Racing bike computer?

[The Real Slim S]

Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any recommendations? I want to know stuff
like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and cadence max, min and average. Do such beasts exist?
Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every revolution and working out the figures from wheel
circumference? Excuse my ignorance - it's only by listening to the chit chat on this board that I
have learned these computers are made.

I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
some models?

Thanks,

Slim

P.S. pardon my ranting and bad language in the "biker gets killed thread" the other day. Not like me
at all but that really got me going....

 

[HPMotors]

Slim,

I've got the same question as you - sort of. I am kind of getting back into cycling for fitness reasons- and was interested in heart rate, etc. My 10 year old Cateyemicro CC-6000 does all the things you mentioned, speed, cadence, avg spd, time, etc. so what you want has been around much longer than that.

Today, it seems they do all that plus much much more - and wireless at that. For the ultimate in decadence the Shimano Flight Deck tells you which gear your in (presuming you have the rest of the Shimano bits that go with it)!

My basic question, what are some good systems that do the cycling function, and add in the physical fitness monitoring? Are the wireless units any good? They certainly would be cleaner without all the wiring to the sensors, but reliability is nice too.

hp

 

[Call Me Bob]

On Sun, 17 Aug 2003 16:48:19 +0100, "The Real Slim Shady" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any recommendations? I want to know stuff
>like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and cadence max, min and average. Do such beasts exist?

Yes, plenty of choice in good cycling computers, but, if you want cadence then things are more
limited. I have a Cateye Astrale which has all the usual features plus cadence run from a crank
sensor. I'm very happy with it, robust and reliable, I'd certainly buy another.

I think Shimano Flightdecks and Campag Ergobrains have cadence features but these comps are quite
expensive and you need to have compatible brake/gear shifters.

CycleXpress have the new model Astrale on offer atm for £23, post free.

>Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every revolution and working out the figures from wheel
>circumference?

That's exactly how they work. You "tell" the computer the circumference of the wheel and it counts
the revolutions using a spoke mounted magnet passing a sensor fixed to the fork.

>I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
>some models?

Some computers do come with PC software allowing data to be uploaded. I think though this is more
common with the heart rate monitor types, not too sure as I've never looked into that option.

Bob
--
Mail address is spam trapped To reply by email remove the beverage

 

[Les Kennedy]

Cateye are great ! I love the cordless ones - very reliable. And the Astrale is good, but a bit
cabley with the cadence sensor having to go on your chain stay. I'd rather do without that and use
the cordless. And Flight Deck are expensive, unreliable and short battery lives compared to
Cateye. Avoid !

--

E-mail : [email protected] "Call me Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sun, 17 Aug 2003 16:48:19 +0100, "The Real Slim Shady" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any
recommendations?
> >I want to know stuff like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and
cadence
> >max, min and average. Do such beasts exist?
>
> Yes, plenty of choice in good cycling computers, but, if you want cadence then things are more
> limited. I have a Cateye Astrale which has all the usual features plus cadence run from a crank
> sensor. I'm very happy with it, robust and reliable, I'd certainly buy another.
>
> I think Shimano Flightdecks and Campag Ergobrains have cadence features but these comps are quite
> expensive and you need to have compatible brake/gear shifters.
>
> CycleXpress have the new model Astrale on offer atm for £23, post free.
>
> >Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every revolution and working out the figures from
wheel
> >circumference?
>
> That's exactly how they work. You "tell" the computer the circumference of the wheel and it counts
> the revolutions using a spoke mounted magnet passing a sensor fixed to the fork.
>
> >I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on some
> >models?
>
> Some computers do come with PC software allowing data to be uploaded. I think though this is more
> common with the heart rate monitor types, not too sure as I've never looked into that option.
>
>
> Bob
> --
> Mail address is spam trapped To reply by email remove the beverage

 

[Ewan]

les kennedy wrote:

> Cateye are great ! I love the cordless ones - very reliable. And the Astrale is good, but a bit
> cabley with the cadence sensor having to go on your chain stay. I'd rather do without that and use
> the cordless. And Flight Deck are expensive, unreliable and short battery lives compared to
> Cateye. Avoid !
>

On the other hand I've had two CatEye Mity2s die after a year or so, while my FlightDeck is still
going strong after almost 3 years. Yes, it is more expensive (an extra 15~20ukp more than the
Astral), but you do get more functions plus I reckon it's easier to use with the buttons on the
gear shifters.

Ewan

--
Latest photo collection added 17-Aug-03: http://photos.eatnet.org.uk

 

[Niv]

To download all sorts to a PC you'll probably need a Polar 510 or 710 Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). This
will cost up to £200 depending on model. They're really for "serious" cyclists (or gadget freaks
like me!).

Have a look at the Polar web site www.polar.fi for more info.

Otherwise, I'd gp with the others & suggest a Cateye computer for £20 to £30.

Niv.

"The Real Slim Shady" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any
recommendations?
> I want to know stuff like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and
cadence
> max, min and average. Do such beasts exist? Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every
> revolution and working out the figures from wheel circumference? Excuse my ignorance - it's only
> by listening to the chit chat on this board that I have learned these computers are made.
>
> I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
> some models?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Slim
>
> P.S. pardon my ranting and bad language in the "biker gets killed thread" the other day. Not like
> me at all but that really got me going....

 

[Michael Macclan]

In message <[email protected]>, The Real Slim Shady
<[email protected]> writes
>Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any recommendations? I want to know stuff
>like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and cadence max, min and average. Do such beasts exist?
>Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every revolution and working out the figures from wheel
>circumference? Excuse my ignorance - it's only by listening to the chit chat on this board that I
>have learned these computers are made.
>
>I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
>some models?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Slim
>
>P.S. pardon my ranting and bad language in the "biker gets killed thread" the other day. Not like
> me at all but that really got me going....
>
>

I use a Cateye Astrale. It has cadence, isn't very expensive and the sensor mounts on the rear
wheel so you can use it on a trainer. I've gone off cordless computers because the sensors are so
large and ugly.
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

 

[Anonymous]

"The Real Slim Shady" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any
recommendations?
> I want to know stuff like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and
cadence
> max, min and average. Do such beasts exist? Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every
> revolution and working out the figures from wheel circumference? Excuse my ignorance - it's only
> by listening to the chit chat on this board that I have learned these computers are made.
>
> I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
> some models?

ciclosport 414M has the ability to download to a computer, and the price to match (100sq ish?).
ciclosport HAC4 is what lance armstrong uses (so I hear) and does the same plus heart rate, and is
even more.

With both of these, with the appropriate wiring kit they'll do cadence.

Cateye Mity2 is irritatingly easy to reset but fortunately stopped being made a few years ago.
Mity3/Enduro 2 (same but thicker wire) are probably better. I think these do nearly all I want
(although my ciclosport 414 (non-memory version) does altitude too, which is very nice for the
longer rides - it makes you feel a lot better having seen how much ascent you've done!)

cheers, clive

 

[Dsmoothe]

Hey! If anyone wants a great deal on a Brand New Polar S720i Heart Rate Monitor(well below retail),
send me an e-mail at [email protected]

Thanks

"Niv" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<nIZ%[email protected]>...
> To download all sorts to a PC you'll probably need a Polar 510 or 710 Heart Rate Monitor (HRM).
> This will cost up to £200 depending on model. They're really for "serious" cyclists (or gadget
> freaks like me!).
>
> Have a look at the Polar web site www.polar.fi for more info.
>
> Otherwise, I'd gp with the others & suggest a Cateye computer for £20 to £30.
>
> Niv.
>
> "The Real Slim Shady" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Sorry for posting this old chestnut but can anyone make any
> recommendations?
> > I want to know stuff like how far I've been, max speed, av speed and
> cadence
> > max, min and average. Do such beasts exist? Do they work by a sensor picking up a pulse every
> > revolution and working out the figures from wheel circumference? Excuse my ignorance - it's only
> > by listening to the chit chat on this board that I have learned these computers are made.
> >
> > I don't mind paying £50 or so. Is there any facility to download these figures on to a PC on
> > some models?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Slim
> >
> > P.S. pardon my ranting and bad language in the "biker gets killed thread" the other day. Not
> > like me at all but that really got me going....
> >

 

[Ian]

dsmoothe must be edykated coz e writed:

> Hey! If anyone wants a great deal on a Brand New Polar S720i Heart Rate Monitor(well below
> retail), send me an e-mail at [email protected]
>
These things give up completely when I wear them, put them on someone else, fine, put the thing on
me, will not count, or goes crazy, anyone else have that problem?

--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

 

[Fraggle]

Ian <[email protected]> wrote in news:BB66ED61.D20F%[email protected]:

> dsmoothe must be edykated coz e writed:
>
>> Heart Rate Monitor.
>>
> These things give up completely when I wear them, anyone else have that problem?
>
<general snipage>

NO, you are dead please report to the nearest morgue!

Fragg

 

[Peter Connolly]

> These things give up completely when I wear them, put them on someone
else,
> fine, put the thing on me, will not count, or goes crazy, anyone else have that problem?
>

My Polar 150 goes mad when I cycle past the local Asda; I think it's their trolley protection
system, but my 'effort' shoots up to 121%, and I *never* work that hard!

..also, when I'm wearing it on my wrist when walking, I've occasionally had a top speed of 90mph - I
think the bike contact on the back was shorting out. If not, I'll audition for the Benny Hill show!

Pete.

 

[Dave Larrington]

Ian wrote:

> These things give up completely when I wear them, put them on someone else, fine, put the thing on
> me, will not count, or goes crazy, anyone else have that problem?

My low-end Cardiosport was reading 160-odd during the opening overs of last Saturday's race, before
shootiing up to 235 and staying there for the next forty minutes. It is starting to annoy me...

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Ian]

Dave Larrington must be edykated coz e writed:

> Ian wrote:
>
>> These things give up completely when I wear them, put them on someone else, fine, put the thing
>> on me, will not count, or goes crazy, anyone else have that problem?
>
> My low-end Cardiosport was reading 160-odd during the opening overs of last Saturday's race,
> before shootiing up to 235 and staying there for the next forty minutes. It is starting to
> annoy me...
>
> Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
> ===========================================================
> Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
> ===========================================================
>
>
With me, they either refuse to read or display hieroglyphics.
--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

 

[Simon Brooke]

HPMotors <[email protected]> writes:

> My basic question, what are some good systems that do the cycling function, and add in the
> physical fitness monitoring? Are the wireless units any good? They certainly would be cleaner
> without all the wiring to the sensors, but reliability is nice too.

We've used Specialized wireless ones on our bikes for six years now (on my road bike and on my
girlfriend's hill bike). Both units are still on their first sets of batteries. They've been
completely reliable, but they don't have a cadence function.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

to err is human, to lisp divine ;; attributed to Kim Philby, oddly enough.