Too Too...

It is one of the basic tenets of engineering*: "You can never be too good looking nor too well equipped." This is seriously applicable to biking. I mean think about it, the multi-colored jerseys, stylish socks, cool tan lines. OK, but still, there is the equipment thing. Not just the bike, but the accessories.

Take for example, the bike computer. In its most basic form it shows you how fast you are riding, how long you have been in motion and how far you have gone. Now by "basic," I mean, BORING. Seriously, what good is it to have gone on a long ride and not know at the end how much climbing you have done, the highest grade you've gone up, or the maximum speed you achieved? My VDO MC 1.0 tells me all of this and more.

But can I see the route I just rode on a map? Or get a chart showing the ride profile (elevations)? Or have a virtual rider that I can share the road with? Nooo… So what other choice did I have but to go for an upgrade? That would be my new Garmin Edge 800. Now, when I look down at my handlebars, this is what I see:

One Bike, Two Computers

The Garmin is the larger device on the aero bars while the VDO is mounted on the stem. This is SO much better. Although the situation does bring to mind another fundamental truth:

"A man with one watch always knows what time it is.
A man with two watches is never quite sure."

And what are the stats for my ride today? I don’t have a clue.

* If you believe everything you read in Dilbert anyway. As far as this one goes, I tell myself, "One out of two isn’t bad."