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Did my first ride today but I dont know how far I went, Any recomendations on a comp?

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Did my first ride today but I dont know how far I went, Any recomendations on a comp?

Old 10-23-10, 06:35 PM
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Did my first ride today but I dont know how far I went, Any recomendations on a comp?

I road my new Sirrus for the first time today and man was it a blast. There is something awesome about bugs flying in your mouth as you go down the path. My only two complaints are the lack of an elevator to my 3rd story apartment (stairs just about killed me after that ride) and having no idea how far I went!

So I need a computer!

Looking for something $50ish or less, accurate in regards to mileage, and saves overall mileage since installed.

Anyone have any recommendations?
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Old 10-23-10, 06:41 PM
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Most any computer will do that for you. You can go to most any bike store and buy a $15.00 computer that will meet your current needs. You can also use something like mapmyride.com and put your ride on there and it will show you the mileage (approximate) for your ride.
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Old 10-23-10, 06:48 PM
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Cateye has served both my commuter bike and my road bike well. Prices are great and functionality has been flawless. I recommend that if you are buying one pay a bit more and get one with cadence it comes in handy.
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Old 10-23-10, 07:33 PM
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I second the recommendation of Cateye in that price range. Easy to use, dependable, long battery life. I've had bad experiences with both Vetta and Sigma, so I'd say avoid those. Others may have had different experiences, of course.
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Old 10-23-10, 07:59 PM
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I picked up a cateye wired cadence for ~35 at the local Sports Basement. Works very well. It gives longer distances than map my ride on my iPhone but I think that's a function of bad GPS reception.
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Old 10-23-10, 08:06 PM
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If you can't find one for $50, pay a little more and get cadence and wireless. It will be worth it.
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Old 10-23-10, 08:09 PM
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Look for an end of season sale. any computer should work fine. l
I like cateye, if milage is all you want then the velo 5 or velo 8 would be fine.

I only need an odometer. I really don't care how fast I am going. cadence may be a nice feature.
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Old 10-23-10, 08:12 PM
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Specialized makes a wireless model for $45. I have one and they are good basic units. The wireless speed sensor saves having to run any wires up to the handlebars. Cadence is optional and wired.
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Old 10-23-10, 08:23 PM
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Congratulations on your first ride! Fun HUH! I found a wireless Cateye on sale for $25.00 at Performance bikes. Any computer will do. Good luck and be careful on your many more rides!

My bikes on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/umpire54/sets/
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Old 10-23-10, 08:28 PM
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what kind of phone do you have? lots of good apps for free that will do this. you won' be able to see your speed as yougo unless you mount the phone on the bars but you'll be able to see your averages.
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Old 10-23-10, 08:40 PM
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Before my Garmin, I was very happy with this one from PlanetBike.

https://ecom1.planetbike.com/8003.html

Wireless, but the best feature is to turn the unit on/off/reset you push on the whole body "upwards" - works great and no finicky little buttons to remember. I think I paid $30 for a new one on on eBay...Highly Recommended!
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Old 10-24-10, 08:03 AM
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I'm in the phone app camp. I already carry a smart phone so I don't want another device to fiddle with. I like Cardio Trainer for the Droid but I'm confident there are great apps that pass corporate censorship for the iPhone. Cardio Trainer runs with the screen locked (battery life and in your pocket) and if you have a handle bar mount you can see your last segment speed.

My biggest complaint about phone apps are the cheap, tacky looking handlebar mounts. I have one that works good but is out of place on my bike.
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Old 10-24-10, 11:50 AM
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A great little workhorse computer is the Cateye Mity8- I've used a number of them over the years on a couple different bikes, and they've taken what I could dish out. You can get one online for about $15-20.... Can't go wrong.
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Old 10-24-10, 12:19 PM
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the wired cateye strada cadence has done great for me and you don't have the pesky interference/fake readings/battery problems you get with wireless systems (or at least I got with them).
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Old 10-24-10, 12:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Jefffred05
Looking for something $50ish or less, accurate in regards to mileage, and saves overall mileage since installed.
You're in luck ... pretty much any bike computer does all that, and for just the stuff you want, they should all cost "or less." But you should splurge just a little, and get one that can tell you your cadence. It's a good thing to know. You can figure that out with a clock - count your pedal strokes for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 - but it's a lot easier just to look down and see. If you like cycling, and do it a lot, keeping your cadence around 80 to 90 will be good for your knees.

Anyway, I think this one does cadence; it also has a thermometer.

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Old 10-24-10, 12:20 PM
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If all you ant are mileage and speed then get a Bell for about $12.00 at Wal-Mart or Target.... They work great and give Time, mileage, overall speed and current speed and trip time. Very easy to install and works great and won't break the bank.
https://www.amazon.com/Bell-1002294-F.../dp/B001FCFK5C
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Old 10-24-10, 01:28 PM
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Cadence is something I would want. Wireless would be ideal but I'll prolly have to spend a bit more.
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Old 10-24-10, 01:45 PM
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I'm going to buck the trend here and suggest that you forego a computer.

This is a case of do as I say, rather than as I do. Here is my reasoning.

I purchased my first bike comp within a week of purchasing my first bike. My idea was that it would be helpful to use distance and average speed as a measure of progress. And to some extent this was true; however, I have been noticing a significant drawback in the last couple of weeks. I have noticed that my average speed has been dropping and what is worse I find that I am getting sore and even worse staying sore until the next day's ride.

I suspect that I have been pushing increases in distance and speed too much and have overdone it a bit. For the first time in since I started riding in June, the last few mornings have found me looking for an excuse not to get on the bike. The bike computer is part of my problem, the instant feedback on distance and average speed seems to kick my own self-competitive streak to push it even when I intend to take it easy.

So if you do get a comp, at least be careful in how you use it. You don't want riding to start to feel like a chore.
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Old 10-24-10, 04:36 PM
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If all you want to track is mileage, record your rides at Bikely or Map My Ride.
 
Old 10-24-10, 08:02 PM
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I am not tracking miles,time,cadence (I do count once in awhile) I just ride. I have a vague idea how far I'm riding but I just ride. Not going to get caught up in that thing anymore. If ya wanna go fer it,do it. Just my opinion,nothing more.
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Old 10-24-10, 08:42 PM
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any computor will work at first. as you progress,you will want a better bike and a better computor. match the eqipment, no need for a $100 computor on a $100 bike.no ofeence intended,I have no idea what a sirrus costs. but you git the idea. I have a sigma 1990 with docking station to load all data to my home comp. it even come with a heart monitor strap. as for acuracy of distance. make sure it is calibrated to your tires. any discepancy will be great the further you ride. ride safe! but ride!
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Old 10-24-10, 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Jefffred05
Cadence is something I would want. Wireless would be ideal but I'll prolly have to spend a bit more.
You want cadence but you are on a budget? Cateye Strada is the way to go. Why do you want wireless?
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Old 10-25-10, 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by himespau
the wired cateye strada cadence has done great for me and you don't have the pesky interference/fake readings/battery problems you get with wireless systems (or at least I got with them).
+1

I too have the above and love it
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Old 10-27-10, 09:00 PM
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I also have a planet bike computer, wired, and it works great. Amazon.com or ebay are best sources. Be very cautious of wireless as I have heard they have quite of bit interference from power lines and other sources of electrical noise such as large transformers etc. Follow the instructions and you'll be in buisness in about 15 minutes.
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Old 10-27-10, 09:57 PM
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I have had a Cateye Mity 8 for 3 years. It has a wire, no cadence tho. All the functions that I will ever need (even tho I have been thinking of a unit with cadence). I cant think of a thing wrong with it, simple and easy to use even with winter gloves on. I think it was around 30 bucks
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