I saw the potential benefits and entertainment of being able to map my rides on top of Google Earth, for example, or keep a history of my rides, (where I went and when,) online to review any time I wanted to. Although the typical functions of a bike computer still didn’t appeal to me much, I found the ability to collect and store GPS data interesting. This changed when, out of the blue, my friend bought himself an expensive Garmin Edge 800 bike computer and began showing me some of his rides on the Garmin Connect service. All I cared about was that I rode as much as possible. I mean, I don’t even have a cell phone yet! The old me didn’t see any point logging miles or looking at my average speed or the distance I was riding. It seemed kinda nerdy, and I’m not really a gadget-y kinda guy.
A year ago, I’d have laughed at the thought of owning a bike computer.
