Cycling, Training, and Computers



robertjuric

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Nov 25, 2012
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Wanted to get some opinions to see how everyone else uses their cycling computers on their bikes.

I had a Garmin 305 w/ speed and cadence I was using to log all of my rides. I was getting a little frustrated with it for 1 because I ride before work and I really hated having to wait until that evening to upload my workouts. I also did not like that I was always having to strap it on (though I could have gotten a QD for it).

So I sold it on eBay. Now I'm using a basic Cateye Wireless computer for speed/distance/time. I have an iPhone 5 I run Strava on and throw it in a baggie in my jersey pocket. I like this setup because I get instant uploads to Strava when I'm done. I love the Cateye because it's small and super effective. I'm only a little worried because 1 no backlight, and 2 no cadence or rear wheel measurements for a trainer.

But do I really need cadence? I haven't been on a ride yet where I've looked down and thought, "Man I really wish I knew what my cadence was". I could upgrade the Cateye to one with Cadence, but that wouldn't be reflected back to Strava. I've thought about getting a Wahoo Blue SC sensor. That would get cadence into Strava and should help for any trainer workouts. I just don't know if it's necessary. I've sorta turned into a training luddite lately either riding a hard group ride, climbing hills, or just riding easy.

Just looking to get some thoughts/opinions to see what everyone else does.
 
I'd personally upgrade. The cadence feature is really helpful, although you may not have thought about it until now. It really does improve your ride, but it's your choice after all. Do it only if you go hard with the training. Makes absolutely no sense on easy rides if you ask me.
 
forget the I-phone. it really becomes useless after 2.5 to 3 hours of riding as the battery's sucks. Go back to a Garmin or if the Cats-eye allows an export of .gpx do it. I really do not like any of the I phone apps anymore. I used Runtastic for the most part as it was the 1 that I could keep on the phone up to 4 hours with the screen turned off, but on a century+ it is useless.Now that I have my Garmin I will not go back. To train on speed alone is just senseless. you have no Idea what your body is doing.

The Cadence allows you to target a certain speed of the crank so that you know that your cardio is getting the good workout as well as your muscles. You are trying to spread the wealth through out your whole body without taxing it fully. This is where Cardio comes in. Also a HR monitor will do you better than speed. Then you can know what cadence to keep for your HR to stay up where you are suppose to be. As you progress you will see that your HR will slow down and that is when you jump to the next level.

This sport is not all about speed. It is about how long can you endure at your physical limits and improve on those. Anyone can go 20 mph for a short sprint. But can you go 25 to 29 mph for log distances without fully fatiguing yourself out? That is what cadence and HR will teach you.

Again, drop the heavy iphone as your bike computer and go back to the Garmin and get the extras.
 
Ditto the iPhone (4 and 5) battery issues. Not worth the headaches of making sure it is fully charged before a ride and not having a working phone/data device after. I experimented briefly with my iP4 and MapMyRide / Garmin Fit / CycleOps / Training Peaks / etc. all drained batt. Got the iBike case, but it became worthless when I switched to iP5, so just stopped trying to work cycling around the iPhone. Too bad because I'm going to carry my phone anyway, but just easier to keep it in the jersey pocket and use a Garmin.

I transitioned from Garmin 305 to 705 a couple of years ago and still using the 705. Cadence and heart rate monitors are good for adjusting your output. When you know your limits and best performance ranges, you can plan strategy when pushing hard. Maybe sit in before an upcoming hill to bring down HR a bit or think about a different cadence / gearing approach.

The newest Garmins can pass ride data to your iPhone wirelessly, which can then dump immediately to whatever training software you use.
 
I have a Garmin Edge 800 and love it. I love the route planning and maps on the device. You can find it for $285 on ebay. I think it is a great computer. Tons of battery life.
 
I just recently bought the Garmin Edge 510 and couldn't be happier with it. Very user friendly, easy to set up, and can upload directly to your Garmin account via bluetooth.
 
sitzmark said:
The newest Garmins can pass ride data to your iPhone wirelessly, which can then dump immediately to whatever training software you use.
wmorrison818 said:
I just recently bought the Garmin Edge 510 and couldn't be happier with it.  Very user friendly, easy to set up, and can upload directly to your Garmin account via bluetooth.   
way to go, new Garmin's 510 and 810 use bluetooth through your smartphone to traspass data all the way into your PC wirelessly,
 

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