Road Cycling - Best cyclocomputer Wireless or GPS?

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spookygeek
06-15-04, 02:58 PM
I'm looking to get a nice cyclocomputer for my new bike. I'm looking at a wireless model (no cadence)from cateye or vetta, and they seem to run around $40 or so. Also i know that garmin has some small GPS out that can give speed, distance and other features in a small package like the Forerunner 101. And at only ~$90-100 its not too bad a price for a real GPS.

http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner101/

Any thoughts?

-Brent

wingnut
06-15-04, 06:03 PM
I rode last year with my Garmin GPSIII+. Probably not the best for a bike, but I picked up a motorcycle mount fir it and it worked out pretty good. It was pretty cool for areas I wasn't familiar with, the only downside was losing signal in some heavily wooded areas.
Al.canoe
06-15-04, 07:28 PM
GPS will be upgraded in the coming years. I believe that late next year a new frequency will be added which will improve accuracy. It might also reduce the signal reception problem under trees. I'm delaying buying a new GPS until the improvement schedule is more defined.

Al

Trevor98
06-15-04, 08:05 PM
GPS is as accurate or inaccurate as the receiver. Currently there are extremely accurate units sold commercially for serious survey work. An affordable handheld unit is limited by many factors the most important of which is cost. They system is accurate enough for its primary purpose (putting steal on target).

If you are waiting for "improvements" you'll wait forever because the system can always be improved.

I have both a GPS (Rhino120) and a cyclocomputer- each has a purpose. I would figure out what you want from a GPS, perhaps research them specifically or attend GPS classes at a local outfitter and then find a unit that fits your needs. The Forerunner is very limited in its capabilities- it cannot download to a PC, upload or display maps, or receive WAAP signals (accuracy). Cyclocomputers have their own benefits- cadence, size, weight, cost of replacement. Figure out what you want and search for the best option that fits your budget.

Trevor