jppe

on my odometer.

For those of you who don't use cyclometers don't read any further!!!!!

I just turned over 10,000 miles on my Ciclosport 434 odometer on today's ride and wondered if the odometer would restart from zero or actually show 10,000+. I got it last summer and it's been a good and reliable unit-at least it was worth what I paid for it anyway. It provides all the typical riding stats like speed, miles and time. In addition it provides per cent grade of the road, climbing feet (using barometeric pressure changes), altitude, cadence etc. It's easy to read and easy to program as well.

I picked it up off ebay for less than $100 and have enjoyed having the data. It has allowed me to add climbing feet and steepest climbs to my stats!!

I suppose the unit will be retired when the Garmin gets up and running. With the Garmin and I'll not only have the end of ride information but be able to see it mile for mile.....I'll be very interested to see the heart rate and cadence graphed out for some of the longer, steeper climbs.

I suppose I won't be able to see if the Ciclo will indicate 100,000 miles!!

CB HI

Did you really think you might get 100,000 miles in before the battery goes dead and resets the unit?
(or does it have a feature you can input your last mileage when the battery went dead)

It is cool that it went over 10K.

pastorbobnlnh 

JPPE,

Move it over to the bars to see how the two compare. I have a Garmin ForeTrex 201, (designed for backwoods hiking, etc.) that I use with handlebar mounts. I have never been able to make a cycle computer agree with it no matter how carefully I measure the wheels. I've decided that I'll use the Garmin on all my bikes and ditch the computers, this way I'll get consistent mileage readings across my montage of rides. One thing is certain with the Garmin, your altitude readings will be accurate. When I rode on the Bule Ridge Parkway in September, my unit agreed with the sign posts to within 10 feet at every posting.

jppe

That's a great idea. I have not thought of doing that. I noticed when I was riding the BRP that the elevations were very close to the Ciclo readings as well. I know both the Ciclo and the Garmin use barometric pressure for altitude so it will be interesting to see how close the two units are. I'm looking forward to having the cleaner look of the Garmin on the bars as I'll be able to remove the cyclo and the HR monitor. They have been a really good deal for the money.........

megaman

jppe, what model of Garmin do you have?

jppe

I have ordered the Garmin 305 with HR and cadence. It was shipped to my office and I have not been there since before Christmas to check to see if it's come. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't already there.....

CrossChain

Hah....I'm technologically one generation behind and looking for something like the Ciclo. Jppe, how accurate do you think the Ciclo is on all measurements dealing with climbing?

jppe

Most of the time I'd say it's very accurate for climbing and per cent grades. I've verified that type of data from a couple different sources over the past 18 months and it's probably as good as most measurements that are readily available. It uses the barometric pressure method so it's not perfect but for what I was looking for it does a really nice job for the price. I'd say overall you could feel comfortable that it's errors are within 5%. So for a ride that actually had 10,000 ft of climbing 9500 ft is a reasonable reading. There's a lot of variables that come into play so I don't think that's too bad.

Like Pastor Bob, I've used it on the Blue Ridge Parkway where they post elevations on signs along the road. I've been able to compare it to those numbers and have seen it track the elevation changes along the Parkway very accurately.

I've enjoyed setting it on the per cent grade on some of the steeper climbs just to see the steepness of some of the roads. There's a training ride I do in the NC mountains where the grades are 19-21% for 1/4 mile or so. It stores the maximum readings for speed, per cent grade and other information that you can recall either during or after a ride.

It also has a temperature display as well....It always shows speed in big numbers at the top of the screen and then you scroll around for the other stuff displayed at the bottom of the screen using a button. I watched the temps on a 2 hour climb up to Mt Mitchell one day. I started in sunny 65 degree weather only to go through fog, sleet and temps that dropped over 20 degrees the further up I went. Unfortunately I was only dressed for 60 degree weather!!

It's very easy to program and comes as a wireless unit. However, if you want cadence you have to use a wired harness that runs back to the chainstay. The face is a pretty good piece of glass-I've abused it pretty good but it's held up very well with no scratches that I can think of. If you can find one on eBay I think they're a great little cyclometer for the money.

pastorbobnlnh 

Are you certain about the "barometric pressure" on the Garmin? GPS can measure altitude very effectively in the same way it determines the unit's location--- signals from satelites and a tower in the middle of the US.

sch

In the '90s some odometers had memory limits that prevented them from going above a certain mileage.
I remember topping out an avocet short of 10kmi. It subsequently broke. On my Trek 5000, the odo rolled upto 20kmi, before I stopped riding it in June and took it apart for total cleaning and attempted sale. Might try ebay. I think most contemporary odometers, if they read 5 digits, will go up well into the 5digit range, depending in part on the BCD method used.

jppe

Here's the info from Garmin's 305 website so I'm guessing the altimeter information is based on barometric pressure. I thought it might use GPS for that as well but maybe a future enhancement:

For advanced cyclists, the Edge 305 comes packaged with a heart rate monitor and/or wireless speed/pedaling cadence sensor to provide valuable feedback. In addition, the Edge 305 incorporates a barometric altimeter for extremely accurate elevation and vertical profile data. Recreational cyclists looking for the perfect touring companion and fitness partner will love the Edge 205.

CrossChain

Who remembers those first Cateye solar powered computers? They were cool in 1984 but seem the size of a tennis ball now-- and the screen would turn black if out in the sun too long. Gotta stop this...I'll be reminiscing about my white Bell Biker helmet next.