My GPS Watch

This week I ordered myself a GPS watch on eBay (saving $50 on buying it from the company's website).




Do I need a GPS watch? Of course, just like a fish needs a bicycle (or a unicycle, for that matter).

But it's fun. It's nice to compete with myself while riding over the same course on my commute, and I like knowing how fast I'm going at a given moment. Cycle computers can tell you average speed and maximum speed, but it's impossible to check the current speed on a cycle computer while you're unicycling because looking down is a lot more dangerous than looking at your watch. And in my case, even looking down does not help because the computer is under the seat and out of view.

The GPS watch is pretty thick and clunky. For comparison, I laid it next to my normal watch. The GPS is roughly the same size but is much thicker. It makes it hard for me to wear my wrist guards, but I manage. The only annying thing is how long it take for the watch to locate the satellite, but it never takes more than a minute if I stay put.

I found out one thing: The GPS watch isn't as accurate as I'd expected. Although it frequently receives the signal from the satellite, it often misses little bursts of speed. So when I want to know the true maximum speed, I rely on the cycle computer.