Cycling

I have been a keen cycler all my life, if you exclude the years 1999-2019! Half my life then, but having picked up the hobby again I hope to maintain it from now on. Since biking is a hobby, please forgive the modesty of the statistics on this page. I ride when free time and climate permits. In the interior of British Columbia the summers are extremely hot (35° is normal) and smoke from forest fires often prevents outdoor exercise. The winters are very cold (up to -30°C, -20°C being normal), with plenty snow and ice, which also makes it difficult. I learned to ride a bike without stabilizers (training wheels) by age 4, before starting primary school. My dad referred to a slightly older neighbour who had mastered it and made comments about being left behind! It worked. The bike pictured here was my first bike; the handlebars were snapped off the frame when an overweight neighbour rode on it. I was gutted but luckily it was replaced with a brand new BMX at Christmas. At age 9 my mum very kindly bought me a Raleigh Marauder which saw many years of active service, and was the bike I flew over the handlebars on during my first (and so far, only) major crash. I still carry the scars from that brutal injury which smashed my left ulnar, necessitating pins and two surgeries. The next summer I was back at it, cycling coast to coast in four days with my dad; the start point was Workington and the end point was Sunderland. I achieved a top speed of 66km/h (41 mph), a record I didn't beat until I discovered a local hill in 2019 where I reached 75 km/h (46.6 mph). From now on I won't be attemtping to beat or even equal that record since it's just not safe.

Cycling Ride Statistics

My very humble stats begin here, on the date I installed FitoTrack (Google Play link), a privacy oriented fitness tracker for Android. My other reference is a Cat Eye Padrone cycle computer, which when compared with data from GPS Logger proved to be very accurate. Comparisons between the cycle computer and FitoTrack are likewise very close, with differences being marginal. For the table below, FitoTrack readings are used, unless I didn't have my phone with me or some other error occurred. The odometer figure represents the total amount of distance travelled on my Giant Roam 3 and is taken from the cycle computer. Data from 1986-2023 has been lost to history!

Bikes

BMX

My first bike, pictured above, was Dino brand, model unknown. It's the one I learned to ride on and it had front suspension. I think it had been inherited from someone else, possibly a neighbour or family friend. It definitely wasn't new when I received it. As aforementioned, a neighbour broke it, which was devastating. However, to receive a brand new BMX as a replacement was quite the surprise. It was a Christmas gift and what child could have asked for more in the late 1980s? The era of the Raleigh Chopper was over but that's not to say I didn't want one of those too whenever I saw one, especially since they had a gear lever. This BMX served me well and I remember riding it a lot in my early childhood but I can't remember what happened to it. It was superseded by the Marauder. It's most likely that we donated it. (Here is another picture of it.)

Raleigh Marauder

As stated above, I became the owner of this English made mountain bike in 1992, a year after the model's introduction. It was purchased from Winstanley's Cycles and Toys, Pemberton. If I remember correctly it was 3/4 size, but I am not completely sure about that. The bike proved to be very durable. In seven years of heavy use it only required one puncture fix to the front tyre, and the replacement of the rear tyre. The chain and brakes remained original, as did everything else. I never had to adjust the derailleurs or tighten the spokes. The only maintenance it received was regular oiling and brake tightenings. It even surived the violent crash noted above completely intact. This incident, which happened during a simulated 'F1 race' with friends, was caused by two things: 1) me going way too fast on an unpaved corner and 2) my friend's sister deciding to ride right across my path, forcing me to slam on and fly into a ditch. During the course of its life I installed two cycle computers, both purchased at Argos. The first one failed after only a year. The bike featured a stock water bottle with holder, rim brakes, and 18 gears (3/6) using the Shimano Index System. Sadly, I do not know what happened to this bike. It may have been stolen from our shed.

In the picture you can note that not only am I wearing my Casio F-91, but also that there is a decent example of an Austin Montego in the background. Classic! Here is a picture of me arriving in Sunderland at the end of the 'Coast to Coast' event.

Giant Roam 3 Disc

My current bike is a Giant Roam 3 Disc, 2019 model. It is an entry-level hybrid bike, combining the best qualities of a road bike and a mountain bike. It features front suspension with a speed lock, 24 Shimano gears (3/8), and disc brakes. So far I've added the aforementiond cycle computer, front and rear reflectors (I was surprised they didn't come as stock), a rear LED lamp (the front one broke), two drink bottle holders, a cargo rack, a kickstand, and a bell. After five years and 2094.6 km this bike received a complete overhaul.

Check out this Giant Roam 3 inspired livery I created for a Red Bull Junior in Gran Turismo: Sport.

Hardware and Software

Cat Eye Padrone

I purchased and installed one of these Japanese made computers for my Roam 3 in early May, 2019. The unit and the sensor came with Toshiba CR2032 batteries rated for one year with one hour's use per day. On June 19th, 2024 I noticed the display was fading a little. It was still working fine, I just pre-emptively replaced the batteries. The clock had been set over five years previously, never adjusted, and in that time it had only gained 5 minutes and 47 seconds, or approximately 5.8 seconds per month. This makes it more accurate than most of my Casio watches.

FitoTrack

FitoTrack is free and open-source software, with no ads, which I am a big fan of (I use Linux Ubuntu on my main laptop). It features many detailed statistics with map overlays, the ability to store maps locally, the ability to export GPX data, as well as other features. However, testing by myself and a friend has revealed the following niggles:

1. No ability to pause rides, only stop and start a new one.
2. The calorie count is highly inaccurate, at least double what it should be in reality.
3. Battery usage when the app is open has been reported as very high on my friend's phone.
4. The font colour when the end of ride dialogue box pops up is too dark and blends in with the black background of the app.
5. When you rename a ride, the software may:
   • reduce the distance of the ride by 0.1 km.
   • reduce the average speed by 0.1 km/h.
   • increase the average speed by 0.1 km/h.
6. Since the 24 July update, reports of the app crashing.

Last updated: 21 September 2024.