Statistics

Maybe it’s just the engineer/nerd/geek in me, but I think that one of the joys of bicycling, is the data … keeping track of days, miles, speed, time, elevation, routes, etc. … is just a lot of fun, and it’s cool to look back over the old records to remember the rides, and to think “I did that!” (or sometimes “I did that?”).

I began logging my miles almost from the very beginning of my adult cycling, first in a spreadsheet, and now in Strava. I know that some people find such record-keeping to be a burden, or to take away from their enjoyment of the ride itself, but I get a lot out of it.

Yearly Mileage Statistics

Year Miles Bike of the Year (Most Miles)
2004 253 Sun EZ-Sport
2005 1469 Sun EZ-Sport
2006 2846 Sun EZ-Sport
2007 3924 Burley Django
2008 6001 Balance Tabula
2009 5203 Surly Long Haul Trucker
2010 5601 Surly Long Haul Trucker
2011 4473 Surly Long Haul Trucker
2012 5623 Puch Cavette II
2013 5419 Puch Cavette II
2014 7627 Windsor Clockwork
2015 6420 Retrospec Amok
2016 7341 Retrospec Amok
2017 7080 Nashbar 4050
2018 5751 Retrospec Amok
2019 4706 Salsa Journeyman
2020 4302 Salsa Journeyman
2021 2862 Salsa Journeyman
Total ~86,858  

Bicycle Mileage Statistics

Bike Miles Years
Sun EZ-Sport 3,275 2004-2013
Burley Django 7,708 2007-2011
Balance Tabula MTB 3,604 2008-2012
Surly Long Haul Trucker 19,825 2009-2021
Puch Cavette II 9,302 2011-2018
Dahon Vitesse D7HG 738 2011-
Giant Acapulco 3,185 2014-
Windsor Clockwork 4,620 2014-
Retrospec Amok 10,621 2015-
Diamondback Response 8,486 2015-
Nashbar 4050 9,177 2016-
Salsa Journeyman 6,413 2018-

Note: Stats are current through the end of 2021

Challenges, Goals, Quests

One of the things that I like to do is to challenge myself in various ways. Here are some perspectives on that:

Logging Miles

When I started logging my miles, I recorded in a simple spreadsheet — date, miles, time, average speed, bike. Tedious, but functional.

In 2012, I finally purchased a GPS cyclocomputer (a Garmin Edge 200). The GPS provides a number of very cool features. It, of course, works as a bike computer, displaying speed, distance, and time. But it also records those stats digitally, along with a GPS track. Combined with a service such as Strava, this allows you to log not just the basic stats, but a route map and detailed speed and elevation for the entire route. This is so cool!

Strava opens up a whole new world. You can use it as a social site — see where your friends ride, compare yourself to people who ride in your area, compete for virtual KOMs — as well as a tool to analyze your own performance, and work to improve it, if that’s something that motivates or inspires you. Combine it with a site like VeloViewer, and you can really delve deep into the data. What fun!

In addition the Garmin cyclocomputer I use, there are lots of other options for logging your miles. Many people use the Strava smartphone app (and that works great, other than battery issues) or other GPS devices (Lezyne, Polar, Cateye, Wahoo, etc.). I suggest you start with a smartphone app, since you already likely own the device, and then step up to a true GPS cyclocomputer or GPS watch if you end up really getting into it.

See also: Running Stats