April ritual

It's about that time...

Handy hint: keep the instructions!

On or about the first of April, i reset the cyclometers. Don't know exactly why i wait three months to do it, except that i don't really go about riding like i mean it until spring really begins to set in around these parts.

Marking the wheel size settings makes life easier.

The winter was generally mild this year, and i did get in more riding than usual for the first quarter. i don't obsess too much about mileage (or kilometerage -is that even a word?) but i do like keeping some track. The cyclometers are my concession to modernity, but i don't go in for things like tracking cadence or power output (my output tends to be embarrassingly low anyway.) i just like noting the distance covered, and sometimes it's good to see an average speed or just the time of day.

i have a box full of old cyclo computers from such as Avocet, Specialized, and even an original CatEye Solar. Not sure why i keep them around -although the Solar is probably still functional and is the first computer i ever used. Like most of the early models, it's a clunky affair with yards of wires. It's the only one i've ever had that marked cadence, and i was never enamored of that feature. The Avocets were simple and fairly accurate, and the Specialized seemed nice but went duff after the first batteries died.

The current models i have are CatEye's Micro Wireless and i've been using them for a few seasons now. They're reasonably priced, accurate enough for my purposes, and seem to be pretty durable. If i don't use the backlight too much the batteries seem to last about 2 years. i only wish that backlight were brighter, but i'm not out after dark all that often.

Maybe this time next year i'll post the total kilometers, if they're not too low...

What's your Spring Ritual?