Just a general ramble, I'm pretty bored of charging my life up.

Laptop (work), phone, watch, two different sets headphones, gps, lights (just rear at the moment)

Just a bit fed up of charging stuff up, remembering wires and generally faffing about.

Anyone else? Just me?

Yup, likewise. Next you need to buy gears with Di2 / AXS....

It's not compulsory.

Yes Dave... I look at the double wall socket in the living room which now has 2 usb ports built in... and the mess of wires just makes me sickly.

Swapped back from di2 to Dura Ace and that was a relief. When I biught my watch I got a Casio Protrek solar instead of the Suunto. Needed compass duties for finding the Qibla/prayer direction at night. USB lights I dont mind as much as they last ages as does the Wahoo.

Worse still is the mess of usb-c and micro usb wires in the top bag. Hope the boredom gets less boring and be thankful you've not got a dynamo

I have a mess of cables in the office and the kitchen where most charging happens

Similar to you. Then have stuff for the kids (iPads, fitness trackers), plus rechargeable NiMH batteries, then batteries for the RC stuff. Gets a bit ridiculous

Wireless chargers do help - although only applies to the phones and my airpods

As someone who uses multiple power tools all day, every day, I'll take recharging over the rat's nest of power cords and extension leads every time.

oh yes, tablets too...

I already stopped bothering to look at strava etc. Although I still record my rides. I think I will likely give that up too, maybe dig out my old casio watch to ditch the smartwatch.

Might even read a book thats printed on paper

Might even read a book thats printed on paper

Now you're talking. A highly underrated pastime in the modern age.

Well paper books are the best format, shareable and easily recyclable (i.e. charity bin). I do use the kindle app for bedtime reading though, as the other half doesn't like the light on or sounds of pages turning!

Got a solar PV watch which has been fantastic for 15 years plus. Only had one battery change in that time a few years ago, couldn't deal with a smart watch needing charging regularly.

Totally agree with the sentiment about too many cables and too much charging of batteries...even some children's books have batteries for christ's sake! I live on a street with curbside parking only, it's gonna be interesting when everyone gets an electric car in 2030

Easy, iPhone with wireless charging either by putting on the pad next to the bed or on the wireless charging car mount, same with the Apple Watch.
Bike lights are dynamo powered, the sinewave beacon light has a usb output which charges a garmin battery pack, I’ve never plugged my garmin into the mains.
I do have to charge my AXS gears with a cable but the battery life is so good I could ride from John O’groats to Lands end on my two batteries.
Paper books rule unless you need to read in the tent when to kindle paperwhite is great with it’s gentle glowing screen, the battery lasts many books.
The right kit takes away many issues, the other alternative is to go caveman which is possibly a good idea.

i dont do tech stuff that much. only thing i charge is my phone, which does all i need. bit of internet ( here ) strava for my ride distance total and that is it. i am a bit OCD and cant do with clutter. loads of stuff would cause me too much stress.

ton wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:06 am i am a bit OCD and cant do with clutter. loads of stuff would cause me too much stress.

Tony, I’ll gladly help by taking the Ti Fargo, bound to relieve the symptoms

It doesn't stress me out in particular, just every time something needs charging I just think, for fecks sake..again.

I tell the time with a portable sundial, navigate by the sun/stars/mossy trees and only ride at night if there's a full moon. My PC is powered by clockwork.

I tell the time with a portable sundial, navigate by the sun/stars/mossy trees and only ride at night if there's a full moon. My PC is powered by clockwork

Yes but you don't need to have life dictated to you by phones, tablets, watches, kindles, etc either.

My trip to Wales last year was really enhanced by having a map on top of my bar bag. Had GPS back up but didn't use it most of the time and didn't need to keep it plugged in to charge.
Map vs GPS feels like the difference between a book and a film. It's how I started out on rides in France and though GPS is great for planning and routing, the experience in use loses something. I can look at a map of France and remember routes from my map tours but a few years after GPS tours I just remember landscapes and they feel separate to the place names. Ideally I'd tour using dynamo lights, a paper map and leave the phone at home or in a WP bag for emergency only, GDR style. No plugging in needed. The Camino in Spain was even better, you just look for the yellow arrows on walls or the roads.

As for day to day life. Charging a smart watch etc - f that, really, with all due respect Things like that with updates and notifications just annoy me, a necessity for work and avoided as far as reasonable outside that. Same with riding, I just have zero interest in measuring mileage, watts etc or collecting data. Or bleeping Garmins on group rides : ) I follow routes on some longer rides and that's it. I'm not suggesting that's a better way to be or that data is a distraction, for some it's a motivator and has value. I just have lower faff levels from really not caring about ride data unless it's for specific training needs (ie rarely these days).

I enjoyed Colin's sarcasm, as usual

I'm not suggesting a return to sundials, as you know , just that for me right now I will be putting the unnecessary ones aside for a while.
Obviously I am on a device right now so I'm not suggesting all electronic items need to go in the bin, just that some of them are not really enhancing my day to day.
As James says, to some the data and what not adds something, as it has for me in the past. Right now though, I'm bored of having multiple things with me that need charging.

An interesting point on maps and GPS. It certainly takes me longer to get to know an area when I use the GPS to get around.

TBH I managed 20-odd years without a watch, from the time I got my first mobile phone (work mandated) until quite recently. The one I'm currently wearing needs charged weekly, unless I'm using it to record a ride/run etc. Battery longevity has improved so much in the past decade that the daily requirement to charge devices has reduced a lot.

For bike lights, I could reduce my reliance on them a bit by not riding when it's dark (mostly MTB so not dynamo suitable) but that would have a major impact on my winter riding.

jameso wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 10:41 am My trip to Wales last year was really enhanced by having a map on top of my bar bag. Had GPS back up but didn't use it most of the time and didn't need to keep it plugged in to charge.
Map vs GPS feels like the difference between a book and a film. It's how I started out on rides in France and though GPS is great for planning and routing, the experience in use loses something. I can look at a map of France and remember routes from my map tours but a few years after GPS tours I just remember landscapes and they feel separate to the place names. Ideally I'd tour using dynamo lights, a paper map and leave the phone at home or in a WP bag for emergency only, GDR style. No plugging in needed. The Camino in Spain was even better, you just look for the yellow arrows on walls or the roads.

I'd agree with much of this regarding maps. I've still not used a gps/phone for following a GPS track yet, the closest I get is using viewranger/outdooractive OS maps on my phone and following routes by checking the OS map, even if it has a line planned on it (mostly doesn't). Not the cleverest or quickest way to do things but it is what my simple brain can cope with, and it definitely helps getting to know places far better. I also keep the phone in my pocket, so plenty of time is wasted stopping and checking the map on the phone, but as i'm not racing I see no harm in continually orienting myself. If I was on a longer route in a place I really didn't know, with time contraints, i'd happily follow a gps track, but I guess i'd like to see it overlaid on an OS map all the time though...

I was telling someone the other day about me possibly being the last person to navigate Paris entirely by compass about 9 years ago.

No smart phone and the Garmin only had the map of Spain loaded.

I noted that the Gare du Nord was (funnily enough) directly North of the station I arrived in (about 6km) and so I taped the compass to my bars and set off...

If the roads took me slightly North East then I attempted to compensate and vice versa.

After a lovely little meander through Paris I arrived right at the front entrance of the Gare du Nord with a big smug smile on my face!

The whole reliance on gadgets is a two edged sword isn’t it.
I don’t have too much of an issue with it personally though.
My watch is analogue and creates its own power through Eco Drive.
My Garmin 530 sits atop of a Garmin power pack and gets a good 30+ hours run time. On longer jaunts I plug it into my Dynamo and get unlimited run time.
My main lights are also dynamo powered.
Only my ancient iPhone requires regular charging of the sort that needs my action.
Paper maps still feature heavily in my life but only at the point of planning a route or trip.
I don’t really know how I would do one of my really long, multiple country, multiple month trips now. Would I still carry paper maps? Probably. But I’m fairly sure my main navigation method would be digital. Yes you can get some good random experiences using out of date, poor quality, unsuitable scale maps of Asian and African countries but my experience is that you also cop a load of grief as well.

ton wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:06 am
i am a bit OCD and cant do with clutter. loads of stuff would cause me too much stress.
Tony, I’ll gladly help by taking the Ti Fargo, bound to relieve the symptoms

mate, seriously, the reason i bought the fargo with the rohloff, was to eleviate 30+ years of bike fettleing. i got to the stage of hating my bikes because of all the faff keeping them running.

so Ti frame easy to clean, rohloff is totally fuss free and even tubeless has proved a revelation.
maintenance free cycling..............

low maintence, way to go, mudguard & chain ring-guard sorted!
now where can I get a carbide front lamp?