What sends my bike computer haywire?

Aliens. Little Green Men. UFOs. Whatever you want to call them. The truth is out there! -PRD (I have
also heard that high-power lines can do it too).

"Phil Watts" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a wireless Cateye Bike Computer/speedo, and I noticed that during a recent trip down the
East Coast of the States that sometimes it would clock up a few miles while parked outside a store
or gas station... Meaning that the bike would be stationary but the speedometer would be
registering 30 mph, for example.

Can anyone suggest why this might be happening? And I've only noticed this happening in the States
- not in Britain, or Australia (where the bike normally lives).

Thanks in advance!

Phil

Phil Watts may have said:

I have a wireless Cateye Bike Computer/speedo, and I noticed that during a recent trip down the
East Coast of the States that sometimes it would clock up a few miles while parked outside a store
or gas station... Meaning that the bike would be stationary but the speedometer would be
registering 30 mph, for example.

Can anyone suggest why this might be happening? And I've only noticed this happening in the States
- not in Britain, or Australia (where the bike normally lives).

Thanks in advance!

Electrical noise, possibly from a nearby power transformer, or perhaps stray RFI from any number of
other common sources; microwave ovens, proximity sensors for doors, sixteen people on cell phones,
and a multitudes of other possibilities. The non-wireless speedos seem to be immune to this problem,
from what I've heard. In part, you can also blame the American fetish for technotoys in unnecessary
and inappropriate applications, coupled with the willingness to believe that if a product or
technology hasn't been proven to be immediately deadly, then it's probably harmless. (Which, both
happily and unhappily, is actually a valid attitude more often than not.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

"Phil Watts" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a wireless Cateye Bike Computer/speedo, and I noticed that during a recent trip down the
East Coast of the States that sometimes it would clock up a few miles while parked outside a store
or gas station... Meaning that the bike would be stationary but the speedometer would be
registering 30 mph, for example.

Did the gas stations in question have the proximity readers in their gas pumps like the Mobil
Speedpass readers?

--G

Gordon Dewis said:

"Phil Watts" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a wireless Cateye Bike Computer/speedo, and I noticed that during a recent trip down the
East Coast of the States that sometimes it would clock up a few miles while parked outside a store
or gas station... Meaning that the bike would be stationary but the speedometer would be
registering 30 mph, for example.

Did the gas stations in question have the proximity readers in their gas pumps like the Mobil
Speedpass readers?

I know that my polar HRM goes nuts when I go past a house with a hidden dog fence (one of the
RF ones with the burried wire). My heart doesn't usually go at 224 bpm when I'm not even
breathing hard 🙂.

David

My Cateye Cordless II goes nuts when I go to my father's house to ride
- he has one of those invisible fences for his dogs.

App

I think I know what's going on - I asked a friend of mine (who's Great Grandfather was a physicist)
and he said that this is a common phenomenon on the East Coast and mid-Atlantic. Your bike computer
is sensitive to "rotational accelerant anomoly or RAA", he said. It's complicated, but basically
when you stop the bicycle the magnetic forces that you previously set in motion have enough residual
momentum to keep the speedometer going.

The effect might be more pronounced around gas stations where the average density of the
air is less.

Phil Watts <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have a wireless Cateye Bike Computer/speedo, and I noticed that during a recent trip down the
East Coast of the States that sometimes it would clock up a few miles while parked outside a store
or gas station... Meaning that the bike would be stationary but the speedometer would be
registering 30 mph, for example.

Can anyone suggest why this might be happening? And I've only noticed this happening in the States
- not in Britain, or Australia (where the bike normally lives).

Thanks in advance!

Phil

Thanks for all the replies! I've never even heard of invisible dog fences or proximity readers at
gas pumps. Sounds like there's a lot of things that could screw with the Cateye.

Now, if only man could find a way to harness the energy in RAA (rotational accelerant anomoly.) :-)