Arguments FOR a bike computer over a phone.

mac9091

So this consideration has raised its head again because I am looking to purchase a power meter most likely at the end of the year and I have had a couple of issues with my phone not recording all of my rides. I am still wondering why i should be shelling out over £100 (and £200+ for a fairly decent one) for a dedicated bike computer when I would always take my phone with me on rides.

For me the phone does everything an expensive £200+ unit would do, such as live strava segments, GPS, navigation, HRM and in the future would be able to connect a power meter as well. It also allows me to listen to music (via speaker) on my rides. I can either have it mounted on my handle bars or (normally) on an armband.

The downside, yes the battery life can vary massively depending on what it is being used for but normally i know where i am going prior to going and don't need to use google maps during the ride. On 4 occassions the phone has randomly stopped recording, but has kept playing music (so may be a Strava app issue) but then garmins have been known to do similar.

Other point to note is that i already had a small basic bike computer that gives me speed, time, distance, cadence, etc.

With the newest addition of bike computers, can anyone argue that i would be better off with a dedicated unit rather than my current set up?

Cheers

Matthewfalle

No, not really unless you want to disappear up your own backside in a world of power meters, watts, FTP, yada yada yada.

Pane e aqua.

mac9091

Well yeah, seen as i'm looking to get a power meter.

sloppyschleckonds

You need to ditch all that shite and train solely with power

HTH

TIA

stueys

When I ride, my phone is for calling people in case of emergency and for letting the missus track my whereabouts. As such I like it fully charged and in a back pocket away from potential harm.

My bike computer is the thing that records, shows me my key info, occasionally navigates and sits on the front of the bike getting covered in all kinds of water and crap.

They can both do much the same things, but using a phone as a bike computer can often hamper its use as a contact/emergency device. Plus the functionality on the new computers is pretty cool, whether you need that functionality only you can answer.

StillGoing

mac9091 wrote:

So this consideration has raised its head again because I am looking to purchase a power meter most likely at the end of the year and I have had a couple of issues with my phone not recording all of my rides. I am still wondering why i should be shelling out over £100 (and £200+ for a fairly decent one) for a dedicated bike computer when I would always take my phone with me on rides.

For me the phone does everything an expensive £200+ unit would do, such as live strava segments, GPS, navigation, HRM and in the future would be able to connect a power meter as well. It also allows me to listen to music (via speaker) on my rides. I can either have it mounted on my handle bars or (normally) on an armband.

The downside, yes the battery life can vary massively depending on what it is being used for but normally i know where i am going prior to going and don't need to use google maps during the ride. On 4 occassions the phone has randomly stopped recording, but has kept playing music (so may be a Strava app issue) but then garmins have been known to do similar.

Other point to note is that i already had a small basic bike computer that gives me speed, time, distance, cadence, etc.

With the newest addition of bike computers, can anyone argue that i would be better off with a dedicated unit rather than my current set up?

Cheers

Which is why you should buy a Wahoo Element or Element Bolt.

napoleond

Saves the battery on your phone.

Matthewfalle

Stueys wrote:

When I ride, my phone is for calling people in case of emergency and for letting the missus track my whereabouts. As such I like it fully charged and in a back pocket away from potential harm.

My bike computer is the thing that records, shows me my key info, occasionally navigates and sits on the front of the bike getting covered in all kinds of water and crap.

They can both do much the same things, but using a phone as a bike computer can often hamper its use as a contact/emergency device. Plus the functionality on the new computers is pretty cool, whether you need that functionality only you can answer.

WHy do you want your missus to track where you are?

Are you that much under the thumb?
Do you not trust each other in your relationship?
Do you track her whereabouts?
How do you know she isn't having an affair then kicking him out of her when she sees you pedalling along 2 miles away?

Bit weird this tracking bit if you ask me............

agentorange88

or could be he rides alone and it allows his wife to check he isnt lying in a ditch when he doesnt come home.
Perfectly reasonable to me.

chadders81

Phone on the bars or an arm band looks absolutely dreadful.

fat daddy

Stueys wrote:

When I ride, my phone is for calling people in case of emergency and for letting the missus track my whereabouts. As such I like it fully charged and in a back pocket away from potential harm.

This all the way !!!

I normally ride at 5am to get back by 7am when the kiddy gets up and wants to play Unicorns .. or if I am lucky, lego

Quite often I can be out for the 2 hours and not come across a single bit of traffic in that time ... If I came off going down some of hills I would end up so far off the road even if a car did come along it wouldn't see me in the ditch.

Gives my missus peace of mind knowing she knows which hedge I am lying in .... and if the kiddy gets up early she likes to see how far away daddy is and what speed I got to.

The bike computer also takes a lot of abuse, the rain, the mud, the accidental drops, the black sludge off the road, the hits and knocks it takes when its attached to the MTB. ITs a dedicated unit and pays dividens (not literally)

adder4

So much social media brainwashing and wanting to be tracked by your b!tch and/or the government
1984 is alive and kicking in the British suburbs....
2 wheels are supposed to set you free comrades! Fight to be free

MiddleRinger

mac9091 wrote:

On 4 occassions the phone has randomly stopped recording, but has kept playing music (so may be a Strava app issue) but then garmins have been known to do similar.

I've only had one ride not record properly (corrupted the first 10km for some reason) in over 35,000km of recorded rides using my Garmin.

fat daddy

adder4 wrote:

2 wheels are supposed to set you free comrades! Fight to be free

who the hell fed you that bolox ??? .... since when has 2 wheels ever set you free .. you are completely governed by image, by rules, by expectations

there is no freedom on a bike, you are a slave to the media a slave to advertising a slave to whatever image you have bought yourself into ... and yes you HAVE bought into an image.

perceived freedom nice, you must be every salesman dream if you bought in to that idea,

you ARE a slave to system, so embrace it and be tracked with the latest and coolest technology !!!!!


edit: .. oh and

StillGoing

Matthewfalle wrote:

WHy do you want your missus to track where you are?

Are you that much under the thumb?
Do you not trust each other in your relationship?
Do you track her whereabouts?
How do you know she isn't having an affair then kicking him out of her when she sees you pedalling along 2 miles away?

Bit weird this tracking bit if you ask me............

In case I'm knocked off and lying at the side of the road somewhere.
In case I have a mechanical that can't be fixed roadside and allows her to drive directly to me.
With my heart condition and having suffered a stroke a couple of years ago, it gives her peace of mind that I'm still moving and ok.
It lets her know when I'm near home in order to get the garage door open and the kettle on.
It lets my 3 year old know I'm due home and to be excitedly waiting at the door.

Just because you're insecure about your relationship, doesn't mean the rest of us are.

Matthewfalle

agentorange88 wrote:

or could be he rides alone and it allows his wife to check he isnt lying in a ditch when he doesnt come home.
Perfectly reasonable to me.

So he can't be trusted to go out on his bicycle without falling off and his other half has to track his every movement?

What is he, 12?

God help us should these people ever have to do anything - shock! Horror! - even marginally dangerous.

Is this really what the world has come to?

stueys

Matthewfalle wrote:

agentorange88 wrote:

or could be he rides alone and it allows his wife to check he isnt lying in a ditch when he doesnt come home.
Perfectly reasonable to me.

So he can't be trusted to go out on his bicycle without falling off and his other half has to track his every movement?

What is he, 12?

God help us should these people ever have to do anything - shock! Horror! - even marginally dangerous.

Is this really what the world has come to?

Evidently I was generous to put your original post down as tounge in cheek. Rational debate and differing views make the forum entertaining, just being a dick is duller.

mac9091

Thanks for the comments guys, yet again a genuine attempt to get a conversation going a certain person pipes up and continues to be a toss pot. (Sooner he gets banned the better for the forum)

Now to comment on the certain relevant and helpful comments:

Stueys: I get the argument for having the phone in the back pocket and for safety (that's why we all carry one isn't it?) but that's not necessarily safer than being on an arm (where i mostly use it). If the phone is out front then its in a waterproof case, so no issues with dirt, water and grime.

Chadders81: Not particularly bothered about looking 'cool' on the bike, that ship never ever docked at my port

Middleringer: Happy with that, i'm sure theres others that will have suffered more and those who have never had any issues. The same will no doubt go for the Wahoo stuff once they have been around as long as garmin.

Finally

Matthewfalle: Pretty sure i've said this to you before, what do you think you are bringing to the conversation with your stupid shitty comments? I don't see why guys need to explain why they use something for a certain reason, which in this case is perfectly reasonable and perhaps something i should consider, given that i suffer from asthma. Or would you just conclude that i too am under the thumb?

cooldad

Is it just me? I automatically read his user name as Mathewfail.

StillGoing

Matthewfalle wrote:

agentorange88 wrote:

or could be he rides alone and it allows his wife to check he isnt lying in a ditch when he doesnt come home.
Perfectly reasonable to me.

So he can't be trusted to go out on his bicycle without falling off and his other half has to track his every movement?

What is he, 12?

God help us should these people ever have to do anything - shock! Horror! - even marginally dangerous.

Is this really what the world has come to?

Did mummy not let you play with the other kids and why you're always spoiling for an argument? What an attitude.

slowmart

Crash and your potentially looking a much bigger bill if your using your phone.

Utilising your mobile as your sole device whilst running an increasing number of functions this will impact your battery life with the knock on effect of battery life impacting your ride duration . How much battery life will depend on the model of mobile and age as the capacity of the battery will degrade over time.

agentorange88

My phone never seems to be fully charged when I head out riding, 50% gives me all day text and calling potential but an hours GPS/Strava/map use. id end up taking my work phone as well to ensure i would have the ability to call in emergancy and take that enevitable call at the coffee stop.

Wahoo bolt (what I have) has all my meters (cadence/heart/speed) conected to it, gives me the time, the distance ridden, directions, maps, navigation all on the bar. Customised data displays allow each page to show exactly what you want in the size you want.

Battery lasts at least 6 hours on full

pblakeney

A serious answer, for once. I used a Garmin 520 while on an organised tour of the Pyrenees. Full turn by turn guidance and all sensors. Longest day was 10 hours. Can't see a phone doing that on one battery.

chippyk

Listen to music on a ride?

Each to their own and all that but not for me.

Anyway, a Garmin or other device is designed to be on front of the bike getting wet and covered in crap, your phone isn't, and it's probably more robust when you do come off it.

StillGoing

ChippyK wrote:

Listen to music on a ride?

Each to their own and all that but not for me.

Anyway, a Garmin or other device is designed to be on front of the bike getting wet and covered in crap, your phone isn't, and it's probably more robust when you do come off it.

I can attest that crashing at 24mph, my 810 was flung off the bike and over a hedge, only damage was a slight scuff on one corner of the body. A smart phone would have had a smashed screen at the very least. A Wahoo Element or Element Bolt is just as sturdy. Front carbon tub was written off though.

slowbike

Had the bike computer since before smart phones were a viable alternative. These days though, the smart phone, along with a suitble case & mount can be a reasonable solution - it's only the battery life that seems to let them down.

I know my PM will connect via Bluetooth to my phone - but I've never tried pairing it with Strava - only the PM's own app - and that doesn't record - or display anything else useful other than power ... but a quick google suggests that it is indeed pairable - and thus a dedicated head is just going to be more expense - and for what?

TBH, if it's just battery life that is the issue - then carry a small USB power pack that will charge the phone on the go.

[edit] Oh - and my wife can track me - and I can track her - sometimes it is very convenient - for my part, it means I know when to keep our little biker up so he can say night night to his mum ... or whether she's going to be too late ...

pblakeney

The obvious answer is both. Which most of us do.
Use the correct tool for the job, not one that attempts to do everything.

mac9091

Again cheers for the comments and another round of replies:

Slowmart: Its my old phone, a Galaxy ace 2 thats worth about £30 and i had a spare battery for it. The most i've had out of it was Navigating with Strava (screen on mostly), music on, GPS (obviously) and normal 3g phone signal and it lasted for just over 3 hours. So that one battery in almost worst case usage scenario if more than enough for me being that i have 2 batteries and normally only go out for at most 4 hours on a Sunday, other rides are between 1 and 2 hours.

agentorange88: Again as its my "dedicated" cycling phone its always charged. Been looking at the wahoo stuff but again, its the price that gets me.

ChippyK: Normally ride myself and helps give a bit of extra encouragement at certain times. Also see my previous round up for why the phone is safe when out front.

philthy3: Roger that, i won't get a carbon phone

PBlakeney: Have considered this, buy a cheaper unit that my phone can connect to and have the PM and sensors connect to the phone. The Lenzye Macro looks to be suitable and isn't too bad at £90