Bike computer recommendations
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 75
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Bike computer recommendations
Just purchased a new roadbike, getting back in shape and wanted to try some new cardio. I want to keep my heart rate up & moniter cadence. Any recommendations for a decently priced computer that I can install at home?
#2
Portland Fred
Get a Cateye Astrale 8 and a cheap HRM. That will give you everything you want for $50-60. A single computer that does all that will set you back more.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Orange County - SoCal
Posts: 1,480
Bikes: 2011 Cannondale CAAD10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Just get the Garmin Edge 500. You can get it for around $220 from ProBikeKit on sale. It does everything you want plus all the GPS tracking. You can have 5 pages of 6 data points each.
You're going to pay $100 anyway for anything that has HR and cadence so might as well double it and get the Edge. I love mine and I rode for 3 months with just the Strada Wireless. It was like night and day going to the Edge.
You're going to pay $100 anyway for anything that has HR and cadence so might as well double it and get the Edge. I love mine and I rode for 3 months with just the Strada Wireless. It was like night and day going to the Edge.
#4
"Chooch"
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Prairieville, Louisiana
Posts: 1,659
Bikes: Late 1990s Ciocc Titan
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
That's exactly what I use: Cateye Astrale 8 on the right side of the bars and a bar-mounted Sigma PC-14 HRM on the left. Works great and all for under $100!
Last edited by ciocc_cat; 10-10-10 at 06:57 PM. Reason: added price
#5
Century bound
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Mesa Arizona
Posts: 2,262
Bikes: Felt AR4 and Cannondale hybrid
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
2 Posts
My vote is Garmin too. I have a forerunner 305. They can be had on ebay or craigslist for 150 or so and you can track loads of info. I also use Training Peaks to upload the info to. For instance I can tell you how many miles I have on my bike, on my chain, and on my tires too, along with how many hours in each HR zone for the year, quarter, month or last ride. I haven't begone to use all the functions yet. It will also keep track of running data, like pace distance, total time, and on and on. Good luck
#6
Here to Learn
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SoCal, USA
Posts: 220
Bikes: 2008 Specialized S-works Tarmac SL & Specialized Hybrid
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Just get the Garmin Edge 500. You can get it for around $220 from ProBikeKit on sale. It does everything you want plus all the GPS tracking. You can have 5 pages of 6 data points each.
You're going to pay $100 anyway for anything that has HR and cadence so might as well double it and get the Edge. I love mine and I rode for 3 months with just the Strada Wireless. It was like night and day going to the Edge.
You're going to pay $100 anyway for anything that has HR and cadence so might as well double it and get the Edge. I love mine and I rode for 3 months with just the Strada Wireless. It was like night and day going to the Edge.
#8
still climbing
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Europe
Posts: 279
Bikes: vintage steel bikes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I am very happy with my Polar CS500. Gives me all the data I'll ever need, has an easy to read large screen and long battery life.
At a somewhat lower price point I would look at Sigma computers.
At a somewhat lower price point I would look at Sigma computers.
#10
still climbing
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Europe
Posts: 279
Bikes: vintage steel bikes
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
They are all very easy to install. You just have to put in the size of your wheel, add the cadence/speed sensors and that's it basically. You can buy them online from any large bike store or even from Amazon. Just check the price for the specific model that you are interested in.
Try to get a computer with ANT+ (Garmin, some other companies) or W.I.N.D. (Polar) data transmission. These are new generation digital data transmission technologies and much less sensitive to disturbances from power lines or your other electronic devices on your bike (lights, mp3 player, etc.). Such computers are slightly more expensive than simple analog computers. Still, I live in a very industrial neighborhood and benefit a lot from the disturbance-free heart rate transmission. In case you live in the countryside, they might make less of a difference for you...
Try to get a computer with ANT+ (Garmin, some other companies) or W.I.N.D. (Polar) data transmission. These are new generation digital data transmission technologies and much less sensitive to disturbances from power lines or your other electronic devices on your bike (lights, mp3 player, etc.). Such computers are slightly more expensive than simple analog computers. Still, I live in a very industrial neighborhood and benefit a lot from the disturbance-free heart rate transmission. In case you live in the countryside, they might make less of a difference for you...
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Orange County - SoCal
Posts: 1,480
Bikes: 2011 Cannondale CAAD10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Not a fan of the separate HR Monitor and Computer solution.
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Bikes: Wilier Izoard, Tricross FG
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Why would you ever buy the bike-only Edge computers (like the 500) vs. the bike + run friendly Forerunners (like the 305). Do the Edge models perform functions that the Forerunners don't?
#14
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
OP, get whatever you want. If you want lots of data, you can get it. If you're like me and find that you don't need all that data, you can cut back, too. Don't worry if you end up with a couple shoeboxes of unused bike accessories, because I'll bet everyone else here already has some.
I may give my Blackburn Neuro one more shot. The primary reason I got it was because it was immune to interference from my Dinotte headlight (my Strada Wireless only worked if I had the light set on High), and I figured that HR and cadence would be nice to see. I found that I could predict my cadence reading pretty closely -- being a musician helps a lot -- and it only took a few rides to see which level of pain equaled which heart rate. My main disappointment was that the batteries ran down sooner than I would have liked. I'm sick of changing batteries.
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,805
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
[QUOTE=Accordion;11604783]He wants HR and Cadence. I had the Strada Wireless and it did neither. QUOTE]
your right...
isnt MAC developing an iphone cycling app, monitoring thru blue tooth?
your right...
isnt MAC developing an iphone cycling app, monitoring thru blue tooth?
#17
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
A bunch of app developers are, including ones that work with ANT+ devices. I've seen news about an Apple patent for an app of their own, but I don't think it would do anything that isn't already on the market.
#18
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 75
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
So Barricks, your sayin that the computer got interference from your headlight? That's crazy. Is that a GPS model or mainly magnetic?
#19
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
The Neuro uses a different frequency band (2.4 GHz) and is digital, so it's pretty immune to interference.
My road bike has a Flight Deck on it now, but if I change computers again, I'll probably go back to the wired Cateye Strada that I got the first time. All I really want to know now is mileage and time of day.