Computer? Why or why not?

[fixedgeargirl]

Shimano Flight Deck figures "virtual" cadence. You program it with your gears, wheel circumference, and crank length. It computes the virtual cadence by calculating how fast the cranks have to turn to get the bike to go a certain MPH in a certain gear. It's pretty complicated to me. But it won't work on a trainer.

Why won't it work on a trainer?

[Adventure Girl]

Why won't it work on a trainer?

It won't work on a trainer because on the trainer, your front wheel doesn't rotate. The sensor on the front wheel determines your miles per hour. The flight deck computer uses the miles per hour as one of the variables to calculate the virtual cadence.

[RoadRaven]

Why won't it work on a trainer?

You could get a "spare" back wheel and set it up with a magnet and leave it there to connect to your bike when you bring it in....


Or... even better... buy another bike... yeah... have at least TWO bikes and then your trainer bike can be permanantly set up with its own bike computer... and all your worn out tyres can be used up completely on the trainer!

[madisongrrl]

I have a rear wheel computer with cadence. It works great, especially on the trainer. The down side is you have to run cord down your frame to the back wheel. Small price to pay for knowing your stats.

I couldn't live without my computer. If you are doing specific training (especially if you are racing), you need to know your stats, including cadence (very helpful when doing speed and power intervals). Some people like to go by "feel", but 90rpm can feel different depending on how recovered/tired your body is (which is very similar to heart rate....175 bpm can feel comfortable or it can feel like death depending on how recovered I'm feeling).

[natheless]

I really enjoy having a computer. I love watching my average speed increase every year, post-winter, and knowing how far I've gone. I also like to ride routes I find in books, which are usually measured out by segment length, so the computer makes it easier to locate my next turn.

I usually only watch my trip segment odometer while riding, and I might check how I'm doing if I stop for a rest - I don't like to get too bogged down in the stats while I'm out on the road.

I'm actually considering getting a new computer to monitor cadence, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth it - plus, I'm having a very hard time finding one that isn't viciously expensive that has both cadence and two trip distance odometers. I'd rather have two trip odometers than cadence - I'm pretty much only interested in cadence from hearing people talk about it!

[Tater]

I have a Cateye wireless on my road bike and I love it! I did the installation myself, as it was rather easy. I like to see the accumulative miles pile up, my average speed and my trip mileage. I would be absolutely lost without it and would most likely resort to taking my GPS out so I could still count miles!