This article is part of a series called ‘A love letter to…’, where Cycling Weekly writers pour praise on their favourite aspects of cycling. The below content is unfiltered, authentic and has not been paid for.
It always used to be wallet, keys, phone – the big three that you wouldn’t leave the house without. You’d feel bereft if one of your pockets was lighter than another. Truth told, I don’t remember a time when it was just wallet and keys, a much simpler age. Now, add headphones into the mix, and things get more complicated.
I moved house last month, and somehow, I managed to misplace my bike computer, a well-worn Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, which has accompanied me on all my rides for the last five years, and I felt bereft. I don’t cope well with losing things – I’m constantly fighting my ADHD brain in order to operate at a normal level, and not being able to find something really upsets that balance.
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There was a time, of course, pre-2020, when I didn’t need a little bike computer to feel complete on my bike, but that was also a time of faffing around with Google Maps more, or getting literally lost, and draining phone battery if you wanted to keep track of your rides. It turns out that being able to know how fast you’re going, where you are, and what the time is from a screen as you go along is useful, actually – who would have thought?
Sure, if I wanted to just go on a spin on one of the routes I have logged in my brain, going without a map would be fine, but I would miss the data and comforts that I have become used to.
I fully understand those who have moved away from computers and tech on a ride, as my former colleague Joe wrote last year, but I’m nowhere near that level of cyclist, poring over metrics. I just like the benefits that the small screen brings to my ride, with it adding to my experience, rather than lessening it.
Perhaps I’m a victim of capitalism, thinking I need Strava and I need a computer, yet I also like these things. It is another barrier to entry for cycling, maybe, but as someone who cycles a lot, it’s a good thing. Even though I’m not on a training plan, nor am I any kind of notable athlete, I do like knowing what my rides and runs mean for my fitness, and a heart rate monitor and my computer are a key part of that; it’s helpful for a bigger picture. Not all tech is bad.
Their utility becomes most clear when you’re on a set route, whether a group ride or alone, but being able to see where a turn is coming, or where you should be heading is invaluable. There’s nothing more annoying than having to backtrack on yourself to find the right way, and the small screen attached to your handlebars is a simple way of avoiding that.
I’m still not an advocate for big bike computers, though. On the road, the small handy Elemnt Bolt is all that I need, with the data sets and the map to take me on my way; I don’t want a second phone. However, having now used the Elemnt Bolt 2 and 3, I appreciate the colours, it really does make everything clearer.
If you’re someone who has never had a bike computer, perhaps you’re missing out, although you might also be living in a prelapsarian world that I’m unaware of. Still, if you know where my old Wahoo is, please do tell me. My bike feels naked without it.
