Palm on a Bicycle

jcwise writes: "Want to use your Palm or Handspring as a bike computer? Here are two different products that use completely different approaches. I'm not sure if either are better than a $30 bike computer. With PDA prices falling, it might be a fun hack."

Comments

Not there yet

[grumling]

I recently spent some time researching cyclometers, and came across these. Compared to what is out there from cateye and vetta, these just can't compare. The Palm devices are much larger and really don't check enough to be useful for real training. Cadence (pedal revs/min) and heart rate are essential for me, if for nothing else, to keep from getting bored. I use a GPS for the rest. I'm sure someday they'll have it right, and no one will be using dedicated cyclometers, but at this time, it is tough to beat one of the higher end cyclometers.

"fun hack"

[j1mmy]

With PDA prices falling, it might be a fun hack."

It's not much of a hack if someone's done it before you and gave you instructions on how to do it yourself.

Falling and Breaking

[ackthpt]

Well, as long as you want to be a worry wart, how about having it stolen?

"Yes officer someone stole my computer."

"I see, is there anything that would distinguish it as yours?"

"Yes, it was attached to a blue Trek 5500 with a raccoon tail on the back of the seat."

I have a couple of the little Vetta and Cat Eye computers (well, hardly computers) on my bike already, just for mileage, speed, etc (I was going downhill about 37 mph yesterday on my mountain bike, whee!) and they're pretty good for basic information. For a few bucks more you can get heartrate and cadence (how fast you pedal) monitors. Bikebrain has had a nice unit which offers pretty much everything for quite a while, there are some high marks for it on rec.bicycles.* newsgroups. I bought a Garmin eTrex GPS to keep track of my rides, hikes, etc, and it has a little bracket which I can put on my handlebar and take it off easily (important since the mountain bike requires major hosing down after most rides) It's shock resistant to some large number of G's, more than I'd survive

It's important to remember that riding with one of these things it's not likely to take much of a beating, since you pretty much have to be there with it and it it's too much for it, you're probably splattered by now. Thou I'm not sure how well a hard disk might work in one, I wouldn't recomend it.

Biggest concerns will actaully be water/dust resistance, since this is what you get in the great outdoors, possibly heat if you ride in the sun a lot (LCD displays turn black if they get too warm, lot of help that would be), other concern is weight. Many riders try to strip weight off bikes, because it takes incrementally more energy to haul it up hills. Tiny Cat Eye and Vetta computers are ideal for everyday riding, where a bike computer I'd only use to chart rides, same as I do with my GPS, to get an idea of the profile and perhaps what cadence worked or didn't for me in the long run. Leave the heavy bits home when you're really out for a ride.

Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean, in today's world with digital distractions everywhere, why should we put a computer on bicycles? Usually, when I go biking, it is to get some fresh air and to see the morning dew, etc, etc. Why do we need to play HardBall while we are biking?