One more question here folks....and I'm guessing that maybe it's something I should have if not "want to have" that I currently do not...a dashboard. .bike computer? ...whatever thigamabob...not looking for anything super fancy...don't want to spend $100 but don't want a $19.95 one from wally world either...and it would be nice if it could be back lit for evening rides...any suggestions?

T.I.A. Bill.

I haven't shopped for one in several years, so I can't make recommendations of specific makes and models. There are dozens, if not hundreds of them in your $25-$95 price range.

But the basic features most people like are:

• speed,
• average speed,
• top speed,
• distance,
• ride time,
• cadence,
• average cadence, and
• maximum cadence.

Things to look for are:

• display size,
• layout and clarity,
• can you see it with your (polarized) sunglasses,
• can you read it with and without your bi-focals,
• how much or how little you can see on the screen at any given time, and
• how useful or fiddly the button use is.

These last two are highly personal, BTW. What I find fiddly, you may find accceptable, and vice-versa.

For example, Cat-Eye is probably the most popular brand out there. People love 'em. I find them fiddly, obtuse, and difficult to use. Both sides of the argument are right because different people think differently. Don't avoid them because I don't like them, but when shopping, pay attention to which buttons you push, and in what sequence to get to what you want. You may find them perfectly clear, and easy to use and understand.

I prefer wireless since then I don't have wires from the sensor down to the bottom bracket and rear weel cluttering up the bike. There are two types of wireless:

1. Digital is the one to have. Digital is interference-free, reliable and accurate.
2. Analog is to be avoided. Analog goes nuts near power lines and other radio sources, and cyclists with the same or similar make and model.

Of course, wired is both cheaper and completely immune to such interference. But you have the wires draped all over.

Backlights seem like a nice idea, but in my experience, after dark I'm too focused on the road ahead of me to look at the cyclometer. Plus, in this price range, you're looking at disposable batteries, and backlights eat batteries.

Hope this helps!

What tsl says, he has it nailed.

Bill

the same distributors of bikes to bike shops also carry a range of accessories, that includes some Bike computers of various price/feature levels .

$20 will actually get you a decent wired (1battery) computer.. there are wireless ones too.. they have 2 batteries to occasionally replace.

If you have a smartphone, you can easily download the app "MapMyRide" which does everything you can imagine...

I think the Sigma's are the best and easiest to set, I have the 16.12 wired model, very good.
It also has cadence, temperature, timer, countdown. Everything but altitude which is on the 14.12 model, but it doesn't have some of the other features. O ring mounts are FAR better than zip ties. I take mine on and off many times to take off the handlebar etc. Cadence wires are rather clunky, so I left it off. Sigma also has a fabulous website with simulators of all the models.

What you should NOT buy are the Bontrager's. They only show tenths of miles. WTFing use is that on a bicycle???
They are also horrible to setup. Have zip tie mounting.

I have the Cateye Padrone and really like it. It has the larger screen and is really easy for me to see. $50 buck and I have absolutely no complaints.

I have the little Cat-Eye, not sure the model I'd have to check, I've been using it for more then 10 years with no problems. It has a few scratches from accidents, over the handlebars twice, but it keeps working. Battery life is amazing. I see they have another model that has cadence for less then $30.

Sorry, it's the FILZER DZ‑4LC3 WIRED CYCLING COMPUTER that has cadence for $27.

For $25, this one has served me very well, wireless, easy to use:
Nashbar Tempo Wireless Bike Computer - Computers/GPS/Powermeters

I really like the sigma BC 906. It has everything I need, but my needs are very basic. I mostly want to know how far I've gone and what time it is. All the other stuff is just nice to have. Do a nice job wrapping the wire, and you won't ever notice it. I have one with over 5k miles that I ride in all kinds of weather, so the durability seems to be pretty good so far.

If you ride in the dark, clip one of these to your helmet visor. All in for under twenty-five bucks.

Thanks folks and do me a favor..."Keep It Coming"...I'm liking hearing all the multifaceted sides of this topic as many of you have already touched on a few things I've gleaned since posting this thread this morning such as...

Before I left work to head to the LBS (to look) I took a look at our CNC Machine repairmans TREK which he has all decked out with some unit called a "road2"...he also has a trainer with it he keeps in our store room as this trek is his $4k knock around (his $10K "nice one" stays at home) were he also has software on his laptop that hooks up to his trainer and acts as a ride simulator....so while I was eyeballing his wireless unit w/ wireless cadence another older fitness freak friend of mine asked what I was up to and when I told him?...he said...

"Bill...I've road that bike and that unit also has a chest strap heart monitor and I think it cost him a few hundred....why not just download this...it's like $2.99 for the basic version or about $30 for the V.I.P. version which is what I use and it's fantastic and does everything and more!"

as he then showed me his "MapMyRun" smartphone software...and yep...it appears to be a cool alternative as it does biking and walking as well and for bonus points?...I'd have my phone with me in case something happened and could call somebody...and then?...

I got off at 12 noon today and headed straight for the LBS where they had a plethora of wireless digital units from "specialized" (in the $30-$40 range) and about a dozen catseye units...and the one that caught my eye was the catseye padrone due to it's much larger and easy to read screen...and they only had (1) of those left at $55 but when I asked it turns out this unit does not come with cadence...then again?...neither does my smartphone....then yet again?....is "cadence" something my old hacker butt needs?....probably not anymore than I need a heart rate monitor! LOL!

But at the end of the day?...I was still up in the air with this decision and decided further research was in order hence why I'm appreciating the feedback I'm getting here....but just to pacify my addiction?...I did spend $20 on two things...$10 on some cool Zefal Toe Clips and $10 on a spoke wrench....at least it'll give me something cool to do besides think about smoking on this rain soaked saturday!



Thanks again Folks and Ride Safe! Bill.

My bike refuses to wear a speedo

Seriously, why?

I use a Garmin with a HRM when I'm training, because I want the HR data. But for just riding around, having a good time, getting fitter, why do you want to know how far and fast you have gone? There are downsides to becoming obsessed with measuring everything. Maybe you just need to get out and ride and enjoy it.

If you have a smart phone, that (with the proper app loaded) will give you everything you could want, except cadence.

If you go with a dedicated unit, the two main price determinants are wired vs. wireless, and cadence vs. no-cadence.

I've always used the wired units without cadence, because they're cheap and reliable. Emphasis on cheap (and I don't own a smart phone).

For my next road bike, I'm getting a CatEye Patron. It's a nice enough bike that I want wireless, and the nice large display is nice. (Right now, I find I often have to remove my sunglasses to read the speedometer). I don't know of any units with backlighting -- backlighting tends to eat batteries, and everyone is going for long battery life.

As for cadence -- I already know when mine slips too low... I don't need additional nagging.

Good luck!

The problem with a smartphone app is that they don't tell you anything while you are on the bike. You can just look at it later, which is nice, but not that helpful if you are trying to follow a cue sheet or if you need to make sure you're home before dinner.

I have never understood why anyone would need to know their cadence if they know their speed and what gear they are in.

First I'd like to thank you folks for your continued responses...as there are no "wrong responses" here...we all do what we do the way we want to do it for our own personal reasons with zero need to justify anything...as the following here...

Is a darn good question from a slightly differing perspective...very slight....yet still a dang valid question so let me do my best to answer...and I guess my best honest answer to those questions would be...

I'm doing my best to save my legs from circulatory problems due to smoking 2+ packs a day for the past few decades and type II diabetes probably isn't helping matters much...This is day 19 for me of "no cigarettes"...my legs are doing night and day better as far as the skin tone and feeling coming back into them...and even so?...quitting smoking is still a bear...so I'm immersing myself in cycling, walking and archery just to keep busy and active and I feel that monitoring improvements in physical fitness seems to instill a greater level of motivation for me to remain on the right track here eliminating the bad things from my life by replacing them with good things...I mean...a man needs to obsess over something right? LOL!

Best answer I can come up with at the moment...but keep the feedback coming here folks and let the good stuff flow!

Meanwhile?...I'm looking real hard at the Catseye Stealth 50....it's a bit more than I wanted to spend and I'd hafta save a few weeks but it also seems like a lot of unit for the money....GPS based w/ HRM and Cadence and comes with a USB Docking/Charging Station...pretty cool if ya ask me and under the circumstances?...it might not be a bad idea that I keep an eye on my heart rate.

Thanks again, Bill.

I have a very basic cat-eye wireless to keep track of bike mileage. It helps me know how much life I'm getting out of a chain/tire/shoe/saddle. It's also great for pootle-around rides where I want to know total mileage and time on bike, but will have significant rest stops so HRM or GPS mapping is less than useful. Probably worth $30 these days. I wouldn't even consider wired -- the price difference is getting minimal, it uglifies the bike and those wires hold dirt.

I have a Polar unit that works with my company's Wellness Plan software. I upload to polarpersonaltrainer.com and it shoots the proprietary, non-hackable data to my wellness plan's account. Irritating that I can't use open protocol formats (Ant+). The polar device also works as a HRM in the pool, so that's good. It just tracks HRM and time since I haven't replaced the speed sensor battery and I took off the cadence sensor. $500 investment but the wellness incentives are about $600 a year so it has paid for itself. Polarpersonaltrainer.com does have a nice "Training Load" that is quite accurate to me indicating my cumulative fatigue and whether I need to hammer my next ride, take it easy, or just rest for 1-2 days.

I have a Garmin 510 Edge that I use for most rides. GPS tracking, cadence/speed, HRM (when I max out on the Polar incentives for the year), and ability to work with a power meter if I get one. It can upload to Strava through Garmin Connect, which the polar unit can't.

Finally, I started out using Cyclemeter on my iPhone and then went to the Strava app. But I was burning my phone battery down before I got 35 miles in on a ride, leaving me with a dead phone and incomplete ride history. I was carrying the phone in a back pocket since it was too hard to read in sunlight anyhow. My old phone doesn't have bluetooth support for a HRM and the little Wahoo dongles wouldn't fit into the plug with the bulky otter case. On longer rides I ended up carrying an outboard 2nd phone battery and a charging cable all in a ziplock bag with the phone. I decided it was less BS to just have the separate GPS computer.

Many of you people don't understand why a slowbie wants/needs to know all of this. I'm a numbers girl and love the post-mortem sessions going over ride data. Many of us are motivated by setting goals and measuring progress towards them. I have competitive urges and want to see how I stack up against the others in my peer group. It makes me feel good that a hill I used to slog up at 6mph (stopping to catch my breath) I can do at 12mph most days. Other times the measures from cycling computers are more pragmatic. How soon the next turn is on a cue sheet on a large ride when the street names aren't well-marked. Or trying to estimate calories burned. Or getting a handle on how many miles each of the segments on my usual routes are so I can do on-the-fly route planning without over- or under-doing the time and distance.

Shop around for those coin-sized CR2032 batteries. Prices vary tremendously. I get about a year use from them and ordered in bulk online since so many of my devices use them.

That's an awesome story, Bill. I can't wait to hear how you're doing on WEEK 19, MONTH 19 and YEAR 19!

For me (and I can't answer for anyone else), it helps me see progress. Or even if I'm backsliding, the lack thereof. That's a Good Thing to me. Being informed doesn't automatically imply going overboard - It's not obsessive, just quantitative. I also find that, even as moderate as my efforts may be from time to time, I still do better with a goal in mind. If that's just noodling around on the bike and "simply" enjoying myself, then fine. But I can also set milestones (no pun intended) to keep me honest and keep me trying. It's also nice to review old rides and (hopefully! ) see progress over the long run.


I use Sports Track Live (on Android). In addition to post-ride data, I can view this onscreen (assuming I want to take the battery hit by having the phone display on constantly). This is while sitting in the house, but it's not too far off my actual ride numbers:



Website: Sportstracklive - share, train and compete in your sport
Sample - My ride from this morning: Sportstracklive | lphilpot | Cycling

I also have a Cateye Strada Wireless (CC-RD300W) I use live on the bike. I just use STL on my phone to record the ride, then upload it later. I don't have a HRM, which is something I'm considering, but it would have to interface with STL/phone since the Strada won't do HRM. The actual cadence value isn't too important to me at this point - I can feel when it's wrong.

nkfrench and kingston....Thank You Both very much!

Cadence is probably a good option to have if you ride by yourself a lot for developing a good cardio base. Either that or ride with experienced people who have it down.

I know you CAN look at your phone while you are riding, but practically speaking, it's not a feasible option unless you have a generator hub and a power port. Either that or go for very short rides.

I have a Delta phone mount on my bike, which holds it in an easily-viewable position above the stem. I've used it a bit with the display on, but not enough to know how long it would last. This morning, I started with about 97%, actively recorded for 2.5 hours and when I got home ~4 hours later it was between 70 and 80%. But of course, the display was off for much of that time, so who knows.

Wow, I wish my battery life was that good. I went for a 4 hour ride this morning, with Mapmyride running on my android phone in my seatbag the whole time. When I got home the phone was almost completely dead. That's worse than usual, but not much.

Motorola RAZR HD, with Android Kit Kat 4.4, ~18 months old.
I'm also running a SnapDragon app that's supposed to conserve power, but it has more to do with background updates, etc., than active usage. I also have a static wallpaper and aside from a battery widget, not much active stuff running all the time.