Both my husband and I wear heart rate monitors when we're riding. It really helps to make sure that you're working at your peak performance. We often compare after a hill and he's usually at a lower heart rate than I am, but he's been riding longer. I'll catch him yet.

I also have a cyclocomputer. I think that's what you're talking about. I love knowing how far I've gone and how fast I'm going. It also calculates the average speed and tells the time. I went for the most features at the lowest cost. I have heard that the cordless ones don't work well, so I'd avoid that.

Good luck with your new bike