Detroit Free Press Mike Wendland column: Bike with byte and GPS.(Column)

Byline: Mike Wendland

Jun. 4--We're a little more than five weeks away from the cross-state Michigander Mountain Bike Tour from Midland to Mackinaw City, and I'm adding new tech gizmos to help me keep training.

My latest acquisition is perhaps the coolest yet: A Garmin Edge 205, a Global Positioning Satellite-enabled personal trainer and cycle computer.

I briefly tested a variation a year or so ago, and I remember liking it so much that I bought one for myself ($249 at the REI store in Troy, but available for much less online).

Now let me be really clear: Such a device is not a necessity for training for a long distance bike ride. It is a …