It's been my experience that the people who use phones as their cycling computer get pretty inaccurate gps readings which leads to inaccurate distances and speeds, which is especially noticeable when they are out mountain biking through the trees. I've just noticed this over the past few years on strava. When some ridiculous gps route is shown, like having the rider pedal a mile and a half through a lake, it's usually because that rider is using a phone as a bike computer.


I have a Garmin 1000 explore which I like but have stopped recording every ride and don't take it mountain biking anymore. This is a personal thing because I find I have more enjoyable rides without the numbers ticking in my brain.


If I were looking for a relatively cheap cycling computer that did gps, I would be looking at the Garmin 25. It seems to do a lot of what I would want a cycling computer for (even connects to a power meter) and is small...also doesn't require any weird wheel sensors.




Now, if you don't care about having wheel sensors connected to your spokes, and you don't care to have gps, you should be able to find very cheap and reliable computers from Cateye and other companies. I think I have a cateye laying in a box someplace that I was using before I got my first Garmin. That thing never had one issue except for the speed sensor thing on the fork rotating and slightly hitting the spoke magnet.