Riding Without Data
I’m compliant with Rule #74: no Garmin, no cyclometer, just an uncluttered cockpit. I’m not anti-data, if I could generate some awesome data I’d like to know about it. If I was racing I would train with data. I just got bored with looking at the numbers and not doing anything about them. When my Cateye cyclometer/heart rate monitor demanded yet another bi-monthly battery change, I took the whole thing off and never looked back. Total milage, elevation gained, I no longer care about these numbers.
Can you ride without data? Does a ride even happen if it doesn’t show up on Strava? Bretto brilliantly introduced the V-meter three years ago. It was an idea that flew in the face of all the new technology we needed on the bike. Push on the pedals and if in doubt, push on them harder.
I did buy into a heart rate monitor or two in my time. Early on we used them like kids used the early alcohol breathalyzers installed in bars. That was an ill conceived notion if there ever was one; it’s a damn bar, only young drunk males are going to use breathalyzers and it won’t be to see if they are too high to drive. Rather, they are going to use it as a drunkometer, to see who can get drunker. For us it was young males on bikes, I’m gonna peg this HRM, see, see, I can get a higher number than you because you suck.
Without data I know when I’m going faster than 65 kph, things do change at those speeds. And I know when I’ve done a 160 km ride only because it’s a route I know from past centuries. I do live on an island. But I still make deposits at the pain bank at regular times. Being too big to climb and living on the side of a volcanic island has made every ride something. When I was younger I couldn’t enjoy a forty-five minute ride, I actually wouldn’t go on one. What was the point of such a short ride? Now forty-five minutes can mean forty minutes of steady climbing and five minutes of descending. That’s a ride.
Getting shelled by your friends tells you something, something you already knew, they are faster. Riding with friends who are faster is the best training aid. I figure it’s a quality training ride if I barely make it home. Do more of those, keep doing them a little harder.
Keepers Tour 2012 was doubly fun for the training required before the trip even started. We all need incentive to crank up that kind of fitness. I’m sure the 200 on 100 Cogal riders felt the same way; this ride is going to hurt but it will hurt less if I murder myself in the months before. The Spring Campaign is looming and I’m already devising training rides that will either make me fit or ruin me, or both at the same time, which is what usually happens.
I’ve been a big Strava fan for the last couple of years but sometime this summer I really got sick of the FRED RACES and people giving kudos and comments like ” nice ride” when you just upload some two hour easy spin.
Now I can have a nice warm down to my rides instead of stressing about dropping my AVS.
I’ll admit to tracking kilometrage. Mind you, for some reason I’m looking less and less at the computer. If I’m doing a recovery ride I’ll put some tape over it to eliminate the temptation to look at speed and distance. It can be quite freeing.
Here’s an issue/goal for next year. I did my longest ever ride this summer – 157 miles. I felt good at the end as I ran out of daylight. I’d really like to shoot for a 200 mile ride next year but fear there will be no takers to join me. If this was posted as a cogal and only I showed up, would it count?
It was big of Eddy to let his teammate win the Belgian national road race that year. That must be Herman Van Springel, the 1971 champ.
Riding w/ a speedo at least helps you keep some etiquette when pulling through…. I believe in Solo Strava and/or using routes on MMR but data is good IMHO
I’ve got a Garmin 500. I like that you can program routes into it so you’re not constantly stopping to check a map as to where to turn next. I also like the “ghost race” Lets you know where you can make improvements.
I’m not a big strava user, I just use it as motivation to see my numbers add up, know when i’m making gains and losses (Things like moving around saddle position, cleats etc, and there effect over 100km)
if i’m going for a cruise I leave the garmin off or at home, but it has it’s place in training in my opinion.
I like to track my rides, but have learned that I prefer to ride sans cycling computer (plus the bike just looks a whole lot better without it). I do use Strava, but via the iPhone app which I activate then stow away in my jersey pocket until I turn it off at the end of the ride. Best of both the data/no data worlds, at least for me.
Ah yes. I’m of two distinct minds about this: I use a Garmin starting around April and have been known to commit the sin of “KOM hunting”. Why? Because it’s fucking fun for me. It helps keep me motivated on rides where I otherwise wouldn’t be.
On the other hand, in the winter, or if I’m just going out for a spin, I’ll either throw it in my pocket, or leave it at home.
I do “get it”. That is to say “free your stem and your mind will follow”. We can have both right? I’m gonna.
Ah Rule #74 has to be one of my favourites. It’s just so freeing. I adore “feeling” a ride now. I’ve been known to tuck a Garmin in my pockediff I’m a completely unknown route, but in my part of the UK you are never too far from somewhere, so getting lost isn’t an issue. I adopted the rule as soon as I first read it. Never looked back (or constantly down at my stem) since.
If I was the tide I wouldn’t come in if Eddy was on the beach.
I love keeping track of total distances for the month/year, but after I swapped out to a shorter stem this year I decided the Garmin looked stupid on it and started to put it in my back pocket instead. Worked just as well and I never had anything staring up at my face the whole riding, telling me exactly how slow I was going. I’ve liked the change.
That picture is a real sausage party.
I really don’t like how that ‘tri-geek yuppie shit power based training’ has taken hold.
I’ve never used a cyclometer but now I really like the Strava app of my cellphone. I really like the social network, following people in Italy and abroad… But the most important reason for me in using it is to recording the routes that my dear friend Antonio elaborates every week. I’m one of those guys that never know where they are, so for me the Strava map is a fantastic thing.
@Chipomarc
I think there is a big difference in using a comp
*computer to see how far and fast you went and;
” If i had only used 1 watt less at the beginning i would have been .003 seconds faster 129 miles later!”
I’m down with this. The V-site is my social network. I don’t give a shit about strava. Rule #4 is where it’s at.
That said, I do use a Garmin 705 for route directions. It also records, but other than seeing how far I rode, I don’t really care. I always need to ride further, climb higher. I wish it had the ability to track component wear, but I don’t need a fucking computer to tell me to change my chain. I need a park tool chain gauge.
What we really need is a badge of honor here on this site. If you track and document that you’ve ridden the equivalent of the circumference of the Earth, now you’re on to something. Pros do that in a season. It is taking me a lifetime. That’s the only real number I want to document.
@Chipomarc
A-Merckx. Some dumbfucks want me to pay $1200 for pedals that tell me how hard I am pushing. That’s fucked up.
Next up on the crap-tastic-o-meter will be the HUD for cyclists. Some twatwaffle will design a google-glass thingy with a heads up display that will display more pointless shit in front of you. Stay home, ride the rollers in front of a merckxdamn HDTV instead.
@eightzero
This !
I wonder how many of you “data-free” riders who bag power meters have actually used one?
When they are used with even a modicum of common sense, they make you train oh so very much harder.
The thing about power meters is that they remove any chance of you kidding yourself.
But in keeping with the Masturbation Principle, anyone who talks about their wattage is generally a cunt and should probably be killed.
I am proud to say I have been data free for 5 years now and the only data I give a shit about is my tubulars’ PSI before the ride. I really enjoyed riding with my data addict friends, they are so much fun to screw with. My favorite one, is when they are fixated on their data box, I love to comment, “did you see that hot chick in the jeep, she just flashed us”.
This MOLTENI image reminds me of Kraftwerk Tour de France.
Some of those guys in the photo are packing a bit of extra body weight, as said by me as I sit here keyboarding and drinking a glass of Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône.
@Marcus
You want the Truth? You can’t handle the Truth!
Super Randonneurs need data or can get lost or miss a control in the wee hours in the night.
@wiscot try randonneurring. it’s where you will find the adult riders, ex racers, who wanna burn some long hours in the saddle and yearn for 1200ks like the Paris-Brest-Paris. go to http://www.rusa.org to start
I’m happy to report that I’ve never felt the need to Strava or Ritmo or meticulously record or compare ride data. How long, how far, how fast courtesy of a neat wee VDO suffices and how the legs feel usually indicates how high. It’s not really possible to get that lost and if I’m off track it just means the ride is longer and I’m experiencing new roads. By all means use power if you are a pro or aspiring to be one. If all this techno floats your boat carry on but I hate the dick swinging that can go on. Doesn’t a 4 hour gps monitored ride just eat the mobile phone battery anyway?
@poppapro Yea, I remember back in the late 80’s/early 90’s hearing those guys at the bike shop looking for a cyclocomputer that wouldn’t zero out whenever it hit the 12hr mark on a ride.
Pre cycle computer didn’t mean riding without data, riders would count their cadence and work out what speed they were going based on chainring and rear sprocket combination, ever increasing cassette clusters makes this a little more difficult unless you are Rainman, knowing how to meter out the V resource is a key component of cycling, as it is an endurance sport after all. Lucky tho, that nowadays most riders are able to mash 53/11 all day long without ever getting tired.
Since Nate mentioned it, I’ve pulled my cyclometers off my bike and put them in my jersey pocket. I like knowing minor things – total time, total distance, and KMs to see how much life I get out of chains, tyres, etc. But, I love having a smooth bike and not being obsessed with numbers, but knowing at the end of a ride how far I went.
But yes, riding on feel is the best. If you’ve been at it even a short while, you know when you’re on and when you’re off.
Love that lead photo! Still hanging onto the last few pages of “Half Man, Half Machine.”
@wiscot
Is that a word now? I hope so… I’m pretty fed up with living in a metric country and getting strange looks when I use it. We don’t measure distance in miles so why the hell would I be racking up mileage?
[/rant]
@Chipomarc
Hah! My triathete friend is always giving me shit for training with power! He is Rule #74 compliant training of feel only. I race, and power is the best way, hands down of training and makes communicating with my coach very simple. You cannot improve what you cannot/do not measure.
Generally in a race, I ignore it, unless it’s a TT. My garmin shows watts, cadence (for use in cadence drills) and power zone only although it does record all metrics.
Granfondo? Group ride? Social? Yup… V-meter only.
@Ron
Sorry, but “feel” is just that, a feeling and in no way based in reality. As I mentioned in a post above I train with power. The number of times I FEEL good, and failed to perform is many and just as often as when I FEEL crap, but perform well. There is no hiding from the facts your power meter is shoving in your face.
@Puffy
This is preposterous. You of course can improve without measurement. Not saying properly used power won’t get you there faster.
a power meter will not teach you to scrape for every last ounce of energy while you are on the edge of passing out in a vain effort to hold a wheel. Only the sting of defeat and the desire to avoid repeating it will teach you that.
Put another way, a power meter will help set expectations and dictate training. A v meter will teach you to suffer and test your limits. Both have their uses.
Timely article, I have weekly tussles with my inner demons regarding “If its not on Strava, did it really happen!?”
I like the thrill of the hunt, I like the data recording and seeing my regular ride times improve.
But
With ongoing neck issues I would also like to toss the fkn Garmin fair across the room and be able to ride hard when I can and do a leisurely cruise when the neck doesn’t allow a full blown effort.
I get annoyed when doing some improved times only feeling the need to belt the shit out of myself right to my front door to keep the average up to prove to myself that I had a good ride.
Surely I can enjoy the ride without the above entering the equation.
Damn you Garmin
” Help me Obi Wan, your my only hope ! “
@wiscot
If you got stinking flat fucked drunk by yourself, sent out some unwise tweets, and ran out on the bill, then it would count.
@Pedale.Forchetta
I have used the iphone strava before. Once, on a long climb someone flatted, we stopped and it was a long, long tire change. When I looked at the strava later it said my friend and I were the 107th and 108th fastest riders on the climb. Very bad. Especially on an island, where this gets around. I had to go back the next week, re-climb and plant my time firmly in the middle of the riders, instead of the bottom.
@Marcus
Most of us have never used them because they are so f’ing expensive and it’s not a component one can easily swap or loan out. But I could see the benefits when training, not racing. A friend uses his on the rollers to analyze his stroke, and the difference between legs. There can be a lot of useful information there.
Personally, I’m afraid of the dim 60 watt light bulb I could barely power, though I guess it’s all relative, gains are gains.
@Gianni. Good topic.
I accidentally knocked off my computer late last fall and was too cheap to replace it. This past spring I took off all the sensors and rocked the V-meter all season. I love the clean look and clear mind. And when I look back at the stats for the races I did, my results were noticeably better than last year. Granted, I joined a club this year and almost puked my guts out a few times trying to hold on when the hammer went down. As you say, “Riding with friends who are faster is the best training aid.”
@Toad
This is true. It takes extra concentration to make sure you are not surging. I glance back a few times to make sure I’m not outpacing my buddies.
@VeloVita
Likewise. Since I carry my iPhone anyway, I got the $4.99 Cyclemeter app which gives me the basics and the bonus of being able to upload to a site like Ride with GPS which has great mapping capability.
@JohnB
I’ve done up to a 3 hr ride no problems so far with my new iPhone and the Cyclemeter app. Make sure you’re fully charged and the screen is off.
I always train and ride sportives and gran fondos with data, but road races and crits are usually raced without. In those situations, it just doesn’t make sense to be looking down at a Garmin. Plus, I don’t care if I’m 107th out of 108 on a segment as long as I beat the other people in the race.
Nah, screw the lot of you. My Garmin’s plugged into the computer right now, so I’m contaminating all your computers by association. I strava my commutes, all four bikes have mounts for the Garmin and I don’t leave the house till I hear that luxurious little “beep beep” that lets you know it’s on. I’ve set up and currently own the KOM of my driveway, and good luck prising that KOM from my cold, dead hands.
Keep that goofy plastic mount off the retro bike’s stem
As a juvenile racer, I had the Cateye Solar and logged every ride with every piece of data from the Cateye. Even races.
After a long time off the bike and starting again, do I put puter on or leave off? Started off without it and felt/went OK on rides. Got a new wireless puter and strapped it on and my rides become crappier. Leaving off.
@minion
Welcome back Elmo!
some times I wish I had a GPS on my MTB so I could load rides and not get lost on some random trail. cause having to stop and figure out where I am based on my phone really sucks.
@RedRanger
What app(s) are you using on your phone? I’ve mapped a shit ton of local single track using topo software on my phone.
@PeakInTwoYears I just use strava and google maps. out here there are so many trails that dont show up on any site or even google maps. today I got pretty lost and then panicked cause I needed to get to my truck to get me to work. I have an S4 if you have any recommendations on apps.
Still going strong but only with SR44 watch batteries and not the SR44R rechargeable.
@Chipomarc Cool! That was taken today?
I am with @Weldertron and @scaler911; I use Strava as motivation and it is fucking fun. I also use the iPhone app and keep it in the pocket of my jersey. During the ride, it is the V-meter that dictates the pace; but I can judge it later against the app. I have been able to improve my climbing and overall fitness and enjoyment as a result. So sue me, I dig keeping track of the kilometrage!