Caveman

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only guy that just rides. I don't train so I couldn't care less about watts, route maps, Strava or almost anything else. I do have a basic Garmin GPS I use to keep track of the basic data for the ride I'm on. Distance, avg speed, elapsed time, feet climbed, time of day, etc. I don't store any data. I don't care what I did last week, last month or last year. My GPS is capable of downloading routes but I don't bother. I either just wander or follow the guy in front of me. Worrying about data spoils the zen of my ride. Sometimes I feel good. Sometimes I don't. That's all I need to know. So am I the only anti data rider here? Anybody else just ride for the day and stay in the moment?

macattack71

I'd want to know my HR more than anything. Keeps me safe on the ride. I've almost redlined out there, 190 bpm+ on a climb, and it tells me when to back off and play it safe.

tFUnK

I ride with a head unit with HR and cadence but mainly I just like to log all of my activities on Strava so I know where I went and how many miles/ft elevation I covered each week/month/year. Sometimes I try to keep it in zone 2 or maintain a certain cadence but I don't really look at it during the ride, moreso after the ride.

TiHabanero

Yeah, I don't get it, however to each his own. Now get out there and smile for a few miles.

PeteHski

I’m curious why you think there is a safety issue here. Do you have a heart condition that requires monitoring? Or is this just a fear of what might happen if you hit the red line?

PeteHski

So stop worrying about data then.

jpescatore

I have all the data, look at it on some rides and on many rides I just ride.

It is kind of like content on the radio, TV or internet - just twist the knob to the left or right if you don't like what you see/hear*

* "Knobs" and "dials" are ancient technologies, kinda like those old bikes you see with gigantic front wheels and tiny rear wheels.

DonkeyShow

But bro, don't you wanna be training in zone 5 with the exact proper cadence while you play with your onboard computer for no reason to prepare for your upcoming triathlon that you finish last place in? Lol its ******g bicycle riding.

jadmt

I am a 65 yoa drunk so not sure I would want to know my HR. I figure if I am riding my heart is ticking. I too just like to ride without too much to think about. I have done ~5500 miles this year and my buddy talked me into getting the free strava app so occasionally I use that for kicks but basically just gives the same info my bontrager computer does ie ave speed max speed and distance. sometimes I like seeing my max speed. but like the OP mostly just like to ride but really only like riding 50-100 miles at a time. for some reason I feel rides shorter than 40 miles are disappointing.

RB1-luvr

At 59 I'm fairly anti-tech, but I do wear a simple Garmin watch so I can upload my ride data to Strava. Prior to this tech, I was recording rides in a daily planner. But similar to the OP, even though I race, I don't train, I just ride.

A nice benefit to uploading data is knowing how many miles each bike has (for maintenance reasons).

jadmt

heck true story I do not even now what zone 5 means. I see some other terminology being used on ride posts that I have no idea what they are either. Sometimes I have thought of googling them to see but then decide I am probably better off not knowing.

MoAlpha

Just curious: where is the redline and what happens if you go over it?

DonkeyShow

Ppl use buzzwords to keep out the noobs while making their hobby seem interesting.

jadmt

maybe flatline.....

RChung

It's good that you don't let your own data spoil the zen of your ride but it sounds like others' data does spoil the zen of your ride. That doesn't sound very zen.

A student asked a Master, "Has a data user Buddha Nature?" And the Master said, "Mu."

MoAlpha

That was my late mom's favorite koan.

MNBikeCommuter

On my Sears speedometer, it starts at 30mph and ends at 40mph, which is where the numbers end. Now if I have to 'splain what a speedometer is to anyone...

GhostRider62

I'm only half loaded.

90-95% of the time, I don't care about HR or power. I am riding to have fun but also want to get an exercise benefit and therefore, I use by breathing zen to feel the right effort.

Once in a while, I do a serious ride with certain power and time durations in mind.

The rides all get logged, most to ensure I am not doing too much.

I really hate Strava heads on group rides.

MoAlpha

Does it have the spinning cable and the spider which engages with your spokes?

big john

I'm not anti-data, I just don't care enough to put any device on my bike. I don't even have a cell phone. I know from asking others on the route or just knowing the routes.
Never used Strava, never recorded or logged anything. Riding road bikes around 40 years now, mountain bikes around 33.

rumrunn6

I have wandered from keeping track of stats

big john

I had one of those as a ute. "Cadet". It had a plastic thing that stuck between the spokes and drove the cable. It broke pretty quickly.

Jack Tone 

One of my first speedometers had a hole in the back and the wind blew on the bladed speedo needle and made it move. I don't recall it being very accurate.

Edit: Also had to pedal hard on my fifty's cruiser to make it move at all. Looked pretty much like this:

MoAlpha

It not only measured speed but controlled it, and all without batteries. Now them were some data!

big john

Add one of those growling/whirring generators and you had to lay down some watts!