Originally Posted by
mehran9o
I recently bought a road bike and I don't know which computer I should buy!
There are wireless and wired, and there are waterproof and there are ones with big screens.
I am not planning to race with my bike, yet use it for training. I also have a heart rate monitor watch which can measure CAL and Heart rate and has couple of other functions for training. I might have to cycle when it's rainy. And I don't think I need navigation system for my bike right away. I also want to keep the bike light.
--Do you think computers with big screens and more functions are better than the small ones with tiny screens? Which are more practical for trainings, etc?
--Should I get a wired computer or wireless or does it all matter?
--And most importantly does it have to be waterproof? Do you think that a non-waterproof one also works in a rainy weather?
--What brand should I buy! (something that lasts long). What model?
If the colour is black and white it's a plus!
Thank you!
warning: my computer wants are modest, so what works for me may not work for you. I'm about 15 years past caring how fast I go from day to day or how many calories I burn.
Having said that, I vote for going as simple as possible. There's less to go wrong, and if you've ridden for more than about a week, you probably have a feel for cadence, for instance--you don't need a counter to tell you you're pedaling at 90.5 rpm.
Just lately (at age 65), I've developed an appreciation for large screens, but that's because of a vision issue. Postage stamp size was fine until a year or so ago. I have limited experience with wireless, but seems to me a wired computer is less subject to problems and interference. Some of my old (OLD, like mid-'80s Avocet) computers are still working, no trouble at all ever. Also in my experience, they're all reasonably waterproof. I ride in the rain whenever I can (I live in the desert; rain is a treat), and I've never had a water-related failure. You can easily pull a ziploc bag or something over the 'puter to protect it in downpours--I carry a couple in my seat bag for the computer and my Brooks saddles.
As for functions, buy what you think you need, but give it some thought. The more jobs a device does, the more complicated it is to operate (worth thinking about at the end of a long, hard ride), the less reliable it's likely to be and the worse it's likely to do a given job. For me, all I want is time, speed and distance.