I want to be able to keep track of my miles and speed. I guess I just need a basic computer. I keep seeing Cateye being mentioned. Is anything from Cateye good or is there a specific one I should be looking for?

Thanks for the help as I get back into this.

You might not see a need for it yet but I would get one with cadence or at least the ability to add cadence at a latter date. I focus more on that than speed. I have a cateye and really like it. I would also recommend spending just a little extra and getting a wireless so you don't have to tie up all the extra wires.

Good luck.

I saw a cateye strada wireless. I was thinking something like that might work. No problems with the wireless?

I've got a Cateye Strada (wired), which I was able to pick up for a relative song when REI had a special sale on them a few months ago. I'm quite happy with it. It's my first computer and it does everything I want it to. I was also considering one of the computers from Planet Bike, but then I realized it wouldn't mount on my stem the way I had hoped, so I went with the Cateye.

Mine doesn't do cadence, but I'm OK with that; I'm not racing... I use the trip timer measure off 15 seconds while I count pedal rotations and then just multiply by 4. Good enough for me to have a rough idea of what my cadence is and what different cadences feel like.

I also recommend getting one with cadence. The Cateye Strada with Cadence has been great and I have a Cateye Mity 8 on another bike and that is good as well but doesn't have the cadence function. Wireless can be problematic unless you buy one of the better ones. The less expensive ones tend to not play well with lights (especially flashing lights), power lines and other emiters of electrical interference.

I run Cateye and Planet Bike Protege. The PB shows four lines on a screen and only scrolls the bottom line.

white cateye strada (wired) is what I bought five months ago off ebay and its been perfect so far.

Cateyes are nice. I would also suggest the gamin line. While they are more expensive the things you can do with them are amazing.

If all you want are speed, time, and distance, anything will work just fine, including a $10 Schwinn from xmart. Pick based on features that matter to you: how it mounts, size of the display, what it can display on the screen at the same time.

I don't care about cadence. I know the difference between 60 and 70 or 100 and 120, and don't care about the difference between 75 and 78. I find the things I pay attention to while riding are current speed (I tend to go too fast early, and blow up at 15 miles or so, unless I pay attention), and distance, so I know where I am on a route or cue sheet. After the ride, I care about time in saddle, and average speed, but not on the bike.

Same for me as dscheidt. I have the Planet Bike Protege 9. It's a good computer and displays speed, elapsed time, distance temperature and current time on one display.

Where are all the climbers? No one here interested in elevation gain?

This sounds like me to a T. You guys probably didn't read my first thread about me being a double clyde, but I really don't see myself being much of a climber, racer, lance wannabe. I wish I was but unfortunately, I am hoping to make it a few miles without having a heart attack. I want to work myself into shape and would like to know how fast I am going and how far I have ridden so I can track it for progress. Maybe, eventually, I will be doing this as more than just fun, but by then, I would probably need a new computer anyway.

Thanks for all your help and wish me luck as I set out to lose over half my body weight.

I usea $14 cheapo form Performance. I have a fancy cateye that reads cadence and revolutions on the ride blah blah blah. More hassle with the batteries and sensor on the chainstay not worth it.

Me neither. When another rider like Hillbashers asks, "you're going to spin that small gear for the entire ride?" you know your cadence is good...I don't know what it was but it must be high enough to avoid being considered mashing.

I'm too busy playing with my FLip to monitor elevation. Besides, this dude Hillbasher I ride with provides me with the information from his Garmin!

If you can swing the cash go Garmin. Im assuming your a Clyde as your posting in the forum. Being a Clyde myself, I use the Garmin 705 GPS/Heart/Cadence/etc and the unit was priceless in allowing me to complete the 200 mile STP ride last month. I was able to monitor my heart-rate for the full ride and keep my effort within a suitable HR for endurance. Before the Garmin I used a PlanetBike computer - another good computer but i have a tendency to try way too hard at the beginning of a ride and PlanetBike comp gave me no indication of this.

The Garmins also have web-based displays of all your ride details that are very cool to review:

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/41109107

HTH, magohn

Like yourself I just wanted the basic functions. I found this, https://www.meritline.com/wireless-cy...--p-42402.aspx, and figured that at $9 including shipping, even if it didn't work I wouldn't be too tore up about it. It works perfectly. And since buying it I see that it is the same unit that others sell for much more, just with a different casing, color or name plate.

P.S. Even though the description says that it doesn't include batteries, it does.

P.S.S. This site is also a great source for other cheap, Chinese stuff. Sometimes that's all you need. I bought some HDMI cables for my new HDTV that were just $3 for a 6' cable. Those cables sell at Best Buy for around $20.

Get a basic computer. Even if it doesn't last long, replacing $10 - $15 isn't that big of a deal. All the other data that can be tracked by fancy computers won't matter if you don't know how to use it.

After riding for a couple of years, I plateaued - no matter how much effort I put in I wasn't improving - and I refused to believe I was riding to my potential. I worked with a coach for a couple of months and she showed me how much better I can be on long rides if I increased my cadence (I didn't realize it but my average was around 70 rpms). Since then, I could care less about most stuff on the computer while I'm riding - I really focus on cadence and heart rate. I now know a HR range that works really well for me on long rides - and I know when to ignore my HR monitor, too. I also use the timer and lap functions a lot for intervals and for comparing ride segments.

Most of the information on how to best use cadence, HR, etc. data is available in books, but I found working with a coach the best $400 I've spent on cycling so far. So I got a computer that could track all that for me. The first (and second) was a Sigma - not recommended. It didn't like it when it was cold, it didn't like getting wet (and I would sweat all over it even on dry days), not a reliable computer at all. I'm using a Garmin 500 now, we'll see how it goes.

JB