Road Cycling - Which computer?

Which cycling computer do you guys recommend?

This thread just about covers it. I recommend a Cateye Astrale 8... I don't use a cadence

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=48774

What do you want the computer to do? do you want wired or wireless?

I love my astrale and my housemate has a flighdeck.

Both are good.

Astale - cheap, works on a trainer.
Flightdeck - shows what gear you are in - could be very useful with a triple.

astrale 8... survived many a thunderstorms...looks great... has CADENCE for 25$... what else could you ask for ?

Hi,
Planet Bike.... I like have all the info at a glance. But
the best thing it does is turn itself on automagically.
I used to forget to turn mine on all the time.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=12090

We all like to recommend the one that happens to be on our bike! Cateye Astrale for me. I saw the new Cateye wireless (speed and cadence) yesterday. The pickup unit mounts on the left chainstay and includes borth the cadence sensor and the speed sensor. Pretty spiffy but I couldn't justify $125.

astrale 8... survived many a thunderstorms...looks great... has CADENCE for 25$... what else could you ask for ?

You could ask for heart rate info and down loading options. I have both a flight deck and a Polar 720i. The Polar gives all the usual bike info including cadence, plus heart rate, and neatly loads to my PC. The flight deck has a visual indicator of which gear I'm in, but I don't see that as an important feature.

"We all like to recommend the one that happens to be on our bike!"

Not really. I tried the Cateye cordless last year; and didn't like it.
So I looked at my choices, and just put a new battery in my old Planet Bike 5. Think I will upgrade to the 8 one of thse days; but this is ok for now. I actually went a couple months before I got around to having a computer on my bike. Used to record all kinds of stuff. Now I just ride.

"We all like to recommend the one that happens to be on our bike!"

Not really. I tried the Cateye cordless last year; and didn't like it.
So I looked at my choices, and just put a new battery in my old Planet Bike 5. Think I will upgrade to the 8 one of thse days; but this is ok for now. I actually went a couple months before I got around to having a computer on my bike. Used to record all kinds of stuff. Now I just ride.

I also have a cordless Cateye that I'm not too crazy about. My Planet Bike is not bad for an inexpenseve one, and my Flight Deck is only slightly better than the Planet Bike. Polar 720i is heads above all.

i like the planet bike as well, it works well for me.

Hi,
Planet Bike.... I like have all the info at a glance. But
the best thing it does is turn itself on automagically.
I used to forget to turn mine on all the time.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=12090

While I like the display on the Planet Bike, I hate the resolution on the average speed display (0.3 mph if I recall correctly). While I’m not one to ride staring at my average, sometimes I like to hammer for a couple miles and see some change in ave speed. It’s much more satisfying seeing a change every 30 seconds-1 minute rather than 5 minutes.

My Avocet 45 has great resolution, 0.01 mph average & 0.01 miles. It’s also very repeatable; I can ride the same 20 mile loop and be within 0.02 miles every time.

-murray

I have Cateye Astrale that served well, until I fixed a flat tire. I forgot to take my computer off of the bike before I turned it over. A big ugly gouge is now permanently blocking my view of the display!
Frank

Well i would like a wireless one with built in cadence. I like the cat eye that also has a hrm in it, but that one is a little expensive.

"We all like to recommend the one that happens to be on our bike!"

Not really. I tried the Cateye cordless last year; and didn't like it.
So I looked at my choices, and just put a new battery in my old Planet Bike 5. Think I will upgrade to the 8 one of thse days; but this is ok for now. I actually went a couple months before I got around to having a computer on my bike. Used to record all kinds of stuff. Now I just ride.So do you have a computer on your bike that you don't like?

Cateye Mity 8.

So do you have a computer on your bike that you don't like?

Yeah, I've got a Planet Bike computer on my mtn bike and I don't like it (see post above).

-murray

Yeah, I've got a Planet Bike computer on my mtn bike and I don't like it (see post above).

-murrayI suspect you're in a minority. I still think that *most* people end up recommending the computer that they are currently using.

I'm using a Cateye Astrale myself as indicated previously. I've had a number of Cateye's over the years and have always been happy with them. They seem to be cheap and reliable, so I haven't had the motivation to try anything else for 10 years or so. They don't work too well in wet conditions unless you take precautions to prevent water from getting into the mounting area. Also, and I don't know if this applies to other bike computers, but after a while the contact points in the mounting unit/computer head oxidize and you have to burnish them in order to get a reading. I also like to have the cadence feature. It's a lot easier to just look at the display and seem your RPM's rather than having to look at the clock, count the number of pedal strokes, and multiply by some factor in order to figure it out.

Just my $0.02.

SteveE

I suspect you're in a minority. I still think that *most* people end up recommending the computer that they are currently using.

Of course, “most” people aren’t going to continue to use something they don’t like. I used to have a Vetta that would randomly reset everything, including the calibration, in the middle of a ride. Man, that was aggravating! Guess what, I don’t use it anymore!

-murray

2 astrales on both of my bikes. For the price I think they're great. And Steve, I've been meaning to ask you (I think it's you at least), how did you mount the computer onto your stem?

2 astrales on both of my bikes. For the price I think they're great. And Steve, I've been meaning to ask you (I think it's you at least), how did you mount the computer onto your stem?Pretty cool, huh? The LBS did it! Next time we're out on a ride remind me to show you. On second thought, let me check.... So I went out to the garage to take a look and compare the Serotta (mounted on stem) vs. the Poprad (mounted on bars). If you remove the computer head from the mount, you'll see in the middle of the mount a small palstic tab that can be depressed to separate the mounting base from the part that wraps around the bars. The part that goes around the bars .... <time passes> .... OK, so I went to the Cateye web site and reviewed the on-line owner's manual and lo and behold! I found: #169-6469 Stem Mount Bracket Kit! I guess that must be what they used!

Pretty cool, huh? The LBS did it! Next time we're out on a ride remind me to show you. On second thought, let me check.... So I went out to the garage to take a look and compare the Serotta (mounted on stem) vs. the Poprad (mounted on bars). If you remove the computer head from the mount, you'll see in the middle of the mount a small palstic tab that can be depressed to separate the mounting base from the part that wraps around the bars. The part that goes around the bars .... <time passes> .... OK, so I went to the Cateye web site and reviewed the on-line owner's manual and lo and behold! I found: #169-6469 Stem Mount Bracket Kit! I guess that must be what they used!

Ha, you're lucky that the bike shop installed them. Those sensors were such a pain to install. Anyways, thanks for the heads up on the part. If I can find one locally I'll pick one up.

If you are on a low budget, try Walmart for a schwinn. I got one for $10. Its wired and working perfect for my week end rides and had no problems. Has power save feature. It works perfectly as it is supposed to work. I have seen similar looking wireless model at bike shops for $30.00.

Notes: No cadence. I never tested in rain. I live in dry weather (Las Vegas).

I tried putting my laptop on my bike, but the duck tape wasn't strong enough. I'm just glad I didn't try the server - I couldn't get it off the rack mount.

I just installed a HAC4 on my bike. It's pricey, but it's hands-down the greatest computer I've ever seen.

I have to say that the Cateye Astrale 8 has got to be the best bang for the buck. I love it because of the rear wheel sensor. It's perfect for the trainer. Personally, I owe my fitness this year to my Astrale. Without the rear wheel sensor and the cadence, I would have never gotten on the bike this year. 2,000 miles later, I'm singing the praises of this computer.