Wireless Cyclocomputers - Opinions

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

I've seen reports of interference from other riders next to
you who might have the same (or similar) models of
computers, but haven't experienced that myself.

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In article said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any drawbacks
to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

I have a Cateye Cordless II and have used it since 95 with
no problems. You do need two batteries; one for the sensor
and one for the receiver. Not a big deal to change and they
last quite awhile.

Mike

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David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

I've seen reports of interference from other riders next
to you who might have the same (or similar) models of
computers, but haven't experienced that myself.

I must stay at least 15.8" away from any other bike equipped
with an Echo
W2. It's tough but worth it.

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"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

The only drawback I've seen is that most wireless units
do not "auto-start". You have to remember to push a
button to start the computer functions when you start
riding, or after you've stopped for more than 5 minutes
or so. They're designed this way to conserve battery life
on the transmitter battery. Because of this, I'll
sometimes miss a few 10ths of a mile before I realize the
computer is not running.

Despite this issue, I really like wireless units. They're
easier to mount, and you don't have those wires running all
over your bike.

--
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I use a Cateye Cordless 2 on my Giant hybid and find that in
colder weather the signal is not strong enough to be picked
up by the computer. Over 55 degrees, no problem. I've
changed the batteries out, but that did not help. With the
shocks and such, I can only get the computer within 20" of
the sender, so if you have a regular road bike, that might
not be a problem. Other than that, its fine.

John P. "Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

My Cateye II tends to be temperature sensative. Under 50
degrees, the computer tends not to pick up the signal. I run
a hybrid with shocks, so I tend to have around 20" between
the two which does not help. I'd save the $$ and pick up a
corded unit if I had to do it over again.

"Mike Erb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

x-no-archive-yes In article
<[email hidden]>, "Mike"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

I have a Cateye Cordless II and have used it since 95 with
no problems.

You

Quoted message said:

do need two batteries; one for the sensor and one for the
receiver. Not a

big

Quoted message said:

deal to change and they last quite awhile.

Mike

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Post replies to

the group!

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I use a Cateye Cordless 2 on my Giant hybid and find
that in colder weather the signal is not strong enough
to be picked up by the computer. Over 55 degrees, no
problem. I've changed the batteries out, but that did
not help. With the shocks and such, I can only get the
computer within 20" of the sender, so if you have a
regular road bike, that might not be a problem. Other
than that, its fine.

I've used my Specialized SpeedZone Pro at sub-zero (F)
temperatures, and it still worked fine, though the LCD
display was rather slow on the changes. Terrific computer,
though it's probably more money than I would have spend on
myself (it was a gift). It has a wireless wheel sensor, and
a wired cadence sensor, so there's still one wire running
down your downtube. They make a model without cadence, which
is completely wireless.

I've had it about a year and a half, and haven't had to
replace a battery yet.

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Mike said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

I have a wireless Flight Deck. No problems yet.

Though it might be counterintuitive, wireless is probably
less complicated, and potentially more reliable.

Matt O.

GaryG <garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com> wrote in
message [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

The only drawback I've seen is that most wireless units do
not "auto-start".

FWIW, my Echo W2 autostarts. And's it's way cheaper than
the Cateye.

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Wow, thanks for all the info. Looks like I'll go cordless.
Just have to decide on a brand now. Thanks again.

Mike

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Mike said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

I have a wireless Flight Deck. No problems yet.

Though it might be counterintuitive, wireless is
probably less

complicated, and

Quoted message said:

potentially more reliable.

Matt O.

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1087k3l8foun377
@corp.supernews.com:

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Reasons not to get wireless:
1. 2 batteries to wear out
2. interference from power lines and burglar alarms
and friends
3. big ugly wireless transmitter on your fork
4. weighs more than wired
5. costs more than wired
6. sometimes less functionality than wired (no auto-
on feature)

I don't see any benefit to wireless except on mountain bikes
where the shock might interfere with the wire, but then you
have to worry about your transmitter range.

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:1087k3l8foun377 @corp.supernews.com:

Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Reasons not to get wireless:
1. 2 batteries to wear out

3,000 miles on my Vetta V100A. No need to replace either
battery yet.

Quoted message said:

2. interference from power lines and burglar alarms and
friends

Never had this problem, even when riding with 1500 others
for a week in Colorado, or with 3000 others in some of the
larger century rides.

Quoted message said:

3. big ugly wireless transmitter on your fork

The Vetta's trasmitter is the same black color as my fork,
is aero-shaped, and only 2" tall. Compared to wires running
down the fork and back to the chainstays (for cadence), I
think the aesthetics favor wireless.

Quoted message said:

4. weighs more than wired

LOL...yeah, I really notice the extra 20 g.

Quoted message said:

5. costs more than wired

Granted.

Quoted message said:

6. sometimes less functionality than wired (no auto-on
feature)

My V100A includes an altimeter feature that I particularly
like. The lack of auto-on doesn't bother me...I set the
altimeter before starting my ride, and rarely stop for more
than 5 minutes so it doesn't shut off.

Quoted message said:

I don't see any benefit to wireless except on mountain
bikes where the

shock

Quoted message said:

might interfere with the wire, but then you have to worry
about your transmitter range.

GaryG garyg@shasta_spambegone_software.com said:

Quoted message said:

Reasons not to get wireless:
1. 2 batteries to wear out

3,000 miles on my Vetta V100A. No need to replace either
battery yet.

the batteries in the shimano flight deck sensor wear out
rather frequently which i define as several months of
moderate usage. when i was touring i replaced the battery 4
times in 4 months. two or three times a season was more like
it for normal, tho. not a big deal, but ..

otoh, now i use the campag ergobrain. haven't changed a
battery yet. off- topic, i found the flight deck menus more
intuitive -- i've never been a fan of the cat-eye style
computers.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

David Reuteler said:

GaryG garyg@shasta_spambegone_software.com said:

Quoted message said:

Reasons not to get wireless:
1. 2 batteries to wear out

3,000 miles on my Vetta V100A. No need to replace either
battery yet.

the batteries in the shimano flight deck sensor wear out
rather frequently which i define as several months of
moderate usage. when i was touring i replaced the battery 4
times in 4 months. two or three times a season was more
like it for normal, tho. not a big deal, but ..

otoh, now i use the campag ergobrain. haven't changed a
battery yet. off- topic, i found the flight deck menus more
intuitive -- i've never been a fan of the cat-eye style
computers.

The ergobrain looks nice and seems to have some unique
features like stopwatch which can be run independently.

Do any of these allow downloading into the PC or is that a
huge price jump?

-B

Drawbacks: no cadence on most, if not all models.

Advantages: no wires.

Conclusion (mine, at least): Wired with cadence for road
bike, where cadence is an advantage. Wireless so nothing to
snag for ATB. Off road I don't worry about cadence.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear
for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Drawbacks: no cadence on most, if not all models.

Advantages: no wires.

Conclusion (mine, at least): Wired with cadence for road
bike, where cadence is an advantage. Wireless so nothing
to snag for ATB. Off road I don't worry about cadence.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear
for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

My wireless Avocet has a cadence option. I haven't got it
yet, but probably will one of these days.

GG

Mike said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

I used to use the Sigma wireless unit, but because I often
got wacky readings from riding by power lines I had to sell
it. I've since gone back to using wired. Way more
dependable.

Kenny Lee

I had a cateye wireless and did not like it. It received
interference from electrical sources (traffic lights, power
lines, etc) that caused it to go haywire.

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Drawbacks: no cadence on most, if not all models.

Chris,

My Vetta has cadence. Many offered cadence when I was
looking.

Enjoy,

Perry B