I might want to get one of those odometers, since I'm really just starting out and I'd like to get an idea of how much gas I'm saving. How much do they cost?
As with anything, they range from cheap to silly expensive. You can get a generic thing at (whatever)-mart for $15 or so. I had one but those cheapos aren't very waterproof and it only lasted a few months of serious commuting before it started to flake out. Also it had a tiny display and buttons, and switching modes during a ride and zeroing the counts pre-ride was a pain (almost impossible with winter gloves on). Decent ones aren't much more.
I just retired a Planet Bike Protege 9, which I got because it has a thermometer and I thought that was kind of cool at the time. The Planet Bike is very durable and waterproof, and has a big display that shows most anything you'd want to see all at once so there's not much need to switch modes. You can run the Planet Bike computers with leather mittens on.
You should be able to pick up a more durable unit from a company like Planet Bike or Cateye for $20 or so, certainly < $30. Especially if you are already placing a nashbar.com order for other stuff so you're not paying $8 shipping for just that; they always have a selection of basic computers for < $25, some < $20.
I recommend against wireless. They're not really significantly easier to install, and they're subject to interference, crosstalk between bikes, and the senders take separate batteries (bad for the environment). Also in general they're expensive. The ones that aren't probably don't work very well.
I just put this one (Sigma Sport BC1606L) on a week or so ago; a friend convinced me to start paying some attention to my cadence (pedal RPM) - the theory being that if you train your leg muscles to "like" going at a specific, fairly high RPM, they get very attuned to it and you become very efficient at that speed. Pedaling slowly (like, less than about 80 RPM) and pushing harder is actually more work than pedaling faster; it's like not downshifting your car when you go up a hill; the engine makes more power more easily at faster RPMs.
Then you have to shift so that your legs are always going at about the same speed (105 to 115 RPM for me) regardless of hills, wind, etc.
So I needed a computer with cadence function; in general that puts you up into the $40+ range, but this one is generally cheaper since Sigma isn't the "Big name" that Cateye or Polar are. It actually has a lot more features than the Cateye. I picked this one up off eBay, new, for $25 and shipping. So far it seems fine. You don't have to install the cadence sensor.
Congrats! I love my bike comp. I've done about 5000km in the last 6 months and I'll probably do another 6-8000km by the end of summer. My car insurance runs out next week and I won't renew until the fall.
I stood up at a global warming forum this week and pointed out that we should be encouraging people to walk and bike more for other reasons as well. Even climate change denying dinosaurs should recognize that more exercise equals better health and shorter waiting lists in the health system; fewer cars on the road means that people who have to drive can do so more smoothly and safely.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 01:43 pm (UTC)I might want to get one of those odometers, since I'm really just starting out and I'd like to get an idea of how much gas I'm saving. How much do they cost?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 04:48 pm (UTC)I just retired a Planet Bike Protege 9, which I got because it has a thermometer and I thought that was kind of cool at the time. The Planet Bike is very durable and waterproof, and has a big display that shows most anything you'd want to see all at once so there's not much need to switch modes. You can run the Planet Bike computers with leather mittens on.
You should be able to pick up a more durable unit from a company like Planet Bike or Cateye for $20 or so, certainly < $30. Especially if you are already placing a nashbar.com order for other stuff so you're not paying $8 shipping for just that; they always have a selection of basic computers for < $25, some < $20.
I recommend against wireless. They're not really significantly easier to install, and they're subject to interference, crosstalk between bikes, and the senders take separate batteries (bad for the environment). Also in general they're expensive. The ones that aren't probably don't work very well.
I just put this one (Sigma Sport BC1606L) on a week or so ago; a friend convinced me to start paying some attention to my cadence (pedal RPM) - the theory being that if you train your leg muscles to "like" going at a specific, fairly high RPM, they get very attuned to it and you become very efficient at that speed. Pedaling slowly (like, less than about 80 RPM) and pushing harder is actually more work than pedaling faster; it's like not downshifting your car when you go up a hill; the engine makes more power more easily at faster RPMs.
Then you have to shift so that your legs are always going at about the same speed (105 to 115 RPM for me) regardless of hills, wind, etc.
So I needed a computer with cadence function; in general that puts you up into the $40+ range, but this one is generally cheaper since Sigma isn't the "Big name" that Cateye or Polar are. It actually has a lot more features than the Cateye. I picked this one up off eBay, new, for $25 and shipping. So far it seems fine. You don't have to install the cadence sensor.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-06 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-07 02:50 am (UTC)I stood up at a global warming forum this week and pointed out that we should be encouraging people to walk and bike more for other reasons as well. Even climate change denying dinosaurs should recognize that more exercise equals better health and shorter waiting lists in the health system; fewer cars on the road means that people who have to drive can do so more smoothly and safely.