Speed and distance measurement - recommendations?

tangled_metal

Looking to get a new means to measure speed and distance. Had a Cateye wireless strada IIRC bought for RRP at £32. It stopped working then the sensor base got stolen with my bike so I need something better.

I'm guessing other wireless ones will fail if using a light (I use a cateye volt 300 which is not that bright but if it has a cree then could explain the signal issue / computer fail.

Uses - current speed, average speed, max speed, distance this trip and total distance or odometer. Anythuing else is gravy!

Having said that I am kind of interested in activity trackers and monitoring activity. If the device linked in with a PC and other devices that would probably interest me but I do not want to spend a lot. I like the idea of bluetooth compatible devices and I will always have my android phone in my bag turned on with Google fit and other apps if needed, just not on my handlebars or outside of my ortlieb pannier ever!!

If a cheaper computer was available that reliably took data from a wheel sensor and a HR strap, with bluetooth connectivity I would be interested. Also do you know if an LG G2 has ANT+ support?? I think it possibly could have which might make it easier. Could just get a Mio activity tracker which one has ability to re-transmit ANT+ to bluetooth devices. There is a velo version too (adds one of the better optical HRM devices too).

I have been looking a lot at DC Rainmaker site about activity trackers so am sick of research hence I am hoping the collective experience on here would save me time. Sorry if that is lazy but you sometimes get sick of internet purchase research. I;ve been researchin a new bike, activity trackers, HRM and a few other things of late so kind of hoping I could get some recommendations from here and rely on that.

lancew

I recently got a Garmin 1000 and I am amazed at how good it is. It was brought by my work for me, so if I was going to get it myself I would look at a Garmin 510 which IS expensive, but the cadence, hearth rate and speed sensors are amazing.

You literally fit them and leave them there.

The cadence is one rubber band around the crank arm.

The speed is one rubber band around the rear hub.

Job done.

You can choose what info is shown on your screen as you ride and can have multiple pages. I have heart rate, GMT time, moving time, speed and cadence and could have two more.

The device then sends all that info to your phone via bluetooth when you get off the bike so you can see and monitor your sats via Garmin Connect and/or Strava.

HOWEVER!!!!

Are you likely to have it stolen again? i.e you chain your bike up during your commute. If so maybe its not the best idea, although you could take it on and off, I'm not sure I'd want to.

timothyw

Sportspersuit have some Bryton gps based units on sale at the moment:
http://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/bryton-feb15

You sound like you'd be happy with a Bryton 20. The Garmin 200 might also do you, but doesn't have ant+ sensor support, so you need to leap up to the Edge 500 - personally, unless you got a good deal I'd skip the 500 and go for the 510 as suggested.

tangled_metal

Do you know if the data from the Bryton 20 can be dowloaded to PC or smartphone? Prefer the smartphone but PC would be ok.

If not which one is the cheapest to offer datsa transfer in a reasonable manner?

timothyw

If you want to go via smartphone, it sounds like you need the Bryton Rider 210.

To be honest though you might be overthinking it, you don't need to have your smartphone with you when you ride, the Brytons & Garmins are fully self contained, you just upload your gps track when you are next at a computer (or over wifi/bluetooth when in range with the higher end models).

MisterMuncher

Was just about to suggest those Bryton units. The 40T looks like the pick of the bunch at that price. You'll be getting speed and cadence sensors, reasonably functional breadcrumb trail navigation, handy little training features all in there. The extra three clicks to upload to Strava over a Garmin unit is the very definition of a first world problem

slowbike

Lancew wrote:

the cadence, hearth rate and speed sensors are amazing.

You literally fit them and leave them there.

The cadence is one rubber band around the crank arm.

The speed is one rubber band around the rear hub.

Job done.

And if you leave it locked up outside then it's one rubber band to steal the cadence and another to steal the speed ... !!
Or you have to remove both along with all the other removable gubbins we seem to carry on bikes these days.

I suppose the only positive of the previous speed & cadence sensor is that it was cabletied to the bike - so harder to remove ...

lancew

Slowbike wrote:

Lancew wrote:

the cadence, hearth rate and speed sensors are amazing.

You literally fit them and leave them there.

The cadence is one rubber band around the crank arm.

The speed is one rubber band around the rear hub.

Job done.

And if you leave it locked up outside then it's one rubber band to steal the cadence and another to steal the speed ... !!
Or you have to remove both along with all the other removable gubbins we seem to carry on bikes these days.

I suppose the only positive of the previous speed & cadence sensor is that it was cabletied to the bike - so harder to remove ...

Lancew wrote:

HOWEVER!!!!

Are you likely to have it stolen again? i.e you chain your bike up during your commute. If so maybe its not the best idea, although you could take it on and off, I'm not sure I'd want to.

Kieran_Burns

Isn't the Garmin 510 a GPS unit? Why would it need a speed sensor?

wongataa

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Isn't the Garmin 510 a GPS unit? Why would it need a speed sensor?

If you have a speed sensor and input an accurate wheel size into the device then you get accurate speed/distance readings when the GPS reception is poor/non existant. Such situations include tunnels, areas with heavy tree cover, areas among lots of tall buildings, weather related poor GPS reception.

A speed sensor also means you can use the bike on a turbo trainer and get speed data on the GPS device.

pblakeney

Slowbike wrote:

And if you leave it locked up outside then it's one rubber band to steal the cadence and another to steal the speed ... !!
Or you have to remove both along with all the other removable gubbins we seem to carry on bikes these days.

I suppose the only positive of the previous speed & cadence sensor is that it was cabletied to the bike - so harder to remove ...

Why not simply use a cable tie instead of a rubber band?
Not theft proof but deters casual pick up.
If buying new then I would pick up these:-
https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q= ... 9123492160
http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-edge-51 ... tAoduTMApg

pastryboy

Amazon has had the Garmin 500 for £79.99 on lightning deal a couple of times which will do everything you want if you add the sensors.