bike computers?

[theladybikes]

Me again.
I'd like to get a bike computer - to track how many miles I ride, my speed, etc. I have an old wired Specialized 5-functions - am looking at the CatEye brands - is there a big advantage or any disadvantage to wireless? Any suggestions?
TheLadyBikes! Yes!

[spazzdog]

I use a MAVIC Wintech... wireless with wireless cadence.

It comes with a wheel skewer that you replace your current front skewer with, a wheel magnet to talk to said skewer and the cadence transmitter and pedal mount magnet to complete the package. About $150 depending on where you buy it.

I love it. It is mounted to the left of my stem, my heart monitor to the right of the stem... I experience no interference btwn the two.

spazz

[Pedal Wench]

I've been using the Cateye double wireless CC300DW, and I'm thrilled. It doesn't sound quite as snazzy as the Mavic with the skewer, but it's working fine. I like that it displays all pertinent info all at once - I was using an older Specialized that I had to hit a button to switch from speed, to cadence, to distance. On the Cateye, I can see speed, cadence, distance, and total time all at once. Today, I just discovered that it indicates whether you're above or below the average speed. I'm loving that feature. It lists for about $149, but I found it at lickbikes.com for $99.

[Irulan]

I shop computers from the Perfomance sale pages. My last one was $16.00.

irulan

[Trek420]

Spazz's Mavic is nifty!

I have a Cateye Wireless or some make and model, I'll turn in my "bike geek" card for not knowing exactly which, it sits on the right side and the little plastic gizmo that holds the HRM (watch) is on the left.

My one regret choosing Campy is I miss flightdeck. Not the cadence so much, my knees tell me faster than any computer can when I'm not spinning. Knowing what gear I'm in, do I have one left, am I in a bigger gear than I'm normally in....I miss that.

Campy Ergo Brain is not wireless and there's vanity-aesthitic issues and it is expensive.

[CorsairMac]

I have a wireless Specialized Pro with wired cadence. I don't like that it doesn't show all the things at once like the Cateye but other than that it's fine. The only problem with wireless is be careful when you bring it around things like - your computer! You could record miles and speeds on your computer chair!!
My next one - for the vintage Trek I'm getting - will be one that shows the functions I want to see most all at the same time like Audios.

[KkAllez]

I have a Cateye wireless on the Allez. I've never had any problems with it. No matter what you get, get one with cadence. Now that I've finally paid attention to cadence I have improved my riding. Now that I know what 'cadence' feels like I'm like Trek 420, I don't need the computer for it, but it is nice to have.

I am getting the new Roubaix outfitted with a Flight Deck...it is wireless.

[Adventure Girl]

I am getting the new Roubaix outfitted with a Flight Deck...it is wireless.

I considered getting a Flight Deck because I liked the feature of changing the "mode" without taking my hands off the hoods. But I didn't like the fact that it calculated "estimated virtual cadence". You program it with all the vital info about your bike (wheel size, number of teeth on your cassette and chain rings, crank lengths, etc.) Then when you are riding, it figures your cadence mathematically by knowing your speed and what gear you are in. The cadence meter won't work while on my trainer, and that's important to me.

I have a friend with a Flight Deck, and he says he often presses the buttons inadvertently. More than a few times he has finished his rides and he had no data because in accidentally turned it off.

Just my 2 cents...

[Carm]

I have a wireless Flight Deck and like it. It displays the gear you are in (both large and small) and also provides the gear ratios. I sometimes ride in an area that has some pretty steep hills and its handy to know that I have a few gears left to use without having to look down and run off the road as a result. The Flight Deck allows you to go through the display functions by pressing the buttons near the brake hoods which is really handy. The virtual cadence calculation is close enough for me on the road - my goal is to maintain a steady cadence at a particular cadence range and I can do it with this computer.

I too, have automatically reset the mileage and trip time once or twice during a ride but found that I did it when I was gripping my handle bars during a fast ride down a hill. However, the odometer still maintained the entire trip miles and it was easy to calculate the individual trip miles from that figure.

Three minuses I found with this computer: the instruction manual is useless, the clock displays military time and apparently a heart monitor causes inaccurate readings.

[KkAllez]

Oh boy are the guys at my bike shop gonna love this! They just roll their eyes when we are discussing some bike issue and I'll say, "Well the ladies on the discussion board I go to tell me that (fill in the blank) is not that great" etc.

I can't wait to hear what they say when I tell them that the Cateye Astrale 8 I have on the Allez has served me well and I'd just rather get another one of those, thank you very much! I think the Flight Deck and harness together cost around $160 there. The Cateye Astrale 8, from what I remember was at least $100 cheaper. And honestly, it has been great and gives me the info I need.

I can just hear Gary, the mechanic right now, "we need some testosterone in this room!"

Heh, heh, heh

[spazzdog]

who makes Flight Deck? I don't think I've ever seen one...

curious-spazz

[Adventure Girl]

who makes Flight Deck? I don't think I've ever seen one...

Flight Deck is made by Shimano, and it is only compatible with Shimano....

[spazzdog]

Thanks AG!

spazz

[caligurl]

i have a polar s720i and love it! i like that i can download the info to computer, plus all the info it keeps for me!