Originally Posted by cccorlew

Sweet photos!

I enjoy my Garmin 500 a ton. I love being able to see the tracks of where I went, and play them back in Google Earth. I'm often amazed about where I was compared to where I thought I was. It's interesting to see how geographical features connect in a way you can't see when riding.

I know it's popular to bash Strava, but I love it. I may never keep a KOM, but I love seeing my own results, and keeping track of friends I can't ride with.

As a daily bike commuter, I am amazed at how far lights have come in the past 5 or 6 years. It's amazing to me how I can light up the dark trail I ride home on with a light that costs less than $100.

I also like my iPhone because I have friend finder enabled. If my sweet wife checks my location during my 10 pm commute and my dot doesn't move for a long time she might call me or at least come pull my own bad self out of a ditch.

All this techno stuff, though perhaps unnecessary on some levels, has made my cycling, and life, more fun.

Someday, I hope to have the perfect gear ratios for me available in electronic shifting. It hasn't happened yet, but it's getting closer.

Originally Posted by John E

I work in high tech, consulting for an advanced technology group and teaching cutting edge courses at university, but my tastes in the arts center on the 18th and 19th Centuries.

With bicycles, I have reservations about the safety and durability of carbon fiber as well as strong opposition to reduced spoke count wheels, unless one is a sponsored racer who is handed new kit every season. Give me 32 or 36 spokes per wheel, cross-laced, for the best strength-to-moment of inertia ratio and best longevity.

I do think electronic shift is kind of cool, but no one so far is exploiting its best advantage, which would be to provide fingertip shift controls for multiple hand positions on the bars. This is the perfect opportunity to break way from brifter silliness.

With automobiles, I am not enamored with push-to-start, because there is no corresponding fast shutdown procedure in the event the throttle sticks open. (At freeway speeds, during the three seconds one has to hold the "start" button to shut down a Toyota engine, the car has traveled the length of a football field.) I also detest electronic parking brakes -- just give me a good old-fashioned sports car style lever on the center console.

Originally Posted by cccorlew

As a daily bike commuter, I am amazed at how far lights have come in the past 5 or 6 years. It's amazing to me how I can light up the dark trail I ride home on with a light that costs less than $100. ...

Originally Posted by Hermes

This thread is about discussing why one likes new technology and what are the features that make it compelling to own. It is NOT about saying that older technology is bad or ranting. In fact, this thread is about taking the high ground and talking positively about what one likes.

I like new technology, ideas, things and most importantly new bikes, frames, components, electronics, components, services and wheels. Between my wife and me, we own 12 bicycles, of which, ten, the frames are made of carbon fiber. I like the fit and finish of the newer frames as well as graphics and the aerodynamic shapes. The engineers that design the frames have freedom to change the shape of supporting parts making them stronger and more aero while reducing weight where it is not needed. The ride of carbon fiber is superb due to the management of lateral stiffness and and vertical compliance. Each frame set can be tuned to a particular style of riding and or terrain while minimizing weight.

The new electronics and software and services being offered to track and optimize performance metrics are stunning, clever and useful. I took delivery of the new Garmin Vector power meter and it is a work of art and came packaged much in the same manner as my new Apple MacBook pro computer. Garmin did a great job with the rollout of version 1.0 and I feel fortunate to be one of the early adopters of the technology.

I appreciate the past and try not to repeat mistakes that history may teach. However, my heart and brain are in the future looking forward to new things.

My wife and her Cevelo track bike - GK Photography. She owns five Cervelos - one road, two track and two time trial.



My Cervelo R5 with Quarq power meter. I also own a Cervelo R3, Cervelo P2C Time Trial bike and a Dolan DF3 and Felt Track bikes.



My wife riding her new Cervelo P3 TT bike - H'ors Category Photograph. Her postion and equipment were optimized at Velo Sports Center track using their new aero testing technology that measures aero drag instantaneously as one rides around the track. We were one of the first customers to use the new system.

Originally Posted by John E

For bicycle technology, batteries and LEDs indeed represent one of the biggest advances of the past decade. Most of us are old enough to remember tire-driven generators and strap-on French arm/leg lights back in the days when rechargeable batteries were a novelty. I'll also bet most of us consider a mobile phone standard equipment, and I have enjoyed using my Garmin when visiting an unfamiliar area.

To clarify my earlier rant about bicycle wheel engineering -- the way to maximize the strength of a wheel while minimizing the weight of the rim (rim + tire weight is what really counts for acceleration) is to increase, not decrease, the spoke count. The sole benefit of reducing the spoke count is reduced air resistance. If one is racing, fine. If one is touring or cycling for transportation or recreation, it still makes sense to have lots of spokes per wheel. I just hate to see cutting edge race-specific equipment marketed for more pedestrian uses.

I have two practical reservations regarding CF. First, it is extremely difficult to trigger a traffic signal if you have CF, instead of aluminum, rims. Second, too many CF riders are unaware of the safety threat posed by small scratches, which develop as stress risers into cracks and eventually points of failure. I know of fatalities caused by CF fork blade failure. In one well publicized local case, the rider had ignored the admonition of a bike shop mechanic.

Originally Posted by on the path

Ahem.. maybe time for a positive post.

I say go for it, if that's what you like and that's what you want. Myself, I bought aluminum because that's what I wanted at the time, and that's what I could afford. No looking back, I love my bike. I don't think my bike is limiting my performance.

Having said that, I would love to have electronic shifting. My mechanical shifters are now, finally, working really well. When they weren't, I was using small amounts of physical and mental energy every time I tried to get into the gear I wanted at a particular moment. For a short, easy ride that's not that big of an issue. On 4 and 5 hour (and longer) rides, trying to keep up with strong riders, all those small amounts of energy add up. I'd love to press a button, rather than throw a lever, and be in the gear I want to be in, and be able to pedal hard through a shift.

When I first started driving, I owned cars that were made in the 60's. I loved those cars. I used to have in my trunk jumper cables, starting fluid, extra plug wires, spare distributor cap, extra spark plugs, at times several quarts of oil, and a bunch of hand tools. I don't miss that aspect of car ownership. Fuel injection and electronic ignition sure made a difference in my driving experience. Technology isn't so bad..

Originally Posted by Mobile 155

I might be considered an early adopter but not a leading edge. Typically I am one generation late. I don't tend to be a tester but once something seems to be better than what I have I start looking for a way to get it. Even if I have to save for a frame and slowly build it myself. You however have some fine looking machines.

I only jumped in with both feet when cell phones first starting selling to more of the General public. To date myself I got a Pactel Briefcase phone before they became AT&T. I took a bath on the early phone and all of my Luddite friends said they were a fad and would never replace a hard line. Today most of my friends have smart phones and some don't even own a hard line home phone. Went to Kenya in 2006 and was totally surprised to learn more people had cell phones than land lines.

I remember when I was into sailing the old salts said Fiberglass was never going to last. I was told I had to learn celestial navigation or I could never sail off shore. Bought a Loran when they first came out because my wife didn't like manning the helm while I took an hour charting down below. When GPS came out I sold my Sextant and was told that was a bad idea because batteries can die. Today not many use a Sextant and GPS guides cruise ships and most off shore cruisers. I see very few wood boats anymore. Fiberglass is holding up just fine thank you very much and TT bikes like yours are Dominating local TT races with both male and female rides.

You sir are an example to many of us. Your wife is a good example as well. Strive for better and don't settle for "just good enough" to get by. That is my take anyway.

Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy

You just do it, man. It's all about doing it. Carpers may wish they could do it, but what's stopping them? My wife and I are 132, but we're still getting faster on our 2003 steel tandem, thanks to technology - mostly training knowledge that tech discovered, but also to bits and pieces like Garmin and Strava, shoes, pedals, tires, clothing, stuff like that. A carbon tandem would be wonderful, but we can't afford it. We got a heck of lot faster just putting on some old used aero clip-ons. But who cares? We do what we can and enjoy the heck out of doing it. Love the photos. My best wishes to you and your wife.