az_cyclist

Good luck with the Sigma computer. I had good luck with the Cateye Astrale 8 and Strada. I have a Garmin 500 now. I love the computer, and what you can do with it, but one drawback is you have to keep track of total distance separately.

butlerkid

Really? The Garmin 500 has sooooo many features, you'd think that would be a basic one. Especially for the price. Now I feel even better. The Sigma has the basic features I was looking for....at a fairly reasonable price.

But since getting it, I haven't been on a single ride. Weather ....(( We are hoping to ride on Monday, weather permitting.

yote223

Got sick of my wireless going crazy every time I rode by a power sub-station. Bought one of these Sigma BC 5.12 combos and love it. Sweet and simple.

Sigma 5 12 Micro II Combo Cycling Computer Wired LED Bike Safe Light | eBay

Wanderer

Now,gey yourself some Planet Bike Hardcore Hybrid fenders, in black to match the bike. They will keep you, and the bike, much cleaner. You will learn to love them when you ride thru moisture..... or dust.

az_cyclist

I knew it did not keep total miles before I bought it. I am probably going to purchase a Garmin external battery for it, so that I can use the turn by turn on doubles as well as get the entire ride together. It is possible my issues with the Garmin shutting down and resetting when I plug in the Aux power is because it is not a Garmin acc.

fietsbob

To each their own I Havent replaced the battery in 15 years ... took out the old one . ,

a computer on a bike tour was a mile reference an Odometer.

I even hid it out of line of sight while riding .. I liked the bracket made to go on the fork blade ..

cafzali

Remember, though, that people buy a Garmin device to get functionality that in many ways differs from a standard bike computer. If you want composite mileage, you can easily get that from running a report through Garmin Connect or any of the other services that synch with a Garmin head unit.

Ludkeh

This week I picked up the new Cateye Padrone For our new tandem. It's basic and has wireless pickup. The best part is that it has a very large computer face with BIG numbers. Makes it much easier to see than my other computers and I can leave my bifocal sunglasses at home.

butlerkid

Well, yesterday I finally made my first real bike ride! 13 miles basically flat. My sit bones were letting me know that they had it for a first ride. Today, no problem.

My bike computer seems to be working OK. The mileage it reported for our ride was off more than a mile. So this time we will measure the wheel circumference and enter that to get more accurate data. The shop owner just used a table...

But what a PAIN to try to deal with it. Hubby is really good at that stuff, and it took him several swear sessions to get the time changed. Then he was looking at it as I drove home, and the back of the computer fell in his lap and the battery fell out! LOL!

Thank goodness he was sitting in the car and could retrieve the pieces. All data was gone. SO he had to try to set it up several of the fields all over again. Since we were home, he finally said he would just do it later.

Looigi

Haven't been following this thread but I'll just mention that the Garmin 500 is on sale for $160 at a bunch of places right now, REI etc...

butlerkid

Thanks, Rich! Justin is now thinking about getting a computer.....so we may have a look at the Bontager Node 1.1. How does it get heartrate info?

butlerkid

But for $160 you STILL don't get cadence. The Sigma I bought was $99 and does all I need.

Rich Gibson 

Good question. It works off the Garmin based ANT+ protocol. I have the Garmin chest strap mounted heart rate monitor. It sends a signal directly to the Node 1.1. I like the Node 1.1 because when ever you stop pedaling (at a traffic intersection) it pauses until you start again. Of course it keeps displaying the heart rate, but it won't begin accumulating distance and time until the wheel turns. There is another protocol, Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy [LE] bluetooth). IIRC it's a bit more advanced than the older ANT+.

That said I would suggest holding off on the chest strap HRM. A bunch of manufacturers are in the process of releasing wrist mounted heart rate sensors. I've ordered the Mio-Link device ($99). Mio Link - Heart Rate Band Mio makes its own but actually makes the sensor for three or four other brand devices. It sends a signal, both in ANT+ or LE Bluetooth format, the best of both worlds. You'd need a device like a Garmin calculator or a smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S4, or even an iPhone) to display the information. What I like is you can put it on and track your (or husband, or anyone else's) resting heart rate, even while sleeping. here's an in-depth review. DCRainmaker.com is a pretty neat gear oriented site. I'll report back when mine arrives.

Rich