Mavericks House

Looking to install a computer.......one dealer sells Sigma, another sells Cateye.......

Preferences....?

TomMc1

My LBS sells Cateye and Trek... It seems everyone sells them like your LBS selling Cateye and Sigma. Based on that I felt it would always be quick and easy to get a spare Cateye part. Say for example, something hits a wire and I need to get new sensors when I'm on vacation, odds are a local LBS will have Cateye spare parts.

Also, I picked the Astrale 8 because it does speed and cadence. The speed is from the rear wheel which means I can have speed and cadence on my trainer.

Beyond that, I think they are all good.

goldbam

I've used the cateye mity 8, the micro wireless, and the Double Wireless cadence, and loved them! They are very durable. Not exactly sure on sigma, but I think that if you want the features, get cateye.

belowzero

you can also select by pro cyclist selection (if you're bored);

Alexander Vinokourov rides with a Sigma
Brad McGee rides with a Cateye

Old School

I have Sigma computers on all three of my bikes. They offer several models so you can choose your features and price range. Got the "Targa" model for my MTB because it has a larger cable -- less prone to damage.

crummyrider

I like my Sigma BC 1600. I picked it over Cateye because of the slightly larger display in a similar pricepoint. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

Odin

I've had 2 Cateye cordless computers die on me in 12 months... well the sensors have died. I've emailed Cateye about it after reading that there was a problem with the sensors on the Cordless 7 but never heard back from them. Both of my computers still work OK with good sensors (on mates bikes)
I've just bought a Sigma BC1606L (not touching Cateye again) so will have to see how it goes. My Sigma HRM has worked faultlessly for 2 years now so hopefully the comp will be just as reliable.

oboeguy

I like my Sigma 1600. I switch it back and forth from the folder where it's wireless off the front wheel and the road bike where it's wired to the back wheel with cadence. Only once did I have a problem where I had to do some funky reset (their tech support told me what to do). I wish I remember what the problem was so I'd remember what to do if it happened again. Anyhow, I'm quite pleased with it. My old Performance computer would have the cadence stop reading sporadically so good riddance, I suppose.

the beef

Cateye's great; nice, durable, and pretty sexy as well. I've got a Mity 8 and it serves me fine.

NzAndy

I have Cateye Velo 8's on my MTB and roadie. They are nice and durable but don't cost too much so its not such a big deal if they do go sour. The one on my MTB is over 3 years old and hasn't missed a beat.

Of course, I've never heard anything bad about Sigma so I would have to agree with the statement that you probably can't go wrong with one of those choices.

fmw

I like sigma because they mount with rubber rings. The Cateye mount with cable ties and I don't like that system at all. They move around on the bar and it's really hard to find small black replacement ties.

PeterM

I had a sigma - was attracted to the rubber ring mounting that you could put on the stem. All went well until I went riding in zero degrees celsius weather (stupid thing to do for my knuckles and the cycle computer). Ever since that the display was dodgy and finally the something went inside so no matter how much scraping I did of the contacts it just wouldn't realise the wheel was turning. Bought a cateye a few weeks ago and I'm loving it - we'll see if it stands the test of time though. By the way, the bloke in the store reckoned the sigmas are a cheaper option...

You get enough cable ties with the cateye for a few remounts of the sensor and you can get them easily enough in stores I reckon. The mounting onto the handlebars is proper though and works fine.

naane

Cateye service in the US may be better. I had the same issue with the sensor on Cordless 7 dying. I sent an email to Cateye service and they sent me a replacement sensor, mounting ties and a magnet within three days, no questions asked. Obviously, I'm quite happy with the way they handled it. A colleague of mine had a similar experience with the Cateye Cordless 7: broken sensor, emailed them, received replacement, etc.

Almost everyone whom I know that owns a Cordless 7 has had a problem with the sensor. My son has the newer generation Micro Wireless model and it has worked flawlessly with none of the sensor issues that plagues C7.

Tmax1

Astrale 8 ++++

belowzero

anyone had any experience with the CATEYE Micro Wireless MC100?

how it functions & tie system on your bars?

EricDJ

I have the Micro, It zip ties on the bar and the fork. I used some rubber strips from the LBS on the fork under the ties, The unit/sensor Hasn't moved and has so far worked flawless. No interference or problems except during setup. Something in my TV/stereo area made it not read since I was right in front of it, I have a lot of gadgets in the house.

Their service is great as I posted in another thread. I have been very happy with them for years.

naane

My son has one. It works quite well with none of the sensor glitches that were present in Cordless 7. It has a few features that Cordless 7 does not have: backlight, dual settings, etc., but they are not that big a deal (at least for me).

The tie-system is similar to the C7. I found the sensor mount fiddly since tensioning the tie moves the sensor head, possibly pushing it out of alignment with the magnet. Once it is set-up, however, it works like a charm. When I shopped around, I wasn't able to find similar sized ties when I had to reposition the sensor. This will not be a big concern if you don't plan to relocate the sensor or the receiving head (display) unit.

james_robert

what ive found is that unless you spend more money on the cat eye, they are useless. I have a $30CAN sigma computer and it works absolutely amazingly, there has been absolutely nothing wrong with it for 4600km so far.

HPS

I have an Astrale 8 and really like it. My only complaint is that it doesn't record an average cadance for the ride. Avg speed yes, cadance no.

belowzero

is cadence really a big deal? I have the choice to either get a wireless cateye with no cadence but a backlight and plenty of other features regarding time/speed or a nonwireless older sigma 1600 with wires and cadence. Can't make up my mind, I dont' think cadence is really that important to look at .... ?

milani

Cateye Astrale 8 for the features, and it was cheap...

AnthonyG

I have the Sigma 1600 with cadence and like it a lot. I like the O-ring mounting, I like the twist action to fit/remove the computer and I like the way that I can set the display to a certain function without looking at it(2 function buttons help here). I have mine on cadence most of the time and I find it assists training by helping me to know where I'm at. In the future I suppose that I will develop a feel for cadence but I currently find it very useful. I also went away from wireless and deliberately went back to wired because I didn't want another source of radio waves bombarding me. I know its not a lot realy but I felt I could do without it.

Regards, Anthony

56/12 and 22/28

CSC uses Sigma.

That's all you need to know.

Art Hamilton

I have both the Sigma 1200 and 1600 and Cateye micro wireless. The cadence connection on the 1600 doesn't make a good connection. I like the larger size characters in the Sigmas. I bought the Cateye because it can be mounted on the stem and the wheel magnet fits bladed spokes. The bladed spoke magnet is extra with the Sigmas. Bottom line I like the Sigma 1200.

cycle17

I like Cateye. But that's just my personal preference. I the three years I've been riding wireless, I'v only had interference one time with my Cateye(s). I have a different model on each bike.