Cheap basic road computer
 

Hey all! My Bontrager Ridetime crapped out. It was never very good. I'm looking for a basic computer that can tell me my speeds, distances traveled, and the current time. Nothing fancy really. I don't need or want maps or crazy apps, or bluetooth capability. Any suggestions for something that will be reliable? I just want something that's going to work. Thanks!

Cateye Enduro. Simple wired and robust.

So fast! Thank you! You must be blazing in the saddle!

A wristwatch and google maps should suffice

Just get on amazon and search for "bike gps". There are a poop load these days for $30-60 that will do pretty much everything other than navigation.

Coospo on Amazon. $40, wireless, with GPS. You say you don't want BT, but why? This thing supports both BT and ANT+ and will connect with anything you throw at it. Do not get a wired unit, the wires break, the sensors use magnets and are not accurate unless you have an exact tire measurement. The GPS in the wireless units calibrate the wheel sensor if you have one automatically so you get accurate speed and distance, or you can just use the GPS speed and distance.

I'll ask this question. Would you buy a 20 year old home computer that didn't have wifi? That's what buying a wired bike computer is like.

I'd expect cheap bike computers or cyclometers to crap out in a year or so. Maybe sooner. If you don't want a GPS, then Cateye is likely a better choice than any other out there. If you want a gps enabled Cyclometer, then Garmin, even their inexpensive Edge 130plus will probably last you 10 or more years. The cost will work out to 2 dollars for each of those 10 years.

CatEye Velo Wireless user here. No problems for years, even with lots of exposure to wet weather.

As one of the resident luddites around here. I've got a Cateye Astrale (wired with cadence) on the right side of my handlebars. It even moved there from my previous bike over 10 years ago. Its super reliable and only needs a new battery ever 2-3 years or so.
The left side has seen several Garrmin and Wahoo models that all got replaced for a variety of reasons but mostly because they weren't operationally reliable.

If all you really want is the basic data for your ride and don't give a rat's posterior about where you are or going and all the other highfalutin training data points that these newfangled internet connected models offer, I seriously suggest:

https://cateye.com/intl/products/computers/CC-VL520/ And its only $25.

I bought the basic Coospo. Let's see how that works. I'll go with the Cateye Velo if it's not working correctly. Thanks all!

+1. That’s what I have, only wireless. Exact same functions. Gets me through multi-week tours.

A basic Cateye computer is your go to IMO. They've been around for as long as I can remember.

I track my rides on my Fitbit.

Phone mount and the computer you already own I bet.

Cateye Velo 9 on my Trek Domane and Motobecane gravel bike. I have to use wired computers since I ride before dawn with Niterider lights. The headlight jams wireless computers.

I found some cheap Chinese wireless and wired computers ($20) on Amazon that work well for my Trek 1.1 (wired) and Trek X-Caliber (wireless).

I've been using Cateye since they came on the market. A few decades ago. Never had a reason to change.

Cheap Chinese bike computers......

Wired
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1XZ3W65...sin_title&th=1
Wireless
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HL0B5AU...fed_asin_title

Report back on this. I'd be surprised if it doesn't work correctly. I wouldn't be surprised though if the setup is fussy with the translated English.

I stopped using a bike computer once I got a GPS Garmin watch.

I commute with 6 different bikes year round 5F to 100F. The odometer that has held up best for me with the features I like is the Planet Bike Protege 9. One of the three displays will simultaneously show current speed, ride time, ride distance, clock and temp. I can press to see average speed, total miles and other stuff, but I like that one screen. I now have two wired and one wireless which works okay, but the transmitter battery life seems less than the head unit.

I also have have two of the cheaper, basic Schwinn/Bell odometers. They cycle through speed, ride time and trip distance but not time or temp, which have to be clicked for way too many times. On those bikes I just ask Google for time and temp on my earpiece.

I went through a bunch of very cheap web-special odometers and they usually failed within a year.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...80a4bb22ea.png

I use the bike computer for backup for my smart phone with MapMyRide app. Also, the bike computer keeps track of Odometer stats for a particular bike.... something apps and GPS devices don't do.

Strava does all that and more.

That little cheapo COOSPO is going to be collecting a lot of data about you. Make sure you are willing to trust them with your data.

Informative.

Those are actually quite nice.

Why people feel the need to mess with a good reliable product like Cateye who makes excellent lower cost computers that have worked and worked for a loooooong time I don't understand? I get it a billionaire who has more warehouses and money than sense can get ridiculous prices and products and all of that but there is something to be said for known qualities and quantities that you just cannot get through places that don't specialize in bikes and bike parts.

To those knocking wired computers I have never really had an issue with one and the Cateye Enduro is pretty robust. I can understand on a mountain bike it having more issues but a road bike would be pretty rare. I have found the wireless units to be a bit more fidgety and problematic at points and having two batteries to deal with kind of sucks. However I am not talking Garmin, Wahoo, or similar just the more basic wireless models. However I haven't had enough or consistent issues with wireless to say don't go with one but just that wired is super simple and easy and if you are looking to save money Cat-Eye has got you covered.

I use the wireless one on my flips as a value enhancer. Shop around a bit on the 'Bay for a better price.

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I had an early CatEye in the mid-80s. The unit was big enough to see with the naked eye from low-earth orbit :D, but it worked great. I wish I had saved it for nostalgia purposes.

In 2011 I needed a new computer for.a tour. I had a LBS in Missoula slap one on when it received the bike from UPS. It was a Sigma. The first morning of the tour the computer kept resetting to 0 miles. Couldn’t figure out what was going on. Finally did. Every time I stopped to take a photo of the Bitterroots on the right, the bars would twist left and rest against my left knee, pressing one of the buttons and resetting the mileage. Really dumb design.

And yes, wireless does have the issue of a second battery. I went with wireless for the touring bike because it usually got boxed and shipped one a year. Pro tip: When hitting the road for a while with an older battery, pack a spare. I had one die on me on the first day of a two-week trip.

Yes they are. I have both.

A lot harder to glance at though