Scott Martin

It all started 5 years ago, way back in 2011, when I read a Financial Times story about the first-ever international Quantified Self Conference in California.

The attendees, ranging from nerds to fitness buffs to “urban hipsters,” gathered to discuss how “biology-enhancing” gadgets can help people achieve optimum health.

“Eventually we’ll get to the point where we use the restroom and we’ll get a meter that tells us, ‘You’re deficient in vitamin B,’” one self-quantifier told the FT. “’That will be the end goal, where we understand exactly what our bodies need.’”

I immediately grasped the implications for cycling, which back then relied on primitive devices such as heart rate monitors, GPS units and hub- or crank-based power meters. We’d come to understand that data was king, but we needed more, so much more.

Fast forward to today and my new 2016 road bike. Of course it comes with power-measuring pedals, which have been around since 2012. But check out the seat, which features an embedded saddle-sore sensor that monitors skin abrasion levels and shoots goo into your chamois when it detects chafing. And how about the handlebar pressure pads that remind you to relax your grip on long climbs or pull up harder in sprints.

I also ponied up for a biology-enhancing skinsuit, which tracks body temperature, blood values, glycogen consumption and hydration levels, then tells you when and how much to eat and drink. I even sprung for the UV-sensitive, retractable sleeves and leggings.

And to think that just a few years ago we ignorantly just rode our bikes around with no tools for measuring, quantifying and analyzing every aspect of our performance. Thank goodness those terrible times are over, right ?

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