Cyclometers & presbyopia

Foldedpath

My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
glasses for anything closer. It's classic old fart
presbyopia, a little worse than average because I started
out farsighted. I use half-frame reading glasses, but I
don't want to wear them on my bike. I'd rather use normal
sunglasses, and I'd like to avoid having to buy expensive
bifocal sunglasses.

My current (10 year old) Cateye has a very small, somewhat
low contrast display, and it's getting to the point where
it's very tough to read through my fuzzy closeup vision. So
I'm looking for a replacement. I know it's always going to
be blurry with my eyesight being what it is these days, but
there has to be something that's a little easier to read
through the blur.

Which current brand and model has the biggest, clearest
numbers in the display? I saw someone mention the Planetbike
Protege series in another thread. It looks good in the web
site photos but I haven't seen it in person, and I can't
tell if the numbers are actually bigger, or they're just
using the display area to show more information. Maybe there
is something else that doesn't have a huge display area, but
has very large numbers? It's hard to tell from looking at
web site photos of all the different brands, and my LBS only
carries a few of them.

Also, display issues aside... what do y'all think about
alternative mounting locations to put the cyclometer in my
range of focus? I've thought about mounting it down on the
front fork, but that's probably a damage- prone location.
Another idea might be to put fenders on the bike (I've been
thinking about doing that anyway), and then sticking the
computer on top of the front fender.... assuming I could see
it past the handlebars. That would be a more protected
location, compared to the fork. Has anyone here tried
something like this?

Yet another goofy idea would be to get clip-on aero bars
(which I really don't need, and would look a little silly on
this bike), just to have a place to stick the computer out
where I could read it.

--
Mike Barrs

Werehatrack

On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 16:29:34 -0000, foldedpath
<mbarrs@NOSPAM.nightviewer.com> wrote:

>My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
>glasses for anything closer. It's classic old fart
>presbyopia, a little worse than average because I started
>out farsighted.

Sounds too familiar. I'm getting close to this.

[snip]

>Also, display issues aside... what do y'all think about
>alternative mounting locations to put the cyclometer in my
>range of focus?

There's not much in the way of choices, but there may be a
different option, at least for daylight rides. I've seen
someone who has a piece of Fresnel lens bracketed about an
inch above his display's face; it makes the whole thing
appear about 25% larger, and seems to have made the
difference for him.

>Yet another goofy idea would be to get clip-on aero bars
>(which I really don't need, and would look a little silly
>on this bike), just to have a place to stick the computer
>out where I could read it.

Or maybe at the tip of an mtb bar end clamped on at a
strategic location?
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug. Some gardening required to
reply via email. Surrealism is a pectinated ranzel.

G. Huang

foldedpath wrote:
>>
> Which current brand and model has the biggest, clearest
> numbers in the display? I saw someone mention the
> Planetbike Protege series in another thread. It looks good
> in the web site photos but I haven't seen it in person,
> and I can't tell if the numbers are actually bigger, or
> they're just using the display area to show more
> information. Maybe there is something else that doesn't
> have a huge display area, but has very large numbers? It's
> hard to tell from looking at web site photos of all the
> different brands, and my LBS only carries a few of them.
>
I have the Protege 9.0. The numbers are actually smaller
than the one on other make/models. The idea of the Protege
series is to pack more info on one screen so you don't need
to press buttons.

Topeak Panoram v12 seems to have a large display with large
numbers.
http://www.topeak.com/2004/products/computer_001.html

> Yet another goofy idea would be to get clip-on aero bars
> (which I really don't need, and would look a little silly
> on this bike), just to have a place to stick the computer
> out where I could read it.

Or a piece of Fresnel magnifying glass mounted 2" above
the display?

Peder

foldedpath <mbarrs@NOSPAM.nightviewer.com> wrote in
news:Xns951F608445549mbarrsNOSPAMnightvie@216.168.3.44:

> I'd rather use normal sunglasses, and I'd like to avoid
> having to buy expensive bifocal sunglasses.

FWIW, I'm in the same shape (bifocal), but I use less
expensive single vision persc. sunglasses for riding.

--
Peder (Please reply to group only, email invalid)

Weisse Luft

How about thos self-adhesive non-perscription inserts you stick to the inside of sunglasses? If regular non-perscription reading glasses work for you, these will too.

They are reusable, just wash in water and use a drop of water to secure to the next pair.

REI has them in various strengths.

Peter Cole

"Weisse Luft" <usenet-forum@cyclingforums.com> wrote
>
> How about thos self-adhesive non-perscription inserts you
> stick to the inside of sunglasses? If regular non-
> perscription reading glasses work for you, these will too.
>
> They are reusable, just wash in water and use a drop of
> water to secure to the next pair.

The beauty of those is you can cut a piece, and make a small
bifocal area just on one lens. As for big displays, I think
the Planet Bike has a large one.

Bill Davidson

foldedpath wrote:
> My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
> glasses for anything closer.

I'm not that bad yet but I probably will be right there with
you in a few more years.

> Which current brand and model has the biggest, clearest
> numbers in the display?

I've been looking at a lot of computers lately (though I
have a different problem of trying to find a backlight). The
Specialized Elite Turbo Series appears to have large numbers
for the main display as does the Topeak Panoram V12.

David Johnson

On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 16:29:34 +0000, foldedpath wrote:

> Also, display issues aside... what do y'all think about
> alternative mounting locations to put the cyclometer in my
> range of focus?

Mirror on head tube arranged to reflect the cyclometer
that's mounted on the top tube/down tube/wherever it can be
far enough?

Foldedpath

David Johnson <djohnson+news@mnjazz.com> wrote in
newsan.2004.07.08.01.02.21.842778@mnjazz.com:

> On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 16:29:34 +0000, foldedpath wrote:
>
>> Also, display issues aside... what do y'all think about
>> alternative mounting locations to put the cyclometer in
>> my range of focus?
>
> Mirror on head tube arranged to reflect the cyclometer
> that's mounted on the top tube/down tube/wherever it can
> be far enough?

That's a great "thinking outside the box" idea, but I think
I would need two mirrors to keep the numbers the right way
around. But it might actually work! I'd just have to keep
the mirrors in alignment. I could even mount the computer
upside-down on the handlebars... hmmmmm.

BTW, thanks to everyone who jumped in with suggestions.
There are a lot of good ideas here, and I'll probably end up
trying most of them. At some point I may even try bifocal
contact lenses, but I'm really trying to avoid that.

Remember.... you'll all have to deal with this to some
degree, if you stay active long enough. Well, either that,
or just ditch the computer. But that doesn't solve
everything. I've had to put a tiny pair of folding half-
frame reading glasses in the repair kit in my saddle bag, in
case I have to deal with a field repair of some small part,
or a tube patch, when I'm out riding.

There is a real marketing opportunity here. I can't wait to
see the "Baby Boomer Bike (tm)" with components and bike
computer readouts that are EXTRA LARGE, so you can see
everything.

--
Mike Barrs

Wannagofast

I've done that, finaly I just had my contacts set for mono-
vision and after a couple of weeks my eyes and brain
adjusted to it to where I can race comfortably with the
difference in the two eyes.

"Weisse Luft" <usenet-forum@cyclingforums.com> wrote in
message news:qSYGc.81609$zD2.77085@fe04.usenetserver.com...
> Peder wrote:
> > foldedpath <mbarrs@NOSPAM.nightviewer.com> wrote in
news:Xns951F6084455-
> >
AMnightvie@216.168.3.44:news:Xns951F608445549mbarrsNOSPAMni-
> > ghtvie@216.168.3.44:
> > > I'd rather use normal sunglasses, and I'd like to
> > > avoid having to
buy
> > > expensive bifocal sunglasses.
> > FWIW, I'm in the same shape (bifocal), but I use less
> > expensive single vision persc. sunglasses for riding.
> > --
> > Peder (Please reply to group only, email invalid)
>
>
>
> How about thos self-adhesive non-perscription inserts you
> stick to the inside of sunglasses? If regular non-
> perscription reading glasses work for you, these will too.
>
> They are reusable, just wash in water and use a drop of
> water to secure to the next pair.
>
> REI has them in various strengths.
>
>
>
> --

Carl Fogel

"Peter Cole" <peter_cole_no_spam_at_all@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<iaZGc.39654$MB3.37635@attbi_s04>...
> "Weisse Luft" <usenet-forum@cyclingforums.com> wrote
> >
> > How about thos self-adhesive non-perscription
> > inserts you stick to the inside of sunglasses? If
> > regular non-perscription reading glasses work for
> > you, these will too.
> >
> > They are reusable, just wash in water and use a drop of
> > water to secure to the next pair.
>
> The beauty of those is you can cut a piece, and make a
> small bifocal area just on one lens. As for big displays,
> I think the Planet Bike has a large one.

Dear Weisse and Peter,

What do you call them? And where the hell are they?

These non-prescription inserts for sunglasses sound like the
perfect gift for a friend who's become immune to my cruel
jokes about his early radial keratotomy and now can't read
restaurant menus when he forgets his reading glasses, but I
can't find whatever you're talking about at the REI site or
at www.planetbike.com.

(Honest, I don't need them yet--I just take my goggles off
and peer at small things with one eye closed. Of course,
if I had these wonder inserts, maybe I could see them on
the screen.)

Carl Fogel

Jim Flom

"foldedpath" wrote...
> My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
> glasses for anything closer. It's classic old fart
> presbyopia, a little worse than average because I started
> out farsighted.

Oh jeez, for a moment I thought you were talking about
narrow minded, retro Presbyterians who refuse to use bike
computers.

Bruce Graham

In article
<Xns951F608445549mbarrsNOSPAMnightvie@216.168.3.44>,
mbarrs@NOSPAM.nightviewer.com says...
> My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
> glasses for anything closer. It's classic old fart
> presbyopia, a little worse than average because I started
> out farsighted. I use half-frame reading glasses, but I
> don't want to wear them on my bike. I'd rather use normal
> sunglasses, and I'd like to avoid having to buy expensive
> bifocal sunglasses.
>
> My current (10 year old) Cateye has a very small,
> somewhat low contrast display, and it's getting to the
> point where it's very tough to read through my fuzzy
> closeup vision. <snip>

If the battery is old, contrast is usually reduced. Try a
new battery and you may find that your eyes have improved!

I have the same problem, but I can still read my Cateye Mity
3? I can't read a GPS on tour anymore, so being an old fart
and completely unaware of how I look, I dangle a pair of 2
dioptre small half frame $3 reading glasses around my neck
on a cord. For short periods, they fit on the end of my nose
even when the sunglasses are still on. A great way to annoy
my wife, who retains some vestigial vanity.

Bruce Graham

Foldedpath

"Jim Flom" <jimflom@telusREMOVE.net> wrote in
news:TG3Hc.12008$eO.2239@edtnps89:

> "foldedpath" wrote...
>> My vision is fine beyond about 5 feet, but I need reading
>> glasses for anything closer. It's classic old fart
>> presbyopia, a little worse than average because I started
>> out farsighted.
>
> Oh jeez, for a moment I thought you were talking about
> narrow minded, retro Presbyterians who refuse to use bike
> computers.

I didn't think of it that way originally... but maybe the
phrase "see no evil" applies here. Maybe this is a sign
from God, that I should stop paying so much attention to
those numbers?

--
Mike Barrs