Altitude Tracking...

[Jrkimbrough]

I'm looking for something to track total climbing per ride. Preferably something I can just throw in my back pocket on certain rides to track my altitude change per ride. I dont' care about seeing it when I ride, just want to see the end result after the ride.

I've got a bike computer that I like and I also have a HRM that I like and would like to continue using them. So neither of these are really a concern. It wouldn't bother me if it also had a bike computer with the altimeter but I just want to make sure it will still work if not mounted on the bike itself.

Any suggestions?

The cheapest solution I've seen is the VDO MC1.0 computer but I'm still not sure it would work if not mounted on the bike.

[soccerdude]

I had a VDO MC 1.0+ for a couple of years until I lost it riding. It works great for recording total altitude as well as grade plus it had an accurate temperature gauge which I really liked. The only bad thing about it was the mount was not that great especially in rough or rocky terrain. You must have it mounted in it's base for it to work or it won't record. I also use a Garmin Etrex Vista HC which is great for creating tracks and does nearly everything the VDO did except show the temperature. You could throw that in a pack and let it do it's thing.