Cycle computers

max174
max174 Posts: 9
edited April 2015 in Road general
I am looking for a RELIABLE cycle computer. The main requirement is for it to measure how far I've cycled - all the other stuff is a bonus, but trip distance & total distance are the main ones for me.
I have had a Cateye wireless model and now a Sigma (also wireless). Both lasted approx. 1 year then started playing up. Despite much fiddling with the magent/sensor/computer & changing the batteries, the current Sigma works one day then not the next, so I am looking to replace it. Can anyone recommend a good one? Are the wired versions generally more robust/reliable?

Comments

  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Good question, let me know when you find the answer! Like the cheapskate I am, I tend to buy budget brands, and just accept that Scottish weather does for computers in fairly quick time - although I do get about 2 years on average.
    I would have thought that wireless computers would have the advantage of being better sealed against water ingress, but I'm not sure if that actually works out in practice.

    I'm just waiting for quality GPS systems to trickle down within reach of the average tightwad...
  • sirmol
    sirmol Posts: 287
    A decent second hand Garmin 200 will cost you around £50 but will give you everything you need and more!
  • max174
    max174 Posts: 9
    Sirmol wrote:
    A decent second hand Garmin 200 will cost you around £50 but will give you everything you need and more!

    Or a new Garmin 200 for £80 from a well known large on-line retailer. Hmm, so this is essentially a sat nav which uses GPS to track your location/speed/distance travelled etc. just like a car satnav - not reliant on magnets/wirelss signals etc. Yes this could be the way forward. thanx
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    max174 wrote:
    Sirmol wrote:
    A decent second hand Garmin 200 will cost you around £50 but will give you everything you need and more!

    Or a new Garmin 200 for £80 from a well known large on-line retailer. Hmm, so this is essentially a sat nav which uses GPS to track your location/speed/distance travelled etc. just like a car satnav - not reliant on magnets/wirelss signals etc. Yes this could be the way forward. thanx

    Garmin 200 would be ideal, but it's not a 'satnav' in the sense that it offers no 'navigation' features. It only tells you where you've been.
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    edited April 2015
    I've had all your issues and got a Garmin 200. End of problems - as long as you charge it up and get a signal. Mine had a bonus as it was free - Halfords didn't bill me for it. You can save courses or lay a 'breadcrumb' trail if you load the software (VeloGPS). Bar mounts eg Barfly or Superstar mean you can have the Garmin ahead of or over your stem. No wire/batteries etc. Buy a couple of mounts and change between bikes

    http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/garmin-ed ... UAYF1qv.97
    M.Rushton
  • Man Of Lard
    Man Of Lard Posts: 903
    max174 wrote:
    Or a new Garmin 200 for £80 from a well known large on-line retailer.

    Or indeed Aldi on April 12th... http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... ear-43912/
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Good call there - looks like Aldi will be busy nxt week. Unless the other retailers get there prices down - Evans do price match so will be interesting to see if they would.
    M.Rushton
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    If you've got a Smartphone, why not just get Strava on it? That's what I do, I've never had a gadget plonked on the front of my bike, I just start the timer on the Strava app and let it get on with it - route map, distance, timings and elevation all recorded. And it's free.
  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    + Another for the Garmin Edge 200.
  • freezing77
    freezing77 Posts: 731
    Imposter wrote:
    max174 wrote:
    Sirmol wrote:
    A decent second hand Garmin 200 will cost you around £50 but will give you everything you need and more!

    Or a new Garmin 200 for £80 from a well known large on-line retailer. Hmm, so this is essentially a sat nav which uses GPS to track your location/speed/distance travelled etc. just like a car satnav - not reliant on magnets/wirelss signals etc. Yes this could be the way forward. thanx

    Garmin 200 would be ideal, but it's not a 'satnav' in the sense that it offers no 'navigation' features. It only tells you where you've been.

    According to ridewithgps the 200 does support navigation.

    http://ridewithgps.com/help/garmin-edge-200
  • dai_t75
    dai_t75 Posts: 189
    Another vote for the 200. Had it a couple of years now and it has been well worth the money. Has everything you are looking for.

    It does do navigation in a way - it makes a 'bread crumb' trail on the screen which you can follow. This is essentially a line on the screen which you follow. It doesn't announce turns etc, but if you go off course it does beep at you. It also records your stats while in 'navigation' mode just incase you were wondering. You do however have to press a button to change screens if you want to flick between navigation and your stats while on the ride. We used the navigation to complete LEJOG a couple of years ago and had no problems with it what so ever. Just for reference I create routes on ridewithgps then drop the gpx file into the garmin.
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    The OP is looking for a basic cycle computer showing trip and total distance and yet everyone is recommending Garmins. My experience is that wired computers are more reliable than wireless. The Cateye Velo 9 wired is cheap and reliable. My wife has used one for years without problems. I've had good experiences with Cateye Strada wireless computers. I recently got the more recent Strada Slim, which has a bigger screen and is much easier to read. The first one gave an unreliable reading but the replacement is good so far (10 months).
  • freezing77
    freezing77 Posts: 731
    Mercia Man wrote:
    The OP is looking for a basic cycle computer showing trip and total distance and yet everyone is recommending Garmins. My experience is that wired computers are more reliable than wireless. The Cateye Velo 9 wired is cheap and reliable. My wife has used one for years without problems. I've had good experiences with Cateye Strada wireless computers. I recently got the more recent Strada Slim, which has a bigger screen and is much easier to read. The first one gave an unreliable reading but the replacement is good so far (10 months).

    I agree that wired tend to be more reliable than wireless, fortunately the garmins being satellite based do not fall into that category.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    LakesLuddite wrote:
    If you've got a Smartphone, why not just get Strava on it? That's what I do, I've never had a gadget plonked on the front of my bike, I just start the timer on the Strava app and let it get on with it - route map, distance, timings and elevation all recorded. And it's free.
    This is true, it's exactly what I do, but I personally like to see what's happening while I'm riding - being a bit geekishly inclined, I like to pass the time by looking at split times, working out averages and so on. And I find that being able to see my speed (and average) does actually motivate me to push myself.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    If you can hang on 10 days:
    https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/o ... s/cycling/

    not sure how much it will be but knowing aldi it will be cheap!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    Sirmol wrote:
    A decent second hand Garmin 200 will cost you around £50 but will give you everything you need and more!

    Or even a slightly longer in the tooth but ultra-reliable 205. Cheaper and excellent. Work with Garmin's desktop Training Centre etc. A great solution.
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • freezing77
    freezing77 Posts: 731
    Chris Bass wrote:
    If you can hang on 10 days:
    https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/o ... s/cycling/

    not sure how much it will be but knowing aldi it will be cheap!

    According to this very site £70
    http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/aldi-launching-stupidly-cheap-mountain-bike-gear-43912/
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    that is quite cheap!

    newspapers (i think the mirror) often have £5 off spend over £40 too so worth checking on the lead up to this.
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    What Mercia Man said - the responses in this thread so far are a bit silly. You don't need to spend £80 or even £50 to get a basic cycle computer with a distance function. If that money is chump change to you and it makes no difference then great, but wired is better than both wireless and GPS where reliability is concerned, and makes perfect sense if you want the bare minimum.

    As for what to get, I've had no bad experiences with Sigma products - my Sigma BC1009 has been reliability itself. It's been subjected to all manner of weather conditions on my main road bike. It does still work, but I managed to knock it off the bike a year or two ago, and one of the main function buttons broke off, and then a crash in November took out the sensor - neither of which are the fault of the unit itself. I have a BC1609STS wireless unit on my TT bike, but have not tried it yet.
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    My issue with computers is wireless you are changing batteries and faffing with magnet/sensors, wired you are faffing with magnet/sensor/wires/zip ties and the contacts can corrode or the computer let water in. I've tried Sgma/Cateye/Trek in various forms. Garmin 200 - click in the mount, switch on, couple of clicks and off you go. I'd rather spend £10 but the Garmin took all the headaches away - it just works.
    M.Rushton
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    You have to put on a magnet, sensor, wire, zip ties, yes, but so what? You have to put cables, outers, ferrules, calipers, shoes and pads on just to have brakes on your bike. It's not like you have to do it before every ride.

    No matter how monsoonal the conditions, I have never had problems with corroding contacts or computers letting water in. If anything, I'd be much more worried about a GPS unit in the same instance, not least because of how much more expensive they are. Given how long the batteries last and how unlikely it is that anyone will nick one, you can leave a wired computer on the bike, too. If that's not 'set and forget', I don't know what is...
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Garmin 200. Opens up a whole new world of data beyond how fast and how far too.

    Had my 800 two years now, great things.
  • roux_guy
    roux_guy Posts: 88
    Just another thumbs up for the Edge 200. I've had mine for 2 years/4400+ miles and it's been faultless. Breadcrumb navigation is seriously impressive as well.
  • HebdenBiker
    HebdenBiker Posts: 787
    In my experience, cycle computers were always a tad limited in reliability, function and faff-factor.

    I'm saving for a Garmin 200 :)
    My Blog

Categories