Mike said:Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any drawbacks to it being
wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?
Thanks
I have a wireless Vetta V100 w/ wireless cadence, and a wired Sigma something-or-
other. I bought the wireless for a bike with S&S couplers- wireless is
pretty mandatory for a bike that gets taken apart and put into a box.
Overall, the vetta works ok and the no-wires look is cleaner (point for
wireless), but the wired computer has less frustrating issues.
I find that the wireless batteries (larger, more expensive and more
numerous) last me about 6 months compared to 1-2 years for the wired
computer. And the batteries always seem to die at inopportune times,
such as during an event I had hoped to clock. (2 points for wired).
When the batteries do go, it isn't always clear what is happening or
why- the signal seems to fade in and out and interference starts to
occur for a little while before the device stops receiving a signal
entirely (in contrast, the wired display just slowly fades out over a
period of weeks or months, and continues to record complete data
throughout) (point for wired).
When the wireless batteries start to go, I find myself wondering if the
transmitters got out of alignment with the magnets at first, or why I
suddenly seem to be getting more interference, before tinkering and
realizing that the problem is the batteries. Even then, I end up
replacing all 3 batteries (head unit, fork transmitter, cadence
transmitter) before it fixes the problem.
Having had this happen twice now, I hope that I will be quicker on the
uptake next time, and just replace all 3 batteries immediately.
I have not noticed wireless interference except when the batteries are
about to die.
Also, the wired computer updates instantly, while the wireless seems
only to resend signals every 3-5 seconds. Not a huge deal, but a 1/2
point in the wired column.
On the other hand, the wired cadence on my Sigma just gave up the ghost.
The mount is made with slots to plug in the cadence wire, and I think
the contact leads got screwed up somehow- I probably yanked on the wire
inadvertently. A new cadence wire might fix it- I haven't tried to find
one yet. (a point for wireless).
I think this adds up to 3.5 points for wired and 2 for wireless.
Finally, I couldn't get the cadence transmitter to work at all for the
first few weeks after I installed it. Eventually I gave up tinkering and
left it alone- after about 2 weeks it magically started to work, and has
been pretty much fine ever since. A point the "weird" column.
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