Road Cycling - A GOOD cyclo computer?

I've been reading reviews on (different brands) on cyclo computers, there's a lot of mixed comments and opinions. Most brands don't seem to be reliable like CatEye, CycloSport, Sigma, Planet Bike, Echowell.
is there such a thing as a GOOD, RELIABLE cyclo computer w/Cadence features included, any experiences you'd like to share with the ones you have/had?
Corsaire :(

I have two Vetta RT77 (http://www.vetta.com/Product_RT77.html) (one for each bike). They've worked flawlessly for over two years.
They replaced the Cateye Astrale that I had which crapped out after 1-1/2 years.

The Flight Deck is a good computer and it provides cadence without a sensor or any wires to the crank (if you have Shimano STI levers). If you get the wireless Flight Deck, there are no wires at all except the wires from the base running under the handlebar tape to the STI levers. The only downside, it’s expensive. -Mark

The Flight Deck is a good computer and it provides cadence without a sensor or any wires to the crank (if you have Shimano STI levers). If you get the wireless Flight Deck, there are no wires at all except the wires from the base running under the handlebar tape to the STI levers. The only downside, it’s expensive. -Mark

But isn't the cadence feature of the flight deck only virtual? I have heard that you can be whizzing down the road, stop pedaling and flight deck still says you are ripping off 100rpms.

But isn't the cadence feature of the flight deck only virtual? I have heard that you can be whizzing down the road, stop pedaling and flight deck still says you are ripping off 100rpms.

Yeah, but I'm not fooled

I have two Vetta HR1000's. Great because HR functions are included. You can do cadence with a separate kit, although I haven't yet. Mine are wired. Performance has them on sale for $50, which means they are probably coming out with something different,.

I have a Cateye Astrale that has worked flawlessly for 5 years. It replaced an Avocet 35 that never quite worked correctly.

I've been reading reviews on (different brands) on cyclo computers, there's a lot of mixed comments and opinions. Most brands don't seem to be reliable like CatEye, CycloSport, Sigma, Planet Bike, Echowell.
is there such a thing as a GOOD, RELIABLE cyclo computer w/Cadence features included, any experiences you'd like to share with the ones you have/had?
Corsaire :(

In my expeience, no computer is perfect. I've used Cateye, Specialized, Sigma and CicloSports and each has its :) and its :mad: .

That being said, I have settled on CicloSport, the CM 436m Alti, in particular. This one has a memory feature that you can upload to your PC with supplied software and interface. It is somewhat pricey (best price I found is at XXCycle (www.xxcycle.com). I like it 'cause it is wireless and has a cadence feature (optional - wired) plus a ton of other features most computers don't have - like (calculated) Watts (power), gradient, altitude and temp. (When you up load the stuff to you PC at the end of a ride, the software plots the contour and reports all collected data. The gradient feature is based on barometric pressure and is accurate within 2% or so. I have found the resulting plots to be consistent for the same routes over multiple rides.) The same features, minus the PC interface and software, is available as the CicloSport 434.

I've had no problem with my 436m - other than adusting the magnets and pick-ups. The directions are translated from German so installation and first use takes some thought but once you get passed that, it's great.

I have the PlanetBike 8.0 and love it. I use it on both bikes. An extra mounting harness is $10

cytec c10+.. made by VDO the automotive guage makers. if its good enough for porsche....

wireless, very easy to use and accurate

I love my cateye for the rear wheel. It works for the trainer and outside.

I've not had problems with any of the Cateye bike computers I've owned over the years.

I had the Vetta V100 with the HRM and Cadence. It was wireless. I got a lot of interference which often times caused the speed to show up very inaccurately, or the HR data to be way off. Plus the temperature reading was always off by at least 5 degrees and it would basically stop showing a tempature under 45 degrees. The cadence feature was ok, aside from the extra wire running down to the crank area. Cleaning was a pain due to that extra wire. Unfortunately, I wanted the cadence feature, but it showed up on it's own display, so unless I thought about it and clicked the button like 4 times to go to that display, I rarely used it. I would have much rather had a display that showed the speed, distance, time of ride, temp, time of day AND cadence all on one display. I dislike continually having to reach down and press a button to go thru all the different displays just to see the different bits of data.

That's the only cyclocomputer I've tried with cadence. I ended up only using it for about 5 or 6 months and finally canned it due to the interference problems and the fact that the temp feature wouldn't work under 45 degrees F.

My favorite so far is the Bike Planet Protege 9.0. It's wired, so no interference. The temp feature works down to sub zero degrees F. It's completely sealed so very little chance of damage when you ride in the rain. The main display shows the speed, distance, time of ride, temp, and time of day all at once, so I don't have to be switching displays all the time.

I do wish Bike Planet would create a cyclocomputer that also had cadence on the main display. I'm not sure if they could do that without adding another wire to the crank area. Maybe wireless, but it would have to be either digital or shielded somehow because the basic wireless that I often see would not work for me since I ride near some high power lines.

Gradiant and altitude are other features I'd enjoy seeing, but they aren't that important to me.

Own a Cateye Cordless 2.
Still going strong..ish after nearly 5 years constant use.
Not all that good looking i have to say...rather chunky in appearance. has served me very well though.

Check out the computers at www.specialized.com. I have three of the older style wireless (except for the cadence feature) and they have been excellent and accurate. The new models look great.

***Tip. I hated the look of the zip-ties on the bike and what I did on the crank arm was use a little bit of epoxy to mount the magnet to the back side of the crank arm. Will not fall off and looks great without the tie.

Marc

But isn't the cadence feature of the flight deck only virtual? I have heard that you can be whizzing down the road, stop pedaling and flight deck still says you are ripping off 100rpms.

I've never understood why that's even a criticism of the FlightDeck. Yes, it's virtual cadence, not "real" - but I can tell whether I'm pedaling or not when I'm coasting downhill! ;)

And it's even a benefit in another way: when I'm coasting, I can see what rate I need to be pedaling in order to actually be "under power load", because based on the gear you're in, it tells you the cadence you need to be moving at to be "under load" for that given speed.

I've never understood why that's even a criticism of the FlightDeck. Yes, it's virtual cadence, not "real" - but I can tell whether I'm pedaling or not when I'm coasting downhill! ;)

And it's even a benefit in another way: when I'm coasting, I can see what rate I need to be pedaling in order to actually be "under power load", because based on the gear you're in, it tells you the cadence you need to be moving at to be "under load" for that given speed.
I think I'd find it a bit frustrating going downhill. I'm trying to work on smoothing out my pedal stroke and cadence, so downhill I try to hold a steady cadence, which may not actually be under load if I don't also want to accelerate. Would the FlightDeck not show my actual cadence in this situation? I'd have to move to a bigger gear to make sure I was under constant load if I wanted to follow the readings?

______

To answer the original question: I've never had any major problems with any cyclocomputers using a couple of different Specialized, CatEye and Sigma models. I've just recently fitted a CatEye Astrale 8 to my road bike - it's been great so far (even if it is a touch hard to read the secondary display title... which was no biggie - it just took a few rides to get used to the cycle and know what was what). Loving the cadence feature, and at $26 it was an absolute bargain.

When reading reviews, it pays to remember that a lot of people will only write one if something goes wrong. Many of us just aren't in the habit of providing online reviews, and even those that do often don't speak up on review boards when a device works perfectly well for us - it just does it's job so admirably that we forget to give praise online.

I have several cateye cordless 2's and although they are basic have worked without a single problem over the last 10 years. I now use a Polar 720 and it is amazing, it records everything, no wires. The only criticism is the HR monitor can sometimes go a bit freaky when descending downhill. The fabric of one of my jerseys creates static which interferes with the accuracy, for a few seconds, showing a HR of 230!

CHEERS.

Mark

I always get a kick out of ShimaNO owners who complain about the extra wires of non-wirelss cycle computers. If they really wanted to get rid of unsightly wires they ought to go with Campy Ergo levers and a wireless cycle computer. The cables sticking out of ShimaNO STI shifter are just butt-ugly, IMHO. :D

Took me more than a month to figure out all of its functions and how to get them while on the road (the manual isn't terribly user-frinedly), but thanks to FlightDeck's virtual cadence, I'm now definitely mashing less and spinning more - and my average speeds have increased as a result. So I'm glad I got it. Once I get my Polar HRM, I'll have all the "tools" I could want for training.

Booyah, to answer your question: yes, if you want your downhill cadence to be "real", not "virtual", you'd need to be in a bigger gear to be under load with the FlightDeck.