Do I Need A Bicycle Computer?

the importance of bicycle computers and problems that come with them.

Bicycle computers have many advantages. Probably the best reason for having one is if you aren't sure of the area you're in and need to keep track of the mileage in between turns, the bike computer will give you an approximate distance. Don't expect an exact calculation of mileage. If you aren't a steady rider, tend to weave a bit, that will throw the mileage off over a long distance. Maps and route slips aren't precise either and when you put the two together, you will have slight variations in the mileage. However, it does give you a good idea of the approximate distance. So, if the map or route slip says, "turn left at 3.2 miles on Bay St." and Bay Street is at 3.1, you know it's close enough to be right. This is especially true if there are no signs to tell you the name of the turn, which happens many times in rural areas where you come to an unmarked street slightly off the distance yet you see no other road around that's close to where the route says to turn.

Another good reason for bike computers is for training. They can give you the RPM (revolution per minute) of your pedal stroke, the speed, and average speed, which is a good indication of how well you're improving from your previous ride. The altitude gained and the altitude you're at while riding.

You can get cardio readouts as well for maximum aerobic threshold levels, a great tool for someone in training.

But, do you need all this to ride a bike? With a computer you also, like many things that come with bells and whistles, have inherent problems with them. Electric fields can give you false readouts. Changes in weather will change the altitude reading. Batteries go dead and weak, wires break, water can blow the circuit board. I had a computer that snapped loose from its casing when I went to change the function and fell somewhere in the weeds along the road, never to be found. I was still able to complete the ride without problem.

If you know the area you're riding in, you know where to turn. If you have ridden your bike a while, you know how far a mile or a half of mile is. If you're climbing and you have to change gears to make it easier, you know the hill is getting steeper. Having a computer will not make the bike go faster, or the climb easier.

There is, I think for the purist, beauty in the simplicity of you and your bike without all the readouts. The heart monitor strapped on your chest that needs to stay moist for good contact that beeps at you when you reach your max like a cell phone going off in a theatre. The constant checking of how many miles you have, how fast you're going. What's the mileage per week, per month, per year that you judicially keep track of in a notebook or home computer.

Bicycling is something you can do to free yourself from computers, your cell phone and television. You can take your bike out from where you live and get away from it all, so why bring a computer with you. Why burden yourself with another gizmo. The beauty of a bike is, you don't need anything but the bicycle and you to have a wonderful, carefree experience, free from the techno world we live in.

I rode a bicycle when they didn't have computers. The first computer only gave you the miles traveled by counting the revolutions of the wheel. Later they added the RPM and after that, more functions were added each year. Now they have satellite location functions and heart monitoring, along with what gear your riding in, all in one computer that you can download to your home computer. Whatever your pocketbook can afford, they have the latest and greatest that you can't live without. I know, I would rush out when the newest bike computer hit the market. Now however, I don't have a computer on any of my bikes, mountain or road and doing just fine.

With that in mind, computers on a bike have an indispensable side if you're training, or if you're riding in unfamiliar territory and need to check how far the next turn is or concerned about being lost. They're interesting to know all kinds of things, but they do nothing to enhance the wonderful experience of riding your bike on a beautiful day. That's something they can't do. That's something no computer will ever gauge.

© Demand Media 2011