Simplicity. There is little in this world that I find more exciting than a complicated problem solved by a simple, elegant solution. Focusing on simplicity is particularly useful when weighing intricate competing facts because it allows you to say, “None of those complicated factors are likely to work out in my favor, so I'll ignore them and instead focus on the ones that my tiny, Twitter-saturated brain can comprehend in seven seconds or less and which support my hypothesis.” I am to understand that most American businesses are run using this model. But enough about philosophy and business.
It may come as a surprise to you, but I am a bit of a gear head. The last time my VMH and I were on holiday, the hotel staff unloading the car asked us when the rest of our party was arriving. Yeah, no, 'fraid not – just us. Being a technologist professionally also offers me the benefit of not being terrible with electronics, so the complexity of the gear is generally of little concern from a technical standpoint.
It doesn't take long for new gadgets and gizmos to find their way from the shelf into my gearbox. When Mektronic hit the market, my first reaction was, “Bullocks to these antiquated cables and levers; computerized shifting is the Future.” It was during my tenure with Mektronic that I had my first epiphany about technology and cycling. As with most epiphanies, mine was unexpected and came while sitting on the side of the road with broken chain after some kind of rogue radio signal sent my derailleur into hysterics and I realized: technology does not always improve the enjoyment of the ride.
I have been to the dark side of cycling computers. I had the full Polar setup that tracked loads of data and allowed me to download it into my computer so I could wonder at the pretty wiggly lines. I was obsessed. Each ride started with the dance of getting the heart rate strap positioned just right so it could prove I was alive. As I started rolling, I'd punch the big red button on the computer to order it to start it's recording. Finishing my ride, I would focus on punching the same red button a second time to stop the recording, for fear that recording while stationary would lower the overall squiggliness of the lines. The value of my rides was measured by how far, fast, and high I'd gone.
It came to it's peak during L'Etape du Tour in 2003. After the ride, I found that the computers had stopped recording about half way through. I was devastated. It took a while, but time does indeed mend a broken heart. I eventually came to understand that the ride was just as amazing with or without the data, and slowly left the numbers obsession behind.
The natural progression from that point was to abandon the computer altogether. For a while I indulged in the simplicity of the road, focusing completely on the ride itself and nothing else. Eventually, however, I came to understand that the very nature of Rule #10 implies that no data at all is a very difficult way to judge how your climbing is progressing. After all, speed makes up 50% of that Rule, otherwise it would just be, “It never gets easier” and that would be pretty demoralizing. Besides, I always feel like I've got the anchor down when I'm climbing, so the speed is what I use to judge if I am, in fact, going faster or if I'm just suffering and slow. (Unfortunately for me, it's usually the second.)
With that, I present my Rule #10 meter of choice, the Sigma 1100. It is lightweight and mounts on the stem, which are the two most critical things. It also uses a beautiful, simple rubber band to mount all the parts, which means no messy zip-ties or screws are required; the whole installation requires zero ties or tape whatsoever. It is not wireless, which means one less battery to run down, and the cord is nice and thick and wraps beautifully around the front brake cable.
Clean and simple, the almost-perfect computer – second only to the V-Meter.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Signma 1100/”/]
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We Velominati follow a different path: We don't strive to be PRO, we strive to look PRO. I'm losing the Garmin because of my desire to be free of the tyranny of numbers as so eloquently described by all and sundry, but primarily because it detracts from looking Casually Deliberate (which I believe is why it violates Rule 74).
sgt - WOW! You just opened my mind, and blew it, with that comment. Spot on! I enjoy riding and ride hard, but I don't race, so why the hell do I need to suffer under the tyranny of the devices?
Resolution 2011: lose the computer, spend less time analyzing and charting numbers, spend that extra time looking PRO, and attain Casual Deliberate nirvana.
Thank you for those excellent points!
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Top shelf.
But now I get it: this is Frank's ploy to saturate the market with inexpensive, high-end computers so he can add to his collection. Cunning.
Numbers I find to be completely useless:
* Average speed. In the city there are stoplights, traffic, unexpected construction, rain, dead raccoons on the road. Sometimes I start or end more Casually Deliberate than other times, which throws off the average. Sometimes the hills are steeper than they were the last time.
* Momentary speed. It's worthless to know that I can hit 40, 50, or 60km/h for a moment. I'd like to know if I can keep it up for 30 minutes in the middle of a ride.
* Distance. Only useful when I'm rolling out a new route. Otherwise, I know that Ride A is about 50km, Ride B is about 30, ride L is about 120km, etc.
For me, the only number that is useful is a specific split for a pre-defined segment. How fast did I hill hill X compared to my previous runs up it? For that you pretty much need a GPS (but only internally, not one that shows maps as you ride). The alternative is to hit the "lap" button continually and remember when and where afterward, which again requires number crunching and kills the experience.
@frank
As always, I'm also humbled by the amount of research that goes into this site. Or was Cateye discernible from the two wall-sized posters of this pic you had blown up and framed"”one for the bike stable and the other for the livingroom?
Logos are the new grey. As a graphic designer, I fall prey to this all the time. I cannot wait until companies figure out a way to brand the inside of break blocks... here's is a clean cockpit for the the powerass wireless.
@RideFit
Why does your computer wear a helmet?
@Ron
What can I say, it's the way I am :)
@ZachOlson
No need to, at least as far as I'm concerned. I'm in Ely, you?
Nice piece Frank. While I like the Colin Chapman philosophy of Add lightness and Simplify, I tend to also enjoy my Garmin 500, albeit without the boob strap and the wheel spin wattage thingy. However, more to the point is I enjoy Ol' Blighty slang being the ex-pat that I am, as much as the next bloke. So I feel the need to point out it is not Bullocks, unless of course you are referring to Sandra and her sisters (does she have any?) or the now defunct shopping chain where my VMHO, wouldn't be caught dead. It is in fact Bollox, as in Never mind the. This of course denotes a bad thing. The Dog's Bollox on the other hand would be used to denote something much better than good. As in "That new Pinarello Dogma 60.1 is the Dog's Bollox". (See what I did there?)
Here is to wishing all you Velominati and VMHO's A Dog's Bollox of a Christmas. And if your not Pagan, then Bollox to the lot of you! (I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course)
@Geoffrey Grosenbach
I agree with that list. I have one specific spot that I can hit on my rides from home if I want, and it's almost exactly 3 miles, and is flat with no stops or side-roads. That is the one spot where I will track average/top speed, as I figure with those outside influences removed it is a good place to track overall fitness development/loss (wind can still be a factor, but whatever).
When I got back into cycling two years ago, I wanted the HR monitor, the cadence meter, etc. But since then, I've read a lot of good points basically saying "what is it REALLY telling you that you don't already know?".
I can understand if you're racing, and a real type-a personality and need to focus on specific zones and all that stuff, but I'm just a guy who likes to ride, I don't need all that. Hills still hurt no matter if I know my HR or not.
That being said, I'll keep my Garmin 500 because I do like to track my overall mileage, and see where I've gone on Google maps. But I am trying to break myself from being focused on how far I've gone, how high I've climbed, etc. during the ride.