DARKSCOPE001

Hello all I have many questions.

Firstly I wanted to ask about bike computers. I had a garmin edge 205. Connected it to my computer (win 7 64x) had to reboot the compy and the gps many times before they would even recognise each other. I started updating the software and it got frozen. i left came back an hour later and it was still stuck about about 23% pressed cancel but the gps still said "loading" pressed menue and start stop button (resets gps) now all the screen says is "softwhere missing" and i emailed garmin and havent heard anything (its been 4+ days) anyways bleh. sorry for the long windedness

So now that I find myself without a computer I really find myself missing all the info it told me (mostly mileage and speed) time of day and length of time is nice too. I had my eye on a few computers, normaly I like to get my stuff from the local bike shop to help support them and keep local bike shops alive.

So here is my big question. I have had my eye on units with cadance eg. This is the unit I have been looking at at least online https://www.amazon.com/Cateye-CC-RD40..._sg_ai_ps_t_23 What i like about this unit is its wireless and has cadance too. But how usefull is cadance? also many of the reviews talked of interferance and the sensors not working so would i be better off with a cheeper cat eye unit from the lbs?

Thanks all next up a new saddle and a better blinkey and strobe

Thanks
Sean Scott

Dbarkertarmac

Hi Sean.

Sounds like you have what I found out can be the symptoms of a "dead" garmin.... My buddies 305 went after a little over a year with all the dame symptoms as yours ( my 305 that is 2 years old still works great though )

I'm just trying to get myself back into riding, but when I was riding regulally I wouldn't trade the gps data from my 305 for any other cycling computer ( except a power meter...). While riding my main screen was setup to display cadence and heart rate in the large format with the elapsed time below..... MPH and elevation gained were on the second page. My point is ( a novice point, but my opinion ). Is I would rank heart rate number 1 on my computer, and cadence number two in priority. Mph and elevation data were only fun things to look at after the ride ( for me )

Dan

the_goob

Honestly at this point, I'm much more interested in cadence than I am speed or distance. I've been eying the Bontrager Trip 3. I like the big display (Born with bad eyes) and I'm not much concerned about the wire dressing. I did that for a living for many, many years. Assuming that Cateye Strada is the same one my LBS sells the display is tiny. Or I'm just a 29 year old, old man

DARKSCOPE001

Ok thanks guys. I have been eye balling a few different computers. The one I really want right now is the bontrager node 1. It will do everything I want it to do and i can expand it as my budget grows. probably start with speed cadance sensor but i would like to add a heart rate monitor later.

It really sucks that i lost my gps unit and Im not sure that I really want/ need another gps. Plus I have heard a few other horror stories of garmin units kicking out early.

Thanks
Sean Scott

DARKSCOPE001

Ok guys I think im going to get myself a new computer soon. Probably next paycheck. I still cant decide on one. I know I want a wired one I know everyone likes the wireless and whatnot but the re-occuring theme I have read with cheep wireless computers (cheep being one thats not ANT+) is that they are very susceptible to interference and i think that would just drive me up the wall. And having to replace the battery in the head and the sensor would be kinda frustrating too! and I like the price point of the wired units better. I know they have wires but I think I could probably make them into nice neat lines that disappear on the bike.

So Ive decided on a few units. First a friend and I were at a local bike shop and they had the bontrager trip 3. I liked all the features but I cant a great volume of reviews. I like the screen size. But im not real fond of how the unit secures itself to the bars but I have only read 1 review of the unit poping off with dramatic effects.

Another computer i liked was the cat eye enduro 8. This unit does not have cadence and from what I have read on this forum everyone seems to really endorse computers with cadence. But I do like the fact that its got one of the bigger screens as far as cateye goes and seems to be very durable (hence enduro)

Lastly the cateye strada cadence. Its from cateye and in my book is a plus. But the screen is pretty small. I have good vision with my glasses on. But Idk how it would be while actually on the bike trying to look and understand data. Also the strada cadence is available at my local bike shop. And thats always a pluss to support your lbs.

If anyone has any advice or experience, suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. I have also been lookin at the planet bike protege but again it doesent have cadence and I hear that rain is a death sentence for the unit and thats a bit of a letdown.

Thanks
Sean Scott

Mithrandir

I personally love my Garmin Edge 500. IMO cadence is important when you're just beginning cycling, as it helps you build your form. After a few months I don't really use it much anymore though, as I seem to have settled at around 85 cadence naturally now (up from 60-70), and all attempts to make it higher than that seem unsuccessful.

lakkdainen

I have a strada and enduro 8. Got the enduro first, and was happy with it... then I got a trainer. The enduro senses the front wheel, which was useless indoors. The strada seems nearly identical but senses off the rear wheel and has cadence. The display shows one value in large font, and one smaller. I generally keep the cadence large, distance small. I'm still in the beginner category, so I find the cadence very useful. I could see if you've been at it a year or two though you'd probably just fall into range automatically from muscle memory.

Like you, I'm weary of anything wireless. (Are you in IT too?) The wire for my strada is tight and straight down the top of my down tube, touching the bottle cage bolts. If you're not looking closely, it's like a pin stripe. It's more reliable and cheaper.

DARKSCOPE001

Thanks lakkdainen. Im assuming by IT you mean computer tech? (forgive me if thats the wrong term) no but I am anal about how business my bike looks. I raced rc since I was 12 and always had the cleanest car and best setup car on the track. Now I just got my degree in aviation maintenance. OCD maybe but Everything in my oppinion has to be damn near perfect. Besides a clean sleek setup is a fast setup. It allows you to detect faults and see if something is wrong faster than one that is just cobbled together. So I like to keep my bike as cleen and as organized as possible so that I can see problems before they become big issues.

Thanks again
Sean Scott