to get those extra couple of miles to reach a certain goal. It mattered to me then. It doesn't now. Just riding is enough. We're all different. Whatever gets you out there riding - that's what matters.

Annie

[velocilex]

I toured for seven weeks in France last summer. I managed to get one day's worth of touring in before my trusty ol' computer broke. They were very expensive in France, so I went without for the remainder of the trip. At first it drove me crazy-- how far have I gone? When will I get where I'm going? How far until I have to cross the motorway? But after a while, I just didn't care and concentrated on enjoying the scenery and traveling at a pace that was comfortable to me.

Of course, once I got back home, the free and natural mode went by the wayside and I picked up a new computer so I can nitpick myself to death while I'm riding.