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I haven't had any form of bike " computer" since .before the mobile phone age. In a classic case of " So. You want to by a gramophone, eh, Grandad ?", a couple of questions.
I simply want to be able to get a fairly accurate idea of what my distance and in particular , elevation and descent were on my rides.
I doubt I'll use Strava , but some way of recording things would be good.
I don't want to spend a fortune or turn my bike into Jodrell Bank and have been considering something like a Garmin Edge 200.
A mate of mine uses a "map my ride" app on her phone, but I'm not sure. It constantly seems to " lie " a little compared to another mates, bar-mounted Garmin.
So, in essence, what cheapish, device to buy, to record off-road ride info ?
Do you want to know your ascent during your ride or just afterwards?
Don't need to know " live" , just be able to see it and possibly upload it after !
I'd just give Strava a go if you have a smartphone then, you can keep all your rides private if you wish.
And it's quite motivational, measuring your efforts over segments against your past performance or setting yourself targets for monthly distance or (as I prefer) ascent.
Thanks for that ! Are there any conditions under which I could expect its performance to be particularly inaccurate ? Assuming full battery and not riding in a cave ?
or Endomondo if you don't fancy the strava competative side. I like the voice telling me how long/far/fast/slow i've been going each mile (or km)
If you want mapping but aren't too fussed on the live readout aspect, then a GPS watch is potentially a better option - simply because it can be used off the bike too.
I measure all my rides with my GPS watch then upload to Strava to track them.
I also map my runs too, so then I have a full record of my training in one place and only have one device to do it.
Are there any conditions under which I could expect its performance to be particularly inaccurate ?
Usually when you know you've just put in a particularly good run, riding a particularly tricky section flat out and in the zone.
😉
It's not been massively unreliable on the phones I've had though - Samsung Galaxy 2 & 3 and Nexus 4.
Slight hijack, sorry.
Endomondo.....I like the voice telling me how long/far/fast/slow i've been going each mile (or km)
I didn't know it did that. If I ran both Strava & Endomodo at the same time would it kill my battery or, do both apps use the same data the phone gathers so not a huge difference?
Are there any conditions under which I could expect its performance to be particularly inaccurate ?
With some group rides I've seen wildly differing ascent figures within the group so there's definitely inaccuracies somewhere
IME Smart phones seem to be more prone to random figures and the Garmin type devices less so
Useful suggestions folks , thank you ! 😀
IME Smart phones seem to be more prone to random figures and the Garmin type devices less so
With the Garmin devices I've found that if you switch them on a few minutes before you start moving then they give slightly more consistent values particularly for elevation which is usually the weak point with cheaper chipsets (and all consumer GPS chipsets are cheap)
Do you want a paper bag on your head?
Younger forum users are now scratching their heads!
this times a million.Usually when you know you've just put in a particularly good run, riding a particularly tricky section flat out and in the zone.
Switch it on ride 100yards check it is logging and then don't touch the fone til the end of the ride is your best bet.
Sandwich ! You made my day !
The beauty of the cheap Garmin Edge 200 is that you can follow previously created and loaded onto device route. It's not full-on navigation, but it definitely makes you reach for the map less often!