Looking for bike computer

Are you looking for a basic model (time-speed-distance and maybe some averages or pace arrow functions)? GPS enabled? Want ANT+ heart rate or other sensor abilities? Mapping?

Will your planned use deal mainly with logging mileage or are you interested in training with heart rate zones, tracking estimated Watts/calories, etc.?

What is your price range? Basic models sell for as little as $20 and the high end GPS models with mapping and heart monitoring can cost $600. And there is a variety of option combinations of hard wired, wireless and cadence/heart rate capabilities in the middle.

I like Cateye, particularly their Strada Wireless series. Still, I had some recent quality issues with their top-of-their-line Stealth 50 model and heart rate strap.

I've had great luck with the very basic Avocet computers. They are so simple as to be considered anachronistic by some. They are also bombproof. I've had good experiences with a couple of TREK Incite basic computers.

Garmin gets good reviews and is probably one of the more reliable GPS brands.

Blackburn sells a couple models that perform well.

Timex's computer is kind of cool, but the online reviews are less than glowing.

DC Rainmaker has some of the best online reviews of the higher end models. There's literally hours and hours of data on his website.

Depends on what kind of data you are after...

If you just want a speed meter and the derived calculations (average speed, distance, time etc) you are fine with a wired or wireless model. Some say that wireless ones sometimes get jammed signals due to light systems. But I read somewhere about a new frequency technology. Maybe thats so they wont get jammed due to lights. Cateye makes lots of computer models from very simple to more complicated.

A nice feature to have is Cadence reading as it kinda might help in your training.

Another training aid would be a wattage meter or power meter but these are incorporated in the crank and I think they are pretty expensive.

I had one cateye one and before it got "ejected" from its bracket due to a slow speed impact (it was too late when I realized as I was just stopping and realized an hour later) I double checked it with a GPS speed meter on an android phone and it was spot-on. It helps to place the sensor magnet close to the hub of the wheel so the angle speed of the sensor - magnet contact is gonna be lower and the sensor wont "skip" readings.

Some of those have even more functions and some also have usb connectivity and they can log data from heart rate monitors, have slope gradient sensors (gyroscopic sensors maybe? Dunno) etc.

If you are after GPS data then you will need something bigger-more expensive like one of those Garmins. I dont know much about these.

You can also use two devices. You can have a simple computer and a GPS application on a smartphone, like android or Iphone. Some popular ones are Strava and Mapmyride. I also recently downloaded Google Tracks I think its called.

These can export data to a computer too and you can also see your ride on a map platform (eg Google maps) and some have also bluetooth connectivity with a heart rate monitor.

Another option is a sports watch such as the Suunto ones which have connectivity with heart rate monitors, cadence sensors etc. There is also a sports Suunto watch with GPS capabilities.

If you go for a GPS one that exports data then you can use some computer software to create videos of your rides (combined with a camera) like those:

Video created with a camera, probably a garmin GPS unit and the "Dashware" software that creates gauges from the various sensors units readings and syncs them with the video:

Good luck! [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comsmile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

But you might end up looking like this: [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

Another option to consider is a GPS watch. I have too many bicycles to put a nice computer on each one and I am not a fan of buying alot of mounts and sensors for each bike. With a watch, your computer follows you.

I also run, swim and go to a indoor cycling class for which the watch option works well. Many ant+ capable units can also record data from bike specific sensors (speed, cadence, power).

Volnix said:

Depends on what kind of data you are after...

Uhm, the angular speed of a magnet on a wheel spoke is constant, at a given linear velocity, no matter where the magnet is located on the spoke. If the angular velocity weren't constant, the spokes would break, and the wheel would fall apart. The tangential velocity of the magnet is lower near the hub than it is at the rim. No matter where the magnet is placed, there shouldn't be any magnet/sensor contact, but the sensor is at all times in the magnetic field of the magnet. It is nice, however, for the sensor and magnet to be close enough, at closest approach, so that the magnetic field strength is strong enough to trip the sensor's reed switch.

I have a Cateye V3 wireless at the moment. The minimum information I want while riding is speed, distance, cadence, and heart rate. Due to cardiac bypass surgery 11 months back, heart rate is particularly important. I also have a heart monitor watch, which works great, but I hate having to constantly remove my hand from the bars to read it. The problem is that the Cateye heart sensor keeps going haywire - I think it is the seal on the battery compartment of the chest strap. I've screwed around with it endlessly trying sealants etc. but I'm kind of fed up.

Now I'm a Strava user, so I also have my iPhone in my jersey pocket. I refuse to use the phone on my bars for one simple reason - keeping the display on drains the battery incredibly fast when you are using GPS and bluetooth at the same time. Also, I prefer a very small unit to minimize the dork factor, but that's just a personal preference.

So at the moment I have the Cateye, the watch, and the iPhone! Too many devices! I'm thinking a Garmin unit might work best for me at this point. I'll still carry a phone for emergencies, but I would be content to upload my rides to Strava after the fact.

Personally, having heart rate, cadence, speed and distance gives you enough information to really monitor your performance, pick the optimum gear combinations, and make every ride count. For an old dude like me who is riding strictly for fitness, a power meter would be overkill. Certainly if they could get the price down to a couple of hundred bucks it would be useful, but I can live without it.

"...so that the magnetic field strength is strong enough to trip the sensor's reed switch."

A reed switch? I thought bike computers for the last 25 years utilized a Hall Effect sensor. No moving parts and potted.

"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that de

"

Viking, agree it's a pain to have to twist your arm around to see a wrist-watch HRM. But it's easy to put your HRM watch on the handlebars so it's always in view. Mine came with a collar that snaps over the bars, with a flat on top to keep the watch centered. If you can't find the collar, you could just make a collar with foam pipe insulation or something similar.

Hi guys, also new to cycling and trying to get my head around the cycling computer issue. My issue is this, IPhone with Runtastic cycling app is perfect for my needs but iPhone battery does not last. I ride on designated cycle tracks so GPS positioning and mapping is not required, provided I can derive my speed and distance from a speed/cadence bluetooth transmitting device. Also heartrate monitoring will be great. I'm always going to have my phone with me, so investing in an expensive Garmin device simply does not make sense. So my question is this, is it possible to run a cycling app on my iPhone, disable GPS reception and receive the above mentioned data through bluetooth which will thereby prolong the battery life of my phone? Thanks

You could use an external battery / charger with your phone. They are small cheap and light, it should be easy enough to adapt to bicycle use.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by dhk2
Viking, agree it's a pain to have to twist your arm around to see a wrist-watch HRM. But it's easy to put your HRM watch on the handlebars so it's always in view. Mine came with a collar that snaps over the bars, with a flat on top to keep the watch centered. If you can't find the collar, you could just make a collar with foam pipe insulation or something similar.

Thanks! You just saved me $300 - at least in the short run. It would still be nice to be able to upload all of my metrics including heart rate to Strava to track my progress over time, but this will do nicely for now. Sometimes I just don't think about the obvious solutions!

Well what ever you get, DO NOT get the p.o.s. from Vetta, Solar Flare. It was to run on solar power but it crapped out and Vetta won't replay my calls or emails.

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]