Calibrating computer?

Sando said:

Hi everyone

Can anyone tell me how to calibrate my bike computer??

I have a Cateye VELO 8 (CC-VL800) and i want to know that my distance / KPH / average speed that it reads is correct...

PLEASE HELP!!!!

To get distance and speed your computer needs to know two things:

1. The time it takes the wheel to go around one turn, and
   
2. How far you travel with each turn of the wheel.
   

The time part is easy. The computer simply measures the time it takes the magnetic pickup to go around.

You have to tell the computer how far your bike travels per wheel revolution. Here's the best method I know:

1. Make a mark on the pavement where you will start.
   
2. Put your wheel on that mark so that the valve stem is at the bottom.
   
3. With you on the bike, roll forward in a straight line exactly one wheel revolution.
   
4. Mark this point on the pavement.
   
5. Measure the distance between marks.
   
6. Input this distance into your computer.
   

best is to do an 'on the bike' rollout at a measured velodrome, or some other track.

531Aussie said:

best is to do an 'on the bike' rollout at a measured velodrome, or some other track.

Agree - some tracks will have a marked out 1,2,3,4 5 ... Km marks on the pavement that you can test. You will get some minor variation depending on how you ride the corners etc. I have found that I need to vary the computer settings a liitle from the roillout method by trial and error, so things like rider weight tyre pressure may influence the true reading.

Sando said:

Hi everyone

Can anyone tell me how to calibrate my bike computer??

I have a Cateye VELO 8 (CC-VL800) and i want to know that my distance / KPH / average speed that it reads is correct...

PLEASE HELP!!!!

If you need accuracy more than the 99.5% + accuracy you will get by just plugging in the number from your manual, then the previous posters have some good ideas.

But, in my reading of your message, it sounds like the extreme accuracy isn't an issue, it is that you don't know how to set it...

If you don't have your manual, you can find the number you need here:

sheldonbrown.comcyclecomputer calibration.htmlOpen ↗

For specific directions, I don't see yours listed, but you can try the methods used for some other Cateye models to see if one of them works. Those are here:

sheldonbrown.comcyclecom calibration proc.htmlOpen ↗

Good luck!