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I just bought a trainer to use for mornings that drop below 50 (I am a cold weather chicken :p). I am the kind of girl that likes stats, how far, how long, etc. My bike computer is attached to my front wheel. Is there any sort of a "temporary" one that I could attach for the trainer and then take off when I am riding my bike on the street?
Thanks!
L
OR, am I better off just having the LBS transfer the sensor and magnet from the front wheel to the back wheel?
You can probably look up the specs for your bike computer on-line and see the maximum distance the transmitter can send to the receiver on your handlebars. I don't think a wireless computer can go that far but maybe they have changed since I looked into it. I used to have a bike with a wired computer, with the transmitter and magnet on the rear wheel that worked well, until the wires kept falling out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Elphaba
If your bike computer can transmit to the rear wheel, you should be able to easily do that without going to the LBS. If you are in the market for a rear-wheel sensor system, I recommend the Cateye. It is small, wireless, and measures cadence as well as speed with one sensor and two magnets. I have requested a spare magnet for x-mas so I don't have to change it out every time I change the wheel for the trainer.
The Cateye Astrale is a wired computer with a rear wheel pickup. If you don't want to fuss with the wires, they make a wireless version whose name I can't remember. The Strada has a speed sensor that will work on either the rear or the front wheel. I carefully duct-taped my computer on there and took it off when I went out.
I have my wireless sensor mounted to the rear wheel for exactly this purpose. It has worked great for me. A wired setup may or may not have enough wire to be physically moved to the rear wheel... I think a trip to your LBS is in your future!!
Shannon
I've had both wired and wireless computers attached to the rear wheel. I currently use a Sigma cadence computer (wireless) and I used to use a Cateye Cadence (wired), not a problem with either of them. My understanding is this is the common setup these days.
I do have a Cateye (not sure of the model) on the front tire, but the sensor is zip tied to the frame. I might just drag it in to the LBS (not that big of a deal really) and see if they can move it. IF I decide to get a special tire for the trainer, can I just get another sensor set?
Is it wireless or wired?
If it's wired, before you go hauling the bike around, just eyeball the wire and see if it's long enough to reach your chainstay. Odds are it wouldn't be ... but if it looks like it would reach, then it's probably a good idea to let the LBS show you how to route the wire so it'll stay out of the way.
If it's wireless, you can test it yourself. Take the computer head out of its mount and hold it at about the same distance from the front wheel sensor (or a little farther, just to be sure), as the mounting bracket is from your chainstay. Then spin the front wheel and see if the head picks up.
If so, use a pair of side cutters to nip the zip-ties off, unscrew the wheel sensor from the wheel, then zip-tie the receiver onto the left chainstay and put the magnet on the rear wheel. Most computers recommend 5 mm clearance between magnet and pickup for the best reception. Don't forget to use those side cutters to clip off the protruding ends of the zip-ties once they're tight. Probably best to use a dab of Loc-Tite on the magnet screw, since IME they're prone to coming loose.