{"id":2757,"date":"2016-11-29T23:12:17","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T14:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-11-29\/2757"},"modified":"2016-11-30T00:34:32","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T15:34:32","slug":"benefits-of-cycling-27-freeing-yourself-from-the-coffin-of-electronics-our-modern-lives-have-becoem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-11-29\/2757","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of Cycling #27: Freeing Yourself from the Coffin of Electronics Our Modern Lives Have Become"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Wide Open Road Awaits<\/span>\nnear Onyu Pass (\u304a\u306b\u3085\u3046\u5ce0\uff09north of Kyoto, Japan\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Ah, the wide open road, one of the great benefits of cycling, getting away from the stress of the city and immersing oneself in\nnature, freeing oneself, at least temporarily, from the coffin of electronics that our modern lives have become.<\/p>\n\n

Cycling lets you leave the electronic shackles behind, and connect with nature and friends.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWhether Cycling Alone...<\/span>\nat Mt. Norikura (\u4e57\u978d\u5cb3)\n(Japan's highest paved road)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 41mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n... Or with a<\/span> Friend...<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n... or Two<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6+ — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n... or Three<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6+ + front camera — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>120 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n... or 100<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Don't get me wrong.... hiking can be great, as can motorcycling. Both get you away from the rat race, but\ncycling seems to hit the sweet spot. You can see<\/span> a larger<\/span> variety of different scenery than you can on foot,\nyet you're still “<\/span>raw”<\/span> with nature, unlike when on a motorcycle.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

But the biggest benefit may be in freeing your mind from all the modern hassles, leaving all the electronics behind.<\/p>\n\n

Well, except a light... you should have an electronic light.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nOne Bit of Electronics Not to Ditch<\/span>\nfor safety, to be seen\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 5000 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nOkay, One More<\/span>\narguably more important than the first\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I'm pretty anal about safety, so I run<\/span> with lights on the front and back at all times, even during the middle of the day. So, I do have<\/span> to make sure that their internal batteries are charged before every ride.<\/p>\n\n

Actually, in my case, my bike's shifters are electronics, so I need<\/span> to make sure they're charged as well.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 5600 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nShimano Di2 Front Derailleur<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 5000 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nShimano Di2 Rear Derailleur<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It's not fun when the derailleurs run out of battery, as I\nfound<\/span> out<\/a> on a 225km<\/span> ride last month. The entire<\/span> Di2 system is\ncharged via a control<\/span> box under the handlebar stem:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 2200 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nShimano Di2 Control Box<\/span>\nand the SM-EWW01 wireless unit piggybacking below\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The problem when the battery ran out, I realize<\/span> now, was that the wireless unit takes a lot<\/i> more battery than the unit\nitself. Without the wireless unit, the battery lasts for months, but with it, weeks. I'd added<\/span> it just prior to that long ride,\nand hadn't yet realized just what an electronic toll it takes. So now I<\/span> make sure to charge its battery much more often.<\/p>\n\n

The wireless unit transmits the current status of the derailleurs to my cycling computer, which I guess<\/span> is another bit of\nelectronics I rely<\/span> on...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 2800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nGarmin Edge 820<\/span>\ncycling computer\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Now that I think about it, I do need to bring my phone with me just in case...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 2800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nPretty Much Required<\/span>\nfor communication and mapping in case of troubles\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

... and going along with that, so I can<\/span> be alerted to messages and such...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nApple Watch<\/span>\nvibrates on the wrist so I can be alerted even if I can't<\/span> hear\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nSunglasses Need a Good<\/span> Charge<\/span>\nor they wouldn't be very good as sunglasses, would they?\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I need to write up a post on these sunglasses (CTRL One<\/a>), which can instantly convert between tinted and\nmostly-clear, at the touch of a button.<\/span> I find them<\/span> very useful because I can<\/span> maintain eye protection (from bugs,\nraindrops, etc.) even when plummeting down a mountain<\/span> in dark forest shade.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 900 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nI Usually<\/span> Bring a Camera<\/span><\/span>\neither this Panasonic LX100<\/a> or a Nikon<\/span> D4\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

And while we're on the subject of cameras, as both a kind<\/span> of “<\/span>insurance”<\/span> and just to have the cool footage, I like to<\/span> have cycling cameras on both the front and back...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nRear Camera<\/span>\nCycliq Fly6\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nFront Camera<\/span>\nCycliq Fly12\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

These Cycliq products are poorly thought out, poorly designed, and poorly supported, but they more or less work and don't have\nany competition in this product space, so I guess<\/span> it's the best I can<\/span> do.<\/p>\n\n

In the photo above the camera and cycling computer are attached to the bike with a K-Edge mount that I wrote<\/span> about<\/a> recently, about how it broke under stress and\nhow K-Edge came through. Since writing that post, another copy of the same mount failed in the same way. I wrote<\/span> back to the\ncompany, but haven't heard anything for more than a week.<\/span> Sadly, I guess<\/span> the trust the mount had regained is lost. I'm no longer<\/span>\nusing it.<\/span> UPDATE:<\/b> They did send me another round of replacements, and this time they've got it right. I've used the final version for thousands of kilometers without issue.<\/p>\n\n

And to continue with speaking of disappointing products, I currently<\/span> use two products by Wahoo, but\nthey're both pretty bad.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 6400 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nWahoo Speed-and-Cadence Sensor<\/span>\nhorribly designed; already broken\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The Wahoo “<\/span>Blue SC”<\/span> speed and cadence sensor seems like a great<\/span> product at first. It's both ANT<\/span>+ and Bluetooth,\nwhich is super convenient. It's the only<\/span> one I know<\/span> of that can talk to both my iPhone and my cycling computer\nat the same time. But it's got the most moronic<\/i> design.<\/p>\n\n

It attaches to the bike with a big rubber band. The band hooks<\/span> to one side of the unit more or less\npermanently, is stretched around part of the bike (the non-drive-side chainstay), then hooks back onto the unit on the other side.\nThis is a common<\/span> way of attaching stuff to a bike,<\/span> but the way Wahoo\nimplemented it is fantastically bad because they put the “<\/span>hook”<\/span> side\nfacing in, so you really can't get at it without taking the wheel off, and even then it helps to have small hands. Then, to make\nmatters worse — much worse — the “<\/span>more or less permanently”<\/span> attach point is anything but... the band barely fits into the tiny shallow notch, and immediately pops\nout the moment you put any strain on the band (such as when trying to attach it to the bike), unless the planets are aligned\njust so<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n

If you are able to get it to stay as you stretch the band, you've then got to figure out how to get the band to the\nrear of the unit, something that would perhaps be easy in the best of conditions (inside a workshop<\/span> with the bike mounted\nand the wheel off), but it's the mother of all frustration out on the road. I would<\/span> never try to work with this unit\nwithin earshot of my parents or child.<\/p>\n\n

Luckily my parents and child don't often ride with me, because one needs to deal with this piece of crap out on the road from\ntime to time because the band has a habit<\/span> of just popping off for no apparent reason. I ended<\/span> up adding twist ties as backup attachment, just to keep it from getting lost, and this has saved it\na number<\/span> of times. But even with<\/span> the band and the twist ties, it's still a hot<\/span> mess... it has to be positioned within fairly tight tolerances, but the poor mount deign makes it easy\nfor it to slip out of alignment. I even used<\/span> some Dycem (amaaaazing<\/i> stuff) to keep it from\nslipping, and it helps, but Wahoo's bad design trumps all.<\/p>\n\n

I truly can't believe that they actually tested this design in the field, using real human cyclists.\nIt's an unfathomably-bad<\/i> design. It's a gratuitously-, wantonly-bad<\/i> design.<\/p>\n\n

Yet, reviewers like DC Rainmaker<\/a>\nsing its praises. It's overly-chummy reviews like that that have eroded my trust in DC Rainmaker, as this is not the only product\nI've been disappointed with after a cheery review from him. The guy is my data-geek soul mate, but in product reviews I just can't\ntrust him anymore.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, this angst about this pathetically-designed poorly-built sensor is okay because I won't be using it much longer. The speed<\/span> sensor has recently stopped working for no apparent reason. I can hear<\/span> the\nleaf switch close when I bring<\/span> the magnet near, but the data never makes it out of the unit. It's a piece<\/span> of crap.<\/p>\n\n

And along the same lines, the Wahoo heart-rate sensor is also poorly designed.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 3200 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nWahoo TICKR X<\/span>\nheart-rate sensor\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Plastic has broken off both ends of the strap, in a way<\/span> that seems to be inevitable given its stupid design. So far it<\/span>'s still working as a heart<\/span>-rate sensor, but given that Wahoo apparently has no problem selling stuff\nwhose basic design is so very bad, I don't<\/span> think I'll ever buy one of their products again.<\/p>\n\n

At least I don't have to recharge these two Wahoo products before each ride... they work off small batteries that\nlast about a year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

I'm an ultra data geek, so I don't<\/span> want to lose the data for my ride if my\ncycling computer has “<\/span>issues”<\/span>. So, I also\nrecord<\/span> my rides on my phone using the most-excellent\nGalileo Offline Maps<\/strike> (Name changed Feb 2019 to Guru Maps<\/a>)\napp. (The\napp is great, though Apple dorks activity tracking on their phones<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n

As a further backup, I also record my rides with a separate<\/span> stand-alone GPS\/GLONASS unit:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 6400 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nBad Elf GPS PRO+<\/span>\nit's not very accurate<\/a>, but better than no backup\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

And finally, with all these things with batteries that can run down, on long rides they can need a\nboost,<\/span> so I often<\/span> bring along a spare<\/span> battery:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 4000 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nExtra Battery<\/span>\nto top off my phone, cycling computer, lights, cameras, etc.\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I used to have a power meter, which also needed to be recharged, but it was so inaccurate that I\nreturned<\/span> it (another DC Rainmaker review disappointment), so at least I have<\/span> that going for\nme.<\/p>\n\n

Okay, so other than<\/i> all that stuff, cycling frees you.<\/p>\n\n

Of course, you have to be able to recharge it all, so you also need a basket<\/span> full of chargers and\ncables. Here's the floor of my hotel room during my Norikura trip<\/a> earlier in\nthe year...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHome Sweet Home<\/span>\nfor an electronic rat\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 33mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nCycling at its Best<\/span>\nnature... friends... I guess you don't even need a bike!<\/span>\n(from “<\/span>Grueling \u201cRooftop of Kyoto\u201d Ridge Road Gravel Grind<\/a>”<\/span>)<\/small>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6+ — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>750 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Wide Open Road Calls<\/span>\njust be sure your battery is charged, or it'll go to voicemail\n(from “<\/span>Some Solo Exploration Beyond Mt. Atago<\/a>”<\/span>)<\/small>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, the wide open road, one of the great benefits of cycling, getting away from the stress of the city and immersing oneself in nature, freeing oneself, at least temporarily, from the coffin of electronics that our modern lives have become.<\/p>

Cycling lets you leave the electronic shackles behind, and connect with nature and friends.<\/p>

Don't get me wrong.... hiking can be great, as can motorcycling. Both get you away from the rat race, but cycling seems to hit the sweet spot. You can see a larger variety of different scenery than you can on foot, yet you're still \"raw\" [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1,2,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}