Some West coast TE women are heading East...

[melissam]

Hey Trek,

You are a wealth of ALC information! I've actually been thinking about the logistics of recharging. My cellphone lasts two days tops on a charge, even if I don't talk on it. I have a Garmin Edge that needs to be recharged.

Do I need either? Not really. But it'd sure be nice to have a cell phone for the ride, just in case something happens.

The Garmin is less necessary, but it'd be nice to "record" the routes for each day of the ride.

Any recommendations on recharging facilities or portable rechargers (that won't take up too much room or be too heavy) would be much appreciated.

-- Melissa

[wavedancer]

My brother got me one of these for Christmas. I haven't had a chance to try it out, but it is light weight and would easily clip onto a Camelback or bike bag to recharge.

[Trek420]

[QUOTE=melissam;296099]Hey Trek,

You are a wealth of ALC information! /QUOTE]

Why thank you

My cellphone lasts two days tops on a charge, even if I don't talk on it.

I changed cell phones to an LG model with about 14 days standby time, 10 hour talk time. Left it off unless in use. Still ran low till I found the top secret charging areas everyone knows about.

It was brand new and I don't think I'd fully charged it.

You really won't need it while riding, there's crew everywhere. While the car you wave down might not be able to stop they will radio who can .... I find it nice to "unplug" for the week so left it off while ride

But you'll want to call home and friends at night.

I really don't see the neeeeeed of the Garmin. The route's well signed, you'll have maps.

[MM_QFC!]

I agree w/Trek - you'll have no need of phone while on the road, as the support crews have the communications set-up for you. I usually turn my phone off, but have it with me - just in case there's a reason I want to make or receive calls at a stop. Then turn it on each night to check messages and check in with folks. Our ESAR ride has had a "no signal" stretch in an area between the Finger Lakes and the Catskill mtns (we Washington-staters call those 'hills' tho!), so it was quite the funny scene at the 1st rest stop one morning, when people turned on their cell phones and got a signal, so everyone - riders, crew all - had their phones to their ear in every direction! Also, the power outlets on the poles of the covered shelter at the rest stop park, had phones/chargers hanging from every one! Same scene in the evenings, as our ride uses state parks and campgrounds, so the restroom outlets were shared and everyone just stacked up their stuff to be charged, so we could plug in the next after each finished...funny sight, but commonplace nowadays.
I agree re: Garmin also...you'll have signs, cue sheets, maps and crew to guide you along the whole ride route, so the Garmin isn't really necessary. It'll probably be most useful to you during training, but alot of things aren't really needed when you're riding the actual event (that is, unless you have and use the cadence and/or HRM functions).

[melissam]

I don't neeeeeeeed the Garmin, but I do use it to track my heartrate and cadence (except I lost my cadence magnet during yesterday's ride). I guess I could switch out and rely on my polar to track heartrate during the ride.

I don't use the Garmin to look at routes while riding; it records the ride info (elevation, heartrate, cadence, speed) and I can view it on the map. I thought it would be cool to have that info for the AIDS/Lifecycle ride. Not a necessity, just a really cool thing to have recorded for posterity. (If you're a geek like me.)

OTOH, there's something nice about being unleashed electronically for a week.

wavedancer, thanks for the link to the Solio site. That could be just the answer if I decide to stay plugged in during the Ride.

-- Melissa