Computer on a budget.

kernel_gadaffi

I know this will have been done to death, but I've not been seen for almost 4 years following an enforced medical lay off. Due to the way my life has changed and what my future holds, I have to develop some endurance and stamina very quickly. I found out last Friday, that I'll more than, likely to be confined to a wheelchair in the next 2-3 years, so I want to get some fitness built up.
I've got a Cube Peloton Pro, shoes, shorts, shirts, helmet and gloves, but am looking for a GPS computer, I've got about £120-130 available and was wondering what the learned members would suggest. I expect a varied response and to make it easier, there are a few things I don't need. Cadence, ANT+, FTP, touchscreen, HRM or maps of anywhere but the UK. I do need a larger screen (my eyesight has changed recently and anything less than a metre away is just a blur and I cannot wear glasses as the sweat I develop will swamp the lens),
I've read that many are suggesting the Wahoo, but I cannot stretch that far, so I'll have to rule it out. Are the Lezyne, any good, they're more in my price range, but I know nothing about them.
I'm in your hands folks, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Alan.

arlowood

Cateye Stealth 10 might be worth a look

Received a 4.5 out of 5 rating on a BikeRadar review. Basic features with no bells and whistles that you don't want/need. Only issue might be screen size with your eyesight issues as described

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... -14-48799/

fenix

Do you have a smart phone ? Put strava on that and that will track your distance and speed etc. Worked for me for years - I don't need to see the speed or distance all the time - so its just in my back pocket.

I only swapped for a cheapish garmin when my iphone battery started to fade away and it'd be dead before I'd done my 100 miles.

Don't let a lack of computer stop you getting out. Good luck with it.

supermurph09

kernel gadaffi wrote:

I know this will have been done to death, but I've not been seen for almost 4 years following an enforced medical lay off. Due to the way my life has changed and what my future holds, I have to develop some endurance and stamina very quickly. I found out last Friday, that I'll more than, likely to be confined to a wheelchair in the next 2-3 years, so I want to get some fitness built up.
I've got a Cube Peloton Pro, shoes, shorts, shirts, helmet and gloves, but am looking for a GPS computer, I've got about £120-130 available and was wondering what the learned members would suggest. I expect a varied response and to make it easier, there are a few things I don't need. Cadence, ANT+, FTP, touchscreen, HRM or maps of anywhere but the UK. I do need a larger screen (my eyesight has changed recently and anything less than a metre away is just a blur and I cannot wear glasses as the sweat I develop will swamp the lens),
I've read that many are suggesting the Wahoo, but I cannot stretch that far, so I'll have to rule it out. Are the Lezyne, any good, they're more in my price range, but I know nothing about them.
I'm in your hands folks, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Alan.

First of all, good luck with everything.

Secondly, you can pick up a Garmin Edge 500 for less than 100. It'll be all you need. You can have upto 7-8 screens so you can just have 1 or 2 metrics on each screen to make things easier to read.

Palladium

I second the smart-phone.

I've been using the strava app for a few months now- works great, you can see all the basic things like avg speed, elevation etc, with strava premium you can get real-time speed too which is fairly accurate. Especially with poor eyesight, this sounds like a plan?
Get a Quad-lock bike mount too, if you can.

So unless you:

• Do rides longer than 2hrs
• Want to be able to customse time/avg speed/speed/distance
• Are worried about wrecking your smartphone if you have a crash

...phone works fine.

As for not being able to wear glasses, have you tried contact lenses?

kernel_gadaffi

As for not being able to wear glasses, have you tried contact lenses?

No, I have a lazy eye, so struggle all ways.

kernel_gadaffi

Hi all, I've found a twice used and mint Garmin Edge 500 near me that advertised for £60 with all the parts, is it worth it?

arlowood

kernel gadaffi wrote:

Hi all, I've found a twice used and mint Garmin Edge 500 near me that advertised for £60 with all the parts, is it worth it?

If it is mint as you describe then I would bite his hand off. Ebay sales for used models start around £65 for units in questionable condition and rise to more than £100 for top quality items.

I've had an Edge 500 for a couple of years now and can't fault it. I don't bother with any of the cadence, heart rate business - just basic speed ave speed, distance, ride time and % gradient. The last parameter is probably never very accurate but I like to get a rough idea of how steep the climbs are when on the bike.

arthur_scrimshaw

kernel gadaffi wrote:

Hi all, I've found a twice used and mint Garmin Edge 500 near me that advertised for £60 with all the parts, is it worth it?

Yes - def.

kernel_gadaffi

Thanks guys, I've just confirmed the purchase, thanks a lot.

Alan.