Posts: 1,683
9/24/12 5:56 P

I found problems with smartphone. I've used SportyPal Pro (it's pretty good) Imapmyride (don't like it as much as SportyPay).

Here are the issues. If you are riding were reception is good for several towers it will put you in as accurate place. On the other hand, if you are in a city with tall buildings (Boston-put me in the bay) or Twin Cities (didn't even locate me) cell towers don't get an accurate signal. It's the same for a hilly area, puts you way off course and them you come flying back once the towers connect. Maybe this technology has been improved in the past year. They work great under perfect conditions.

The GPS is better. You need to look and see how many satellites you are picking up, the more the better the accuracy.

SparkPoints: (13,348)
Fitness Minutes: (13,638)
Posts: 464
9/24/12 4:00 P

Always had great luck with CatEye (not so much with other brands. If you have a smartphone Imapmyride is a great app!

current weight: 230.0

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SparkPoints: (157,755)
Fitness Minutes: (172,932)
Posts: 53,930
9/10/12 8:50 A

I love BARRONVC like a brother, but have to disagree. While I've had problems with the Garmin, I stand by them. I believe that I started with the 250 and have graduated to the 800. Since I have a power meter, I need some sort of gadget to measure the wattage and Garmin is one of the few capable of doing that. Additionally, if you have more than one bike, it's real simple to use the same computer on al bikes. If you don't want to spend much bucks, the Cateye Astrale is a great choice (I agree with my brother on that one). I've used some aps on my smart phone, but most drain the battery on a 4 to 6 hour ride.

current weight: 178.0

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Posts: 53
9/9/12 1:36 A

I use the strava and runkeeper apps on my smart phone. Works great and I already had a phone so I did not have to buy anything extra :)

Posts: 1,683
9/8/12 3:02 P

I have used most and went without for over a year.

I like the wired best for being accurate and reliable (unless you break the wires).
Cateye Astrale with cadence is the best I've used for many years. One is so old that little contacts were worn off under the head. If it rains put a plastic bag over it. Batteries last a long time, so long I can't remember. At least 1 to 2 seasons of 5,000 to 6,000 miles.

Garmin-I have the Edge 500. It sucks for the most part. It is a HR monitor and cadence. Speed is not real accurate, elevation is way off even if you use the set points. It tells the current temperature and everything you don't need to know. If you put it on a bike with no monitors, it even sucks more as speed will vary up to 3 mph in 10 ft.

Garmin has sent me 3 replacements in the past 6 months. The tech support can be good or bad. I was so pissed at one tech fellow I was going to give the unit away. I did find on tech fellow that acted like a human and asked enough questions to understand what was going on. All techs were very quick to tell me that the accuracy was not very good.

I use the Garmin to switch bikes. You need the hook ups or accuracy is very poor. They are not worth the money. Probably a HR monitor and cadence would be enough.

SparkPoints: (37,926)
Fitness Minutes: (44,274)
Posts: 1,697
9/7/12 12:12 P

I like lower end wired Sigma computers like the 1200 (though if your mountain bike, I wouldn't go wired). I have a separate heart rate monitor, so don't need my bike computer to do that. The Sigmas have been very dependable in regards to being able to absorb severe inclement weather, temperature changes, drops, impacts (I'm very hard on my gear), and have decent support for spare parts, etc. Battery life is good on them and changing the battery isn't a big deal.

Like the fact that you can switch the computer from bike to bike, too.

Edited by: KA_JUN at: 9/7/2012 (12:13)

current weight: 161.0

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Posts: 10,292
9/7/12 11:12 A

I have used the Garmin Edge for the last 5 years with perfect use and no repairs. It is more expensive though, so if you don't need a GPS which is included too, you should probably stick to the Cat-eye.
Many of the trails which I ride do not parallel roads and go off into forested parks, so I need the GPS to return to my starting point without getting lost. I like being able to load my ride directly onto Google maps and my computer too.
DH uses his phone with "map my ride", but many of our newly built roads and trails are not "on" "map my ride" yet, so he doesn't end up with very accurate mileages.

Edited by: CAROLYN1ALASKA at: 9/7/2012 (11:15)

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Posts: 1,683
9/7/12 10:56 A

Cateye is good.

If you have a Android phone try downloading, SportyPal. I used the free version while walking. It has many modes.

It works pretty well if you have reception.

SparkPoints: (111,042)
Fitness Minutes: (60,890)
Posts: 9,056
9/7/12 10:33 A

We have always had good luck with Cateye, too. But before getting a new one, put the other in some rice (not instant rice, regular rice) and let it set for a few days. Worked on my cell phone that went swimming (don't ask).

Pounds lost: 8.0

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SparkPoints: (65,250)
Fitness Minutes: (439)
Posts: 3,641
9/7/12 10:29 A

I've had good experiences with Cateye cyclometers for over 25 years though everyone I knew who had a Cateye Solar eventually gave up on it recharging from sunlight and replaced the rechargeable batteries with non-rechargable. I've tried a few other brands but they never lasted long. All of our bikes have had some generation of their Enduro computer.
Lately I've been using a cyclometer application on my smartphone. I've tried several but lately I've been using Strava Cycling. Because of my job I have to have my cell phone 24x7 so I figure it can pull double duty. Location services can run your smartphone down so you may need a battery case to make it through a long ride.
If money was no object I'd get a cyclops PowerTap rear hub and an ANT compatible GPS cyclometer. I can't really justify the expenditure though.

SparkPoints: (2,580)
Fitness Minutes: (6,595)
Posts: 101
9/7/12 9:08 A

I currently have a Cateye Strada Double wireless, with cadence. I've been quite pleased with it. I was a little wary of wireless since I had read the occasional report of them not working properly, but so far, it's great. It's gotten rained on several times since I've had it. I don't think any of them are perfect, and no two of them seem to agree with each other regarding distance, etc., but I've had no problem with my wireless computer. There are certainly less expensive ones out there, but I sprang for one with cadence.

SparkPoints: (33,858)
Fitness Minutes: (21,905)
Posts: 2,422
9/7/12 12:52 A

My trip computer is on the fritz, which is a total bummer because I haven't had it very long. It got wet, which is the only reason I could think it doesn't work right now.

Anyway, I am thinking about getting a new one. My current one is a Bontrager Trip 1. It is not wireless. I am thinking about upgrading to wireless.

What does everyone else think?

Thoughts and suggestions are most welcome!

current weight: 130.8

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