Newbie speedometer problem

What model do you have? I have the Altimeter model and when I switched to
OSS I got a long wire kit from Hostel Shoppe. There are some other Cateye
models listed. You might see if there is a kit available for yours.
hostelshoppe.comreaditem.plOpen ↗

Dave said:

Hello, everyone! I just bought my first rideable recumbent
(I'm one of those sorry Blackbent USS owners), and I am
very happy with my new Lightning Phantom. I was out on it
last night, and I was hauling on it for twice the time
that I could on my Marin San Anselmo without slowing down,
but wishing to know how fast I was moving. So, before
taking it to the office this morning, I transferred my
Cateye computer, after re-setting it at the tire code 162
for my 20x1.25 front tire (the table in the manual lists
20x1.75, followed by 20x1 3/8

There are several types of 20" wheels - e.g. 451 size is
quite a bit bigger than 406 size. Could this be part of the
explanation? If it doesn't say which type of wheel it's
talking about, I would tend to measure the circumference of
the wheel manually rather than accept their default setting.

, but since the tire widths for other diameters are listed
in

Quoted message said:

increasing order, it may have been a misprint). I didn't
have enough wire length from my fixed handlebar mount to
bring the receiver as close in from the rim as I would
have liked to, so I was stuck with a big gap to the magnet
on the spoke, although not enough to prevent a reading
when I spun the wheel.

I noticed problem when I started riding. When I was really
hauling, the computer didn't register above 9 mph, and it
stayed there for a long time after I slowed down.

How long? If it was just a few seconds, then this is
probably normal to average out variations or perhaps so the
computer can correct for missed rev-counts.

Quoted message said:

What I am wondering is whether it's possible to
consistently get a reading at all, but an inaccurate one,
due to a large gap between the magnet and the reader.

Sounds plausible.

Quoted message said:

Has anyone had any trouble with Cateye on small wheels, or
noticed that apparent table error in the manual? Your
response can help me decide if my Cateye is worth the
trouble of splicing in a longer wire so that I can move
the magnet toward the hub.

I had a Cateye that worked fine, I don't remember what model
it was off the top of my head - and I guess this could be
important. Perhaps you could move the whole thing
temporarily an inch or two down the steerer to test it. Even
if you can't see it, you can tell whether it's working any
better by riding a short distance and looking to see whether
the max-speed reading is plausible.

Quoted message said:

If you don't use a Cateye on your recumbent, for whatever
reason, what make do you use?

Vetta VT100 - but only because the Cateye passed away - I
kept kicking it and the mount broke. It's nice as a speedo
but I can never work out how to make it do anything more
complicated.

AC

Quoted message said:

Thanks.

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

Quoted message said:

Hello, everyone! I just bought my first rideable recumbent
(I'm one of those sorry Blackbent USS owners), and I am
very happy with my new Lightning Phantom. I was out on it
last night, and I was hauling on it for twice the time
that I could on my Marin San Anselmo without slowing down,
but wishing to know how fast I was moving. So, before
taking it to the office this morning, I transferred my
Cateye computer, after re-setting it at the tire code 162
for my 20x1.25 front tire (the table in the manual lists
20x1.75, followed by 20x1 3/8, but since the tire widths
for other diameters are listed in increasing order, it may
have been a misprint). I didn't have enough wire length
from my fixed handlebar mount to bring the receiver as
close in from the rim as I would have liked to, so I was
stuck with a big gap to the magnet on the spoke, although
not enough to prevent a reading when I spun the wheel.

I've found the examples listed in bike speedometer
literature is lousy, the best thing to do is not to rely on
that and measure the tire yourself for the exact reading

Quoted message said:

I noticed problem when I started riding. When I was
really hauling, the computer didn't register above 9 mph,
and it stayed there for a long time after I slowed down.
What I am wondering is whether it's possible to
consistently get a reading at all, but an inaccurate one,
due to a large gap between the magnet and the reader. Has
anyone had any trouble with Cateye on small wheels, or
noticed that apparent table error in the manual? Your
response can help me decide if my Cateye is worth the
trouble of splicing in a longer wire so that I can move
the magnet toward the hub.

If you don't use a Cateye on your recumbent, for whatever
reason, what make do you use?

Thanks.

I use a Cateye and haven't had this problem, my front wheel
is the same size as yours

Mike Vore said:

Dave said:

Quoted message said:

computer, after re-setting it at the tire code 162 for my
20x1.25 front tire (the table in the manual lists
20x1.75, followed by

That sounds like a pretty small setting. For 20" tires on
my cateye Astrale I'm be using 1427. If cateye has changed
to the lower factor I'm not going to be buyng another -
you can't get close to accurate without 4 digits..

The Astrale can have the circumference set to the nearest mm
- I use 1440 on a 28-406 Stelvio - but others such as the
Mity can only be programmed to the nearest cm. I've got five
Astrales, four Mitys, a bag full of useless short wire
fitting kits and information overload...

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

On my Phantom I use a Specialized 'comp' (at least this is
what it says on the face). I got the accessory long cable
kit at the same time. Not many computers have a long enough
cable, so we opened a few boxes at the store before finding
this combo.

This computer also tends to lag behind on speed readings,
but it always works if you hold a speed for 10 seconds or
so. I would prefer a Cateye though, because I have always
liked the way they work better. So by all means, splice
your cable.

To calibrate the wheel I never use the tables. I inflate the
tire to my usual pressure, lay out a tape measure on the
ground, put a mark on the tire, sit on the bike (on the tip
of the saddle to center my weight), and roll off 3
revolutions. I then multiply by 2.54 (convert inches to mm)
and devide by 3 (# revolutions). This gives the actual
rolling circumference in
mm. I cross check this against the tables to check for gross
errors, but the number is pretty accurate.

That is a bit anal, but on a small wheel the error adds up.

John

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

Quoted message said:

Hello, everyone! I just bought my first rideable recumbent
(I'm one of those sorry Blackbent USS owners), and I am
very happy with my new Lightning Phantom. I was out on it
last night, and I was hauling on it for twice the time
that I could on my Marin San Anselmo without slowing down,
but wishing to know how fast I was moving. So, before
taking it to the office this morning, I transferred my
Cateye computer, after re-setting it at the tire code 162
for my 20x1.25 front tire (the table in the manual lists
20x1.75, followed by 20x1 3/8, but since the tire widths
for other diameters are listed in increasing order, it may
have been a misprint). I didn't have enough wire length
from my fixed handlebar mount to bring the receiver as
close in from the rim as I would have liked to, so I was
stuck with a big gap to the magnet on the spoke, although
not enough to prevent a reading when I spun the wheel.

I noticed problem when I started riding. When I was
really hauling, the computer didn't register above 9 mph,
and it stayed there for a long time after I slowed down.
What I am wondering is whether it's possible to
consistently get a reading at all, but an inaccurate one,
due to a large gap between the magnet and the reader. Has
anyone had any trouble with Cateye on small wheels, or
noticed that apparent table error in the manual? Your
response can help me decide if my Cateye is worth the
trouble of splicing in a longer wire so that I can move
the magnet toward the hub.

If you don't use a Cateye on your recumbent, for whatever
reason, what make do you use?

Thanks.

I use GPS (Garmin Venture) as my speedometer! No calibration needed. It gives speed, average speed, maximum speed and distance traveled plus tracking records. I can easily move it amoung several bikes I have. After I got my first 'bent', a Revive, about a month ago my GPS is always attached to the Revive.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by John Duval
[B]On my Phantom I use a Specialized 'comp' (at least this is
what it says on the face). I got the accessory long cable
kit at the same time. Not many computers have a long enough
cable, so we opened a few boxes at the store before finding
this combo.

This computer also tends to lag behind on speed readings,
but it always works if you hold a speed for 10 seconds or
so. I would prefer a Cateye though, because I have always
liked the way they work better. So by all means, splice
your cable.

To calibrate the wheel I never use the tables. I inflate the
tire to my usual pressure, lay out a tape measure on the
ground, put a mark on the tire, sit on the bike (on the tip
of the saddle to center my weight), and roll off 3
revolutions. I then multiply by 2.54 (convert inches to mm)
and devide by 3 (# revolutions). This gives the actual
rolling circumference in
mm. I cross check this against the tables to check for gross
errors, but the number is pretty accurate.

That is a bit anal, but on a small wheel the error adds up.

John

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

Quoted message said:

Hello, everyone! I just bought my first rideable recumbent
(I'm one of those sorry Blackbent USS owners), and I am
very happy with my new Lightning Phantom. I was out on it
last night, and I was hauling on it for twice the time
that I could on my Marin San Anselmo without slowing down,
but wishing to know how fast I was moving. So, before
taking it to the office this morning, I transferred my
Cateye computer, after re-setting it at the tire code 162
for my 20x1.25 front tire (the table in the manual lists
20x1.75, followed by 20x1 3/8, but since the tire widths
for other diameters are listed in increasing order, it may
have been a misprint). I didn't have enough wire length
from my fixed handlebar mount to bring the receiver as
close in from the rim as I would have liked to, so I was
stuck with a big gap to the magnet on the spoke, although
not enough to prevent a reading when I spun the wheel.

I noticed problem when I started riding. When I was
really hauling, the computer didn't register above 9 mph,
and it stayed there for a long time after I slowed down.
What I am wondering is whether it's possible to
consistently get a reading at all, but an inaccurate one,
due to a large gap between the magnet and the reader. Has
anyone had any trouble with Cateye on small wheels, or
noticed that apparent table error in the manual? Your
response can help me decide if my Cateye is worth the
trouble of splicing in a longer wire so that I can move
the magnet toward the hub.

If you don't use a Cateye on your recumbent, for whatever
reason, what make do you use?

Thanks. [/B]