Categories: Defining MomentsNostalgiaTechnology

On Rule #74: Going Unplugged

If rider A rides 30kph toward rider B who is riding 22kmp, at what time with they lay down The V?

I think the most exciting Christmas present I ever received as a child was an Avocet 30 in what must have been 1989. Being in Minnesota and it being December, it meant my bike was going nowhere near the road any time soon, so I kept the silver dollar-sized computer in my pocket wherever I went, just so I could look at it, touch it, and imagine how much I was going to look like Greg LeMond now that I had this computer. My heart broke a little bit that next summer when I realized he had abandoned the Avocet in favor of a Ciclomaster CM34 with a built in gradient meter and altimeter. Perhaps this signalled the beginning of the end of my love affair with data on my bike; it faded almost as soon as it had begun.

I have a Garmin 810 which I use primarily on rides with whose routes I’m unfamiliar, or on any gravel ride in the mountains for safety reasons. It makes me feel like I’m riding with my iPhone on my handlebars. It probably has Facebook on it. While riding, it serves as a constant distraction; how much have I climbed, how much longer is the climb, where is the next turn. Even when I know a turn is coming up and precisely where it is, I still find myself distracted by the little changes on the screen as the directions flicker across.

The background noise serves as constant static between me and the sanctity of the ride, always there simmering just below the surface. What bothers me about it is that these questions are raised by the availability of the data, not by a need to have the questions answered. Brad Wiggins reportedly crashed out of the Giro d’Italia because he was staring at his power meter data, wondering if it was accurate. This was not a relevant question to be asking when descending a mountain pass in the rain.

Riding is one of the few opportunities we have where we can escape the internet, data, and the noise of our daily lives. Data has its place in Cycling, but there is an undeniable liberation in untethering and riding just for the sake of riding.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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frank says:

Dec 22 2015 at 6:08 pm

@emerson

If a rider continues to rely on a computer and never developed a feeling for estimating speed and distance, then of course it is not a good idea to ride on feel with any group. Developing a proven feeling for time versus distance allows a rider to intercept and chase on effort alone, without actually seeing any other rider(s) up the road. I hope that you agree with this ChuckP.

I think the big lesson here is that we all need the computer at some point in our development, but as we become experienced we can chuck all that shit out the door. Very well put.
Haldy says:

Dec 22 2015 at 6:23 pm

Interesting takes.for..against...staring at stems...being primarily a trackie in my racing pursuits...we( beginners all the way to the top level pros) are banned from looking at computers while we race on the track. It was deemed to dangerous for us to read our displays while we raced by the UCI. Not sure as I 100% agree with that..as my pic shows...I certainly am staring hard at my stem. Sure, no computer to look at, but buried in the detail of my Fizik stem nonetheless. Also of note..I am still taking data...my computer is mounted behind my seat. Do I need it to know that I am drilling it..no. Does it help to look at later and see what my heart was pegged at and when. Yes. I have my computer on my road bike all the time, but often don't even look at it until I stop it at the end of the ride. I can be plugged in and still ride unplugged. I think that's the best way to ride. The info is there if I want it, or for targetted training need it for bits of guidance, but there is no need to be a slave to it. That would ruin the ride.
emerson says:

Dec 22 2015 at 7:25 pm

ChuckP, that is a valid point. Catching on to a target is quit different than staying locked on, or synchronized.
Dean C says:

Dec 22 2015 at 8:21 pm

@Haldy

Interesting takes.for..against…staring at stems…being primarily a trackie in my racing pursuits…we( beginners all the way to the top level pros) are banned from looking at computers while we race on the track. It was deemed to dangerous for us to read our displays while we raced by the UCI. Not sure as I 100% agree with that..as my pic shows…I certainly am staring hard at my stem. Sure, no computer to look at, but buried in the detail of my fi'zi:k stem nonetheless. Also of note..I am still taking data…my computer is mounted behind my seat. Do I need it to know that I am drilling it..no. Does it help to look at later and see what my heart was pegged at and when. Yes. I have my computer on my road bike all the time, but often don’t even look at it until I stop it at the end of the ride. I can be plugged in and still ride unplugged. I think that’s the best way to ride. The info is there if I want it, or for targetted training need it for bits of guidance, but there is no need to be a slave to it. That would ruin the ride.

Looks like you are moving some very respectable gears there too, well-played.
Oli says:

Dec 22 2015 at 8:55 pm

@frank

The other way, not the right way.
Haldy says:

Dec 22 2015 at 10:03 pm

@Dean C

@Haldy

Interesting takes.for..against…staring at stems…being primarily a trackie in my racing pursuits…we( beginners all the way to the top level pros) are banned from looking at computers while we race on the track. It was deemed to dangerous for us to read our displays while we raced by the UCI. Not sure as I 100% agree with that..as my pic shows…I certainly am staring hard at my stem. Sure, no computer to look at, but buried in the detail of my fi’zi:k stem nonetheless. Also of note..I am still taking data…my computer is mounted behind my seat. Do I need it to know that I am drilling it..no. Does it help to look at later and see what my heart was pegged at and when. Yes. I have my computer on my road bike all the time, but often don’t even look at it until I stop it at the end of the ride. I can be plugged in and still ride unplugged. I think that’s the best way to ride. The info is there if I want it, or for targetted training need it for bits of guidance, but there is no need to be a slave to it. That would ruin the ride.

Looks like you are moving some very respectable gears there too, well-played.

Many thanks...I spent most of last season( and am in this pic) rolling a 51x15, on a couple of occasions I moved up to the 52x15.
bea says:

Dec 22 2015 at 10:13 pm

@frank

I like this girl.

Euh... Thank you sir.

I have to dispute the pocket distribution in general that I’m seeing here. Heavy stuff goes in the middle, light stuff on the sides, people! Our pockets are not moto panniers! My phone is so light now, it goes in the right pocket, but until recently, it had to go in the middle. Keys, food etc goes in the sides.

I had the pleasure to fall with my back on my pump. Let's say I prefer falling on my phone. Hence, phone in the middle, chunky stuff on the left, food on the right.

And we only carry the minimum gear right? (RIGHT?) so all essentials are in the middle, We don’t need that much shit.

We (I) only carry the minimum gear to get home (preferably cycling) without having to call the cavalerie to come and pick us up.
blackpooltower says:

Dec 23 2015 at 12:54 am

I love my Garmin so much I've started calling it my R2 Unit and talking to it when it bleeps at me.*

Sometimes a computer is handy to help you get home on time (like @chuckp say). Or for specific training sessions but blimey it is LUSH when you ride with nothing, not even a watch.

*(a lie)
RobSandy says:

Dec 23 2015 at 2:57 am

@Ron

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: full wallet in center pocket on all rides. I never know when I’ll feel like swinging by the library and will need my borrower’s card.

WTF? Do you then tuck a load of books in your bibs and carry on your ride? You nutbar.
RobSandy says:

Dec 23 2015 at 3:02 am

@minion

@chuckp

@freddy

If you can’t roll over smoothly and maintain a steady pace you’re not the shit-hot rider you think you are.

Yes, I'm not. When I'm in a fast chaingang I try to maintain speed on rhythm/cadence rather than looking at my display. I imagine a metronome tick-tick-tick in time with my pedals as I'm 2nd wheel and try to hold it.