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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David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
[email hidden]

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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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

Do not reply to the e-mail address above - too much SPAM! Post replies to the group!

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
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.?

Thanks

"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.?

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.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

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
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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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

Do not reply to the e-mail address above - too much SPAM! 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
news:[email hidden]...

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
news:[email hidden]...

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
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

"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
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

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
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.?

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