best computer?

lyricist65
lyricist65 Posts: 23
edited September 2013 in Road buying advice
hi all, just wondering what people's thoughts on the best cycle computer are?

is it worth going wireless?

which ones have best interface on a pc and uploadable data?

thanks, and sorry if this has been covered, couldn't find it on search!

Comments

  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    Wireless definitely.
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Quite a few articles in buying advice :wink:

    Depends how much you want to spend and what you want it to do really as there's a huge variance in price from a few pounds for a cheap wired computer to a few hundred for the latest GPS with full mapping etc.

    If you elaborate a bit more on what you want people are more likely able to offer advice :)
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Just get a Garmin 500 and be done with it.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    impossible to say without knowing what you want to use it for.

    do you want gps, heart rate, cadence, power, just for biking or multisport (running/swimming) etc

    having said that, i have a garmin edge 500 and its perfect for whatI want, gps tracking, breadcrumb trails if you need and can add ant+ devices to it.
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • farrina
    farrina Posts: 360
    bernithebiker wrote:
    Just get a Garmin 500 and be done with it.

    +1
    Regards
    Alan
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Garmin 200, unless you want HR and cadence in which case Garmin 500, unless you want mapping as well in which case Garmin 800.

    (I have none of the above and instead have a cheapo Halfords wireless computer I nicked off my son when he got a Cateye one)
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    I use a garmin edge 500 which once set to one second updating is fine for road riding.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Edge 500 here too ...does all I ask of it and my best purchase after the bike
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    Just to warn you the garmin edge 200 uses adaptive updating when riding so is less accurate. Other cheaper GPS's have the same performance restriction. Anything worse than an update every second will suffer especially on tight twisty roads.
  • gubber12345
    gubber12345 Posts: 493
    farrina wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    Just get a Garmin 500 and be done with it.

    +1
    +2...cant go wrong. :wink:
    Lapierre Aircode 300
    Merida
  • southdownswolf
    southdownswolf Posts: 1,525
    unless you want maps, then the 500/510 are the best. Most of the pro's use them, although Laurens ten Dam uses a Forerunner 210....
    http://www.stuartmole.co.uk/
  • hatch87
    hatch87 Posts: 352
    Got a 500 earlier this year and more than happy with it. Just do it now, I avoided it and bought a standard wireless computer and used my phone to track. I then bought a watch with a hr monitor, but then decided I wanted to track my hr so bought an add on and app for my phone. I then wanted cadence so got a new speedo. I then got sick o the poor reliability of my phones tracking, so bought a 500. Could of saved a lot of money and bought a 500 to begin with. Buy cheap, buy twice
    http://app.strava.com/athletes/686217
    Come on! You call this a storm? Blow, you son of a bitch! Blow! It's time for a showdown! You and me! I'm right here! Come and get me!
  • vinnymarsden
    vinnymarsden Posts: 560
    Re the Garmin 500...as the song says.... I second that emotion!! :):):)

    Totally reliable, got HR/cadence and I hook it up to Trainer Road on my trainer/Mac...it really covers all the bases...maybe 510 if you got the cash, and want a few more bells/whistles
  • OverTheHillAt21
    OverTheHillAt21 Posts: 102
    I also need a computer but can't afford the 500. Choices for me are the Cateye Stealth 10 (which has 1s recording), Edge 200 or Etrex 10. Latter two have the advantage that I can use up my unused £50 Argos gift card but the frustrating thing is that the full price for the Edge 200 at Argos is quite high so it would still cost me a lot. I don't want to pay for HRM enabling in a new device as I already have a very good Polar HRM (which you can get a GPS for but that's more than all the other options I've mentioned).
  • redscouse
    redscouse Posts: 157
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... e&hl=en_GB

    i use this with sony experia s ...which has built in ant+
    riding a canyon endurace
    spesh allez
  • southdownswolf
    southdownswolf Posts: 1,525
    redscouse wrote:
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iforpowell.android.ipbike&hl=en_GB

    i use this with sony experia s ...which has built in ant+

    I've also got an Xperia S which I use for transferring data from the Garmin 310XT to Strava/Connect. I have used it a few times with ipbike, but much prefer the Garmin for being a statistics nerd afterwards ;-)
    http://www.stuartmole.co.uk/
  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    OverTheHillAt21 wrote:
    I also need a computer but can't afford the 500. Choices for me are the Cateye Stealth 10 (which has 1s recording), Edge 200 or Etrex 10. Latter two have the advantage that I can use up my unused £50 Argos gift card but the frustrating thing is that the full price for the Edge 200 at Argos is quite high so it would still cost me a lot. I don't want to pay for HRM enabling in a new device as I already have a very good Polar HRM (which you can get a GPS for but that's more than all the other options I've mentioned).
    £67 plus your Argos voucher is cheap for the Edge 200 it's about £88 elsewhere unless you need the voucher for something else. :)
  • OverTheHillAt21
    OverTheHillAt21 Posts: 102
    diamonddog wrote:
    OverTheHillAt21 wrote:
    I also need a computer but can't afford the 500. Choices for me are the Cateye Stealth 10 (which has 1s recording), Edge 200 or Etrex 10. Latter two have the advantage that I can use up my unused £50 Argos gift card but the frustrating thing is that the full price for the Edge 200 at Argos is quite high so it would still cost me a lot. I don't want to pay for HRM enabling in a new device as I already have a very good Polar HRM (which you can get a GPS for but that's more than all the other options I've mentioned).
    £67 plus your Argos voucher is cheap for the Edge 200 it's about £88 elsewhere unless you need the voucher for something else. :)

    Thanks, I've had the card since xmas and been stumped until now, I already have a toaster! :D
  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    ^ :D
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    The 510 if you don't want mapping and the 810 if you do. The 510/810 have a couple of small but significant upgrades on the 500/800 which personally I consider worth it, such as the Live Tracking and bluetooth connectivity to automatically upload/download rides without plugging it into the PC.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    philthy3 wrote:
    The 510 if you don't want mapping and the 810 if you do. The 510/810 have a couple of small but significant upgrades on the 500/800 which personally I consider worth it, such as the Live Tracking and bluetooth connectivity to automatically upload/download rides without plugging it into the PC.

    I know the 510 is bigger and heavier than the 500, which may or may not matter to you, but there seems to have been quite a lot of talk about the 510 being buggy? Not sure if that's been resolved or not.....

    Personally I'm tempted to get myself a backup 500 in case they stop making them......!
  • wavefront
    wavefront Posts: 397
    As others have said Garmin 500.

    I've only had it 24 hours, but I think it's superb after just one ride! I already had the sensors (heart and cadence) for winter turbo trainer use with TrainerRoad, so it made sense for me - the downside is that I spent all last night geeking out at all the graphs on GoldenCheetah, Garmin connect and Strava!
  • terry2708
    terry2708 Posts: 92
    Garmin edge 200 does everything I need it to. If you dont want maps it is a great bit of kit and very accurate despite what others may think!
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    terry2708 wrote:
    Garmin edge 200 does everything I need it to. If you dont want maps it is a great bit of kit and very accurate despite what others may think!

    It is a good piece of kit but the accuracy depends on what type of riding you do. The Garmin Edge 500 can be configured to update every second when you are riding , the Edge 200 updates as it sees fit which is often much less than once a second. This means on twisty trails or roads or at least ones that are not straight it is increasingly inaccurate.
  • s2_dpd
    s2_dpd Posts: 46
    Garmin 500, no doubts - although Garmin Connect is iffy as it does not seem to download the profile of a pre-set course to the device - so I use bikeroutetoaster.com for when i want to do this

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