Greetings,

That is why I don't use a dedicated cycling computer---their displays are so awful!!! My advice to the OP is to use a smartphone if you have one. I use a Samsung Galaxy Note II in a nice water-proof case. It has a large gorgeous display and I can run any fitness app available for Android. I've been using Endomondo Pro to track my rides for the past two years but I'm considering switching to Strava for the power meter support.

If you don't own a smartphone, then a dedicated cycling computer makes sense. But most cyclists do have smartphones and buying a good case/mount for it is often cheaper than a nice cycling computer.

If you want to know if your smartphone will work: It needs the following if you want to work with peripherals like heart monitors, cadence and speed sensors, and power meters:

1 - Either the iOS or Android operating system. In the case of Android, it should be 4.3 or higher in order to have Bluetooth 4 support (the "smart" low-power version).

2 - Hardware support for Bluetooth 4 (also known as "Bluetooth Smart"). This is the low-power Bluetooth that enables your phone to connect to peripheral devices like heart monitors, external cadence and speed sensors, and power meters. It draws less power than standard Bluetooth from your phone's battery as well as less power from the external device. Many of the latest external devices require it.

3 - ANT+ support if you plan to use an external device that requires it. For example, many Garmin devices connect wirelessly only via ANT+. ANT+ is considered to be inferior to Bluetooth 4 and, if all of your peripherals have Bluetooth 4 support, you don't need ANT+ capability at all. My smartphone does not have ANT+ support and I haven't needed it.

If all you want to do is track your distance, elevation change, speed and estimate calories burned during a ride, then you won't need any external sensors (Bluetooth 4 and ANT+ support won't be needed) and you can use any smartphone for which you can obtain a fitness app of your liking. The gps feature of the phone will provide all of the basic capability you need. The reason why some cyclists also add an external speed sensor is because: (A) it comes with many cadence sensors, (B) it is way more accurate than gps at displaying your instantaneous speed, and (C) it enables you to estimate your speed and distance when using your bike indoors on a trainer stand (gps would be useless then because your bike isn't moving).

Kind regards, RoadLight