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Too Much Wireless?

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Old 05-13-03 | 04:31 PM
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From: Sheboygan, WI (actually, rural Random Lake)

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Too Much Wireless?

Everything seems to be going wireless these days. It sure makes installation easier and cleaner, and I am wondering if anyone has experienced interferance between bike devices.

I have a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (wireless) with Bike Speed built in (S710).

I need to get a bike computer and am looking at the Shimano Flightdeck with wireless.

Has anyone run into interferance between devices on a single bike? Just wondering before I send in my order.

Thanks.

-Lyle
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Old 05-13-03 | 05:03 PM
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Originally posted by tenpas
I have a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (wireless) with Bike Speed built in (S710).

I need to get a bike computer and am looking at the Shimano Flightdeck with wireless.

Has anyone run into interferance between devices on a single bike? Just wondering before I send in my order.

Thanks.

-Lyle
I run a wireless Flightdeck mounted within a few inches of my Polar HRM. I've not experienced any interference to date. I don't think that you'll have a problem.
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Old 05-13-03 | 06:55 PM
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I use a polar HR monitor, and use a generic (nashbar) wireless computer... no problems as of yet, it all works pretty well if you ask me
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Old 05-13-03 | 08:14 PM
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Wireless heart rate monitors run havoc in spin classes.
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Old 05-14-03 | 02:44 AM
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Back in the 1960s when I was at infant school, older teachers used to call a radio "The wireless", when they didnt call it a radigramme. When did audio broadcast go wireless?
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Old 05-14-03 | 05:09 AM
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Lyle, what would be the added value of the Flight Deck? From what I have heard, the Polar can very well serve as a bike 'puter (with the proper 'extensions', that is). Or do you want to leave the Polar at home every now and then and still ride 'informed'?
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Old 05-14-03 | 05:51 AM
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Originally posted by MichaelW
Back in the 1960s when I was at infant school, older teachers used to call a radio "The wireless", when they didnt call it a radigramme. When did audio broadcast go wireless?
Thats right ,it had me stumped to for a while too ( back in the days of The Billy Cotton bloody Band Show on a Sunday, I used to hate that opening signiture tune ,I dissapeared when that came on ) that`s what the wireless word means to me too !
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Old 05-14-03 | 06:50 AM
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Originally posted by Bruco
Lyle, what would be the added value of the Flight Deck? From what I have heard, the Polar can very well serve as a bike 'puter (with the proper 'extensions', that is). Or do you want to leave the Polar at home every now and then and still ride 'informed'?
I'm not sure about Lyle, but I wanted the Flightdeck/Polar combo so that I wouldn't have to mount that Polar stuff to my bike in order to get cadence. Also, I can easily remove my Polar, and wear it on my wrist for other sports.

I know that my Flightdeck only reports virtual cadence, but that's good enough for me. When I pedal, the cadence is correct, when I coast (what's that? ), I ignore the cadence.
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Old 05-14-03 | 07:21 PM
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From: Sheboygan, WI (actually, rural Random Lake)

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Hey Bruco,

Well, I am an engineer, and that should explain it all. But, here is my reasioning.

I am not all that coordinated, and to take the hands off of the bars to try to change display to go from time / speed is somewhat distracting, especially for a non-coordinated sort like myself. Heck, I can crash even without trying to fiddle with a display unit with a small display....

The flight-deck can give me cadence without any extra wires to the pedals., so it keeps things clean without any extra wires running all over the bike.

And I did not find a display on the polar that shows a trip meter that displays while I am riding. So if I go fer a 40-mile backroad ride on a saturday, I have to remember the total mileage on the polar and subtract to get the distance that I have traveled on that day. Same for the weekend organized rides of 50/75 mi.

And the polar mounts OK to the handlebars, but it is a bit hokey to get on & off. If you get off the bike the flight deck snaps off quite quickly, but you gotta fiddle with the polar fer a bit to get it off or mounted correctly on the bike.


On the plus side, the polar does some neat things like plotting heart rate vs speed after a ride on the computer.

I will see - I have not ordered one yet, just looking into it.

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice!
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Old 05-15-03 | 03:33 AM
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Originally posted by tenpas
Well, I am an engineer, and that should explain it all.
Get your point. I am technically challenged myself, but as a 'gadget man' I do surrender to the occasional temptation. No justification necessary.

to take the hands off of the bars to try to change display to go from time / speed is somewhat distracting, especially for a non-coordinated sort like myself. Heck, I can crash even without trying to fiddle with a display unit with a small display....
Keep on trying. You will get better. (If even I can stay on the road, there is hope for all of us.) Just pick a soft landing zone, whenever you decide to leave the saddle.

The flight-deck can give me cadence without any extra wires to the pedals., so it keeps things clean without any extra wires running all over the bike.
Yep, cleaner is meaner. Just ignore the cadence number while coasting. I haven't tried the Polar stuff myself, but I think the speed and cadence 'pick-up devices' are quite big. They look less clean than the Flight Deck, to be sure.

Don't know how to display the trip meter while riding. Perhaps you are a bit too 'analytical' on the road. Speed, cadence, heart rate is enough info for me. Takes me two devices and a lot of wire (Ciclosport CM212 on the bar and a Sigma PC1600--just arrived :-)--on the wrist). The rest I figure out and 'digitize' (manually :-()after the ride.

Have fun!
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Old 05-15-03 | 03:48 AM
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Love wireless . I like the clean look. But interference can be a problem.
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Old 05-15-03 | 09:22 AM
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I bought the Flight deck first, then bought the Polar s710. I get no interference. The Polar is digitally coded so you can race in a pack and it still gives you clear readings. I have never had a single problem with the Flight Deck either.

I am an electronic geek so I like both. The thing I use most on the flight deck, is the gear indicator and the RPM. I leave the polar display left on altitude (temp) and time.

Do I need both, no!

If I had to do it over again I would buy just the Polar and put the extra money towards the power attachment.

Why doesn't Shimonster get together with Polar and really do it right. You could put an entire keyboard on your handle bar plus send emails!!!!
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