So what\’s going on as we ride? How fast are we going? What\’s our cadence? How hard are our hearts working? How many miles did we ride? What\’s our wattage output?

Some folks don\’t give a hoot about such data. They just want to enjoy riding for the heck of it; and there\’s nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, it\’s a great start.

Other riders do want to know. Maybe they like to see how many miles they can ride over the course of one year; or wonder what their heart rate is during riding. They might be training up for a century, or a charity ride, or even to race.

This is where some kind of cyclocomputer is helpful. Depending on how much you want to pay, you can track quite a few aspects of your riding. To me, the most important data are distance and time.

Then there\’s wattage. Power meters cost too much for me, but there are times when I wish I had one. Usually that happens when I\’m battling a headwind. Tracking your power over time is a better indication of progress than whether your average speed is increasing. Speed can vary according to terrain, wind conditions, and so on. But power output is power output.

Want to ride without worrying about all that stuff? Go for it! Want to know how you\’re doing? Get whatever devices your budget allows, and find out what\’s going on.