butlerkid

Excellent points. I do photography and tend to research well, then buy once! Much cheaper. But, I think I need to give it a year to see just how much I am really going to ride. I need to drive 60 miles just to find a place to ride....absolutely NO WHERE to ride nearby!

mrt2you

i have a cateye V3 wireless with cadence and heart rate monitor with a chest strap.
i love it.
cost a whole $50 used. new they are about $130.i
i like the cadence so i always keep my spinning in the right rpm.
i also like the heart rate monitor. when my heart rate goes up i can shift into a lower gear and still keep my speed up. that way i can go faster for a longer period of time. when my heart rate goes up i know i am starting to get tired. basically it will tell me i am getting tired before i realize it.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've been using Cateye Astrale wired computers for a very long time. Cheap and reliable. In heavy rain the base will short out and stop the thing from working, so I cover it with a bit of Saran wrap secured with a rubber band. I suspect most wired computers or computers that clip into a base fitting will do the same.

Even if I also have something fancy like a GPS device, I still run the Astrale. Good to have more than one source of data.

TromboneAl

I'd also recommend looking for a used Garmin. One nice thing is that you don't need to put anything on your spokes or fork. You'll probably come to love the GPS aspects as well. I use a used Garmin 305.

lenny866

I have sigma BC1609 (wired) on my aluminum bike and when I had it hooked up wrong...the tech support was great. So I went with a BC 1609STS (wireless) on my carbon bike. I highly recommend either.

RoadTire 

63 eh? I can relate to the desire for getting the most out of our efforts - I'm 55 and starting to realize I need the gears for what the legs won't do anymore. So, ya, monitoring cadence is a great way to help yourself along. If you haven't already thought about it, a separate HRM would be a good idea also. Never put much thought into those things before, but now I'm of the mind that I need to know when to push harder and when to back off so I don't blow something up. I used to think "speed," now I think "cadence and heart rate."


Oh, and you still need to consider style - that bike carries an attitude so your speedo and HRM need to have just as much. :-)

butlerkid

I joke that I may not ride very well - but I'll look good as I go slowly by! LOL! I already have a great hot pink & black top to wear! And my cerise colored Camelback almost glows also!

At first I would have preferred red & black, but I'm starting to really like the bike colors. The bike has two colors besides black: hot pink and a sort of deep raspberry.....!

Attitude? Check out my BELL.....the black, gray and white one!!!!!!

RoadTire 

Nice!

slorollin

I haven't tried the RidewithGPS app. and cannot tell you whether it is better or worse than Runtastic. If your Samsung Galaxy Pro 8.4 tablet is GPS enabled it may work with Runtastic. Check the https://www.runtastic.com/en/apps/runtastic web site for more info.

butlerkid

After looking at the Cateye Strada Cadence, I was put off by its very small size. The Cateye Velo 7 was about the right size. Still looking for something that gives trip, speed, cadence .... However, I'm in no hurry to purchase something.

qcpmsame 

Butlerkid,
You may want to check in to the Nashbar website, Bikes, Cycling Clothing, Bike Parts & Cycling Gear: Bike Discounts & Deals from Nashbar they are having one of their never ending sales, I saw some nice computers in the flyer they sent me yesterday. Just some place to check out.

Bill

butlerkid

Thanks, Bill! They have a Nashbar double wireless computer at 50% off, although no one has reviewed it. And a couple of their bags look OK also!

Timtruro

I recently bought a Garmin 800, a little more money than you want to spend, but I got it refurbished at a fairly 'reasonable' price. One of the advantages is that you can move it easily from one bike to another. The mounts can be bought cheaply or you can move the mounts as well. I ride 3 and sometimes 4 or 5 bikes during the season so I find this to be an advantage. Also the GPS feature allows me to ride solo when I'm out of stated without worrying about being able to find my way back to where I'm staying. There is a "go home" feature that I've had to use more than once in unfamiliar territory.

Wannacycle99

Do you have an iphone - straves (sp) app works well- it's free or 1.99 for upgrade- not sure about app for windows or droids.

Retro Grouch 

I'm done with bike computers. The next one that I buy will be a low end Garmin.

I'm tired of fiddling with the roll out process to set up the computer and having the computer stop working if the pickup/magnet relationship changes. I have several bikes so I keep computers on some but not all of them. I ride recumbents a lot so the wires for wired computers are usually too short and wireless computers have to be chosen with the distance from pick up to head in mind. For me, computers are a minor headache but one that never goes away.

I'm not a big data logger. Basically I only care about how fast I'm going and how far I've gone today. If I buy one Garmin it will tell me that without an elaborate set up and I'll be able to switch it from bike-to-bike at will.

lhbernhardt

I like using a bike computer because I'm somewhat of a fanatic about knowing not just how far I've ridden in a day, month, year, or previous years, but I also like to know how long bike parts last. I can tell you that most internal bottom brackets will last about 14,000 km in wet Pacific NW use, or that most rear tires will last 3,000 km before sidewall failure or tread wearing to the casing, except for Vredestein Tri-Comps, which will go 5,000 km.

So my computer of choice is a wired Sigma. The 2009 Sigmas were better than the current 2012 Sigmas (I use the 1009). Wired computers are far more reliable than wireless.

That said, I also use a Garmin 500 in conjunction with the Sigma on the road, and as the only computer on my track bike, paired with separate speed and cadence sensors to track workouts. What I love about the Garmin (or any ANT+ compatible head unit) is that it is a "soft computer." You can have it display whatever info you want, and I like to set up the display so I only see two things at once (like speed and elapsed time); the bigger numbers are much more amnenable to my failing eyesight that comes with advancing years. I like the universality of the setup, that you're not locked into any company's system with proprietary sensors. When I was in Moab recently, one of my rides was on a Cannondale demo bike. It happened to have a Bar Fly mount on it, so I just attached my Garmin and I had my own personal record of the ride, plus a bike computer during the ride.

One thing I don't like about the Garmin is that they don't have as good a low-light visibility as the Sigma. The Sigma LCD display is much easier to read in twilight than the Garmin. The other problem with the Garmin is turning it on in a group of cyclists with their sensors all transmitting, and having it pair with your powermeter and whatever other sensors you have. You pretty well have to be sure all your sensors are already transmitting before turning on the Garmin, or ride to some quiet place where only your sensors will be detected. Even if you don't have any on-bike sensors, the unit could pair with someone else's speed sensor...

Luis

butlerkid

Well, I spent about 4 hours at my LBS today. They installed my new Ergon GPS3's and I selected a computer. For better or worse! They had the Garmin's - but before I spend that much money, I need to prove to myself that I'm going to really ride enough to warrant it! They had Cateye's...... but I bought a Sigma BC 16.12 STS CAD. I was just weary of looking and went with the LBS owner's recommendation. It had the basic features I wanted - and cadence. I'm hoping cadence will help me become a better rider more quickly than just sitting on the bike and pedaling willy-nilly! He set the whole thing up....and it took him quite a while! LOL!

Afterwards, he had me do some riding and did some final tweaks on the fit. Amazing how just tilting the nose of the seat up made such a difference! So nice to have someone so knowledgeable and willing to take the time! We were there almost 4 hours!

The bike is looking and riding great! I'll post some photos in the next week or so!

Finally, thank you so much to all of you who have helped my think through this decision!

dunelt_1954

I will second the recommendation for the Planet Bike, I have Protege-9 wired computers on several bikes, the multiple indications available on one screen, and thermometer
are very interesting to me. I can imagine one wanting to train more seriously wanting a cadence sensor, though, which the Protege-9 lacks. Sigma-Sport seems to have a
nice range of inexpensive computers, which I can also report good luck with. And, with both makes, the warranty service is good. I had a Sigma heart rate monitor that lost it's beep, as well as a Protege-9 with a bad sensor, and both companies made good promptly.

dbg

I'm a big fan of low end cateye and garmin etrex-20 (~$150). etrex-20 gives full moving map display and routing capabilities and can be used with online services (ridewithgps) for routing and planning.

MickeyMaguire

I couldn't care less on any heart-rate monitor of sorts. I am a big fan of the etrex option, though. It has long battery life, too.

Bikeman1962ca

Here's a great link for you to look at. It's the cateye wireless for $50 at amazon. It has great reviews. Amazon.com: CatEye Strada WL CC-RD300 Cycling Computer: Sports & Outdoors. I do believe that the $64.90 price is Canadian currency, since I am from Canada.

fietsbob

desk top in my house ..

ColonelSanders

How is your wireless computer going for you?

Do you run into any interference at times?

Do you ever lose the distance you have traveled on a trip?

butlerkid

Honestly, since I got the computer installed, it has been raining and even snowing. So I have limited riding time as yet, and my riding is in a very rural area. So I would think that interferences will be minimal.

I did test ride it at the LBS who installed it (that in itself should help reliability LOL!) and I have ridden limited miles since then. So far, so good!

Rich Gibson 

Hi Karen! Welcome to the site; haven't come across your posts till now. In addition to the smartphone app ipBiike I have a Bontrager Node 1.1 computer which tracks cadence, heard rate and speed/distance. It has a total accumulated reading you can reset when ever you wish. It runs off a sensor which picks up a magnet attached to a spoke and one on the left rear pedal. After obsessing with the phone app I've settled on this simple device. Simple yet reliable.

Rich