Yeah I figured out what I wanted. I really just wanted a small computer so I can see speed, distance and time at a glance.
I put my iphone in a bag after starting map my ride so I can check my route. I just didn’t feel comfortable with it mounted on my handlebars plus it being always on drains the battery.
My apple watch tracks my heart rate.
I bought an inexpensive basic cycle computer-Cycplus. It tracks speed and distance using gps. It does what I want.

I figure as long as I am moving my heart must be beating......probably better I don't know what it is or I might have to slow down even slower than I am already going....

What I have now works fine for what I do. My 30,000 whatever unit external battery can recharge my iPhone easily if I put the phone in airplane mode. No need for an extra item to carry or have to deal with finding a sunny place to put it. Clouds happen. I happened to camp in a city park with power that day.

For keeping track of new routes to repeat/modify, GPS is probably a must these days.

For merely having real time current speed, avg speed, distance, time stuff there are pretty simplistic bike computers, even wired ones that serve this purpose. I have some old wired Sigma Sport ones that I still use.

But, I take my iPhone in my under saddle bag and wear an iWatch for real time HR, elevation gain. The “close enough” data it gives I look over later.

John

Very well stated and my experience as well. I use that combo as well as TrailForks to create and follow roads and trails I would otherwise be hesitant to take. Very happy with how these technologies have allowed more enjoyable riding experiences.

Seems like the version of me that jumps on my bike and takes a spin without any devices would have an argument with the version of me that uses my phone to record a jra with strava who would be angry with the version of me that uses Google maps to plot a course to an obscure coffee shop, all of whom would be completely puzzled by the version of me who puts a 400k brevet in my Garmin and uses turn by turn nav. But actually we're all happily coexisting. Weird.

How many watts are all of you putting out?

This thread is better than “Alien vs Predator.”

I use my iPhone 13mini in a Rokform case and handlebar mount to track mileage and route. I don't keep screen on so it doesn't kill the battery. We just ride rails to trails paths so hopefully no crashes happen but phone should survive if one does.

I started with a speedometer in a can which was mechanically activated by a flange stuck between the spokes. Not accurate in the least, but it was fun. Then moved up to very crude magnetic speedos with a wire running down the fork, which gave speed, ave speed and distance and time. Outrageous amount of info! Now I have a Garmin with satellite GPS that is so sophisticated, it slices and presents 25 pieces of data in any format I want, has rear radar, alerts me to messages, weather conditions and provides turn by turn navigation. Can’t imagine what they will be like in another 10 years.

Edit: My iPhone is always in my jersey pocket in case of emergency (mine or others) plus it relays messages, incoming calls to Garmin.

I've run a Garmin 64sx for several years with a Cateye Strada, overkill perhaps. I try to correlate the distance readings between them by adjusting the Cateye wheel circumference setting. I load the Garmin tracks into BaseCamp and data from both into a spreadsheet. My assumption is that the GPS distance is usually a bit less than the Cateye distance, since GPS uses more widely-spaced breadcrumbs than the Cateye, which may cut corners more on sharp turns. A straight out-and-back track is most likely to be accurate. If the GPS signal goes weird, however, and it puts you on the other side of the river from where you are, or some such nonsense, the distance on the GPS can exceed the Cateye. Sometimes it does that anyway, for no reason apparent to me. I think of my collection of BaseCamp tracks as the functional equivalent of a personal diary, and the distance correlation as a challenging puzzle.

I always thought of gps as being accurate but I guess it’s accurate enough.

I agree. What I do with mileage and GPS tracks is a hobby pursuit,
Another point I will mention regarding the Cateye. I often have inadvertently zeroed out my mileage by holding down the button while leaning over or handling the bike. The Strada has a second circumference setting and mileage reading that stays put if you zero out the main reading., It's intended to allow a wheel swap or use of the Cateye on two different bikes, but I rely on it when I accidently kill the main display, A second mileage reading also lets me independently check mileage between points during a ride. The Cateye, on a multiday trip, can be used to track daily mileage without having to mess with the GPS. There are some likely variations with the Cateye mileage such as tire pressure and riding surface, Changing tires will probably throw it off. Using mile markers on a bike path to calibrate wheel circumference is pretty unreliable if you're shooting for accuracy. A realignment that is longer than the original path will throw off mile markers that follow it, and markers are sometimes planted elsewhere when the surface at the actual mileage point is inhospital to a physical marker. But I do think that a properly calibrated wheel circumference may be a tad bit more accurate than GPS, at least for day rides. The problem is the calibration,
For me, the main point of the GPS is to display and record tracks and terrain. The Garmin I have can use rechargeable NI-MH batteries, a savings over the long haul. It's survived falls at speed from the bike, is waterproof, and uses buttons rather than a touch screen, which I like,
Happy riding!

The gps I am using is a simple computer that measures speed, distance and time using gps. It has no mapping capability. It also is difficult to use so I may look into a Cateye.
I use map my ride on my phone and can pull up maps of course. I keep it in a bag or my jersey pocket so it isn’t as useful as one mounted in front of me, but I ride on streets or paved trails so it would be hard to get lost. I bought this to replace a wheel mounted sensor computer. All I want is a computer that is easy to use and gives my speed, distance snd time. If it has other features great but not necessary.
I have the rest of the winter to look around.

For simplicity and cost, if you don't need something that displays maps or tracks, I'd go with a unit that reads wheel revolutions. Swap out the battery (or batteries, usually something like a CR2032) every year, logging your mileage before replacing the battery. You can use the unit's instructions to set wheel circumference or ride it over a known distance and make adjustments to match. If the circumference is accurate, the other stats are likely to be accurate, since they result from math applied to the # of revolutions and the elapsed time.

I got several of those in a drawer since switching to my phone. They're wireless, use a magnet on the spoke and generally cost less than $20 bucks. The CR2032 batteries last about a year unless you leave your bike out in the cold.

Do you just have your phone in a mount on your handlebars?

Yes. I have a Samsung A14 with the super large battery. I use a Ram X mount, but only because that's what we used for our gear when I did search and rescue. I'm familiar with Ram mounts and trust them. But if I had to start from scratch, I would look at a quad lock or even one of the cheap quad lock knock offs. With all the electronics turned on including blue tooth sensors and tunes and the screen on bright, it uses about 10% battery/hour of operation whereas my wife's Iphone would be dead in 2 hours I can go 10 plus without worry. Lately, I've started only use the sensors when I'm on the trainer. On the road I use a GPS app that does everything and then some. HTH
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8728a2afb6.jpg
Not sure if I did the link right. But it should take you to the image. I only use the Garmin GPS when I'm geocaching, it's on a Ram mount too.

I have an I-phone 12. If it eats battery life I will just get a stand alone computer.

Battery life is the main reason not to use a phone as a bike computer.

Other reasons include:

• phone apps tend to not work well when they lose cell signal
• phones are relatively expensive and fragile
• most phones don't connect to Ant+ sensors

I think someone said that before.

Is Cateye the go-to brand of cycling computers?
I bought a cheap computer that is not user friendly and instructions are not helpful.

Cateye was a standard brand for bike computers in the pre-GPS days. They made simple computers that were very easy to use. I assume they still do.

Since GPS bike computers have become dominant, the two brands that I see the most today are Garmin and Wahoo.

If all you want from a bike computer are speed and distance, Cateye is a decent choice.

I bought a Cateye Padrone yesterday and immediately liked it.

Compared to what?

Compared to the cheap Chinese gps computer I bought for $25.00.