Technology, a distraction from the experience....?

[maltloaf]

I love the tech, i love all the route recording and looking at the data afterwards, I like to look down and see what grade im ascending and what my heart rate is etc etc etc. I'm a very tech orientated person so it sits naturally with me to have it and use it. I have ten data fields on my screen at the same time and probably glance at it several hundred times per ride but that doesn't mean I'm not taking in the scenery. I love the countryside around here and I say hello to the same cows and sheep and people walking their dogs day in day out, plus talking to horse riders moving their steeds from stable to gallops etc.
There is room for both and my personal cycling experience would be less without the tech.

 

[ufkacbln]

To me the technology is an enhancement, not a distraction.

Camera and GPS set up at the start of the day, then used as needed.

I take far more photos on digital as there is neither the cost implication or limitations on film size. (I took over a thousand photos on one tour, where I would have take 36 on a film camera). I am also far more experimental, and love the ability to change settings for different uses.

The GPS is a route guide and gets used in two ways , firstly as you would use a map to navigate, and secondly I can geotag the photos. Now I know where and when they were taken.

Finally the IPad or MacBook Air allow me to process a lot of data in the evenings and I can sare that with family when on a solo rip as well as communicate without all the faff of sorting out phones, and roaming charges.

 

[ufkacbln]

[QUOTE 2957053, member: 1314"]Your carcass stripped bare by homeless dogs, your exposed skull a perch for the quartering crow?[/quote]

How quaint and traditional!

 

[maltloaf]

What sort of camera do you use ? I'd love something I could attach to the bike and hit a button for a quick snap

 

[IDMark2]

Regarding my point about photography, yes, I'll take pictures at a crit race where the racers keep reappearing and I'll probably be using my DSLR and making considered decisions about composition and exposure etc.. or anywhere else where photography is the point of doing what you're doing.

For tech to take while cycling then a phone in my pocket is as easy as it gets, and when I get back my 'ride journal' is updated for me automatically in the background while I'm opening the fridge and necking 'recovery calories'!

 

[ufkacbln]

I use an Olympus Pen EPL5 for most touring
I have a backup Pentax K50 if a little more waterproofing is required
My "never leaves my side" is an Olympus SZ31-MR, which is basically the same software as the PEN

The former 2 are carried in teh BarBag or a rack bag, depending which bike / trike, and the SZ31 is always on my belt, holster like for quick access