Demographics — Matt is college-aged male.

On an average day Matt is a college student majoring in physics and his course work is his top priority.  Matt will fit his workouts around his schedule getting them in either early in the morning or late at night shortly before the gym closes.  Because of his busy schedule Matt prefers to workout alone and typically will bike as a form of transportation and his average distance is between 10-12 miles per week.

The local bike shop is where Matt will do most of his cycling shopping and he trusts the resident experts to help him with his biking equipment needs.  The main pieces of equipment that he prefers is tight fitting clothing around his legs and sweaters to keep warm in cold weather. Matt will also wear a hat to keep up with his long hair as well as helmets.

Demographics — Rachael is a young adult female.

Rachael spends her work days leading the marketing team of a university sports and recreation department. She has a clear enjoyment for physical activity, considering the ease with which she conversed on the topic. She typically runs for exercise, but has recently began branching-out into yoga. She will go bike riding, generally on quieter roads with another rider, but mostly as a form of leisure rather than exercise. She will usually try to exercise in the morning, but the time ultimately varies.

She uses both wearables and apps. Regarding the former, she utilizes a Garmin when running for a more accurate counter of distance and speed. When she’s not using the Garmin, she is wearing a FitBit used to calculate her steps, time, and sleep. She is very competitive with her friends, and is constantly checking the FitBit mobile application to make sure she’s always on top. She has recently begun to move away from the use of her Garmin because updating maps required the use of a desktop computer: a process more tedious than she would prefer. Regarding mobile apps, Rachael has used MapMyRun in the past, but has more recently been using Strava and FitBit to track her exercise.

Demographics — Cheryl is an adult female.

Cheryl had been cycling for a few years but is a more avid runner. She is lives a very health oriented life and pursues healthy choices. She enjoys exercising including running, cycling, and partaking in yoga classes. Her husband and her husband both place health and wellness at the forefront of their lives. He works at Wahoo Fitness and is a more avid cyclist than she is. They will exercise together, but not exclusively.

She wears a Garmin to keep track of her fitness activity. She particularly likes it for its ability to keep track of her distances very accurately. It is also something she can wear and then sync to an app later. Though she’s spent a little time using apps, specifically Strava, she doesn’t use them much anymore. She didn’t seem particularly interested in notifications and updates. When she bikes, she typically rides with partner, not much with a group.

Demographics — Jack is a college-aged male.

Jack works in the bike shop on a university campus, repairing and maintaining students’ bikes. As we initiated our interview he was momentarily timid. But as we delved deeper into our conversation regarding cycling, his passion for the activity began to show.

He was newer to the world of cycling at the time of the interview. He had been involved in mountain biking for about a year and a half, riding a minimum of 2 to 3 hours a week. He was only interested in mountain biking and showed little interest in road cycling stating that “it seemed boring and repetitive.” Mountain biking was primarily a hobby for him. He had experience skateboarding as a kid and wanted to continue his competitive experiences through mountain biking. He mostly engages in riding with groups of people, rather than alone. He typically visits just one venue with multiple trails. He likes to ride trails over and over to learn the trail and set new PR’s, as competition is his most significant motivation.

He does not currently use any apps, wearables or devices when biking, however he was not opposed to using them. He said his current needs were met with just friends timing him and keeping track of his statistics. He had previously been exposed to the app “My Fitness Pal” and had used it with running. To him, being able to track his pace is the most important feature of an exercise application.

Demographics — Trevor is an middle-aged adult male.

Trevor is the head of the bike shop. The bike shop is located in the same university he attended as an undergrad. He is highly knowledge in the bike history, terminology and mechanics. Mechanics of how a small bike could exert so much power. “The Machine” as he calls the bike is what let to him entering the sport. He is a mechanic by trade.  He has close to 20 years in the field. His transition in cycling started off as road cycling and later to mountain biking. Each of these variation has its niche. Depending on what and how to train. Mountain biking of a technical aspect to cycling because of the terrain changes while road cycling gives the thrill of going fast! Tracking data not much of an importance as it was in his training days. Nowadays the main goal is to keep up with the youngsters. Get the youngsters to breath heavily and earn a victory. To track he used to use a device that would mount to the bike. This device would track mileage as well as heartbeat.