smoore

I took my computer off my bike three years ago and don't miss it at all. I really thought I would, but instead I find I enjoy the ride more instead of always being concerned about MPH, miles ridden, average pace, etc. I still wear a wrist watch, so I know how long I've ridden but for me it seems that it's easier to just enjoy the ride and not always be challenging yourself to go faster and longer. I don't find that it makes me complacent and I still try to ride a good pace and keep my RPMs up but just less stress. Crap, another sign that I must be getting old.

Cougrrcj

Neat toy, but I got tired of buying batteries. I ride how I ride. No computer is gonna encourage me any more than my own willingness to improve my stamina/endurance/speed. Since 99% of my riding is commuting anyway, I just time myself door-to-door using my $11 plastic Casio wristwatch.

Rick@OCRR

I got rid of my bike computer when I got my Garmin 800. It works so well, so reliable, so much date and easy to use, easy to download and good interface with Strava. After the Garmins came out, well . . . after the bugs were worked out of them, normal bike computers just didn't cut it anymore!

Rick / OCRR

Hermes1

I gave up on bike computers for the same reasons you cite when my then hard wired unit ceased to work. Now, years later I find myself using my smartphone loaded with Cyclemeter and waiting on the RFLKT, speed/cadence sensor & heart rate band to arrive. I am no longer interested in my speed, but I am interested in improving which I have found having a cadence reading and heart rate monitor helps.

FullGas

I prefer to know speed / distance when riding.

JohnDThompson 

I got rid of mine over a decade ago. If I'm riding somewhere unfamiliar, I'll mount my GPS on the bike, but otherwise nothing.

Biker395 

I have a bike computer on only one of my bikes. The others have nothing.

And I don't miss them either.

• I really don't care so much how fast I'm going.
• I have a pretty good idea of how far I've gone, and if I want to know for sure, there is always ridewithgps.com or something similar.
• I know exactly how far my commute is.
• I've figured out that on most of my rides, my climbing is roughly 1000 feet per 10 miles. That's close enough for me.

The only time I really want one is if I am trying to follow complex directions to keep from getting lost. But all that offers is dead reckoning (at best), and I can always find out where I am and how to get home with my smartphone.

It's not that I object to them ... I just don't feel the need for them anymore.

Dave Mayer

I used a computer on my mountain bike up to about 10 years ago. Then came a phone with maps and GPS.

The only reason for the computer was to determine distances. When you are riding in the backcountry, especially the high alpine, if the map says you need to turn south after 10.2 miles, then you really really need to do this. Turning at 10.5 miles may lead you down the wrong valley, and into life-and-death problems.

As far as riding speed and calories burned and all that other stuff, just vanity.

Wildwood 

Me too. Not one on any of my bikes. I prefer my handlebars to be clear of gadgets.

dim

I use my computer on every ride .... I like to know my cadence aswell as speed ... I also use strava on every ride where I can get other info after the ride

I don't 'ramble' along ... I am competitive and like to give it my best ...

I'm looking at getting the new Sigma ROX which has the cadence aswell as GPS and it's cheap

Gerryattrick

My mind is like a computer. As I ride along I remember every pedal stroke, and instantly convert that to distance travelled and a glance at my watch tells me my cadence and average speed. It's wireless and battery free as well.

chasm54

I've used various computers for quite a while. If you're trying to train systematically, and don't have the years of experience it takes to be able to do that well simply on perceived effort, they're close to essential.

But these days I'm not training systematically, so a lot of the time I leave the garmin at home. For those who want the data but aren't competing, my question would be, why? Whom are you trying to impress with your records of miles ridden, heart rates maintained, elevation gained? Yourself? People you don't know on bike forums? And if the answer is that you're not trying to impress anyone, then what use is that data? It's just data.

The truth is that lots of people are obsessed by the numbers. It's what has made Strava so successful, for some reason people are interested in the fact that they've ridden a 100 metre hill faster than some fat guy they don't know. But those numbers have nothing to do with enjoying cycling. If you just want to record your hr or power output you may as well be on a static bike in the gym.

BobbyG

I use mine but keep calling it a speedometer

KLiNCK

I like to ride with a computer. I have a Cateye double wireless, with cadence, on my Roubaix and a basic Cateye Velo 7 on the commuter.
I reset the odometers at the beginning of each riding season to track annual mileage and maintenance issues. I like to know how many kms I get out of my consumables.

chasm54

Why? You think they'll last longer if you know how many miles they've endured?

Shamrock

I have computers on two of my road bikes.The batterys have been dead for about 2 years.I guess I don't miss them.

KLiNCK

I try different models of chains, cassettes, tires etc. and it gives me a benchmark reference for which ones work best for me.

canklecat

I only recently began using a smartphone app, mostly for the navigation to minimize wandering around trying to find a new route (not lost, just... meandering). It also records distance, speed, etc., but I don't look at it while I'm riding. The phone is on my belt or in a pocket and I look at the info later.

I still wear an old Timex analog wristwatch but don't look at it often while riding unless I'm trying to catch a bus for part of the trip.

fietsbob

Its on My Touring Bike , I only bought a battery when I went somewhere ..

I liked the down on the fork blade Mount on the one I got 20 years ago.

Dave Cutter

I ditched the wristwatch more than a decade ago. Read somewhere that watches had become considered as jewelry.... except when wore by old people. Since clocks are everywhere (including our phones) now-a-days wearing a timepiece is no longer necessary.

And whereas I still have a couple bicycle computers serving as (mostly) odometers.... I track my miles (and much more) using an app on my phone.

ltxi

I have simple, wired, $20 Cateye Velo 7s on all my bikes. Don't really use them that much during a ride but like them for end of ride history...I feel like I metrics had a good/bad day, did I actually have a good/bad day?....and tracking for overall mileage/maintenance purposes.

dendawg

It's still a bike computer

dendawg

I have a Garmin, but I also have new photo chromatic sunglasses. On a sunny day I can't see the Garmin because the glasses get too dark.

Moe Zhoost

I figure I'll give it up when it stops working or when it's old enough to join this group.

Avocet 20: 2 buttons, no clock, no calculations. Time, distance, speed only. Also reads only in kilometers.

CliffordK

I've put them on and off a few times. My $10 bell computer fell off... somewhere...

I've been playing around with Strava a bit lately. A speedometer would help pace myself a bit, but for the shorter segments, I can pretty much just target the max my body will allow.