General Cycling Discussion - What does a bike computer do for you?

I see references to bike computers and would like to know what they do for the rider or keep track of? Thanks.

I use mine for speed, max speed, avg. speed, cadence and total distance.

I use it to judge my fitness, and for motivation. The cadence function also helps me with my pedal stroke.

I use mine to track progress, I have a spread sheet made to track avg. speed, max speed, time and distance of each ride so I can see how I'm progressing oppose to just riding and not knowing really how good or bad my gains are.

I think the most popular reason for having one is distance.

I like to know the time to get to my destination the most. Keep in mind that some computers let you choose whether to include time sitting at traffic lights or other stop or not while other ones give you no choice.

I also like to know my speed at any given moment and my average and my distance.

I use cadence periodically for training (not all computers have this either.

Of course, the odometer is nice for keeping track of total distance. I think there are some things that differ with those as well. My first computer let me set a number to start with - handy if you wish to transfer data if you buy a new one or when you replace a battery. My present one doesn't seem to have that option which, if changing the battery causes it to lose old data, will not be a good thing.

Bob

I like to know my speed and distance.

Mine let's me know how late I am for work, and how late I will be by the time I get there.

Mine tells me how slow I'm going in case there is someplace I need to go in a hurry.

Try this

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/large_photo.cfm?SKU=12090&Store=Bike

Speed
Speed ave.
Speed max.
Distance
Odometre
Time of day
Date
Elapsed Time
Lap time
Heart rate
Heart rate ave.
Heart rate max.
Altitude
Altitude ave.
Altitude max.
Ascent gained
In zone
Above zone
Below zone
Intervals
Temperature
Temp ave.
Temp max.
Calories
Cadence
Cadence ave.
Cadence max

I don't need any of this stuff to ride a bike, but it is good to have a record of my cycling for when I'm too old to remember how fit I once was.

CHEERS.

Mark

It makes me feel cool.

I also like to keep track of the distance I've traveled. Speed, max speed, and average speed are great for training rides.

As always I am slow on the uptake with tech stuff and though they have been a round for years I got my first one in March and now all my bikes have them. I like them for distance and speed, but it is also nice to track fitness with your average mph. The Planet Bike one that the link was to is a very good buy they make excellent stuff and they donate a ton of money back to the bike community:)

I love competing against myself. Despite my statements about enjoying nature, et al, I also like to see my distance improve, my speed improve, and to know just how long I have been turning the old crank.

It helps me see my progress.

It also helps me keep track of my bike mileage for maintenance, chain replacement, etc. Also, it impresses the heck out of my brother-in-law when I tell him - "You know, this bike has almost 8,000 miles on it (mtn bike) and the other one has close to 7,000 miles." He, whose major exercise has always been pushing the button on the remote cable TV control to flip through football games, just can't quite believe me. Also, when I casually state, I rode 50 miles today - it really blows him out of the water.:rolleyes:

Sounds like I need one for my bike. Whats a good bike computer and about how much should I expect to pay for one? Wheres a good place to get one? The one in the link above looks nice also. Any others to consider? Thank you.

Originally posted by Peddler
Sounds like I need one for my bike. Whats a good bike computer and about how much should I expect to pay for one? Wheres a good place to get one? The one in the link above looks nice also. Any others to consider? Thank you.





i got a cat eye enduro 8 for 20 bucks from my LBS.


nice little lower end computer. retails for 29.99

my LBS owner saw my "Fender Twin Reverb" shirt and gave me a discount for being a fellow guitarest.

LBS's rule :D

Originally posted by danr
It makes me feel cool.




yea.. adds to the overall pimp-factor.



like bringing two water bottles with you on a 2 mile trip.

Originally posted by JasBike
yea.. adds to the overall pimp-factor.



like bringing two water bottles with you on a 2 mile trip.
and a hydropack on your back, with a frame pump, and mud all over you.

Originally posted by AquariaGuy
and a hydropack on your back, with a frame pump, and mud all over you.






yes yes mud is key.


and a spare tire on your back :beer:

I like my Cateye Astral - it includes cadence.

Some people get one that includes heart monitor functions rather than getting separate units.

Bob

Originally posted by Peddler
Sounds like I need one for my bike. Whats a good bike computer and about how much should I expect to pay for one? Wheres a good place to get one?
Do you want wired or wireless? Cadence? How much do you want to spend?

Go to Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=1035&category=82&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1) and Performance (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/subcategory.cfm?Cat_ID=8&Sub_ID=4110&Sort=1) and find one that has the features you want and fits your budget.
(The links are sorted by price - $ to $$$)


BTW: I have a Vetta RT77 (http://www.vetta.com/Product_RT77.html) on both of my bikes. :thumbup:

i got that planet bike protoge that was linked in here previously. i was going to get the model with the temp on it, but ive heard its not accurate. got it for $23 shipped from Jenson

For me, it's the fancy successor of the mechanical odometer. Back then, we had the choice between a mechanical speedometer that induced a lot of drag and a mechanical odometer close to the hub that clicked with each turn of the wheel... and sometimes frightingly at high speed.

So I now have the Cateye Mighty II, which is a fairly basic model. It's nice to have all those features, but the ones I really use are:

ESSENTIAL
- daily odometer (essential to plan food purchases when next village is 60 km away);

VERY GOOD TO HAVE
- 2nd daily odometer and total odometer : to measure total distance in a trip.
- speed : helps see the effect of a good cadence
- clock with seconds : to compute cadence in those boring prairie stretches when there doesn't seem to be any wildlife around.

Regards.

Use mine one for current speed, max speed, overall speed, distance and total distance.

But planning to buy one of those nifty Heartrate and Computer in one thingys so that I don't have to missplace my heartrate monitor all the time :P

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/large_photo.cfm?SKU=15379&Store=Bike

Woa this is neat!
I'm in the market for a cyclocomputer too. What's a good wireless one that's pretty cheap and doesn't isn't retardedly ugly and has some good features? Also how is the signal with wireless cyclocomputers and how does the transmittor work? Does it have to have its own powersource?