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Cateye Commuter?

Old 03-19-12 | 07:32 PM
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Cateye Commuter?

Does anyone use the Cateye Commuter computer? A friend of mine has one and loves it. I'm looking at getting one or the Cateye Strada Wireless.
Experinces? Recommendations?
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Old 03-19-12 | 07:38 PM
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I have had a few Cateye setups. My wife has a Velo 8 model and I have an Urban Wireless setup on my commuter. I like them and they work well. Next computer will have a manual odometer so it won't reset when the batteries get changed. I think the Strada Wireless has manual odometer entry.
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Old 03-19-12 | 07:41 PM
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Eh, kinda of pricey for what you get (is it really $70?). I like the fact that it has a lot of information on one screen and the screen is rather large. Backlighting on cycle computers is kind of hit or miss for me since my morning ride is always in the dark. To save battery you usually have to hit one of the buttons to activate the light, and it turns on for 10 seconds. Taking your hands off the handlebars for anything while riding in the dark is not a good idea.

You get basically the same stuff with a Sigma 1609 (backlight, temperature, etc. NO ETA though) with cadence (optional) at half the price.

The best commuter computer I have found is a watch.

Last edited by CXT; 03-19-12 at 07:58 PM.
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Old 03-19-12 | 08:01 PM
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Love my Cateye Strada with cadence.
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Old 03-19-12 | 08:07 PM
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I have one. I like it, but there are drawbacks. First and foremost---it is a PITA to set. The setting procedure is series of holding and pressing(two separate acts) tiny buttons on the back of the computer, and if you screw up a step you have to start all over again. Also, it is a pain to see your total mileage. On computers I've had in the past, I could scroll through settings with the computer mounted to the bike. I could see trip distance and total distance easily. On the Cateye Commuter, you have to take the computer off the bike, push a tiny button on the back(better use a pen for that), then scroll through day/week/month/then total. It's a pain, and overly complicated.

The computer itself is fine. The screen displays a lot of data at once, and you can click through a few settings to display what you want. The backlight is nice, also.

I don't even mess with the ETA feature, because it's another series of tiny button pushes.

My next computer is going to be simple. Unfortunately, for Christmas my mom and my brother bought me Cateye computers. One bike has a Commuter, and one has a Strada Double Wireless. Guess I'm stuck for a while.
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Old 03-19-12 | 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by kjmillig
Does anyone use the Cateye Commuter computer? A friend of mine has one and loves it. I'm looking at getting one or the Cateye Strada Wireless.
Experinces? Recommendations?
The older Cateyes (Astrale 8, Enduro 8) are my preferred Cyclocomputers some of the features on the commuter are more "gee wiz" and "feel good" than useful. I have no use for "carbon offset" as for ETA I can estimate it in my head without having to punch a button. Third as others point out the backlight is often sketchy and just sucks a little more life out of the computer battery. Also, many of us use a helmet mounted light anyway that provides more direct light on the display. In short the Commuter model doesn't excite me; however, the Strada and other more conventional designs do.
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Old 03-19-12 | 08:33 PM
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OK, I hate figetting with small buttons and taking a lot of time to set things. Looks like I'm leaning toward the Strada wireless.
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Old 03-19-12 | 09:29 PM
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I have a Cateye on my Giant Trance X2. I like it - it's reliable (despite it being wireless), seems to be waterproof, is auto-on, and also has a backlight. However, it's a little irritating that it won't pick up any speed under about 3 mph. I know this may sound like a nit-pick, and it may be, but when I'm grinding up a hill working my backside off for that little thing to tell me I'm not even moving - well it's irritating at best. Other than that, it's great.
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Old 03-19-12 | 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by hopperja
However, it's a little irritating that it won't pick up any speed under about 3 mph.
This can probably be worked around by installing a second magnet on the spokes (diametrically opposite of the first one) and adjusting the wheel circumference settings accordingly.
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Old 03-19-12 | 10:07 PM
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Originally Posted by kjmillig
Does anyone use the Cateye Commuter computer?
I use it. No problems so far. Works as advertised.

One thing I don't like about it is that it is difficult to manually set the distance for an upcoming trip in this computer (so that the ETA display and the trip percentage indicator would work properly). It is possible but it requires suffering through a number of rather convoluted steps (one button user interface). Otherwise, it uses the previous trip distance as the distance setting for the next trip. It makes sense (for a commuter), but in many cases I'd like greater flexibility.
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Old 03-20-12 | 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by AndreyT
This can probably be worked around by installing a second magnet on the spokes (diametrically opposite of the first one) and adjusting the wheel circumference settings accordingly.
Hmm, I hadn't thought about it, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip!
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