busygizmo

I'm looking for an inexpensive (~$100 or less) bike computer with an altimeter. Want something that is relatively accurate, easy to operate and durable.

HR monitor would be a bonus but is not necessary.

A couple I've looked at are the Specialized SpeedZone Analog Elite Altimeter and the VDO 1.0 wired and wireless.

Anyone have good or bad eperience with either of these or something else in that price range?

Thanks.

gregf83 

I bought a Garmin forerunner 305 a couple of years ago for $99. It provides elevation and HR.

njkayaker

If you look, you can get the Bontrager Node 2.1 for about $140 with a speed/cadence transmitter and a heart-rate monitor.

The only complaint I have with this computer is the distance number is a bit too small and the speed number is larger than it needs to be. It would be nice to have a smaller mph number and more data on one screen (there's a fair amount of button pushing to get to all of the data).

Seattle Forrest

You can get altitude from a barometer or from GPS. GPS can be accurate to within 10 horizontal feet, but it's at least an order of magnitude less accurate for elevation. A barometer can usually get you to within about 15 feet, if it's calibrated properly. My Magellan hiking GPS gives me elevation data, but it's so wildly inaccurate that it's barely useable; it will tell me I've gained hundreds of feet of altitude on a short kayaking trip, for example. Don't think that something will give you accurate elevation data just because it has a bullet point saying "altitude."

busygizmo

Thanks, that looks nice. Has it been dependable? Was it straight forward to set up?

busygizmo

I own a wrist altimeter and have used them for climbing for several years and prefer them for altitude over GPS units. That said if your life is dependant on finding an exact location in bad weather the GPS is the way to go.

For this application I just want a relatively accurate (+ or - 100') estimate of cumulative climbing for training rides. The simpler the better. Training for a week-long tour with a fair amount of climbing and want to make sure I'm getting enough climbing to go with the miles.

njkayaker

I've had it only a short time. I've heard good things about it (and the previous model). It's fairly straight forward to set up.

I have a Planet Bike Protege 9, which I think has a better display (there's more info on the screen), but doesn't do altitude gain or heart rate. The Planet Bike speed-pickup wasn't going to work on the fork of the new bike.

For me, the computer has the most use while riding for navigating using cue sheets. For that, the distance is the most important piece of information. The issue with the Node 2.1 is that the tenths-of-a-mile numbers are a bit hard to see. Though, it still worked out OK for the 200 mile ride I did over the weekend.

The computer displays secondary data in the bottom line. There's a way of displaying two pieces of data on this line at the same time (and you can pick what you want this to display).

The Bontrager transmitter was easy to set up. It has LED lights that indicate that the magnets and transmitter are properly aligned.

njkayaker

Cyclists are less interested in absolute elevation than they are interested in total feet gained over the course of the ride.

On a recent 196 mile ride, my computer (using barometric pressure) indicate 13,264 feet gained and 13,444 feet lost (starting and ending at the same place).

I suspect that the elevation is more accurate for fewer and longer climbs than they are for lots of short rollers. Variable weather and temperatures reduce the accuracy of barometric pressure for elevation.

busygizmo

Thanks. Sounds what I'm looking for. Like the idea of an alignment feature. My current computer is acting up after less than 2,000 miles. Probably will take it back and see if I can get a refund and put the money towards a new one.

njkayaker

I bought mine online from summit bicycles.

One shop I talked to had very positive comments about the Node's wireless transmissions.

Note that heart-rate monitors might be prone to interference (you might get wildly high readings once in a while).

Scooper

Casio GDF100-1A G-Shock Barometer Altimeter Watch. About $100.



While it's true that changes in barometric pressure will affect the displayed elevation, you can set the elevation to a known reference (either a known elevation at a specific location or the current pressure altitude near your location relative to the standard 29.92 inches of mercury). It's easy to get the current pressure altitude at your nearest airport by calling the local Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) phone number, e.g. 650-877-3585 for SFO (listen for "altimeter").

Seattle Forrest

Can you use your watch for this, and go with a $20 cyclocomputer?

If not, if you have a GPS, you can upload the file to Garmin Connect, use their elevation correction (to update your track data with elevation at ground level from USGS) and then export a new track log. That obviously won't get you your numbers until the ride is over, but if it's for a long-term training plan, that might work out.

Correct. Some types of problems will let you have one but not the other; some types will keep you from having either one. My Garmin Edge is generally accurate enough, but not 100 % precise; my Magellan is inaccurate enough that its cumulative elevation gain is useless.

busygizmo

I saw them online, think they had free shipping.

My HR goes haywire once in a while at the gym depending on where I'm at.

busygizmo

The altimeter watch is bulky and I don't lie haveing things on my wrists while riding. I already mount my HR monitor opposite my computer. Getting crowded. One unit that did it all is nice IMO.

njkayaker

Free shipping and they include the transmitter (usually, that's an extra $60). Note that you can use any ANT+ transmitter, including the Garmin, which can be gotten for $40.

Then, you know about it. I was surprised at first (hmm, it doesn't feel like I'm dying).

busygizmo

Nice to have an extra transmitter. I have one I keep at work for gym workouts.

Supposedly the more sophisticated units are a little less likely to stray like this and have coded signals so other HR transmitters don't interfere. I've had had my HR go wildy in both directions. When I was youger and maybe a little more core I used to do training rides at night all through the winter and proximity to my headlamp would block the HR signal.

surreycrv 

unless your route was an exact out and back, even on the same side of the street, there will always be a differential in the readings. The beginning/ending elevations are not pertinent to profile covered.

wfournier

I got one of these, IMO for the money you can't beat it https://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-GB-5...6531627&sr=8-4

Werkin

I have the VDO wireless, I'm very pleased.

njkayaker

The numbers, 13,264 feet gained and 13,444 feet lost, are not "beginning/ending elevations". They are the total sums of feet gained and lost over the entire ride. (There are also not many places in the US where you would be able to start and end a ride at 13,264 feet.)

The numbers should (ideally) be the same but the real world adds errors to the measurements. The difference was 180 feet, or about 1.35%,. which is pretty-darn close.

njkayaker

Other people have mentioned that. It looks pretty good. The battery life (18h) is a bit short for my use.

vermilionx

do all computers with altimeters also show % grade as well?

that globalsat looks really good.

ColinL

Let me specifically advise against a product I used here, a Sigma 2209 triple wireless cyclocomputer.

It has a barometric altimeter but it is total crap. It doesn't matter if you recalibrate every ride, let it acclimate from indoors to out before starting a ride, or anything else. It's never anywhere near accurate. Maybe my unit was defective, but I wouldn't buy it again.


Do the garmins that have barometric altimeters use some kind of correction between GPS altitude and the barometer?

njkayaker

There is no reason that they would. Grade is determined differently than altitude/barometric-pressure. I'm still trying to understand the grade reading from the Node!

njkayaker

It wouldn't surprise me that the altitude gain/loss measurement was +- 20%. And it's going to be less accurate for many short ups-and-downs (and more accurate for fewer climbs of large altitude differences).

GPS is not very useful for altitude gain/loss. The GPS's have the barometric pressure to improve the measurement (It's possible that it's better with both).

When you upload the profile (eg, to mapmyride), it uses the topographical database to compute altitude gain/loss.