Measuring my ride

For months now, I've resisted getting a computer for my bike. This week, however, my friend Q led me to a new find that -- minus measuring the wattage of each pedal stroke or my heartrate -- tells me most of what I'd like to know about my rides. And, better yet for all those naysayers out there, it's on my iPhone. The TrackThing app is pretty damn cool. Here's a couple of screengrabs I clicked after getting home tonight.


The odometer is based on total riding distance today -- my usual length, if this thing is right is just under 14.5 miles, which is pretty much what I expected. The average and max speeds and pace are based on just the ride home. But here's the really cool part...

It charts my speed versus the elevation change over time. The big green spike is the worst hill of my ride. And you can see, it's definitely an urban ride with lots and lots of stop lights.

This morning -- again, if this thing is accurate -- I hit 30 mph on the downhill side of the Interstate Bridge while passing cars stuck in rush hour traffic. I've always wondered how fast I get rolling there, but never knew. Never would've guessed it broke low 20s.

Next up: 40 mph.