GPS

pippi_langsamer-2

Fantastic piece of technology innit...

But seriously, the amount of people on forums these days fretting about Strava, how their GPS unit conked out on them mid-ride, blah blah blah......have the machines finally taken over?

Do many riders these days actually know where they're going when they set off for a ride these days? Are we seeing more accidents because Gary Garmin is too fecking busy trying to compute? Idiots trying to get the fastest downhill segment and ending up in someone's front garden, or worse?

Don't get me wrong- I bought a Garmin unit many years ago before they were so mainstream and still have it, but it really does seem reliance on them has gotten to daft levels.

Jon_1976

I sometimes leave my garmin at home, most of the time I take it. I enjoy riding the same amount either way. Whilst riding, I only look at my garmin to keep an eye on my cadence as I need a constant reminder not to mash big gears. I use strava to log my mileage and see how I'm progressing in fitness and strength. I don't aim for koms and usually don't get them

Gizmodo

If you think cyclists are reliant on computers when was the last time you saw a teenager walk down the street without a smartphone? When was the last time you were served in a shop and the assistant worked out the change to give you rather than look at what the till told them?

The human race has become reliant on computers for all aspects of life, whether it be professional or recreational, it's a bit late to try to reverse that.

verylonglegs

Gizmodo wrote:

If you think cyclists are reliant on computers when was the last time you saw a teenager walk down the street without a smartphone? When was the last time you were served in a shop and the assistant worked out the change to give you rather than look at what the till told them?

The human race has become reliant on computers for all aspects of life, whether it be professional or recreational, it's a bit late to try to reverse that.

I think what the OP was getting at was that to some Strava et al and the associated numbers game is cycling and it seemingly being about little else, rather than actually enjoying cycling with the geeky extras coming second.

VTech

I don't think there is many posts relating to KOM,s being the main stay if cycling for anyone yet.
The GPS can be a lifesaver as well as a tool to measure things like ability increase, heart condition etc etc.

As Gizmodo said above, computing has changed the planet, the single biggest alteration in humanity conditioning of all time. Life is better with computers which can't be said for all global human activity over the years.

pippi_langsamer-2

I don't doubt all the points above, but it seems reliance on the things has gotten to the point where as also mentioned, people are losing their grip on what are surely the fundamentals of cycling- escapism?

I still use my Garmin from time to time but it usually stays in my back pocket. Only time I put it on the bike is if I'm plotting a new, unfamiliar ride. For MTBing, it's been invaluable on some occasions for navigation on remote offload trails. It's also gotten me into a few tight spots too!

Just seems a bit sad when I read posts about riders who sound like their ride has generally been ruined by the fact their unit hasn't recorded a segment, or not auto paused etc etc....

Maybe this really is the future- demise in road racing as we know it, and pure gps based, "virtual", racing!

"May the odds be ever in your favour" :shock: