Fifty Plus (50+) - Old fart needs bike computer

I am getting a new bike, I hope. If it ever gets done, anyway.

I would like to get a computer for it. I need one with large numbers, wireless would be nice. I am torn between simplicity and going hi tech (HRM/Garmin/whatever).

I usually pick basic, but, you never know.

Is there something you really like?

Basic with large numbers -- how about Planet Bike Protege 9.0 (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/8003.html)?
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/planetbike/media/8003.jpg

I've started using the Garmin Edge 500. For me it's so much better than any model of the Cateyes that I have used in the past. I have 4 bikes and can move it from one bike to the other. Costs more, but for me well worth the price.

I had a good expensive computer and I also had a heart monitor. I wanted cadence aswell so when the Heart monitor started playing up- I got a Garmin 305. Everything on one display. Can be pretty small though but The garmin can be set up for two bikes. I set one up with everything I wanted to record and the other I set up displaying just two things Current speed and HR. Larger display with just 2 things showing and If I want to look at the other items- I change to the other display and put my reading glasses on.

The garmin also gives me altimeter and Grade of slope so it does more than the "Expensive" computers have ever given me. It is completely wireless with minimal set up required. Now I have it though- I rarely use the cadence reading.

I have had 2 or 3 Proteges. They last a year or two and then die.
Which isn't a problem for me, I guess I am just tired of them.

The garmin Edge products sound great. But what I would want is one of the ones with
maps. Very pricey. The cheaper ones get very mixed reviews at Amazon.

I haven't tried a Protege wireless. This is a new bike year, getting an expensive
GPS will have to wait. Thanks.

I just bought a Garmin Edge 205 for $99 from another bikeforums member.

It is simplicity and high-tech. It's simple because you just put it on your stem or handlebars, and you don' have to connect a sensor or spoke magnet.

I'm different than many here, because I just don't like attaching stuff to the bicycle or to me, so I do cadence and heart rate the old fashioned way (count and divide). I don't care about elevation during the ride, and the software corrects the elevation after the data is uploaded.

I enjoy having the route graphs and data, (like this (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/64460878)) and a record of all my workouts. I might get bored with that in the future.

187544

The only disadvantages are that it needs to be recharged between rides, and the documentation is really, really bad. I pretty much had to figure out how to use it via experimentation and asking questions online.

Other than that, highly recommended.

I almost went with the Forerunner 305, which you can wear on your wrist, but the edge is better for cycling, my main activity.

I like Cateye, because they last for me and have better water resistance than any other brand I've used. Cadence is a nifty feature, make sure your cadence is high enough and knee problems drop. Some like wireless because it's easy to set up, I like wired because you have half (or a third) as many batteries, and there's much less interference (like from flashing LED lights, or HRMs).

Put it all together, and I'll take a Cateye Astrale.

I'm very happy with my Garmin 305. I can't see little numbers or print very well when they are close up, but I can see the small numbers on my Garmin. I have one screen set up with 5 data points so I can easily read heart rate. The other screen is set up with 6 data points.

Here's another approach to the problem for this forum. Check out the bifocal sunglasses on www.safetyglassesusa.com I've got several pair, and they are dirt cheap. I got dark grey, amber, and clear. Seveal pair of each. I have them in both cars and a few of each in the biking box. Night, day, overcast. I can see my Garmin no matter how small.

I've started using the Garmin Edge 500. For me it's so much better than any model of the Cateyes that I have used in the past. I have 4 bikes and can move it from one bike to the other. Costs more, but for me well worth the price.
+1

I've had mine for a couple of months and I love it.

Cateye Micro Wireless. My wife has two, I have one, they have been pretty rugged for us. Rain, snow, heat, cold, they work fine. The only real issue is when we get close to a automatic door opener. Moderately priced, and easy to use. The down side is that you have two parts that each need batteries, but that is true for all wireless computers.

I'll probably be banned or worse for this, but I've been using a Bontrager Node2 for a while now, and it's been reliable, accurate, and easy to read. Speed, cadence, altitude, distance, HR, the whole works... I'd much prefer something like the Garmin Edge 500, but my bufget won't allow it.

-Bert

I like Cateye, because they last for me and have better water resistance than any other brand I've used. Cadence is a nifty feature, make sure your cadence is high enough and knee problems drop. Some like wireless because it's easy to set up, I like wired because you have half (or a third) as many batteries, and there's much less interference (like from flashing LED lights, or HRMs).

Put it all together, and I'll take a Cateye Astrale.

+1 :thumb:

I will agree with the Garmin Forerunner 305 especially if you are into running or hiking etc as it has a running mode too. It's fully downloadable, very easy to use and mine has been completely trouble free for years. It recently met it's demise when it came off bar mount while ridding and got run over by an suv. They are inexpensive work great. I have ordered a new Garmin 800 thanks to my wife and my birthday coming up. If you decide to get one I have the accesories for the cadence and bar mount. Just put a rubber band around it when on the bar mount so you don't loose it like I did. Good luck

I like my edge so much that I told my daughter I'd get her a forerunner for her birthday if she wants (she does running and triathlons). But, she has an android phone with GPS, so she's looking into whether an app for that would work.

Honestly, IMO a bike computer is there to record miles and not much more than that is needed for most riders. It isn't really worth spending extra bucks for a high tech gadget to do this basic function although wireless is certainly cleaner looking and less risky to that very thin wire from the sensor to the computer. The downside is the extra battery required and sometimes interference if you run an LED headlight at night.

For some riders, cadence, heart rate, pulmonary zones, miles, trip, avg speed, auto-start/stop, dual lap timers, altitude, GPS and all the other gizmos make sense. But for most, "How many miles did I ride today?" is enough. Me, I can average my own speed and don't really care to know that I was in zone 5 on every climb with a heartrate of 190 for 3.6 minutes yada yada yada... It is enough for me to know that I was out there keeping fit and enjoying myself. YMMV.

I think NealH here has a Garmin 500 that he might want to sell. He is thinking of moving to the 800. I have the 800 and while I can't see using the mapping feature, I generally know where I'm going, I like the display and the interface with my powermeter. Also, the elevation is much more accurate with the barometric equipped units like the 500 and 800. The Forerunner 305 uses much less accurate gps based data for elevation. It's pretty much useless for anything more than conversation. Since I climb on every ride, keeping up with that data is important to me.

I prefer old git to old fart :D

I've had good luck using my cheapo Sigma digital speedo. It was originally on my Cannondale but last year I switched it to my Triumph due to it's 150mph max readout.

The small analog speedo on my Triumph was hard to read while at speed, but the digital Sigma corrects this. It's pretty basic, but all I need is speed and distance. Plus, It's more accurate than the Triumph OEM speedo.

When cycling, nordic skiing, or kayaking, I'd rather not have a computer, just a watch. I know my cadence, and more importantly my
effort level.
Only 112mph ... a slow day :thumb:
http://www.yostwerks.com/SigmaClock1.jpg

Magnet and sensor setup....
http://www.yostwerks.com/Digit4.jpg

Multi-Tasking with one computer ... :)
http://www.yostwerks.com/SprintRack800A.jpg

Well, it depends. It can be fun to have a computer with all the possible bells and whistles. It gives you something to monkey with whilst you are riding.

I don't really need a gps because I almost always know where I am and if not I can find my way home by back tracking, if worst comes to worst.

So I have the cheapest wireless computer I can find - no wires and average speed, trip distance, current speed and MAX speed maybe a few other things I don't pay attention to.

You can get the cheap one and see if you have a yen for more.

If you are directionally challenged a gps computer could be a god send. I wonder if you can download maps onto a computer and I bet you can. Having the route and the turns already in it would be nice if you don't know your route already.

Also, a garmen can give you % grade, feet of climbing and other stuff if you like keeping track of your rides in excrutiating detail.

Another advantage I discovered of the GPS unit is that it gives you a detailed record of your rides.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/Calendar.jpg

For cycling computers on the cheap, I would recommend the Bell/Schwinn wired versions (they are basically the same). There is a $12 version and a $20 version available at most major department stores, the difference being that the $20 version will give you ambient temperature, estimated calories and fat calories burned. I have one of these on several of my bikes, and they've lasted me several thousand miles. The only problem I've ever had is one of the buttons seizing up and becoming hard to push (this could be just because I'm hard on electronics and bump them a lot when working on the bike), and the computer resetting on rare occasions (usually when the battery is low). I've ridden some pretty heavy rain and not had any problems from water getting in, though I've probably don't ride in the rain as often as some of the posters on this forum.

The Cateye Astrale is a little higher in cost, but it gives you pedalling cadence, which is good if you're in a hilly area and need help perfecting the timing of your shifting.

I do NOT recommend the Bell Wireless Speedometer, mine suddenly quit working only after a few hundred miles of riding. When it did work, It could have been the battery on the bottom sensor that quit working, I never checked it; even if this is the case, the battery should last more than a few hundred miles (in my opinion; I refuse to buy 20-30 batteries per year for a computer). I found that there were signals in the ambient environment that would cause it to go haywire, for example, if my bike got near the sensors that are placed under the road surface at stoplights, it would start registering a very fast speed even though the bike was standing still. I'm not sure if other brands of wireless computers pick up this kind of interference from the environment, but it would be something that I would research before buying one.

The only problem I've ever had is one of the buttons seizing up and becoming hard to push

This happens on my watch every few months. Spray liberally with WD-40 while pushing the button repeatedly always fixes it.

I've used Sigma, Ascent and a couple others, but have had best service from the Polar CS100 with HRM.
188071
But I am embarking on Garmin Edge 500 changeover right now and expect great things.

Another advantage I discovered of the GPS unit is that it gives you a detailed record of your rides.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/TromboneAl/Calendar.jpg

I'm curious...what software produces that calendar?

It's part of the Garmin Connect web site (http://connect.garmin.com). Works quite well.

It's part of the Garmin Connect web site (http://connect.garmin.com). Works quite well.

Thanks! I had never even noticed that...

Talk about getting stuck in a rut and taking time to look around!

Happy with my Cateye Micro Wireless.
I like their lights, too.

S

I'm kinda stuck on the CatEye Astrale 8. You can often get them on sale if you watch - the last one I bought I paid $19.00 for it.

It's a wired model, but I kind of like the simplicity and reliability of the wired computers, and the Astrale 8 uses only one multi-conductor wire that splits near the bottom bracket, with one sensor (cadence) on the front end of the chainstay and the other farther back to pick up the speed/distance magnet on the rear wheel.

Definitely get one with cadence, though - that, and the trip odometer, are the two functions I find most useful.

We use a Sigma 1106 which gives us speed, time of day, and total miles plus other stuff that we don't use. It is a wired unit. Be aware of some problems with wireless not transmitting/receiving all of the time. We have replaced the sensor after a couple of years and several thousand miles.
Richard

You're wearing glasses when you ride, right? So, put stick on magnifiers on the bottom so you can read the computer or get prescription bifocal, progressives, or whatever.

I just got a set of progressive photochromic glasses specifically for riding and they've been great.

Computer-wise we're most recently using a Garmin 705 and Bonertrager Node 2. Both use wireless ANT+ combo cadence/wheel digital sensors which are free from interference and superior to the old tech wireless stuff. The one downside is they do require another battery in the sensor.

I've got a Sigma 1609 + cadence on both bikes. I also use a Garmin 305 for HR on the bike, while xc skiing and while hiking. I prefer the big numbers on the Sigma, easier to read with my bifocals on and , it's also lighter and locks into it's cradle on the bike.

Obviously there are many from which to choose, but I found (accidentally - due to being tighter than bark on an oak tree) that a pretty inexpensive one, Trek Incite (paid $65 new) wireless is a good choice for old eyes. It has really large numbers in the display, and - contrary to many more expensive computers that I have seen and some I have tried out, it is VERY visible in direct sunlight.

I also have a Vetta which has a lot more functionality (HRM, etc.) but I can't read it while riding and it has to be one of the worst for batteries (the senso batteries seem to last about two weeks and they are not available in rechargeable versions - phooey on that thing).

just my 2 cents!

I wanted a little computer to record miles on my new bike and didn't want to spend a fortune. I bought a cat eye wireless. The numbers are large and easy to see when riding. The part that attaches to the fork is very secure, so it shouldn't shift and stop working. Knowing speed while riding is fun. The trip setting is nice and it has two different trips modes. Mine has a backlight button I could use if I was riding at dusk or in the dark (don't plan to), but it was cheaper than the sleek, tiny one I almost bought. Still, it was around $50. My husband had the sleek, tiny one before so moved it to his road bike. The attachment to the fork isn't as secure as my slightly bulkier model. I haven't gone far enough to need to change batteries.

Well you have a lot of suggestions here, have you made up your mind on what you may want?