Speed...

Norky

Yes, sometimes (I use a GPS for post-ride analysis [bragging rights]), but I'm me. You're you and will have to make up your own mind about putting a computer on your fixie. Perhaps you could fit a really large one to your back/left shoulder for the benefit of all those poor saps you scalp

boneyjoe

My 3 year old likes to get pushed at speed on dad's bike, just so she can see "the numbers". Also, puts on the hr monitor and runs madly round the kitchen to see her "numbers". Seems to be natural instinct, so don't fight it.

dUNC

Always, always, always have computer on my commuter (only bike) - always feel lost without it when it doesn't work or forget it, I use my 16 mile each way commute to race myself, get fitter and it's vital in pushing me harder to beat that PB.

...that was until it came unclipped and dropped down the drain on the way home the other day - oops!

And since then every ride has been far more enjoyable, recovery is quicker and it's easier to get on the bike in the morning! So maybe "always, always, always" needs to become "sometimes" - but I'm sure it will make me lazy. My new bike arrives soon so I'll be fitting my new Cateye v3 and thrashing it!

tailwindhome

I miss DDD

His musings on alternative relationships between Distance Speed and Time are sorely missed.

rick_chasey

I've been riding so much better (on my road bike) ever since my speed-o ran out of juice about a year ago.

So liberating.

When i first started going out without I was reminded why I actually liked cycling.

wgwarburton

lost_in_thought wrote:

... the new fixie...

So. How is it? ...or did I miss that post...?
Cheers,
W.
PS I have a cheap comp on my commuter set to show cadence. I can convert to speed if I want to.

lost_in_thought

WGWarburton wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

... the new fixie...

So. How is it? ...or did I miss that post...?
Cheers,
W.
PS I have a cheap comp on my commuter set to show cadence. I can convert to speed if I want to.

I like it very much thanks!

I don't really want to put the garmin on it, even though it would match (yay for orange things) because I'll lose it. Oh yes I will, somehow. I only really use the garmin in London for navigation.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure! Well, maybe I'll try the garmin. At least it's wireless and I'm not paying for another comp. Interesting to note people's reasoning.

jimmypippa

iPete wrote:

Speed? If I drop below 18mph my pedometer will explode killing everything within a 50 meter radius.

I take it that you RLJ then. And jump off the bike whilst still moving (I'm thinking of the end of the Father Ted episode "Speed 3")...

rolf_f

Headhuunter wrote:

Don't see much point in knowing my speed on the commute as it's up and down. You get the chance to hammer it for a bit then you have to slow right down for traffic. Whatever your average is at the end is hardly representative of what speed you could have attained if you'd been able to push yourself if there'd been no traffic, lights, pedestrians in the way...

I suppose it depends how crap your commute route is. Leeds isn't busy enough to slow you down that much so variables such as traffic lights are still less of an impact on overall speed than wind conditions.

Today, I had an early start and a late finish (had to go to Birmingdump for the second day running) - that meant quieter roads. Yesterday I did the round trip in 1:10:36 - inbound was a respectable 31:12 but nasty headwinds on the way home meant a slow 39:24.

For once the gods of things that blow listened to my whining - today I got in in a record (I think) 29:06 but an incredibly rare tailwind home gave me a 32:3 home (probably close to a 5 minute gain on previous record) - total 1:01:36. Of course, knowing I had a rare tailwind meant I fought all the way to keep speed up and it felt great when I looked down at the computer to see my time. If I had't had the computer, it would have been just another commute home.

rolf_f

lost_in_thought wrote:

Hmmmm. I'm not sure! Well, maybe I'll try the garmin. At least it's wireless and I'm not paying for another comp. Interesting to note people's reasoning.

Or just get a Lidl computer for buttons A fiver should be enough.

thistle_

If you're going fast then it's nice to know so you can brag

There's some decent hills here so it's always a good game to see if you can beat last week's top speed down the hill.

It's also (not?) nice to know that you're doing 30 mph when cars are zooming past you in built up areas with schoolkids running around :?

Overall time is more important to me though (suppose that's equivalent to average).

rjsterry

As it's a fixie, you should be able to work out the speed fairly accurately if you know what cadence you are doing. Something to keep the mind busy on your commute. Before my computer stopped working (in the dry), I had it set in kmh and quite enjoyed converting to mph as I rode. I realise this is a bit odd.

gaz545

I say yes... just so i can do stuff like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtWLl_e-BbE

Anonymous

I love my Garmin 705, added another dimension to my riding, plus it allow me to impress my friends by uploading to Garmin Connect, then posting links to my Facebook profile.

I should add they're only impressed as they're mostly non-cyclists.

But really, I do find knowing average speed to be just as important as current speed, then I compare the two and always aim to get my current above the average, which of course over time makes the average higher, which makes you have to go quicker ect ect.....

Anonymous

gaz545 wrote:

I say yes... just so i can do stuff like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtWLl_e-BbE

Wow, that's pretty awesome, how did you do that?

Christophe3967

Ever since I was 5 I yearned for a speedo on my bike. I have grown out of that now.

Set to kph so I can pretend I'm quick...

stuaff

lost_in_thought wrote:

WGWarburton wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

... the new fixie...

So. How is it? ...or did I miss that post...?
Cheers,
W.
PS I have a cheap comp on my commuter set to show cadence. I can convert to speed if I want to.

I like it very much thanks!

I don't really want to put the garmin on it, even though it would match (yay for orange things) because I'll lose it. Oh yes I will, somehow. I only really use the garmin in London for navigation.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure! Well, maybe I'll try the garmin. At least it's wireless and I'm not paying for another comp. Interesting to note people's reasoning.

I have two other computers. I got fed up with one (Cateye) because first the cadence sensor stopped working, then the speed sensor kept moving out of line as well, plus the need to replace four pricey batteries every so often....the other (Tchibo) proved OK at first, but speed readings became massively inaccurate when it got a bit windy.
Garmin, by comparison... It just works. Doesn't get confused or stop working, 'cept in a tunnel (have the speed/cadence sensor, can't be bothered to use it). Move it between bikes with no bother (and I have three different wheel sizes too), easy to recharge the battery.....
I have to admit though, if you can find a cheap one that works right, go with that, leave the Garmin for when you need the bells & whistles....

lost_in_thought

Gaz, how does that work? Is the camera linked to your speedo or something?

It looks in the vid like you're going more slowly than the speedo maintains...!

biondino

lost_in_thought wrote:

On the one hand, it's quite nice not knowing how fast I'm going, because then I'm not focusing on it, but on the other I don't know if I'm having a slow day!

That's exactly how I feel. I want a computer on the roadie as on long rides it's invaluable, but on the foxie, as well as it spoiling the look, I don't really care how fast I'm going, especially as I know it's for the most part slower than I ride on the radie, and who wants to be reminded of that?

Gaz - you're only supposed to scalp them, not decapitate them! (though really, as LiT says, are you sure you've calibrated it right? Chapeau either way!)

gaz545

lost_in_thought wrote:

Gaz, how does that work? Is the camera linked to your speedo or something?

It looks in the vid like you're going more slowly than the speedo maintains...!

The data is taken from my Garmin, and overlayed onto the video afterwards. I've recently gone thorugh a speed sensor and it was 1mph faster than what was displayed on my garmin, so i guess it's pretty close to accurate.
The problem is the camera has a wide lens of 135 degrees, this means that images at the edge can be stretched and rounded. Meaning trying to gauge speed from watching a video is very hard.

Bassjunkieuk

gaz545 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Gaz, how does that work? Is the camera linked to your speedo or something?

It looks in the vid like you're going more slowly than the speedo maintains...!

The data is taken from my Garmin, and overlayed onto the video afterwards. I've recently gone thorugh a speed sensor and it was 1mph faster than what was displayed on my garmin, so i guess it's pretty close to accurate.
The problem is the camera has a wide lens of 135 degrees, this means that images at the edge can be stretched and rounded. Meaning trying to gauge speed from watching a video is very hard.

Otherwise it looks like your going slower ;-) That was an awesome video tho and I can remember from our brief encounter you're no slouch :-D

gaz545

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

gaz545 wrote:

Otherwise it looks like your going slower ;-) That was an awesome video tho and I can remember from our brief encounter you're no slouch :-D

I can say the same for yourself.

secretsam

I've got one but I don't use it - my rides aren't long enough - and anyway, the mount's on the London steed which does stop - start rather than the sunny Bucks one which does more miles (although not much more)

bigmat

I can take it or leave it on commute, my MTB computer the sensor battery was dead for weeks and I didn't bother changing it, just used it as a stopwatch. Computer on my alu roadie may be incorrectly calibrated (either that or I'm going a lot better than I feel at the moment) - had me at pushing 50mph down Anerley Hill last night, I'm not convinced I was going that fast!

windbreaker

I used to have a speedo on all my bikes. The one on my main commuter bike stopped and I never replaced it. I also put on very slow Marathon tyres. I sometimes check the iphone cyclemeter results but only every few rides. My new Mad One didn’t have one. But then I fitted a cadence computer and was surprised at how fast I was going. I’d done some fast training rides but mostly slow commutes and one slow very long ride. I now think that going as I feel has helped my speed enormously.

itchieritchie

LIT, this is strange....I'm having the same dillemma.

Never used a computer before but now wondering whether to strap one atop my Genesis Flyer.

Only diff is I'm still riding SS. Not had the balls like you to go fixed quite yet. Hang on....

Zachariah

I only just got my first computer (el cheapo Blackburn), purely because I was curious of the exact distance of my commute (2.4 miles apparently) and my speed (slow).