[Pslide]

Mr. Shimano, you have great might, skill, and power. Please make one of these. It should be a cinch. It could be part of your PRO line.

If you don't, maybe Mr. SRAM will.

 

[IH8Rice]

why cant you just use a moto timer?

 

[Pslide]

I use one of these and it sucks. Button is too small, it rotates on your bars, and it's only more bar clutter. Incorporating it into the shifter would be clean and tidy and give you a solid start stop trigger.

The other moto timer I've seen is big and bulky...silly. A timer is such a simple device...

 

[jonKranked]

Incorporating it into the shifter would be clean and tidy and give you a solid start stop trigger.

and would be another part to break on a shifter.

 

[Pslide]

and would be another part to break on a shifter.

Positioned under the bar for protection. Also allows you to flip the bike over in the parking lot...

You break a lot of shifter parts???

 

[jonKranked]

Positioned under the bar for protection. Also allows you to flip the bike over in the parking lot...

You break a lot of shifter parts???

i break everything.

 

[zdubyadubya]

Out of curiosity.... Is a timer on your bike during a race run @ a WC allowed? Wondering if Gwin had known he was 5+ sec up he might have let up a little and not crashed...

 

[jasride]

There's no way you're glancing at that little screen even for a micro second at WC level race pace!

 

[Huck Banzai]

I would also like a bacon dispenser, this would be far more useful than a silly timer!

 

[zdubyadubya]

There's no way you're glancing at that little screen even for a micro second at WC level race pace!

probably true.... but if the technology is allowed--whats to prevent a heads up display in the corner of your goggles? or other techie $hit. downhill is often referred to as the F1 of cycling. if there are no rules in regards to electronics on the bike I could see lots of riders wanting their split times displayed to them somehow during a race.

 

[jasride]

probably true.... but if the technology is allowed--whats to prevent a heads up display in the corner of your goggles? or other techie $hit. downhill is often referred to as the F1 of cycling. if there are no rules in regards to electronics on the bike I could see lots of riders wanting their split times displayed to them somehow during a race.

I agree, knowing your split time would be huge! I like the on board goggle display idea!

 

['size]

Out of curiosity.... Is a timer on your bike during a race run @ a WC allowed? Wondering if Gwin had known he was 5+ sec up he might have let up a little and not crashed...

something tells me he's not going to take his eyes off the track to look at a bar mounted timer. this is where an earpiece or heads up goggle display would come into play.

i think during the race this weekend it was mentioned that TWR was looking at a board system like used in moto to give gwin an idea where he was. i believe they said something simple like a green board if he was up and a red if he was down - not time specific but enough to let him know if he needed to push or not.

 

[blackohio]

downhill is often referred to as the F1 of cycling.

A quote by Fabien Barel doesnt make it so.

 

[c101aviojet]

A hud would be awesome, but would probably turn the races more tactic and less "passionate" - even more as the race gets longer.
If they knew they are several seconds ahead, or their rival is down, they would (probably) slow down instead of keep racing like mad.

As for the timer, it's not difficult to make one with an old watch. If it moves, use a small support (such as a carved block of foam/light wood/plastic) between the watch and bar.

A quote by Fabien Barel doesnt make it so.

Which quote?


PS: I'd prefer to see a compact and affordable alfine.

 

[Sandwich]

is this what you have? http://www.sportcount.com/products.php?category_id=1&PHPSESSID=492c5d780c94d1fb7b0de77ca40581f8 or one of them?

how about some kind of rubber shim underneath it to prevent it from rotating?

 

[Beast]

it rotates on your bars

Add some velcro to your bars and the backside of the timer. Worked well for me.

 

[Pslide]

Sandwich...that is what I have.

Beast, I put some velcro underneath...that was the obvious fix, but it still doesn't like a good stabbing with your thumb so you have to finesse it, not what you need when you're manhandling a bike across a trigger point. Need something solid. It's hard to hit that little button crossing the line, and it doesn't have a very positive "click" to it either, so you're never sure if you hit it.

Our sport is measured by time, and we still don't have a decent self timer, and it's such a simple device...

 

[nowlan]

Awesome idea.
On the side note of Riders knowing their split times. I thought Trek was using spotters on the sides of the track showing Cards indicating if they were up or not.

 

[Sandwich]

what about taking apart a timer, attaching it to part of the bike, then running wires and a new button close to the grip? you shouldn't need to look at the timer during your runs, but you might be able to figure something out....

 

[Bikael Molton]

What about a $5 casio on your wrist?

 

[IH8Rice]

Our sport is measured by time, and we still don't have a decent self timer, and it's such a simple device...

whats wrong with the DMC besides it moving a bit for you?

 

[Pslide]

whats wrong with the DMC besides it moving a bit for you?

The button...the button! It's too small and doesn't have a defined click.

It's hard to coordinate riding and trying to click that tiny button at the exact right spot to get an accurate time. Maybe it's just me.

Because it's kind of annoying to use, I end up not using it. But if it was as easy as making a shift, then I'd use it all the time.

 

[Pslide]

I was going to email this idea to shimano, but they don't accept e-mails any more. Only snail mail and phone calls.

Mr. Shimano needs no advice from us!

 

[Pslide]

What about a $5 casio on your wrist?

Good if you've got three hands I guess. But then you'd be better off playing piano.

 

[Pslide]

what about taking apart a timer, attaching it to part of the bike, then running wires and a new button close to the grip? you shouldn't need to look at the timer during your runs, but you might be able to figure something out....

Perhaps in my younger days I would have done this, but alas I have become one of those family men with a lawn to mow and no time to spare, apart from when I'm at work on a slow day...

 

['size]

 

[Sandwich]

http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php?topic=110994.0

how about this poopbreath?

also, what about a cyclocomputer? you could set it to "riding time" and those usually start when the wheel starts moving...

 

[dropmachine]

Why not just get a freelap systemm?

 

[buildyourown]

There is so much room for simple electronics in bikes right now. A few bluetooth enabled transmitters and an Android phone and you get get massive amounts of info about speed and power and cadence. A few really cheap accelerometers and position sensors built into your fork and shock and you could get detailed suspension data.

 

[Sandwich]

no money, huge overhead.

everything is made in china now, you have to commit to a million bajillion pieces (aka be shimano) in order to get it done. Joe schmo can't build a nice drop in unit for a fork cap with built in altimeter/gps/trail mapping software.

 

[Pslide]

Freelap: $$$
Freelap for you a few friends: $$$$$$$

And that big moto unit above...that's exactly what I don't want mounted on my bike. Nor do I want some bodged up stopwatch hanging off of it.

I just want a tiny little timer with solid trigger button! It's $2 worth of Chinese electronics!

buildyourown: I agree. The other thing I'd like is a cheap race timing solution, which should be totally doable with modern electronics. $3000 for a Tag Heuer system where you have to run a cable up the mountain? Pulease! It should be like $200 for some basic modern tech to time riders. And yet no one has done it. (Could be used for all kinds of point to point racing...)

 

[Sandwich]

stopwatch: $7
Push button: $5
15 minutes of your time $0

Bitching about it on the internet: priceless

 

[Harry BarnOwl]

I really recommend the DRC x monitor. The button is incredibly easy to press and the beeps are nice and loud so you know for sure when it's going.

 

[bobsten]

I believe this will be the best utility for all you guys:

and then you can end this debate of "button v no button"

 

[Cutters]

I would also like a bacon dispenser, this would be far more useful than a silly timer!

Yes, I like your style Banzai

 

[cglaeser]

Why not just get a freelap system?

... or win a Freelap Timing System in the Freelap Sweepstakes.

 

[W4S]

Why not just get a freelap systemm?

freelaps take setting up and taking down, a simple bar mounted system with precise buttons where you don't have to take your hands off the bars like Pslide is describing makes a ton of sense, imo. you could have it set to record splits at multiple sites to really see where you go fast or slow, easily implemented and relatively cheap with accurate timing.

 

[Mr Lahey]

After taking one run with a sport timer on my bars I am thoroughly convinced that a device like this is the best performance mod you can make to your bike. As has already been pointed out- the sport timers are hard to use with gloves on while sprinting... but they really leave you wanting a better product.

Races are won by fractions of a section from amateur to world cup level events and you just can't get that level of accuracy with a faint button or by trying to look at your watch while you ride across the line. Something that has a positive engagement that you can actuate while sprinting with your eyes on the trail would be awesome.

I would buy one for sure. I would also wager that anyone riding with me would buy one just to know if they were faster or not.

 

[spocomptonrider]

I wish Zeal would make a set of their transcend goggles with a stopwatch feature built in, a button on the side of the strap would work for me, otherwise aside from being a double lens ski/ board goggle and being $500; a super cool idea. Watch this space.

 

[kidwoo]

^That looks safe.