Computer recommendations

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  • December 29, 2011 at 7:25 pm #933982
    jabberwocky
    Participant

    How much are you thinking of spending?

    Before I got my Garmin (early 2007), I used to run Planet Bike Protoge computers. They were cheap wired ones; inexpensive enough that I had one on each bike and didn’t sweat it too much when one got broken or lost.

    Since then I’ve been running Garmin Edges (a 305 until I got my 800 earlier this year). They are worlds better and easy to transfer between bikes, but obviously more expensive. Downloading rides to the computer is very nice and much more sophisticated; its cool to see how many times you’ve ridden a particular route, what your average speed was, etc.

    December 29, 2011 at 7:37 pm #933984
    vvill
    Participant

    If I had the green light to get a new one right now I’d get one of the Garmin Edge models. I currently have basic wired Cateye computers with cadence, supplemented with a car GPS in my pocket set up in “bike mode” (can’t really tell if this does anything – it’s still not terribly accurate). The car GPS battery also only lasts a few hours. I had a USB backup battery that let me actually log my first century using the car GPS but I’ve since misplaced the battery.

    Before that I owned wired Cateye and Sigma Sport computers without cadence. I used to think those were fancy!

    December 29, 2011 at 8:56 pm #933989
    jrenaut
    Participant

    Not sure what I want to spend – probably looking in the $50-75 range unless I totally fall in love with something more expensive. I use my phone GPS to map rides sometimes, though that’s the thing that told me I was biking in Rock Creek, and that I hit 53mph on Hains Point.

    December 29, 2011 at 9:12 pm #933991
    WillStewart
    Participant

    @jrenaut 12402 wrote:

    I use my phone GPS to map rides sometimes, though that’s the thing that told me I was biking in Rock Creek, and that I hit 53mph on Hains Point.

    Do you have an Android with ant+ or iPhone?

    Speed and cadence sensor compatible with any ANT+ receiving device:
    – http://www.wahoofitness.com/Products/Wahoo-Fitness-Premium-Speed-and-Cadence-Bike-Sensor.asp

    Speed, instant acceleration, cadence and surface grade (and heart rate with additional chest strap):
    – http://velocomputer.com/views/products.jsp

    I have not tried either of these.

    December 29, 2011 at 9:45 pm #933992
    jrenaut
    Participant

    Don’t know what ant+ is, but I have a Droid 3. Going to Google it now . . .

    December 30, 2011 at 1:48 pm #934005
    americancyclo
    Participant

    @jrenaut 12405 wrote:

    Don’t know what ant+ is, but I have a Droid 3. Going to Google it now . . .

    I think it’s only on the Sony phones and the HTC Rhyme at the moment.

    @jrenaut 12392 wrote:

    I think I only want speed, trip counter, and odometer,

    PM me if you want my Cateye Mity 8 it’s super old school, and wired, and a bit weathered, but the display is clear, it works very reliably, and it’s free. If not, no big deal.

    December 30, 2011 at 1:51 pm #934006
    americancyclo
    Participant

    @jrenaut 12392 wrote:

    I think I only want speed, trip counter, and odometer,

    PM me if you want my Cateye Mity 8 it’s super old school, and wired, and a bit weathered, but the display is clear, it works very reliably, and it’s free. If not, no big deal.

    December 30, 2011 at 7:07 pm #934016
    justasaintz
    Participant

    I used to have a Incite 6i by Trek and then a Cateye Strada, the later one tells the cadence as well, but both were pretty basic and wired. Never gave any trouble. Now, I use a Garmin 700/750 with GPS, but till now I still haven’t used it to its fullest potential.

    Also, another thing you need to worry with the latest GPS enabled devices is that you need to make sure you charge them all the time. Else they are of no use.
    I honestly miss my old wired simple models coz I’m terrible at remembering to charge my GPS.

    But, as jabberwacky mentioned, its easy to transfer between bikes. all you need is the bike censors which are considerably cheaper relative to the unit itself, the unit itself can be used on both bikes or as many as you use!

    December 30, 2011 at 11:18 pm #934020
    acc
    Participant

    I love my Garmin almost more than my children after two snow days. You will not regret it. It tells you everything. Speed, route, heart rate, cadence, miles. It can predict the future too.

    ann

    December 31, 2011 at 3:00 pm #934032
    ronwalf
    Participant

    I used a Garmin Forerunner 205 for years until the seal failed and I messed up the repair job. I just picked up a refurb Edge 500 (same warranty as new), picked up the heart-rate monitor and cadence sensor separately, and still came in under what they were charging for a new unit alone (all off Amazon). If I didn’t care about the sensors or the barometric altimeter, I’d get the Edge 200 (~$150).

    It’s interesting what behavior a computer does and doesn’t encourage (for me, anyway). In the year and a half without a computer, I kept track of my distance and average speed just fine with an online journal (RunKeeper, in this case) and a stop watch (subsequently died, function replaced by dumb-phone). I watched general trends, seeing how my speed is affected by sleep, wind and temperature. With the GPS, I played coverage games around the neighborhood, seeing what streets I could hit on my commute through the week. The more varied routes make it harder to directly compare performance.

    December 31, 2011 at 11:31 pm #934048
    consularrider
    Participant

    I’ve been using a Garmin Edge 500 for the past 16 months. It is easy to mount and remove from the bike in a couple of seconds. You can usually find sales on the basic model for under $200 and the cadence and heart rate bundle for around $250. I don’t have any trouble remembering to charge it because I download every evening (just don’t forget to eventually delete the rides from the device or its reaction time slows way down on startup). The charge was more than good enough for a 12 hour ride (my longest so far). This model does not have map function (until you download it after the ride).

    Before that I had inexpensive wired and wireless (Vetta, Cateye and dB4LW), none costing over $50. For these you can get models that you can set up for two bikes if you get an extra mounting and sensor. I switched back to a wired model because I was getting too much interference on the wireless (neon signs, some traffic lights, something near the 4 Mile Run water treatment plant, etc). It was particularly amusing to come out of a restaurant one day and find that I had ridden 50 miles while I ate breakfast with a maximum speed of 74 MPH. That taught me not to pack the bike near a neon sign.

    January 3, 2012 at 3:17 pm #934089
    DaveK
    Participant

    As long as you’re sure you won’t want the heart rate, power, and cadence capabilities then the Edge 200 is ideal for you.

    I have a Cateye Astrale 8 computer that’s been on about 12 bikes at this point, functions flawlessly, and hasn’t needed a battery replacement in 5 years. It requires running wires to the cadence and speed sensors, but they will always read correctly and you still get your metrics while riding on a trainer since both read from the rear wheel.

    When I buy another computer it’ll be an Edge 500, but right now I use my clunky FR305 for everything. Nothing wrong with it other than the size and the attachment method to the bike leaves something to be desired.

    January 4, 2012 at 4:46 pm #934172
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    Garmin has a great lineup. The 500 is an awesome GPS based cycling-only computer, with the 200 stripping out some of the fancier features.

    If you ever feel like running with GPS, the 305, 310 and 910 are all great watches and the 305 is one of the best watches out there in terms of value vs. price. The 310 incorporates ANT+ for power meters and other sensors and the 910 can even track indoor swimming, if you’re so inclined.

    If you are feeling spendy, check out the 800 for turn by turn directions!

    January 15, 2012 at 7:13 pm #934646
    jrenaut
    Participant

    6702750047_828da46550.jpg
    New toy by thetejon, on Flickr

    I’m about to go for a quick ride and see how it works.

    February 7, 2012 at 3:51 am #935824
    SteveTheTech
    Participant

    First of, sorry for bumping an old solved thread but this is quite relevant to my interests. I’ve been researching these for a little while now. What I was looking for is similar but slightly different after reading I wanted to add a bit for others reading this, and went with the Garmin.

    I ended up going entry model HRM with the ANT+ system and Garmin connect. Both of which are awesome features and some of the simplest software I’ve come across. My needs in a device were a trackable heart rate monitor with some expandability. From Amazon I got a bundle with the ANT+ stick, a footpod and device for a hundred bucks(seen here). I plan to add a the cadence monitor shortly, but the graphs look pretty cool and the batteries are all the same and user replaceable.

    For GPS tracking I’ve got something really interesting. seen here
    I bought this last year since the battery in my cell dies before the end of most rides which is something I do not care for being two or three dozen miles from the car. It uses gps (no sensors) to track speed and distance and produces a KML file that works in Google Maps.

    I plan on getting a Garmin 610 next anyone have any experience with this?

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