Computers

Depends. if you don't care about wireless, try Echowell F2. reliable. cheap. not backlit though.

mgkaplan said:

Which is the best choice of computers?

Cadence is important to me.

Vetta- I owned a Vetta, and some riding mates owned Vettas as well. Did not like them. At all.😠
Avocet- got an Avocet for a present, hated it- the battery is an unusual model, and the computer itself always had problems, and the button sequence never made any sense, the fork mounting was poorly designed...😠
A workmate has a wireless Sigma, is always complaining about it; he does all his own maintenance work on his bikes and knows what he's doing, so he ain't dumb... so for that reason alone, I wouldn't risk buying a Sigma...😠
My first ever computer was a Cateye, and I have a Cateye with Cadence, and the button sequences are logical, the display is just so familiar, especially the cadence...the battery is very common and can be found anywhere- CR2032
Mounting hardware is well-designed, simple to fit...
Cateye is my first and only choice.

Aussie Steve said:

Vetta- I owned a Vetta, and some riding mates owned Vettas as well. Did not like them. At all.😠
Avocet- got an Avocet for a present, hated it- the battery is an unusual model, and the computer itself always had problems, and the button sequence never made any sense, the fork mounting was poorly designed...😠
A workmate has a wireless Sigma, is always complaining about it; he does all his own maintenance work on his bikes and knows what he's doing, so he ain't dumb... so for that reason alone, I wouldn't risk buying a Sigma...😠
My first ever computer was a Cateye, and I have a Cateye with Cadence, and the button sequences are logical, the display is just so familiar, especially the cadence...the battery is very common and can be found anywhere- CR2032
Mounting hardware is well-designed, simple to fit...
Cateye is my first and only choice.

Wireless sigmas break down - I've had two and they've both broken. The computers themselves (same for wireless or wired - only the mounts change) are fine though - robust and reliable. But for wired cadence, regardless of the make, you have problems mounting the sensor wire neatly.

Cateye - I've had a couple and been happy with them.
currently using Polar CS200CAD. Very happy with it, although there are issues of battery life/signal strength of the sender units. Some people have reported dead sensors from new, and of my two sets of sensors, one pair (speed and cad) have noticeably weaker signal strength than the others, and need to be mounted closer to the computer itself.

Aussie Steve said:

My first ever computer was a Cateye, and I have a Cateye with Cadence, and the button sequences are logical, the display is just so familiar, especially the cadence...the battery is very common and can be found anywhere- CR2032
Mounting hardware is well-designed, simple to fit...
Cateye is my first and only choice.

Yep. Cateye. Enduro, Mity, or Double Wireless. They just work.

Does anyone use a Garmin computer?

mgkaplan said:

Does anyone use a Garmin computer?

I have the Edge 305. I love it. I had the HAC 4 last year but returned two that were defective. The only problem of the Edge is that the battery has a span of only approximately ten hours. It is rechargable. The software is quite nice and it is being constantly upgraded. The mapping function is nice for those group rides you take and have no idea where you were or how you got there. I am very satisfied.

Got about a hundred miles on a new "Blackburn" Delphi 3.0 computer. Has cadence and is all wired. (does'nt have reliability issues like cateye wireless) Real nice computer too.

vascdoc said:

I have the Edge 305. I love it.

Same here. It's in a different class, price-wise, of course, but the post-ride analysis that you can do on your PC is great. In addition, the thing can also work in various training/workout modes, pacing you for structured workouts, and allowing you to race against a "virtual partner" (which can be yourself on the same course a week earlier).

Flight Deck of course.

Have a Polar 200 with HR and cadence. Not really satisfied with it. Never works 'perfectly', there is always something that is off. 😠

I would seriously consider whatever suits you in the VDO line. They work fine and the company's after-sales service is awesome.

Dietmar said:

Same here. It's in a different class, price-wise, of course, but the post-ride analysis that you can do on your PC is great. In addition, the thing can also work in various training/workout modes, pacing you for structured workouts, and allowing you to race against a "virtual partner" (which can be yourself on the same course a week earlier).

I agree. The Edge 305 with HR and Cadance sensor is the most serious cycle computer for training other than going with a Power Tap or SRM for watt measurement. The Edge can be programed in many unique ways some of which you mentioned.

vascdoc said:

I agree. The Edge 305 with HR and Cadance sensor is the most serious cycle computer for training other than going with a Power Tap or SRM for watt measurement. The Edge can be programed in many unique ways some of which you mentioned.

Question for the Edge owners. on the Garmin website, they claim 10-12 hours battery life. Is this accurate? I'm doing a 7 hour ride later in the year, but after adding the half time break, and riding to and from the finish, it will be close to 10 hours elapsed time. Will the Edge 305 last the distance?
Rumour has it you can't change the batteries.

peterlip said:

Question for the Edge owners. on the Garmin website, they claim 10-12 hours battery life. Is this accurate? I'm doing a 7 hour ride later in the year, but after adding the half time break, and riding to and from the finish, it will be close to 10 hours elapsed time. Will the Edge 305 last the distance?
Rumour has it you can't change the batteries.

No, you cannot change the batteries. If you're at 10 hours, you are obviously cutting it close. Can't you switch the unit off on your ride to and from the finish? Otherwise, it really depends, on the temperature, the course (the Edge tries to optimize the number of log points it records, and the power requirements depend on that as well), the luck of the draw as far as the actual capacity of the specific unit you have, etc...

I have a Cat Eye Astrale 8 (wired with cadence) I got new off ebay $14. It is cheap and bomber!

kbone said:

I have a Cat Eye Astrale 8 (wired with cadence) I got new off ebay $14. It is cheap and bomber!

I tried a couple of cheaper types (Echo) but found that didn't keep regular kms (based on bike track road marks) and LBS swapped to Cateye Australe 8 which has gone without fault and maintains high accuracy.

Astrale8 all the way!! I've been importing and selling these. I've sold 24 and no one I've sold them to has had a problem. I find that if it's really raining hard the computer can blank out - but it's only because the contacts between the head unit and the base plate have got wet - take the head unit off and then refit it - problem fixed! If you're going to ride in the rain - put a clear film over it.

I can't recommend them enough🙂

peterlip said:

Question for the Edge owners. on the Garmin website, they claim 10-12 hours battery life. Is this accurate? I'm doing a 7 hour ride later in the year, but after adding the half time break, and riding to and from the finish, it will be close to 10 hours elapsed time. Will the Edge 305 last the distance?
Rumour has it you can't change the batteries.

You can not change the batteries. I have never ride for 10 hours even for a hundred mile ride. Another poster suggested turning the unit off when resting and that is a fine idea. If your ride time is 7 hours then you should not have a problem.

I'm using a Polar 625x with cadence, it has'n't missed a beat in a year, has never had any reception or transmission problems and with the foot pod you can use it for running as well. You have to buy the speed and cadence sensors seperately for this model. Also includes monitoring software for the pc.

[img]heartratemonitorsusa.comS625X pack.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

Sigma...didnt work out of the box, Vetta RT88 broke after one year but replaced by Vetta to their credit, First Instrument Heart Rate monitor defective after a week of use with buttons, waiting for replacement. So far the Flight Deck has been great 6 months of use, expensive but great.

mgkaplan said:

Which is the best choice of computers?

Cadence is important to me.