Gear of the week is my bike computer that I affectionately call R2D2. I guess the proper term is “head unit” since now days there are all kinds of sensors and add on that comprise the whole system but I think most people would know it as a bike computer. It is the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus. Not the tip top of the line but has the top features.
Why R2D2? Well that is exactly what it is like. He only talks in beeps (different tones for different functions), he is my copilot in charge of navigation, systems analysis, radar, comunications, daily logs, and he worries too much but gives encouragement.
The basics are covered. It gives speed, mileage, cadence (that sensor fell of in Washington but I know what is right for me), and time on bike. It is all of the other features that I did not really know about that make it much better than imagined
“ClimbPro” is their hill categorizing feature. It tells you when the big climbs are coming in mileage, it tells you how much climbing, how long the climb is in miles, max slope, and a picture of the climb highlighted in color as to its severity and where you are on the climb. It also counts down how much is left for you. I did not know how much this helps you strategize for a hill. It really gets you up faster and with less effort than going in blind.
If I have programmed the day it also counts down total mileage to go and vertical gain left. It motivates you by giving you positive feedback as the miles get lower and lower. You start to play games like no stops till it reads an even number, or you can have more candy when the elevation is below 1000 left for day.
He worries a lot. When connected to the radar it beeps with every car. When using navigation he beeps 0.1 miles out, 500’, 200’, 100’ and at the turn. If you go off path he beeps. When descending at speed he beeps incessantly when approaching sharp turns. In Washington every hour he would tell me there was a heat advisory. If I forget to press start he reminds me to do that so I get my miles logged. Like I said he worries a lot!
He is also connected to my phone. This allows for weather updates. If it is in service my texts show on the screen. It allows for the transfer of maps wirelessly and also sends my ride data to an app so I can see how slow I was and keep track of all that I have done so far.
Since I have electronic shifting it also keeps track of what gear I am in. If I try to go lower than first gear he beeps to tell me there is no more. It can display gear ratio as well. Since I run a single ring on the crank (one-by) this information is not as useful to me.
It is amazing how dependent I have become on these features. It is nice to having all the remaining work displayed. It keeps you from guessing what is ahead and wonder if you need to be conserving energy. But mainly when you ask the age old question “are we there yet?” It definitively tells you – NO! When you do arrive at the end he beeps a little jaunty tune to celebrate.
The navigation really is the best part and why I got this computer. It has a big screen that can display a map of where you are going that can be zoomed in or out to get a better look ahead. It displays upcoming turns and names of roads so you know you are actually going where you want not just what the computer thinks is correct. I bought the GPX files for the portions of the GDMBR from the Adventure Cycling Association. I downloaded them into the computer and now I rarely even look at the paper map. Like I said it beeps 4 times for every turn and really makes a racket if you go off course. I am possitive I could navigate this with a paper map alone but man is it nice to just press play. I programmed all of the other portions of my route in Ride With GPS. It is not as refined as the maps from ACA but mostly it is as press play and forget about it as the purchased route info. It also has a robust internal map that is independent of cell service that has come in handy a few times.
Like with all my gear purchases I wondered if I was over spending and if I needed “the best”. I can say this was worth the money on a trip like this. Also I will have it long after this trip ends.