ok, so I've found that in the $40-$60 pricerange you can get either a wireless cyclocomputer or one that is wired and has cadence on it. Does anyone know of one that has both features for around that price?
thanks
D
thanks
D
cyclocomputers
- Thread starter TrekCyclerChic
- Start date
Let's start with me reaffirming that I'm a big supporter of your intended long ride!
But . . I'm curious: a cadence readout is, IMHO, kind of a good thing . . . for about two weeks . . . until you get a good sense of what your cadence is without looking at the computer any longer. In other words, it's a way to calibrate your own sense of RPM.
After you're fairly well calibrated--and it really does happen quickly--it's really just another sensor to come 0.5mm out of alignment, rendering another feature of your computer inoperable. For your long trip, that latter part might be more of a PITA than it's worth.
While I have it on my touring bike--because I thought it would be neat--I went for a $20 Cateye Mity 8 on my road bike. I may not be exactly accurate on my internal cadence sensor, but I'm close enough.
Now . . . to answer your question . . . CLICK ME
Just a thought....
But . . I'm curious: a cadence readout is, IMHO, kind of a good thing . . . for about two weeks . . . until you get a good sense of what your cadence is without looking at the computer any longer. In other words, it's a way to calibrate your own sense of RPM.
After you're fairly well calibrated--and it really does happen quickly--it's really just another sensor to come 0.5mm out of alignment, rendering another feature of your computer inoperable. For your long trip, that latter part might be more of a PITA than it's worth.
While I have it on my touring bike--because I thought it would be neat--I went for a $20 Cateye Mity 8 on my road bike. I may not be exactly accurate on my internal cadence sensor, but I'm close enough.
Now . . . to answer your question . . . CLICK ME
Just a thought....
Thanks for the support! For a while I was a little down.. not many people, including my family and friends (excluding the non-biking friends who said "that should be a fun ride") have been supportive, but things are coming along, but with support for the trip and fundraising, as well as getting a few more people going... 3 for sure, plus maybe 2 more for the whole trip. We have a few people joining for parts here and there too.neil0502 said:
Yeah I had seen a few of them that were 2-3 times the price range i was looking at... and what you say makes sense... i think i'll stick with a cheaper wireless one. I have enough equiptment expenses as it is! Thanks for the info though.neil0502 said:
D
If they made one with a cadence funtion I would reccomend Specialized to you. So far they have made the longest lasting and most reliable computers I have used.
Cat eye is a close second, with a little less battery life. Still a very good product.
Cat eye is a close second, with a little less battery life. Still a very good product.
To me its cadence and whether or not its wireless. I don't like wires cluttering my frame. As to cadence, while its nice, with experience, you pretty much know your pedal RPM after a while or what you like to crank at. For simplicity I just ordered a new Cateye Micro for my new Bianchi. It is wireless and does not have cadence. A simple pick up on the front fork is all it has which I prefer over to a crank magnet and another pick up in the back to keep in adjustment. I am mostly looking for distance traveled and average speed when going for a timed run over the same route. Just my opinon. You can easily calculate crank RPM and correlate to whatever gear you are in.
Most 700c road bikes travel 7 feet for every tire revolution. The top gear on my Bianchi is 52-13 or 4:1. So for every crank revolution my bike travels 28 ft in top gear. That translates to ~32 mph at 100 RPM which I can achieve on a calm day
George
Most 700c road bikes travel 7 feet for every tire revolution. The top gear on my Bianchi is 52-13 or 4:1. So for every crank revolution my bike travels 28 ft in top gear. That translates to ~32 mph at 100 RPM which I can achieve on a calm day
George
You should be able to pick up a Cateye Wireless 7 for around $40. This has been the most reliable cyclocomputer I have used (I've been through several). It does not have cadence, but it's reliable and simple to use and read. I have never tried the Specialized computers, but have heard and read many good things about them. Looking forward to reading about your adventures this fall. Good Luck....
Conniebiker said:
I'd recommend the Specialized as well. The Turbo Pro has a wireless front sensor and a wired rear sensor for cadence (which can be removed) as well as an alitmeter.
There's some discussion of it in this thread:
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t175351-.html
Hey Tonto-Tonto said:
I remember reading your posts about the Specialized Turbo Pro in that other thread. Have you had more a chance to check it out? I wouldn't mind a computer that showed my total climbing. If I remember right, on the other thread you had only used it once or twice, still happy? I have a Ciclo HAC4, the thing was such a pain in the ass, that I never used it for anything other than as a HRM, and I prefer my Polar for that. Also, to Trekcyclerchik, check out eBay, there's a bunch of Cateye "but it nows" for $28, unless of course these guys are talking you into the Specialized like myself. I am still perfectly happy with the Cateye, but the altimeter is a really cool function, too bad it doesn't calculate grades or hook up to a computer and create profiles. Thanks...Pat
OCRoadie, FWIW, the Cateye Wireless 7 while still around has been superceded by the new Cateye Micro for '05 which has a bit more robust reception and the same features. You can find a new Micro on E-bay for under 30 bones and a great value...I have one on order. As to cadence...a nice feature but one can use speed in any gear as a barometer. All you have to do is calculate what your speed is with your gear ratio in your smallest or middle ring on largest cog in the back at 100 RPM which all can achieve...and determine your MPH. Then when in that gear you know your target speed for the cadence of 100 RPM...pretty simple. If you know 3 or four combinations, you can easy check your cadence by road speed. Some find computers both a blessing and a scourge which I agree...why I opt for a low frills job...detracts less from the pleasure of biking and fit young girls in tight riding shorts.
George
George
OCRoadie said:
Hey there,
Yep I've used it a couple more times and I think, as others on here have posted too, that the altimeter is pretty decent for what is, essentially an add-on to the main functions of the computer.
The Specialized Turbo Elite is cheaper and has everything the Pro has bar the alitmeter stuff.
I used to have, and would also recommend, a Cateye Astrale 8 and it is cheaper still although it has wired front and rear sensors. Then there's the Micro which Biker7 recommends, which I think looks great as well. As he said, having cadence is a matter of preference. Where I live it's very windy and there are a lot of long but gentle hills so it's easy to find my cadence slowing down without my noticing. Having the function on the computer helps me concentrate on keeping it up.
Good luck!
Meant to also say....I'm really surprised to hear that about the Hac4. It was the computer I'd love to have bought when I bought the Specialized but it cost just that bit too much. I always thought it was the daddy of ciclocomputers!
If I had more patience, the HAC 4 probably would be the "grandaddy". I picked it up off of eBay for $120 (I wouldn't spend $300 for a cyclocomputer). I know of a couple people using the HAC 4 and it works great. I had two big frustrations, first being that the mounting kit is a piece of ****, basically two rubber band are supposed to hold your $300 cpu to your bars, secondly the initial set-up is frustrating and the manuel and on-line support or not much help. I'll sit down one more time and try to get the thing mounted and working properly, if that doesn't work, watch for it on eBay
. I'm watching a Specialized Turbo Pro on eBay, if I can pick it up cheap enough, I'll give it a try.Biker 7, I didn't know that there was a new version of the Cateye Cordless 7, I guess I would recomend the Micro as a great inexpensive cordless cpu. What I like most about the Cordless 7 is the simplicity, very easy to set-up, read and use. It's also extremely reliable, it barely ever goes out (when it does it's always in the same places in my ride, so I assume there's interference), and it seems reasonlby accurate.
I too recommend the Specialized Turbo Elite, if you are still desiring the cadence function, this will fit your budget constraints. I got mine for just under $60 last month and have enjoyed the upgrade from a low end Cateye, which didn't have cadence. I'm glad I added the cadence feature. Although it appears to be innate to some, I needed the assistance of a cadence counter to hold my RPMs constant.
The low end Cateye was good, but the Specialized had more features and was at my LBS when my impulse to purchase took control.
The low end Cateye was good, but the Specialized had more features and was at my LBS when my impulse to purchase took control.
I don't mean to complicate things, but a friend I ride with tours a lot and has the coolest cycling computer I've seen. He uses a small, cheap, Magellan brand GPS mounted on his handlebars: there's accurate speed, temperature, elevation gain and loss, max speed, average speed, mileage and time for each ride, and no magnet to go out of alignment. Alas, it does not have a cadence feature and it costs around $125, but it will last a lot longer than regular cycling computers. You also just charge the battery every other night instead of changing it when it dies, and if you get lost it can get you home with some pretty cool road map features. Yes, I am jealous of this friend. Especially when it rains hard and my computer doesn't work so well.
I ended up picking up the Specialized Turbo Pro on eBay over the weekend for $43. Hopefully I'll have it for next weekend. I rode with a buddy over the weekend who's been using this cpu and he's also been very pleased. I am anxious to start tracking my climbing feet on each ride.
