Training & Nutrition - Need cyclocomputer advice

I would like to purchase a cyclocomputer -- nothing too fancy. I just want to keep track of distance, speed, and cadence without spending a fortune. Would also like one that's pretty simple to use. Saw some at the Performance web site in the $40-$50 range which would be about right.

Question 1: which brands are best/which to avoid -- Vetta, Cateye, Schwinn, etc.?

Question 2: better to go wireless or not?

Any advice for this newbie would be helpful. :) It's going to be on my Gary Fisher Tarpon MTB which I mostly ride on roads/bike paths because of where I live. I plan to take it off road at some point though. :D

I have been riding a basic Cateye (micro I think). It has speed, avg, max spd, dist, trip dist and that sort of stuff. No cadence. And it is cheap.

I think the manufacture of computers is pretty dialed in and I would buy them based on features offered and whether I liked the display or not.

Cadence is nice to have especially for a new cyclist. It will help you monitor your cadence and encourage you to spin. The downside on cadence is you need 2 sensors and that means more wires and it is a bit of a mess. So going wireless on a cadence computer is a definite thought.

Of course, you can sort of jury rig cadence on a normal computer. 100 gear inches at 100 rpm is 30 mph. You can figure out the chain inches of all your gears (which is about 27 times teeth in chain ring/teeth in cog) and calculate their cruising speed at 100 rpm. Type that up on 2 columns and tape it to your stem and knowing your gear, you can estimate your cadence.

As far as I know, unless you're going with the Shimano Flight Deck you need a wire in order to measure cadence.

I have a Specialized wireless computer on my hybrid that I like very much and has not given me any trouble. I think I paid about $35 directly from Specialized.

On my road bike I have the Shimano Flight Deck (the wired one which puts one wire on your front fork). The computer calculates your cadence based on your speed and the gear you're in. People have very mixed feelings about this computer but I like it very much. The controls are conveniently on the hoods and I find the cadence very useful. I also like that the computer tells you what gear you're in - some people think you should be able to tell what gear you're in without a computer, but I like it. The whole setup runs about $70. Of course you have to have Shimano Flight Deck ready shifters which most newer bikes with Shimano have.

The CATEYE Ariel (sp?) has cadence and is in your price range. I've used it on several of my bikes. Works well.

You might also want to look at Sigma. They make some inexpensive computers that also work very well.