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The New Car-Free Calulator - Discuss

Diggin' it.


lou-m
2012-03-26 16:53:11

I don't know. Seemsa to me the underlying assumption of that is that cars are the default form of transportation.


When I ride a bike, it's "car free", but before a car, my priorities are walking and busing.


mick
2012-03-26 18:22:33

Bummer that I cannot even see my old data. I go to the old URL and get redirected to the new one.


stuinmccandless
2012-03-26 19:14:29

I was thinking about this, and it would be cool if your account could keep track of your frequent commutes.


Example: I type in my home address, and my work address, and maybe it uses google maps to calculate the miles there. Then, on a day like today, I could log in and click "work" and maybe "round-trip."


I don't even know if that's possible, but it would be cool!


rubberfactory
2012-03-26 19:47:48

Doesn't it do that?


rsprake
2012-03-26 19:59:18

I don't think it did last time I used it.

Now that I've logged in again, I feel really silly.


rubberfactory
2012-03-26 20:11:29

The new one has only been in place a week or less. The old one didn't keep track of your individual routes, which is why I also used MapMyRide.com, which handles this nicely. All the old one did was allow you to plug in a number for a day, and it was up to you to keep track of that during the day.


It would be great if this was a one-stop shop. Maybe the new one does this; I just haven't investigated.


stuinmccandless
2012-03-26 20:52:53

I just signed up. The interface is way better than the old one. I keep track of actual miles, but it looks like you can set up multiple often used distances/routes if you prefer that method.


Edit: Should we be joining a team? I see Bike Pittsburgh as an employer, or should that be for all of us?


marko82
2012-03-26 20:57:03

Hey everyone Dan Yablonsky and I will managing the Bike Commuter Challenge for Bike Pittsburgh.


Mick you'll be happy to know that the local "calculator" is now known as the Bike Pittsburgh Bike Commuter Challenge.


Anyone can still visit the Car Free Calculator http://bike-pgh.org/widget/. If you want to know the number of entries and miles you submitted for it send an email to cff@bike-pgh.org.


There still isn't a Team Bike Pittsburgh that name is still up for grabs. For now Bike Pittsburgh is only registered as a workplace. They're two different categories.


Since we're still getting use to the new interface too we'll be looking to the collective smarts of the message board to learn about your experience and suggestions for improving it (that we'll pass on to the team who develop it).


lou-f
2012-03-27 12:46:33

I like the new one. One small observation, the date it defaults to doesn't seem to be based on the user's location... but UTC or something. I notice this at the end of the day when I go to log my miles it often defaults to tomorrow.


dmtroyer
2012-03-27 12:54:08

The old one did that, too.


stuinmccandless
2012-03-27 13:16:05

I really love this calculator. It's fun to see where you are in the standings, etc. Using it with my Android phone and track every ride, you almost have to do nothing. Should be fun to see what happens come May.


lou-m
2012-03-29 13:15:20

Lou & Dan,


Do you want us to join a team? That process is not intuitive.


dmtroyer
2012-03-29 13:19:29

^+1


edmonds59
2012-03-29 13:50:52

I don't have a team set up. Maybe we could do a messageboard team?


lou-m
2012-03-29 16:09:09

You don't have to join a team. By putting in a Pittsburgh zip code you are already adding to Pittsburgh's miles. However, you can easily form a team with buddies, people from your neighborhood, people from the message board, or from work. It's up to you.


scott
2012-03-29 16:58:17

Thanks for the clarification! I was paranoid my miles would not count towards Pittsburgh's miles without joining a team.


And I second the idea of a message board team.


dmtroyer
2012-03-29 17:05:12

btw, while the /widget link does take you to the login page for the old one, logging in takes you right back out. So, for example, I can't see when I last logged miles, or copy previous miles out so as to transfer them to the new one. :-(


stuinmccandless
2012-03-29 17:49:33

Anyone want to join me to form a Park Place neighborhood team?


pseudacris
2012-03-29 18:08:18

Stu a very respectable

100 entries 1253.94 miles


I just logged into the old site without a problem too. If anyone else wants to know their stats from the old site please send an email to carfreefridayspgh@gmail.com (new email)


We still have seven spots on the Car Free Fridays team. Feel free to join.


lou-f
2012-03-29 20:15:39

so for those who got their old numbers, are you adding these to the new calculator? or just starting fresh? the leaders seem to have a ton of miles.


stefb
2012-04-10 02:58:18

The numbers quoted above show my entries from about May 1, 2011, to when the new one kicked in. I'm happy to add my numbers to the general Pittsburgh total, but I'd really like to know my 1/1/2012-to-date total on the old calculator so I know what my grand total is for the year.


Sorry to sound cranky, it's been a long day.


stuinmccandless
2012-04-10 03:11:21

I started with icicle-bicycle.


marko82
2012-04-10 03:32:22

I love it! The interface is great and I've also started logging other workouts - mostly yoga, dancing or whenever I walk somewhere.


Just so folks don't make the same mistake as me: I was mistakenly shorting myself "Cycling, Transport" miles. You know how for commuting miles you set your work commute to a certain number of miles and then it automatically totals two trips? I assumed the "Cycling, transport" log worked like that too so I was actually only logging half the miles I did during one trip (thinking that having "2 trips" selected would automatically double my miles.) It's a little misleading because it gives you the option of quantifying your trips but then asks for total miles anyway.


Make sure you log the TOTAL miles, not just the miles for a one-way trip!


rachel_ding
2012-04-11 23:48:48

@stef there is some way to look at the leaders miles calendar. I don't remember how... like many features on the endomodo site. but I think many of them have backlogged a ton of miles.


dmtroyer
2012-04-12 02:33:33

My measly 3 mile commute plus my reclusive tendencies have me at a whopping 60 miles for the past 3 weeks. But 60 miles is better than 0 miles!


rubberfactory
2012-04-12 02:35:54

I'm really curious how the leader board will shake out once May 1 rolls around. My understanding is that miles logged before that won't count in the rankings (or the point system).


2012-04-12 15:20:57

I will say that I like the pictures on the calendar - it makes me feel like I'm out a lot, even if they aren't long rides:



PS: the code on the captcha for when I uploaded the image was "flat tire." hopefully not an omen.


rubberfactory
2012-04-14 00:14:23

I'm in an area with no t-mobile service for a few weeks (that's my cell phone carrier). However, the GPS seems to work fine - my maps get saved onto my android, then when I'm back near wireless internet they get uploaded. I'm still trying to figure out how avoid having a short break split off onto a new trip.


pseudacris
2012-04-15 14:22:48

The start button becomes a pause button once you begin your workout. Worked for me the other day perfectly.


lou-m
2012-04-16 00:11:44

so umm anyone wanna join a team with me? i just logged my recreational miles since late february, and i think it bumped me up locally. attn redden and any other randos who also commute to work.


stefb
2012-04-22 04:18:06

I'm unaffiliated at the moment. Since the thing started I've racked up "397 points", which is a rather meaningless statistic IMHO. I would rather see a nice chart by week or month showing miles traveled, maybe with an option for graph form to show trends.


I am not and never will be a high-mileage rider. That's not what I'm about. I don't ride for the sake of riding. I am simply trying to live in the 'burbs without acquiring a second car. I'm about making biking possible, even a desirable option, along with transit.


So if I can hit 50 miles a week, I'm doing well. That's usually two trips in a week (10 miles each way), one trip out, and a pile of little half trips to/from West View and so forth. I still have held to my goal of riding at least one purposeful ride a week since January 1.


Whatever group would have me, given those stats & philosophy, I'd be happy to join.


stuinmccandless
2012-04-22 07:32:46

I will be on a team with you, stu. I have a feeling that after next week, my milage will drop a bit. I am most concerned about the positive impact on the environment I am making by commuting by bike.


stefb
2012-04-22 12:17:43

I'm looking for a team...anyone interested in joining forces?


My goal will be 1500 points. I just mapped it out, my commute to work is 6.65 miles, home is 2.7 miles (with help from bus or trolley), or the occasional 8.0 miles all the way home (more bike-friendly route home via McCardle). So that is an average of roughly 3 bike commutes per week over the 4 months, which is tough but I think I can do it!


Send me a PM if interested in joining forces!


dannyduck
2012-04-24 18:04:28

So is there any point in entering miles now or does it all get reset on May 1? I did a few days when it first started but I don't know if I should backfill or just wait until May 1.


salty
2012-04-24 18:09:02

Stu, the Endomondo site lets you view those graphs of your miles. Go to nationalbikechallenge.org, and click on the Endomondo logo in the upper right, that'll bring you to their homepage. If you click on the workouts tab up top, then go over to statistics, you'll be in data heaven. Me know if you're looking for something more than that. I'm keeping a running list of improvements to give the developers for next year and I'd appreciate the feedback.


2012-04-24 18:12:39

Thanks for the tip! I knew that was in there somewhere, but didn't know how to get to it.


stuinmccandless
2012-04-25 02:39:56

we only need fewer than 60 Pittsburgh-based riders to hit our goal of signing up 500 people by May 1. Please help talk up the challenge on fb/twitter and recruit your friends. Thanks!


www.nationalbikechallenge.com


scott
2012-04-25 12:25:03

so, my commute distance changed, and i changed it in the commuting settings, and it shows up when i go to log miles, the new commute distance is the option presented. however, when i click "log", what actually gets logged is my old commute distance. anyone else have this problem, and figure out a way around it? it is fairly annoying.


hiddenvariable
2012-04-25 12:28:35

Cleveland is excited to have made it to 200 riders. Not hatin, just sayin.


edmonds59
2012-04-25 17:04:37

I asked this on the comments section, but are you supposed to only log miles ridden in and around Pittsburgh or do they all count?


salty
2012-04-28 19:09:11

Count them all, in my opinion. What difference does it make where they were biked? You're based in Pittsburgh, that's why they count for the Pittsburgh region.


mpm
2012-04-28 23:15:53

Going back through my Twitter stream, it looks like I had 209 miles on the old calculator between Jan 1, 2012, and the switch-over. I'm putting the info here so I can find it easier. Total 449 miles so far for the year between the two of them, as of Apr. 28.


stuinmccandless
2012-04-29 16:09:08

We're now almost to 600 riders. Only need 30 more to get there.


scott
2012-04-30 14:30:35

Umm the endomondo website won't let me log any more miles. It keeps coming up with a box saying that I need to confirm my email address. I resend the email, click on the link to confirm, and it just sends me back to a page with a box saying I need to change or confirm. No matter what I do, it does that.


stefb
2012-04-30 20:03:05

I think somewhere it says the challenge starts May 1, tomorrow, and it's going to zero out and start clean. Maybe that's it.


edmonds59
2012-04-30 20:15:58

For the challenge, even though the "workout" option lets you upload different workouts i.e. running, swimming, etc.... we are only supposed to upload cycling miles, correct?


Also, will the system know to only count the labeled "Cycling miles" on the Bike Challenge?


bikeygirl
2012-04-30 20:16:20

I've been logging my miles via "workouts" on their mobile app, and they get counted towards the bike challenge.


2012-04-30 20:22:10

I keep getting the 'confirm email' message too, but when you go into your profile to request a confirmation email none is sent. It does allow me to log miles though.


Did anyone start a team that wants a member? I'm listed as solo.


marko82
2012-04-30 20:32:27

marko, let's join forces.


i have been getting that confirm email thingy for about a week. how do i get around it to log miles?


stefb
2012-04-30 20:43:01

Get registered. Then log in. Then go here: http://www.endomondo.com/campaign/national

Then click on "Log miles" underneath the vaguely humanoid figure. Then click a day on the calendar.


stuinmccandless
2012-04-30 20:57:49

Stef and any one else who wants to join - I created a "Tag-o-Rama-getters" team. The only requiement is you must have gotten at least one tag to join. Calling Mr. M, TDW, etc.


marko82
2012-04-30 21:40:53

Stu, I am registered and have been logging miles. It just started to lock me out.


stefb
2012-04-30 22:51:52

weird. i'll have dan look into this.


scott
2012-05-01 00:00:05

Nope, just worked ok for me.

I've been riding to work about every other day, guess I have to start every day now.


edmonds59
2012-05-01 00:06:49

Cool, I just tried importing from GPS under "Workouts" and verified it shows up as bike challenge miles as well. So now I just need to remember to use my GPS all the time and it will make my life much easier.


The only snag is that by default it seems to be "cycling, sport" instead of "cycling, transport". Is there any setting to change that? Editing it is a bit of a pain since you appear to have to do it individually.


Scott, does it matter at all whether miles get logged as "sport" vs "transport"?


salty
2012-05-01 01:27:08

ok just got it to finally confirm my email, after a billion tries. marko and i need more people on our team....


stefb
2012-05-01 02:05:07

tried to, but it would make me leave the car-free fridays team. :-/


rubberfactory
2012-05-01 02:10:41

Am I correct that when I log mountain biking miles I get 20 points for riding that day but not points for the miles (I assume since they are off-road)?


mboyd
2012-05-01 02:20:31

I'll join the tag-getters' team, if I can figure out how.


EDIT: Yay! Got it!


stuinmccandless
2012-05-01 02:21:47

when you go to the main page, on the right-hand side it asks you to join a team and you can search.


stefb
2012-05-01 02:22:57

Minor gripe: I've been doing OK at logging miles, but there is also this point system which has something to do with labeling one's trip as a commute. The problem with that, for me anyway, is that I have at least four different paths that constitute a "commute":

a) The full 10-mile trip from home to work

b) The half-trip into West View or the park-and-ride, 3 or 4 miles

c) The longer short ride to Northway Mall, a bit under 2 miles

d) The short ride to the end of the street, 0.86 mile.

I might use more than one of these a day.

All of them are a commute-related bike ride, followed by a bus ride, but all of them car-free, which is the point.


Anyway, I say that to say this: The new thing seems to assume that you have a single commute of a single fixed distance. It doesn't do multi-modal very well.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-01 02:35:55

Ok, team Tag-o-Rama-getters needs seven more members. Challenge starts tomorrow.


marko82
2012-05-01 03:28:22

Sorry, Team Google Pittsburgh for me...


Stu, I don't see any special point value for the "commute" tag. The rules just say 20 points per day + 1 point per mile. I think it's just a shortcut.


warm-up top 10, for posterity:




salty
2012-05-01 04:18:34

Yes, you're right, I'm just misremembering the original read from a month ago.


That's good news, and an example for anyone. I would get 22 points on a day that all I did was bike a mile to the bus and back, compared to 32 for riding all the way into town and busing the bike home.


The system rewards anyone who so much as tries.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-01 06:01:27

Pittsburgh is crushing the competition with over 600 riders. We just all need to remember to track our miles.


scott
2012-05-01 14:19:45

I enjoyed a nice long stretch in the pgh top 10 until all these people started riding their bikes!

I'm not very competitive, but floating between #11 and #16 absolutely got me on my bike more often!


2012-05-01 14:20:13

Yeah, I was 21st at the end of March, then sagged thru April. I should have taken that screen shot.

Failed to ride a full commute today, day 1. Family, bah.


edmonds59
2012-05-01 14:25:09

Does it make sense to join if I do not commute but rather bike for recreational/exercise purposes?


2012-05-01 14:28:45

i joined team tag o rama getters, but i am still having issues with it logging my old commute distance every time i hit the log button (despite the fact that it shows my current commute distance in the pull-down). which is really bleeding annoying, and makes me less likely to log my miles regularly.


hiddenvariable
2012-05-01 15:08:29

I have a 28 mile round trip commute I plan to do two or three times a week. Anyone mind if I join their team?


2012-05-01 17:27:13

I have started logging everything, even my rides to work, as 'cycling-sport', since the other 'cycling' option doubled all my mileage...


of course, at the moment the app on my phone doesn't seem to be talking to the mothership at all, but i assume this is (a) temporary and (b) just an issue with my phone...


epanastrophe
2012-05-01 17:35:59

TonyP, you are welcome to join Tag-o-Rama if you promise to try for a tag in our game in this thread . If not, we’ll probably still take ya.


marko82
2012-05-01 17:59:01

To fix the "doubling" issue, just click the little arrow to the left of the "2" to decrement it to "1", if the mileage is otherwise correct. Otherwise, just click "Log other" and fill in the blanks.


I rarely ride the same distance/mode home from work as in to work, so I'm always fiddling with this.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-01 19:48:41

I just joined the tag-o-rama team hope no one minds, If I tried to learn how to post pictures, I could have a couple tags by now.


b-s
2012-05-01 20:41:53

wellp, my several issues seem to have--at least for the moment--resolved themselves. thus, off to ride more!


epanastrophe
2012-05-01 22:27:55

Anybody still need a team member? My mileage is never very impressive, but I do ride every day, so this point system works out to my advantage, haha


2012-05-02 00:09:13

^you are welcome to join Tag-o-Rama if the site will let you. It shows we have seven members, not sure what max is.


marko82
2012-05-02 01:45:11

Sweeeet. Done.


2012-05-02 01:54:27

Ok, how do you contact a person who shows up in the leader board? Erica friended me, but I can’t message her? There doesn’t seem to be a discrete way to communicate here. Am I missing something?


marko82
2012-05-02 03:09:18

23 points so far. Don't know if that's good or bad or average or what. My two main commutes are less than one mile or less than 2 miles (one way), but I commute each of them every day (both ways), so I guess I'm still doing okay.


rubberfactory
2012-05-02 11:31:02

Marko82, thanks for the invite! I am having issues with the website, maybe you have 10 team members, maybe my computer is jacked....I will try again tonight.


2012-05-02 12:46:05

Not bad! 665 people registered as of now and 162 people have logged miles since yesterday. Gold stars all around. I just wanted to answer some of the questions that have came up in this thread.


1. You can log every mile you ride, anywhere in the world, and it will count towards our PGH effort.


2. If you go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org, you'll be sent directly to the PGH Bike Challenge page, where you can deal DIRECTLY with the challenge. If you go to www.endomondo.com, you're at Endomondo's full on fitness tracking/social networking site; here there are a lot more options for tracking ride stats and fitness levels for TONS of different activities. Its a good resource, but its a little overwhelming for those who just want to log miles for the challenge.


3. As for using the smartphone app. I haven't really used it, but Scott - who uses it everyday - is able to upload his trips as "transport". I'd assume this switch is possible in the settings. Sorry to have to say it Todd ... but you can google it.


4. Stu, your question about committing trips of different lengths into the 'commute' section. Its possible! You can save trips of different lengths to the commute drop down that see when you go to "log my miles". Check out the 'commute settings' link thats on the upper left corner of the week's calendar when you go through "log my miles"


5. Communicating person to person through Endmondo - as odd as it is, this social media site doesn't seem to have a way to directly message users. You're able to comment on peoples status updates, but thats about it... I'll put it on our list of suggestions for next year.


Sorry some of those explanations are a bit lengthy. It always seems awkward to type out instructions on how to use the internet. Big thanks to everyone who's joined the challenge and is having fun with it.


I don't want to jinx it, but maybe we can hit 1000 riders registered by June.


Keep the questions coming... Oh, and its just a matter of time until the SCA Green Cities Fellows are at the head of the pack!


2012-05-02 19:03:21

Dan, I have the app and indeed you can choose between "sport" and "transport" there... Except, I'm not using the app, I'm importing from my Garmin GPS - they just show up as "sport" and I don't see a setting to change that. I did use my favorite search engine and also searched endomondo's support center to no avail. I can go edit them individually after the fact but it's kind of a pain (Garmin Connect has the same issue more or less but there you can edit them in batches of 20-25 pretty quickly.)


Does it even matter? I.e. are there stats being tracked somewhere on "transport" vs "sport"? If not then I'm not going to bother - it doesn't really matter to me.


salty
2012-05-02 19:36:23

For me, anyway:

* "cycling, transport" = getting from A to B (e.g., riding from McCandless to the Keg Ride)

* "cycling, sport" = riding for the sake of riding, with no particular destination in mind (e.g., the Keg Ride itself)


stuinmccandless
2012-05-02 20:40:31

Somewhat similarly, I've been using 'transport' for commuting and 'sport' for screwing around--such as when my Friend and I rode to construction junction and obscure games one sunday, or when we rode to and from (and in) the keg ride. I admit though it's a bit sloppy--I used 'sport' for the time I rode home from work and then up and down the length of bethoven st a couple times to blow steam, but I think 'transport' for the night I rode up the Herron S to visit my Friend in polish hill...


all of which is really to say, i don't think it actually matters for the challenge. it seems cycling is cycling, at least as far as that's concerned.


epanastrophe
2012-05-03 02:50:53

Ahh, the Garmin! New territory for me. I'll add it to the list of questions for the national challenge director and get you an answer asap.


And I agree, going in and changing 'sport' to 'transport' is a real pain - one of the things we've got to work on for next year.


As for what miles count where... all miles you ride count for your points, but only the ones you log as 'transport' go into the stats for dollars saved, co2 offset, and calories burned.


2012-05-03 18:06:35

Just earned my first pint. On my way over to the South Side to drink it.


scott
2012-05-03 21:46:20

If you don't drink, can you give your pints to someone else?


stefb
2012-05-03 21:58:01

Now that's what I call "bad company":



Luckily I just took a long ride home so hopefully I'll find myself in a better place.


salty
2012-05-04 01:11:38

I have found a bug. Steps to reproduce:


* Zero miles for Thursday.

* Click on Friday, initially blank.

* I have three entries under my commute drop-down. I choose one other than the first.

* Later on, I try to add a second entry identical to the first. (The first was my trip to work. The second was my trip home.) However, I leave the trip count at default "2".

* What happens is that the doubled value gets put in for the previous day's mileage, instead of either incrementing or adding another entry to today's.


Firefox 12.0 on Windows 7 on a Dell Latitude running Intel Core i3.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-05 00:41:59

"Just earned my first pint. On my way over to the South Side to drink it."


Wait a minute, you can earn BEER doing this? Is it too late to join? How many point = a pint?


2012-05-05 01:24:25

So I am pretty confused by this. I want to help Pittsburgh be #1 and I'm on a cross-country bike trip so I want my miles to count for Pittsburgh. I went to nationalbikechallenge.org and signed up. Then all I have to do is hit "log miles" and enter my miles each day, and it will count for Pittsburgh? I don't need to map the route too?


I went to endomondo.com to try to map the route so far, but it looks like it doesn't follow roads... is there any way to get it to follow roads (like it does at, e.g., mapmyride) or do you have to click the entire route manually? Clicking it manually takes _forever_ for longer routes.


abracadabra
2012-05-05 16:00:14

I haven't been entering any route, I've just been entering miles. Easy.


edmonds59
2012-05-05 16:39:25

I've been entering everything under the "workouts" menu


rubberfactory
2012-05-05 17:45:51

Yeah, you can just enter the mileage. (Once you're logged in go to http://www.endomondo.com/campaign/national and click "Log Miles," like you said.) I've either been doing that (using Google Maps or whatever to figure out the mileage when necessary) or tracking my actual route using the Endomondo iPhone app.


2012-05-05 20:25:06

This is definitely going to get me out on the bike more. But as I said in an earlier post, I'm not a high-mileage rider. I'm about replacing car dependency, so I'm often on a bus or a motorcycle. I'm proud of having been on the bike at least once a week since January 1, though.


The impetus is that per-day point thing. That 1.73 mile (shows as Thursday, it was actually Friday, see earlier post) was biking to the bus and back from the bus, so I have 86 points despite only riding about 25 miles since May 1. And on today's 4 measely miles, I didn't see a single other bicycle as I traversed McKnight Road both directions; funny, that.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-05 21:20:17

I'm surprised / slightly embarrassed at how much this is inspiring my competitive nature. I didn't need to go anywhere today (by bike or otherwise), but right now I'm getting ready to go to the store on my bike for something totally non-urgent just to pick up 22 points or so.


The Tag-o-rama-getters team is doing pretty well in the national rankings, which is kind of cool.


Also, lolz:



2012-05-05 21:41:24

Just a slightly off topic heads up:


OTB does not have any punch cards for the pints yet.


They expect to have them in a few days according to the bartender.


2012-05-05 23:13:49

I have missed the thing where getting points gets me beer at OTB, someone please edify me?


jamesk
2012-05-06 12:39:22

Oh gee darn, I might have to ride over there and see if they have those cards yet. That might be eight extra miles I have to ride. I can't possibly use a phone or this message board to check on this. In other words, I can act just like a stupid car driver who has to drive over to the mall to see if shoes are on sale this week and waste gas, but in this case, I'm rewarded with beer.


Works for me!


stuinmccandless
2012-05-07 14:35:28

I liked the old Calculator. It wasn't trying to be fifty million different things. It tracked the miles. I must be old.


commuterx
2012-05-07 18:50:43

Tag-O-Rama team is full?


chemicaldave
2012-05-07 19:22:43

@chemicaldave: jah, its full


melange396
2012-05-07 19:57:34

@abracadabra: on the endomondo website, you can import route maps from files in .gpx, .tcx and .fit formats. if you record your trip with a gps device or find a better place to chart it out than the endomondo website ...and that source allows export into one of those formats, of course


melange396
2012-05-07 20:14:33

Geez, I finally got some points on the board today, half a commute, first time I've been able to get on the bike in a week. yay.


edmonds59
2012-05-08 00:42:20

I made the full-in/full-out bike commute today, and it was mainly due to this challenge. 10.4 miles to (Perry, Perrysville), 11.1 miles fro (16SB, Millvale, Babcock). Normally I would have jumped on a bus and spent $6.50 in bus fare (or my son would have, only one of us can use the pass).


stuinmccandless
2012-05-08 01:30:03

i got halfway to my kickball game (by bike), and had to turn and go home because i forgot something. added an extra five miles to an already longish day, considering none of it was joyriding. i'm not sure if this challenge affected that, but it may have, and it certainly encouraged me to record it all.


hiddenvariable
2012-05-08 05:38:27

Yeah, it's definitely a little extra motivation to go riding, trying to get off to a good start... of course the nice weather and new bike help too. :-)


Although, I did resist the urge to game the system on Sunday and go ride around the block for 20 points since I wasn't feeling much like riding due to some Saturday hijinks.


salty
2012-05-08 06:32:02

Thats very noble indeed.


and just so everyone knows, Pedal for Pints is officially starting today. OTB has the punch-cards and their ready to trade points for pints.


2012-05-08 19:16:43

yea, soon as i get a tooth pulled and can't drink until its healed they start. Lol luckly they go until aug.


2012-05-08 19:20:43

and just so everyone knows, Pedal for Pints is officially starting today. OTB has the punch-cards and their ready to trade points for pints.


I'll have to see if they'll stand me to a bottle of cider in lieu of a draft, as hops and I do not get along.


reddan
2012-05-08 19:30:42

those are the two saddest things i've heard all day.


hiddenvariable
2012-05-08 19:49:33

Anyone know if one can get a pint to go? I would be much more likley to swing by on my way home from work if I could.


helen-s
2012-05-08 21:06:11

I'll let you answer your own question with a quick google search on open container laws/operating a vehicle.


scott
2012-05-08 23:07:24

I almost always bike to work and would not go there in a car.


helen-s
2012-05-09 00:51:21

Go Team Tag-o-Rama-Getters! ALL TEN of us are now > 500 points!


stuinmccandless
2012-05-25 03:07:03

Grrr... The tag-o-rama team is full.


I'm already looking at the rules and grumbling about the riding a mile a day = twenty bonus points.


I guess it does encourage newcomers who aren't commuting 30 miles a day...


sgtjonson
2012-05-26 15:55:36

The 20 points a day is encouragement to do *something*, go *somewhere*. My number of days where I get the bike out has gone way up since May 1.


I have some notably short days - a mile or less - but even those have a useful story. My 0.72-mile entries are trips up the street to the drug store for some errand. I could have walked, and everyone else around me would have driven, but I chose to bike it. My 3-mile days are biking to the bus, racking it Downtown, and the reverse home. All good.


On Friday I put 20 miles on the bike, but it would have been zero without that 0.1-mile trip on Thursday to test the brakes I spent the evening fixing, so I could get 20 points in for Thursday, so that I could ride the thing at all for Friday.


It gives those of us who are not high-mileage riders or whose only means of getting around is by bike, a chance at meaningful results. At this writing, that's 610 points from 210 miles over 20 days of riding.


stuinmccandless
2012-05-26 18:16:51

Yeah, of course I'm biased in the opposite direction as Pierce but I think it's a pretty good system. If the goal is to encourage people to commute you shouldn't penalize them for living close to work. And, there's still encouragement to ride longer distances - at the moment I have 108 miles for "cycling, sport" (which is more than I have for "cycling, transport") and the point system has encouraged at least some of that.


I have debated the ethics of riding around the block for 20 points on the weekend though... so far I haven't done it and I think that means I've left 60 points on the table (and maybe another 20 today, damn is it hot). If I legitimately have somewhere to go I log it (again, the 20 bonus points encourage me to ride my bike in situations where I might have taken my scooter), or if I go for a long recreational ride I log it.


Stu's 0.1 mile "test" trip is probably a litmus test for where you draw the line... I'm not sure I would have logged it in a vacuum but hearing about it is probably enough for me to rationalize it. :)


Regardless, the people who ride long distances are still dominating the top...


salty
2012-05-26 18:58:10

My mileage for May is pathetically below what I hoped it would be. In March I did well, for March. But May ended up about the same.


edmonds59
2012-05-26 20:03:22

I guess I agree with Stu's idea of getting people out there


Even if they only go .1 miles, that person might pass ten or fifteen people and those people might say "Hey, that guy's riding a bike, so can I!"


Also, OMG yes, it is hot. Water! I was lugging around my road bike via trailer on my hybrid and am now thoroughly drenched in sweat between cycling, working in Kraynicks, and then working in FreeRide


sgtjonson
2012-05-26 21:54:03

^What kind of trailer do you use for carrying a bike on a bike? I have a road bike that I'm going to try to fix up for the boyfriend that is way too big for me to ride even if it was in rideable condition, and I'd rather not have to drive it to Kraynick's/Free Ride whenever I start working on it, so I've been trying to come up with a solution


2012-05-26 22:00:01

Strap it to your back?


stefb
2012-05-26 22:29:56

I have a really crappy kids trailer that I partially disassembled. (something else I need to work on)


I just took the top section off and use the bucket part, and there are convenient places to bungee down the bike.


I've also carried the same bike on the back of my bike rack, but that requires a little more... gusto?


Edmonds had a cool solution too assuming the back wheel rolls. There's a thread about it here somewhere, but I'm temporarily too lazy to look it up


sgtjonson
2012-05-26 22:39:46

Stef isn't kidding. Big ass messenger bag with parts inside and wheels and frame strapped to the outside. That's how I do it when I don't want to use a car.


cburch
2012-05-26 23:39:05

Oh yeah, I think when I ran into you a couple of nights ago one was strapped to your back


sgtjonson
2012-05-26 23:40:10

Yup. My new slopestyle bike. I did take a car to get the rest of the parts today, over 90 on the heat index is a serious asthma risk for me, especially on the road and not in the woods.


cburch
2012-05-26 23:44:27

FWIW, this afternoon I was fixing a second bike and took the obligatory 0.05-mile trip up the street and back (total, 0.1) to make sure things were in order, during which time I engaged two neighbors in conversation about riding on a hot day.


No trip out on the bike is ever wasted.


(Of course, there were also those other two trips out to get a part and then a tool, for almost 9 miles total.)


stuinmccandless
2012-05-27 00:00:35

This darn "competition" has had me on my bike 9 days in a row and 11 out of the last 12. Commuted by bike 4 days this week (can't tell you the last time I did that). I'm genuinely pissed that I can't ride tomorrow (family matters). I put in extra miles today on the GAP to keep my miles-per-day average where it needs to be but I still want my 20 points.


jamesk
2012-05-27 03:28:41

Yeah I am kinda upset that I will be out of town next weekend. I may bring my bike anyway.


stefb
2012-05-27 10:09:00

I'm surprised / slightly embarrassed at how much this is inspiring my competitive nature. I didn't need to go anywhere today (by bike or otherwise), but right now I'm getting ready to go to the store on my bike for something totally non-urgent just to pick up 22 points or so.


I damn near rode to Dirty Ball just so I could ride back after midnight and get those extra 20 points. I just got back from a week of driving and camping around virginia and i'm burned and bugbit and it's stupid hot out, but i'm still thinking about riding up to Clowder&Pack ($1 books today! $5/all you can carry after 4pm!)...


epanastrophe
2012-05-27 16:57:18

I just discovered my suburban neighbor lady right across the street is on the bike challenge! That's very cool. I put my points in today and I was right next to her.


edmonds59
2012-05-28 20:38:43

Just saw this on the national main page:


"You achieved the first million miles in 14 days. The second million was accomplished in 9 days. The third million miles only took 7 days. "


I think that's pretty impressive!


marko82
2012-06-03 13:37:39

How does one get the Kcal function to work? I regularly enter my miles, but have not been able to find how to get my calories added up. It automatically does the CO2 and dollars saved.


helen-s
2012-06-07 19:51:41

@helen I think you have to enter your body weight and possibly height to get the kcals to show up.


dmtroyer
2012-06-07 19:53:21

I may be wrong, but I think mine only gives the calorie info when I actually track the workout from my phone, even with the weight and height info entered. I guess it needs the speed and altitude and stuff, not just the # of miles.


2012-06-07 20:04:24

yeah, you need a weight entered as well as timing data along with your recorded path


melange396
2012-06-07 20:39:59

mine keeps pestering me for my birthdate and gender, too. nothankyou.


epanastrophe
2012-06-07 20:49:08

I started estimating my heartrate based on the rate when on flat road and when I'm heading up a hill. Once I did that, the kcal started showing up for me.


rubberfactory
2012-06-07 21:10:48

BTW, under settings->privacy (on endomondo.com) you can choose individual settings for who can see your birthday, height, weight, etc. So you can enter that stuff and not have it public.


Although, I don't put much faith in kcal estimates, assume they're accurate within a factor of 2 at best.


salty
2012-06-08 02:31:08

Two things- how does one get your calulator to log calories burned? Mine is blank, and I have not been able to figure out how to get it to do that caluclation.

Second, how does mountain biking and sport riding actually save CO2 or dollars unless that person was going to drive those distances instead if they did not ride them?


helen-s
2012-06-21 12:48:50

You have to enter your weight, and it might only work for GPS data. I know it doesnt work if you only enter a distance, at least.


Someone told me only transport counts for CO2 and $.


salty
2012-06-21 14:28:17

I just got a response to a question I asked at the support center about replacing an injured player. Apparently the points are accumulated by month. So if you replace a team member mid-month, the old player’s points will disappear for that month, and the new team member’s points will be used for that whole month. So be careful on the timing of any changes to team makeup.


marko82
2012-06-29 16:49:15