Avocet Computers?

Quoted message said:

Are they still in business? Their website is up, but I can't find anyone
who sells their product. Looking for a Avocet 45, are they even made
anymore?

Websites are cheap to leave up & maintain; businesses are not. When we last
stocked Avocet computers they had a pretty bad DOA (dead on arrival) rate.
Too bad, since the designs were generally nice, but Cateye had the audacity
to make high-quality computers, make them available through a number of
distributors (you could only buy Avocet direct through Avocet if you were a
retailer), great supply of spare parts and even set up a US-based customer
service center.Kinda took all the fun out waiting for Avocet to get their
act together.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"David Peake" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:AEEwf.2817$Xo5.2556@trnddc02...

Quoted message said:

Are they still in business? Their website is up, but I can't find anyone
who sells their product. Looking for a Avocet 45, are they even made
anymore?

Thanks,

Dave

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Websites are cheap to leave up & maintain; businesses are not. When we last
stocked Avocet computers they had a pretty bad DOA (dead on arrival) rate.
Too bad, since the designs were generally nice, but Cateye had the audacity
to make high-quality computers, make them available through a number of
distributors (you could only buy Avocet direct through Avocet if you were a
retailer), great supply of spare parts and even set up a US-based customer
service center.Kinda took all the fun out waiting for Avocet to get their
act together.

I still have two functioning Avocet 50s that get used everyday. The
altimiters are more accurate (cumulative elevation) than anything else
sold today, and the inductive pickup is technically superior to the
magnet and reed switches used on the other manufacturer's computers.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email hidden]>

Mike DeMicco said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Websites are cheap to leave up & maintain; businesses are not. When we last
stocked Avocet computers they had a pretty bad DOA (dead on arrival) rate.
Too bad, since the designs were generally nice, but Cateye had the audacity
to make high-quality computers, make them available through a number of
distributors (you could only buy Avocet direct through Avocet if you were a
retailer), great supply of spare parts and even set up a US-based customer
service center.Kinda took all the fun out waiting for Avocet to get their
act together.

I still have two functioning Avocet 50s that get used everyday. The
altimiters are more accurate (cumulative elevation) than anything else
sold today, and the inductive pickup is technically superior to the
magnet and reed switches used on the other manufacturer's computers.

I also still have an Avocet 50. I don't think that there are any new
cycle computers with altimeters available. It's not built as well as the
CatEyes though. The battery holder snaps are not very rugged. Avocet
sent me some new ones for free a while back though. The original Avocet
cyclocomputer (was it the 20 or the 10) was a big joke in terms of
reliability.

Quoted message said:

I don't think that there are any new cycle computers with altimeters
available. It's not built as well as the CatEyes though. The battery holder
snaps are not very rugged. Avocet sent me some new ones for free a while
back though. The original Avocet cyclocomputer (was it the 20 or the 10)
was a big joke in terms of reliability.

at least 2, and maybe more, of the currently available Ciclosport computers
(HAC4 being one) have altimeters. And I think some of the newest Polar
computers do, too.

-Jim

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I still have two functioning Avocet 50s that get used everyday. The
altimiters are more accurate (cumulative elevation) than anything else
sold today, and the inductive pickup is technically superior to the
magnet and reed switches used on the other manufacturer's computers.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email hidden]>

I too have an Avocet 50 that get lots of use on my winter bike. Purchased in
1991. It should be noted that this is the third of three. The first two were
warranty replaced by Avocet before I got a reliable one. As noted below. The
battery caps suck. Be very careful with them.

I use a Specialized Speedzone Pro Classic for most of my riding, now
discontinued. I think it is far more realistic for elevation gain. I also
really like the percent grade function. The Avocet 50 does not count any
gain of less than 30 feet. The Specialized increments with jumps of 7 feet
or more. If you do rides with lots of short ups and downs and rollers the 50
says you have done no climbing. Your legs know better. If you ride long
climbs they come out almost the same.

Google around and I think you will discover that Jobst had some input into
the 50's cumulative elevation design. Seems that the goal was to keep
highway overpasses from counting.
Bill Brannon

"Bill" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I still have two functioning Avocet 50s that get used everyday. The
altimiters are more accurate (cumulative elevation) than anything
else sold today, and the inductive pickup is technically superior to
the magnet and reed switches used on the other manufacturer's
computers.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email hidden]>

I too have an Avocet 50 that get lots of use on my winter bike.
Purchased in 1991. It should be noted that this is the third of three.
The first two were warranty replaced by Avocet before I got a reliable
one. As noted below. The battery caps suck. Be very careful with them.

I use a Specialized Speedzone Pro Classic for most of my riding, now
discontinued. I think it is far more realistic for elevation gain. I
also really like the percent grade function. The Avocet 50 does not
count any gain of less than 30 feet. The Specialized increments with
jumps of 7 feet or more. If you do rides with lots of short ups and
downs and rollers the 50 says you have done no climbing. Your legs
know better. If you ride long climbs they come out almost the same.

Google around and I think you will discover that Jobst had some input
into the 50's cumulative elevation design. Seems that the goal was to
keep highway overpasses from counting.
Bill Brannon

No, the goal was to keep from adding "noise" to the cumulative elevation
gain (i.e., from barometric pressure variations that are not due to
elevation changes, and from noise within the unit itself). How do you
know the Specialized isn't overcounting? I've checked my Avocet against
topo maps and got a good correlation.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email hidden]>