what is the best bike computer ?

CUBEical

hi i am just wondering what is the best bike computer for under £20. is wireless any better other than not having wires. or a wired one better but you got wires ? how many functions do you actually need for a simple bike ride .distance , time riding.. maybe calories burnt seen allot for under £20 with only 15 functions . Any one know any decent ones in that price range thanks

CUBEical

is this any good ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-LC ... 484d03eefe

projectsome

it's personal preference, what you might like, others may hate.

chrisw333

With wired you'll find the wires will rub the paintwork on your head tube and or forks. I'd go for wireless if I was you.

cooldad

Can't see the point.

The Rookie

Strava....

James T

Decathlon Count 8 - wireless and only £14.99 at the moment if you have a Decathlon card.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/count-8-coun ... 73018.html

bartimaeus

I have one of these... doesn't tell me where I am, where I've been or how fast I was. Well, not until I get home and upload the GPX to Strava. So no distractions on the ride... but a handy log of what I've been up to. And only one button, which is handy for techno-luddites.

Kowalski675

I've got one of these:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/bontrage ... 72919.html

A little over £20, but I'm happy with it. Absolute doddle to fit and set up and works faultlessly, with a very clear, easy to read display.

Anonymous

I might get one next month

ideally I would like distance/average speed

do these things come with sat/nav my sense of direction is fine but getting losts happens to everyone.

cooldad

Not for £20. Multiply by 10, or use your phone.

Torres

Bartimaeus wrote:

I have one of these... doesn't tell me where I am, where I've been or how fast I was. Well, not until I get home and upload the GPX to Strava. So no distractions on the ride... but a handy log of what I've been up to. And only one button, which is handy for techno-luddites.

Techno-luddite sums me up perfectly! How are you getting on with it Bartemaeus? Would you mind sharing some opinions on reliability and battery life please?

Brommo

IMO worth spending a little bit more

my computer of choice is the Cateye Strada Wireless http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000P1RO7Q/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

easy to set up and does everthing you`ve specified

Kowalski675

Brommo wrote:

IMO worth spending a little bit more

Not from where I'm standing. According to the specs on their website the only thing that has that mine doesn't is a second trip meter, but it doesn't have the thermometer or backlight that mine has - lower spec for higher price. Doesn't look as good either (although that's subjective, obviously).

CUBEical

the things i would want to see are time i have been riding, distance and speed and all that i have seen ones with 15 modes. for really cheep water proof and wireless, i would want something that tells me there and then. i will have a look at starva beginner

CUBEical

CUBEical wrote:

look at starva beginner

strava

Kowalski675

CUBEical wrote:

the things i would want to see are time i have been riding, distance and speed and all that i have seen ones with 15 modes. for really cheep water proof and wireless, i would want something that tells me there and then. i will have a look at starva beginner

Be sceptical about the number of functions they claim to have - often they count things that aren't really functions. You won't get one that shows speed, trip distance and riding time simultaneously. Mine shows speed, temperature and whether you're riding above or below average speed simultaneously, then at the bottom you can choose between clock, trip distance, odometer, average speed and max speed. I mounted it just next to my controls on the left bar so I can cycle through those functions without moving my hand from the bar (the button's perfectly placed for your left thumb).

If you want sub £20 then Sports Direct have a wireless Muddy Fox computer that has the functions you want (plus temperature and backlight) for £15, but the display's not as big and easy to read while riding as the Bontrager.

chrisw333

I got this one for my lad - good review from bike radar, seems to do the job. Can pick one up for £20-25.00 if you google.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... sl30-46703

bartimaeus

Torres wrote:

Bartimaeus wrote:

I have one of these... doesn't tell me where I am, where I've been or how fast I was. Well, not until I get home and upload the GPX to Strava. So no distractions on the ride... but a handy log of what I've been up to. And only one button, which is handy for techno-luddites.
Techno-luddite sums me up perfectly! How are you getting on with it Bartemaeus? Would you mind sharing some opinions on reliability and battery life please?

I've had my iGotU for more than two-and-a-half years. No problems at all. They are more expensive than you were looking to pay - mine cost me £35 and they seem to be about £40 now.

The GPS fix is good, and has customizable sampling - mine logs a fix every second moving >10 kph and every 3 seconds when slower. Battery life is 10 hours or more and it recharges in a couple of hours via USB (for multi-day trips you could get a USB charger running off batteries).

The key thing here is that it's not a cycle computer... I do have one, but don't use it as I'm not going to be looking at a speedo if I'm ever going fast enough that it would matter, so the only thing I 'miss' is the odo as it can be useful to know how far you have gone.

The big advantage of a GPS is that you have a record of everwhere you've ever been and how fast you were going... you can export the data and load it into tools like Strava+Veloviewer, Endomondo etc etc which gives you a host of interesting tools to play with. If you've never used any of these they are a revelation - I'd recommend Strava and Veloviewer as it links to so many other tools.

So for me a GPS is much better than a cycle computer could ever be.

Options are:

Smartphone with GPS... PROS: cheap if you have the phone - just add an app like Strava, CONS: GPS fix is usually so-so and battery life is poor.

Full-fledged Garmin style GPS... PROS: good GPS, can get ones with mapping, CONS: costs £200+, and ones with mapping much more than that.

GPS logger like the iGotU... PROS: simple, decent GPS, relatively cheap, no distractions, CONS: tells you nothing at all when you are riding, and needs a computer to download the track

CUBEical

bartimaes they do sound good but as you said the only down thing is you cant see any info when you going along which is what i would want to be able to do.. so might just get one for £15 . i could always use my phone as a gps and log it that way too but i bet signal would be really bad out on the trails

CUBEical

CUBEical

i got it down to 2 either this one which has got calories burnt and all that http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RSP-20-Functi ... 27cffbe8f8

or this one thats got a lcd light but no calories burnt http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Veloset-VS-21 ... 35c64c26ef

which one do you think is the best ? its a toss between having a light or how many calories i have burnt ?

cooldad

I’m sure it actually has no idea of actual calories used or fat ‘burnt’. Gimmick.

CUBEical

cooldad wrote:

I’m sure it actually has no idea of actual calories used or fat ‘burnt’. Gimmick.

well it must calculate them the same way the tred mills do at the gym , it would go off your weight. height. and then calculate it on distance speed and time ........

bartimaeus

So how many calories are burned by a 6ft rider weighing 12 stone climbing a 10% hill off road for 1 miles at 6 mph in thick mud? Will that be more or fewer calories than 5ft 8in rider weighing 15 stone descending a 5% hill on tarmac for 4 miles at 24 mph? Who burns the most fat? That's a very clever computer... or not.

cooldad

Not to mention metabolism.

Kowalski675

CUBEical wrote:

i got it down to 2 either this one which has got calories burnt and all that http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RSP-20-Functi ... 27cffbe8f8

or this one thats got a lcd light but no calories burnt http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Veloset-VS-21 ... 35c64c26ef

which one do you think is the best ? its a toss between having a light or how many calories i have burnt ?

That second one looks the same as the Sports Direct Muddy Fox ine, in a slightly different case.

CUBEical

Bartimaeus wrote:

So how many calories are burned by a 6ft rider weighing 12 stone climbing a 10% hill off road for 1 miles at 6 mph in thick mud? Will that be more or fewer calories than 5ft 8in rider weighing 15 stone descending a 5% hill on tarmac for 4 miles at 24 mph? Who burns the most fat? That's a very clever computer... or not.

I reckon the 6ft guy would burn the most as the second guy would roll down it lol it will be a ruff guide it is not going to be spot on is it make me feel like im getting some where in shifting this 14.2 stone. just anoys me when i have done 45 min run and only burnt of 250 calories

tezboy1234

Nearly all computers will have the sort of basic functions your looking for, speed, distance av speed etc. Some offer extras like heart rate, cadance and calorie count. From what i gather though, the calorie count is not really up to much, some may offer a decent enough calculation but i doubt they'll ever be anywhere near spot on.

As for wired or wireless, i'd recommend wireless as there's less fuss with extra wires. Just check reviews for the unit you intend to purchase as some bike computers may suffer from interference or other problems. I've started with a basic type computer and my next purchase will be a gps with map system, like the Garmin Edge 810 or Bryton 50. I don't really see the point of upgrading to another basic bike computer as i'd just be paying for an extra function or two, like cadance or something. Best to make an upgrade a significant one i think.

I currently use a Cateye Commuter Computer and i strongly recommend it. It looks astheticaly pleasing, not that it's looks are important, but it's a nice little bonus that it ain't pig ugly. It's a good size, not too big and it's easy to read. It has no problems with interference or anything else, at least that i've encountered. Battery life is quite amazing! I'v had mine in almost a year with a fair bit of use and they're still going strong.

It's very easy and quick to set up and use, with a lot of it being operated with just 1 button. The unit itself is used as a button, you just press down on it. It has a night light wich can be useful. There's a couple of things on there most people wouldn't be bothered with but some might. Things like temperature reading an Co2 counter.

The best part is the ETA. It's very accurate and can be very useful for commuting. You type in the distance you want to travel, and then based on your distance and speed it tells you what time you will arrive. It even makes adjustments for if you stop at any point on your journey. If you have to make a certain time, you'll know at a glance if you need to speed up or if you have time for a quick cafe break. If you intend on repeatedly doing the same journey, set your ETA to auto, and it remembers the details of the journey so you don't have to reset, and you can make comparisons. ETA is it's main selling point, but it has all the main features you'd want from a cycle computer and it performs them floorlessly.

A computer isn't essential to me, but it has definately added extra interest. It's nice to know the distance of a regular route and then try to beat your best time over it. So as a training tool, aswell as for commuting it's an exellent little gadget, and for around 28-32 quid, you can't go wrong.

philipkingsnorth

Hi if you have a smart phone with gps I can recommend map my ride or map my walk for accurate gps tracking its free to download and use it will give you info every mile on speed time ect and also will show tracked ride on map in realtime and offline also will give you elevations and graph again its free to use and download for either ios or android

slindborg

CUBEical wrote:

i could always use my phone as a gps and log it that way too but i bet signal would be really bad out on the trails

GPS, clue is in the name, Global Positioning System... So long as you dont have much building or metal overhead then the GPS receiver will get the signal(s) and track you. Oh and of course, are on the planet