Wireless Cyclocomputers - Opinions

[Peter]

I have a Schwinn wireless and I love it. No unsightly wires
to entangle or have to bunch up to take up the slack. Plus
it measures distance traveled down to the metre. I hope this
doesn't get top posted. If it does my apologies as that is
how my system works.

"Comcast Giganews" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:K_mdnXYY78aEIxjdRVn-
[email protected]...
> I had a cateye wireless and did not like it. It received
> interference
from
> electrical sources (traffic lights, power lines, etc) that
> caused it to go haywire.
>
>
> "Mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
> > drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
>

 

[happycentury]

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.

Originally posted by Mike
Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any drawbacks
to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?

Thanks

 

[Billy Bigelow]

"Comcast Giganews" <[email protected]>
> I had a cateye wireless and did not like it. It received
> interference
from
> electrical sources (traffic lights, power lines, etc) that
> caused it to go haywire.

I've had a wireless Cateye on my bike for the past three to
four years and it's been flawless. A great tool.

fwiw

 

[stavros]

GaryG wrote:

> "Mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
> > drawbacks to it being wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
>
> The only drawback I've seen is that most wireless units do
> not "auto-start". You have to remember to push a button to
> start the computer functions when you start riding, or
> after you've stopped for more than 5 minutes or so.
> They're designed this way to conserve battery life on the
> transmitter battery. Because of this, I'll sometimes miss
> a few 10ths of a mile before I realize the computer is not
> running.
>
> Despite this issue, I really like wireless units. They're
> easier to mount, and you don't have those wires running
> all over your bike.

Why can't you run the wire up the brake cable?

--

-TTFN

-Steven

 

[Garyg]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> GaryG wrote:
>
> > "Mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
> > > drawbacks to it
being
> > > wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> >
> > The only drawback I've seen is that most wireless units
> > do not
"auto-start".
> > You have to remember to push a button to start the
> > computer functions
when
> > you start riding, or after you've stopped for more than
> > 5 minutes or so. They're designed this way to conserve
> > battery life on the transmitter battery. Because of
> > this, I'll sometimes miss a few 10ths of a mile
before
> > I realize the computer is not running.
> >
> > Despite this issue, I really like wireless units.
> > They're easier to
mount,
> > and you don't have those wires running all over
> > your bike.
>
> Why can't you run the wire up the brake cable?
>

When I had wired, that is where I ran the wire. But, it
still has to go up the fork leg before it gets to the brake
cable (and be secured with zip ties or tape on the fork).
And, you still see the wire wound around the brake cable.
Mostly it's an aesthetic issue...similar to the difference
between running visible speaker wires around your living
room, or running them behind the walls. I prefer the "clean"
look of wireless.

However, while riding in the Chico Wildflower Century
yesterday (along with about 4,000 others), I did notice some
apparent intermittent interference. On a couple of
occasions, my speed jumped up a few mph for a couple of
seconds, then returned to normal. This was the first time
I've noticed this...but, I also changed both batteries the
day before so I'm not entirely sure as to the cause.

GG

>
> --
>
> -TTFN
>
> -Steven

 

[stavros]

GaryG wrote:

> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > GaryG wrote:
> >
> > > "Mike" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]...
> > > > Thinking about buying one of these. Are there any
> > > > drawbacks to it
> being
> > > > wireless i.e. battery usage etc.?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > >
> > >
> > > The only drawback I've seen is that most wireless
> > > units do not
> "auto-start".
> > > You have to remember to push a button to start the
> > > computer functions
> when
> > > you start riding, or after you've stopped for more
> > > than 5 minutes or so. They're designed this way to
> > > conserve battery life on the transmitter battery.
> > > Because of this, I'll sometimes miss a few 10ths of a
> > > mile
> before
> > > I realize the computer is not running.
> > >
> > > Despite this issue, I really like wireless units.
> > > They're easier to
> mount,
> > > and you don't have those wires running all over your
> > > bike.
> >
> > Why can't you run the wire up the brake cable?
> >
>
> When I had wired, that is where I ran the wire. But, it
> still has to go up the fork leg before it gets to the
> brake cable (and be secured with zip ties or tape on the
> fork). And, you still see the wire wound around the brake
> cable. Mostly it's an aesthetic issue...similar to the
> difference between running visible speaker wires around
> your living room, or running them behind the walls.

Shrink tubing?

> I prefer the "clean" look of wireless.

Nothing wrong with that! <g>

> However, while riding in the Chico Wildflower Century
> yesterday (along with about 4,000 others), I did notice
> some apparent intermittent interference. On a couple of
> occasions, my speed jumped up a few mph for a couple of
> seconds, then returned to normal. This was the first time
> I've noticed this...but, I also changed both batteries the
> day before so I'm not entirely sure as to the cause.

--

-TTFN

-Steven

 

[J. Macmillan]

I have about 20,000 km on my Cateye Astrale and have not
needed to replace the battery. (i.e., 3 years of cycling)

Badger_South <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On 19 Apr 2004 22:45:11 GMT, David Reuteler
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >GaryG <garyg@shasta_spambegone_software.com> wrote:
> >>> Reasons not to get wireless:
> >>> 1. 2 batteries to wear out
> >>
> >> 3,000 miles on my Vetta V100A. No need to replace
> >> either battery yet.
> >
> >the batteries in the shimano flight deck sensor wear out
> >rather frequently which i define as several months of
> >moderate usage. when i was touring i replaced the battery
> >4 times in 4 months. two or three times a season was more
> >like it for normal, tho. not a big deal, but ..
> >
> >otoh, now i use the campag ergobrain. haven't changed a
> >battery yet. off- topic, i found the flight deck menus
> >more intuitive -- i've never been a fan of the cat-eye
> >style computers.
>
> The ergobrain looks nice and seems to have some unique
> features like stopwatch which can be run independently.
>
> Do any of these allow downloading into the PC or is that a
> huge price jump?
>
> -B

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (J. MacMillan) wrote:

> I have about 20,000 km on my Cateye Astrale and have not
> needed to replace the battery. (i.e., 3 years of cycling)
>
> Badger_South <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > On 19 Apr 2004 22:45:11 GMT, David Reuteler
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > >GaryG <garyg@shasta_spambegone_software.com> wrote:
> > >>> Reasons not to get wireless:
> > >>> 1. 2 batteries to wear out
> > >>
> > >> 3,000 miles on my Vetta V100A. No need to replace
> > >> either battery yet.
> > >
> > >the batteries in the shimano flight deck sensor wear
> > >out rather frequently which i define as several months
> > >of moderate usage. when i was touring i replaced the
> > >battery 4 times in 4 months. two or three times a
> > >season was more like it for normal, tho. not a big
> > >deal, but ..

Oh, somehow I missed this thread.

I haven't tried any of these Filzer computers yet, but hey,
they're too cheap not to try:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Ef-
older_id=66919
5&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=748239&bmUID=1084672983291

http://tinyurl.com/39b8u

C$24 for a function-laden wireless computer. C$14.50 for the
wired version. I intend to grab one of these next time I'm
in MEC and have cash on hand.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected]
http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/ President, Fabrizio
Mazzoleni Fan Club