Yes, I mean weird, not wired!!

Several weeks ago I ordered a Cateye double wireless HR computer. I returned it a few days later because it wouldn't go into sleep mode. Yesterday, the replacement finally arrived, I set it up and started working on my bike. I was working in my office because I"m putting a doubler on and need to cut and reroute brake cables.

Well, after a couple hours the computer has not gone into sleep mode!! I'm starting to think that Cateye is crap, but I set it down on top of the file and continue working.

About 11:00 PM I look over and the computer is scrolling through speeds like it's demented! Speeds from 2.1 to 61.7 are popping up at random. Suddenly the light goes on....not in the office, in my brain.

I shut down the computer and wireless router; power off to everything with no effect. The computer is sitting right in front of (2 inches) my combo FAX machine, but it too is off. I decide to make sure, so I unplug the FAX....bingo! The speed drops to zero and Odo stops increasing at 12 miles.

I took the computer downstairs, after reinitializing it, and left it in the car overnight. This morning it was quietly snoozing away in sleep mode!

Questions; have any of you experienced this type of RF with your wireless computers? Should I contact Performance tech and let them know about my experience? Should I contact Customer Service and let them know that my returned computer was fine? Should I enter the 12 miles in my training log and claim a "new personal record" of 26.6 MPH for the "ride"?

That's why I don't get the wireless models.

If I see several people saying they have experienced RF problems on the road I'll return this sucker in a heartbeat (pun)!

Otherwise, since I don't ride with the FAX machine on the bike, at least not plugged in, I'll see what gives.

Yep. My wireless comp picks up the signal from traffic light detector loops. I'll stop at a light & position over the sensor loop. The bike comp will register between 58 & 74 MPH.

I heard a rumor somewhere that they don't like LED headlights, but I don't want to test it out myself.

Tinker, would you go back to wired if you were me? I read one of your posts that you ride to the side of the light pickup to avoid the problem and I saw a post that confirms what BK says, that they are useless around some headlights. I don't ride at night so that isn't a problem for me, but it is indicative of an underlying problem.

Over all, are they worth not having wires wrapped all through your cables?

Just bought the Supergo C-9 and took it off last night after three rides. Top speed - 65mph to 75mph! yeah right, (I wish). They advertise it's compatible with all bikes, but the magnet dosen't work on my Mavic Elite spokes, and they say it turns on and off automatically, but to restart it you have to turn it on after the auto off and then it starts reading, not like all others I've had that start back up as soon as the wheel magnet passes the pick up sensor. Yuck! It was cheap and I guess I got what I paid for. The Cateye is back on; at least it can be trusted. Supergo's tech dude told me they never heard of a false top speed problem before. Hmmm, imagine that.

Finally! A component that REALLY makes you go faster! Take that, weight weenies! Yes!

I bring my Flight Deck into the house with all kinds of RF with no problems.

Ride On!
-Spoke

I thought that had to do more with the magnet of the sensor than the wireless.

Wireless will suffer interference from LED lights and car detection loops buried in the ground. Solution - get a wired computer.

I will stick to my basic performance wireless. No problems.

I like my CatEye HB100. It's wireless for heart rate, but for speed, etc it's wired. This way my speed related stuff is not effected. As for Heart Rate I only really care about my current one, and where I ride there isn't a lot of things that interfere with that.

I'm not sure what the attraction to wireless is. Wireless computers come with their own set of disadvantages. If you buy a wireless thinking they will be easier to install, you might be suprised to learn they have their own set of installation problems. The sensors are larger due to the transmitters so I don't think they look any better compared to a well installed wired model. You also have to deal with interference. I don't think interference is a huge problem, but it sucks when you're sitting at a light watching your Mph go through the roof knowing it's throwing off all of your recorded figures for the day.

I suppose I'm one of the few people who have gone from a wireless to a wired model. I'm not really anti-wireless, but I really don't miss the wireless function.

I really want Cateye to bring back the HB-100. I went wireless to get both HR & bike functions in one unit. Any analog wireless unit will suffer from stray siganls, crosstalk, whatever. One advantage to wireless units are easier to weatherproof, since no wire contacts in the bar mount. Having said that, my old Cateye Enduro never gave up in the rain.

RumbRunner, if you can tolerate spurious readings in the house, I would not switch. Or switch to a digital system, such as a Flight Deck.

Voltman, if it were a sensor issue, then wire units may be affected as well, which I have not heard of. One thing to note is that my HR sensor can be picked up as speed when it is too close to the comp.

I'm with dfw on the subject. The intermittent troubles and throwing off the figures is enough deterrent to me. Wires don't bother me, so I use a wired computer. Wireless computers don't bother me, cause they aren't on any of the bikes under my roof.

I have a Cateye Cordless 7 and have no problems with it out on the road. Inside the house is a problem if I have it next to my Laptop (wireless broad band) or my mobile.
Steve.

How did all of you think wireless computers worked? You need to get the measurement form the wheel to the display. RF interference is normal some of the newer computers are better using the digital signals. I used a Mavic WinTech last year and it worked really well but there were a few weird readings. As long as you know things are wacky and store your display/receiver somewhere with very little RF things should be OK.

Note: I do most of my riding on "country" roads with a city commute. I have changed back to a wired computer the ErgoBrian as I like to scroll with out having to move my hands.

aslo most electronic halogen lights and xenon flashers and several other things.

I have been thru several double wireless...they keep flying off my bikes. The first one flew off and I was able to gather up most of the pieces. The second one was during a race so it's gone. The 3rd one I am waiting on to be credited towards something else- likely Polar. PS did the Ciclo Sport Hac4 route prior to the Cateye and went thru 2 of those too. I think they all bug in one way or another.

One thing I noticed about wireless (mine was Sigma) is that winter is murder for the wireless unit's batteries. My bike would sometimes stay several hours out in the cold. During that time the comp would be in my pocket, so no problems with that, but batteries in both transmitter and receiver did not last long. With Sigma they're the button type (2032 I believe), those are expensive and cannot be recharged.

--J

Much of my riding is night riding, so I have quickly learned that LED lights will interphere with wireless ciclos. The problem is: Some of these modern computers will only come in wireless version, VDO series being on example (mine's a VDO MC1.0).

Solution: Get the d&*%! computer away from the lights.

As to road detection loops (as in "traffic control"), well, they aren't causing me problems, but I happen to have access to the engineers who work with these traffic controlling systems, and they say, "it depends on your computers' sensitivity" which has to do with how much power is left in the sender's unit and receiver's; I have noticed that low battery conditions will lead to reading problems in MANY situations.

The nice thing about wireless is that it is quite fast to have them moved from one bike to another (which is one of my "needs").

We, customers, are all test pilots, one way or another. By buying the newer technologies, and paying it via the usual way (which is, through the nose) we are providing the industry with the proper incentive (aka "profitability") which will EVENTUALLY come back to us in the form of better, more compact, hassle-free, less expensive products in the "future".

Does anyone there has a calendar which tells us when "future" will be here, for us all cicle geeks ... ?

Me too. I got fed up with top speeds of 99.9 km/h. A wireless computer looks neater -- none of those nasty wires tangling up with the brake cables all the time.

But it's pretty pointless if it doesn't work.

I've had a new Cateye double wireless on my Roubaix Comp for several weeks now with no problems whatsoever. My bike & the Cateye stay in my garage not my office so the computer/fax is not a problem. I've ridden through a number of traffic lights without any bizarrre readings but most of my riding is on country roads & its all during the daytime. I think its a great unit & the installation was straight forward but I did add a cable tie to the speed sensor to give me a little more clearance between the magnet and sensor.

This explains the wacky top speeds I will see registered on my Cat Eye Micro Wireless. Averages seem fine, so are distances (the brief 50mph+ speeds don't seem to whack out the equation badly enough to throw off those figures), but max has been off on a number of rides. I like the unit a lot though.