Cateye Astrale 8 - first impressions



On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 19:02:44 -0500, Jeff Starr <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 09:55:15 -0400, Badger_South <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>
>>
>>Thanks for the input, km. Do you find it operates ok in the rain and colder
>>weather? Heh, I'll be finding out, for sure, so I'll let the group know.
>>
>>As far as mounting, a few rubber spacers, about 1/4" thick for the H/B
>>mount and a couple 1/2" and 1" spacers for mounting on the chain stay for
>>the sensor would have been nice. I ended up doubling up the duct tape and
>>making my own spacers. If that slips, I'll replace it with something more
>>substantial.


>
>Hi, my Astrale 8 works fine in cold weather [low 40s] and I have been
>caught in one rainstorm, where it poured so much, that my shoes filled
>with water, no problem.
>Of course I have only had it for 14.5 months and 4000 miles.


Sounds like a keeper to me! ;-)

>I think the post below was talking about the fact that when you
>replace the battery, you will lose the odometer setting. It will be
>back to zero. On some bike computers, like some of the Sigma Sports,
>you can program in, any odometer number that you want.


Ah. ok. Makes sense.

>Did you look at your manual, mine is designed to mount the main
>functions on the front wheel and fork. It is in the instructions, that
>way.


1. Mount the wheel magnet on a spoke of the rear wheel so the surface of
the magnet faces the sensor.
2. Mount the speed sensor (long cord) on the left chainstay with nylon
ties.

....plus a picture of the rear wheel and circles and arrows. ;-p

So far, the sensor(s) have survived a windy bike ride, and a ride home in
the back of my car.

Thanks for the info!

-B

>
>Life is Good!
>Jeff
 
On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 13:44:46 GMT, the black rose
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Mine mounts on the rear wheel. Makes sense to me -- instead of having
>wires going all over the bike, there's just one joined wire clipped to
>the downtube that splits, one goes to the rear wheel to measure tire
>revolutions, one stays at the seat tube to measure cadence.
>
>-km


Hey, I wonder if moving the sensor to the seat tube would work better. Mine
is on the underside of the left chainstay.

....Nope, just checked, not better. Though it's possible, the sidel of the
seat tube is about 2" away from the closest part of the inside of the pedal
where the magnet is strapped.

I would have been worried about hitting the strapping with my foot had I
put the magnet high up on crankarm near the bottom bracket, (pedal near the
ground), and sensor on the left chainstay, but up to and touching the
bottom bracket. Not enough clearance for a horizontal mount, either - would
have required even more extreme angling and futzing around from underneath.

So I hid the magnet as close to the pedal spindle as possible, at or below
where my foot lands on the pedal. Should be impossible for my shoe to wear
on the strap holding the magnet. <g>

Heh, maybe I should have put it on with the bike upside down? ;-D

-B
 
On 04 Oct 2004 15:24:05 GMT, [email protected] (Hunrobe) wrote:

>Since Badger brought up bragging rights another method of calibrating your
>computer is to use a stopwatch. Ride nonstop for exactly thirty seconds. Verify
>that your odometer measured 0.25 mile. I mean, you *do* have a 30 mph solo
>sprint right?
>
>Regards,
>Bob Hunt
>
>P.S.- Of course you'll have to recalculate the time and distance if you aren't
>going uphill or bucking a headwind. <g>


It takes me more than 30 seconds to spin up to 30mph, and by then, I'm
tired and ready for a nap.

-B
 
Jeff Starr wrote:
> On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 13:44:46 GMT, the black rose
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>>>Did you look at your manual, mine is designed to mount the main
>>>functions on the front wheel and fork. It is in the instructions, that
>>>way.

>>
>>Mine mounts on the rear wheel. Makes sense to me -- instead of having
>>wires going all over the bike, there's just one joined wire clipped to
>>the downtube that splits, one goes to the rear wheel to measure tire
>>revolutions, one stays at the seat tube to measure cadence.
>>
>>-km

>
>
> Hi, who installed yours? Could you look at the manual and see what it
> says? Apparently there are two different harnesses and instructions
> for the Astrale 8. Like I said, I know the older model was setup for
> rear wheel installation.


My LBS installed mine when I bought my bike about a month ago, and it's
a new model that's set up for rear wheel installation. I misspoke --
the cadence sensor isn't on the seat tube, it's on the outside of the
chainstay. The wheel sensor is a little farther on the inside of the
same chainstay.

I think it could be made to install the tire sensor on the front wheel,
but that would have wires going every which way all over the bike -- the
down tube to the chainstay and down the fork. Bleah.

It doesn't make sense to have a front wheel sensor when you're also
measuring cadence. As long as you've got a cadence sensor on the
chainstay, you might as well mount the wheel sensor on the same chainstay.

-km
 
Badger_South wrote:
> Hey, I wonder if moving the sensor to the seat tube would work better. Mine
> is on the underside of the left chainstay.
>
> ...Nope, just checked, not better. Though it's possible, the sidel of the
> seat tube is about 2" away from the closest part of the inside of the pedal
> where the magnet is strapped.


I misspoke. The cadence sensor is on the outside of the right
chainstay. The wheel sensor is on the inside of the same chainstay,
farther down.

> Heh, maybe I should have put it on with the bike upside down? ;-D


Wouldn't that make the readout upside down?

*ducking and running*

-km
 
Hunrobe wrote:
> Ride nonstop for exactly thirty seconds. Verify
> that your odometer measured 0.25 mile. I mean, you *do* have a 30 mph solo
> sprint right?


*cough* Of course.

*sticks tongue firmly in cheek*

-km
 
On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 21:20:42 GMT, the black rose
<[email protected]> wrote:


>I misspoke. The cadence sensor is on the outside of the right
>chainstay. The wheel sensor is on the inside of the same chainstay,
>farther down.


>-km


Are you saying that it is mounted to the same side as the chain? That
would be the right chainstay.
I would think it is on the left side, otherwise it would be at risk if
the chain came off, to the inside.


Life is Good!
Jeff
 
"Hunrobe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Since Badger brought up bragging rights another method of calibrating your
> computer is to use a stopwatch. Ride nonstop for exactly thirty seconds.

Verify
> that your odometer measured 0.25 mile. I mean, you *do* have a 30 mph solo
> sprint right?
>

I must have it here somewhere. I certainly have never used it ;)
 
>Badger_South [email protected]

wrote in part:

>I hid the magnet as close to the pedal spindle as possible, at or below
>where my foot lands on the pedal. Should be impossible for my shoe to wear
>on the strap holding the magnet.


For a really clean install you might consider what I did. Once I was *positive*
I had it in the right spot I simply epoxied my magnet to the inside face of the
crankarm using a product called AcraWeld, a proprietary epoxy available from
Brownell's, a mailorder/online gunsmithing supply company in Iowa. It takes at
least 30 or so hours to fully cure but it is without a doubt the strongest
epoxy I've ever used. I've no doubt that the plastic the factory uses to encase
the magnet would fail before the epoxy but if I ever do have to replace it a
few minutes with a Dremel tool will remove it quite easily without marring the
carbon crank.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
>Badger_South [email protected]

wrote:

>It takes me more than 30 seconds to spin up to 30mph, and by then, I'm
>tired and ready for a nap.
>


I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant from a flying start.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
[email protected] (Hunrobe) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>
> For a really clean install you might consider what I did. Once I
> was *positive* I had it in the right spot I simply epoxied my
> magnet to the inside face of the crankarm using a product called
> AcraWeld.....
>

For a really, really clean install just use a Lee Valley rod rare
earth magnet and stick it in the hex hole in your pedal. A press fit
and a little bit of epoxy has kept mine there for about 5 years.
Sorry about the condition of the URL


> http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.asp?page=40076

&category=,42363,42348&abspage=1&ccurrency=1&SID=
 
>Mike Latondresse mikelat@no_spamshaw.ca

wrote:

>For a really, really clean install just use a Lee Valley rod rare
>earth magnet and stick it in the hex hole in your pedal. A press fit
>and a little bit of epoxy has kept mine there for about 5 years.
>Sorry about the condition of the URL
>
>
>> http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.asp?page=40076

>&category=,42363,42348&abspage=1&ccurrency=1&SID=
>


Thanks, that sounds like a super-clean install. When my Astrale gives up the
ghost or I change pedals I might try it.
BTW, I wasn't shilling for Brownells but I've tried many epoxies in a variety
of applications and AcraWeld is by far the best I've found for metal/metal or
metal/composite bonding. I've even drilled and tapped it for fasteners (up to
about a 20 ft lbs of torque range) after full cure, it dries that hard.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

P.S.- One caveat... AcraWeld is *not* the same as AcraGlas. AcraGlas (same
manufacturer) is a *bedding* compound that many gunshops stock. It's designed
to bond to a surface, not for bonding two surfaces together permanently.
 
the black rose <[email protected]> wrote:

>Heh. I recently rode that rail-trail I've been avoiding, to see if my
>bike computer was calibrated anywhere near reality, on the theory that
>the mileage markings on the rail-trail are reasonably close to accurate.
> I started with my front hub directly over the start line, rode slowly,
>and stopped with my front hub directly over the 1 mi line.


It sort of bothers me that the circumference value in the charts never
quite matches my manual measurement; and how or why the various MTB
widths result in a different *circumference* (e.g. 26x1.75, x1.95,
x2.1 etc).

I've had the chance to check the 'puter against automated radar speed
things("Speed Limit XX - Your Speed YY") and all three times the
'puter was dead on with the display. For the speed to be right, both
the circumference entry and the 'puter timer has to be right or very
close.
 

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