[cstx]

I seem to have the worst luck with cycle computers. All that i want/need: Current speed, current trip distance, time of trip, and average speed. No cadence or heart rate or any of that stuff.
I have tried the cateye cordless and the cateye mity 8 with a wire. Both - same problem. One second It says i'm going 22 mph, the next second i'm going 18 mph, the next 20 mph, the next 11 mph.......you get the point. I've cleaned the little metal connectors till they shine like diamonds. I've taken it on and off the mount. I've fiddled with the magnet. And although the magnet is supposedly in the right place i always have a lower average speed than who i am riding with, even though we ride together - funny thing, we will be side by side and i will ask what their current speed says - and its the same as mine.

does anybody know of a cycle computer that.........works and is durable/reliable?

thanks

 

[cwaltond]

low end computer experience.

I seem to have the worst luck with cycle computers. All that i want/need: Current speed, current trip distance, time of trip, and average speed. No cadence or heart rate or any of that stuff.
I have tried the cateye cordless and the cateye mity 8 with a wire. Both - same problem. One second It says i'm going 22 mph, the next second i'm going 18 mph, the next 20 mph, the next 11 mph.......you get the point. I've cleaned the little metal connectors till they shine like diamonds. I've taken it on and off the mount. I've fiddled with the magnet. And although the magnet is supposedly in the right place i always have a lower average speed than who i am riding with, even though we ride together - funny thing, we will be side by side and i will ask what their current speed says - and its the same as mine.

does anybody know of a cycle computer that.........works and is durable/reliable?

thanks

I'm pretty new to this, but I have within the past month used the Performance dB 4LW and it is quite good. It is $20, attaches to the front wheel and is wireless. I also have the Cat Eye Astrale 8, which is about $30. I like the display on the Cateye a little better but I don't like the look of the wires. I got the second computer because I wanted to work out on the trainer and see my cadence and I put the first on my beater commuter bike. I haven't had any problems with either.
But maybe before you buy a new computer, you can try fiddling a little more with what you have. It seems unlikely that you would get two malfunctioning computers in a row, unless you have a bad shipping company or leave your bike out in the acid rain or something. Based on the speed jumping around from 22 to 11, it sounds like the sensor is may be missing occasional wheel revolutions. Try angling the sensor so that the magnet passes closer to it. You really have to angle it in close - I have about 5 mm clearance between my sensor and the magnet. I don't know about the model you have, but on the dB 4LW, if the magnet is close enough to the sensor, there is an audible click from the sensor every time the magnet passes by - you can test this by just spinning the bike by hand and make sure you hear a click every turn.
If you can't angle the sensor in close without it catching the spokes at some point during the revolution, maybe the wheel is either loose in the fork or out of true. That might explain the occasional missed revolution. Spin the wheel by hand and see if the rim stays the same distance from the brakepads during the entire revolution. Another possibility is that the magnet or the sensor is not attached firmly and is bouncing around as you ride. Try to cinch up the attachment straps a little tighter on the sensor and check if the magnet is moving around on the spoke (you shouldn't be able to push it out of position easily).
As for the average speed being different from your friend, it's probably because the sensor is missing some of the revolutions. So when your registered speed is dropping to 11 because you're only picking up every 2nd wheel revolution, that's hurting your average. You could also check to make sure you have entered the wheel diameter right in the computer for your wheel size and tires. Also make sure your or your friend's computer isn't set to automatically stop and start based on wheel speed, which would mess up the whole record, obviously. Hope there was something new here that helps.

 

[cvanwink]

Cateye cordless 7

I had the same problem, called the company and they sent me a new sender unit. Haven't had a problem since.

 

[marc180]

have you tried recalibrating the computer and/or resetting the computer?

I seem to have the worst luck with cycle computers. All that i want/need: Current speed, current trip distance, time of trip, and average speed. No cadence or heart rate or any of that stuff.
I have tried the cateye cordless and the cateye mity 8 with a wire. Both - same problem. One second It says i'm going 22 mph, the next second i'm going 18 mph, the next 20 mph, the next 11 mph.......you get the point. I've cleaned the little metal connectors till they shine like diamonds. I've taken it on and off the mount. I've fiddled with the magnet. And although the magnet is supposedly in the right place i always have a lower average speed than who i am riding with, even though we ride together - funny thing, we will be side by side and i will ask what their current speed says - and its the same as mine.

does anybody know of a cycle computer that.........works and is durable/reliable?

thanks

 

[cstx]

have you tried recalibrating the computer and/or resetting the computer?

Thanks for the info, some things i hadn't considered. I'll probably have some time to mess with it this weekend.

 

[danl1]

Another thing to play with is the location of the sender on the wheel. Because of something (perhaps the relative size of the magnet and the 'dwell time' it creates) some models seem to like to be near the hub, others near the rim.

The alignment to the sender isn't always obvious, either. IIRC, cateye models have a groove cut into the sender that should line up fairly closely with a ridge on the magnet. That ridge is down near the bottom on my models, and lining the magnet up with the middle of the sender sometimes caused the same sorts of thing you're seeing.

While I currently have wireless, I confess I'm not a fan. What with the extra batteries, the sometimes interference issues, and so on, I've called it "why-erless" more than once.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

You might try replacing the battery with a new one. Personally, I've always had bad luck with Cateyes. I have a Mity on my commuter bike, and so far, it's been all right. My favorite, (although they are extremely hard to find now), is Avocet. I have an Avocet 30 on my best bike. The computer is at least 18-20 years old. It's dead accurate, simple to operate, and has never so much as hicupped.

 

[Chainstay]

Dropped Cateye for Sigma Sport

I've had all the Cateye over the years and had real frustration with the HRM and then wore out the buttons in short order a Mity 8. Now I have a Sigma which I can flip between the two bikes. It's not wireless but it works perfect, and mounts nicely. You can buy additional mounts or wireless, or cadence seperate. Good system

 

[ari]

I'm surprised to hear you've had problems with the speedo on the Mity 8 ... mine has been absolutely reliable and bulletproof. (There's a reason you see them on so many pro bikes, e.g. Boonen's, despite the fact that it's one of the cheapest models.) Perhaps your magnet doesn't pass close enough to the pickup? It should be aligned with the little "line" etched in the pickup, and be as close as possible -- a centimeter or less. Maybe you can get your shop to take a look at it, or get it warrantied if it continues to act up. For me, the Mity is synonymous with "just works."

I'm not surprised you had that problem with the wireless version, though. IMHO, wireless computers are trouble ... they have a noticeable lag (hence the problem with 22 mph one second, 11 mph the next) because sending out a signal more frequently would drain the battery on the transmitter. Wired computers, on the other hand, have a virtually continuous signal. I bought a Polar wireless monitor recently, but I couldn't stand the lag -- I returned it after only one ride and slapped my faithful Mity back on.

As far as average speeds ... well, I've heard that some other computers are more "generous" at recording average speed than the Cateye. With the Cateye, even if you are going 0.1 mph (e.g. rolling stop, track stand), the clock keeps ticking, which really kills your average speed. Some other computers will stop the clock when you are going extremely slow, which boosts your average speed -- perhaps your friend has one of those. Frankly, I think average speed is a pretty useless number on a ride when you're slowing/stopping regularly ... the most important thing is that it get speed and total distance right. If those are off, your computer might be set for the wrong wheel circumference, so you should correct that.

So, in summary, if you want a computer that "just works," don't give up on the Mity 8 just yet. If you do go with another computer, get a wired one.

Cheers,
Ari

 

[dogmeat]

Love the PLANET BIKE

it looks really classy, and it's easy to read- everything you asked for on one screen.

The front cable is beefy and looks good on the bike- it's worked in the rain for me... cheap, the company is small and pro-bike... what more do you want?

'meat

 

[Spoke Wrench]

I think the Cateye Enduro, with the big thick wire, is the most bulletproof bike computer.

Mount the pick up as close as you can to the magnet. Pay attention to the line on the pick up that indicates the magnet track and to the programming and it'll work.

 

[lemond2001]

I have tried many computers but seem to always go back to Sigmas. You can get the model 1600 which is the top of the line for around $28.00. They have new models for 2006 but not here yet in the states.

 

[innergel]

Cateye support is very good

I seem to have the worst luck with cycle computers. All that i want/need: Current speed, current trip distance, time of trip, and average speed. No cadence or heart rate or any of that stuff.
I have tried the cateye cordless and the cateye mity 8 with a wire. Both - same problem. One second It says i'm going 22 mph, the next second i'm going 18 mph, the next 20 mph, the next 11 mph.......you get the point. I've cleaned the little metal connectors till they shine like diamonds. I've taken it on and off the mount. I've fiddled with the magnet. And although the magnet is supposedly in the right place i always have a lower average speed than who i am riding with, even though we ride together - funny thing, we will be side by side and i will ask what their current speed says - and its the same as mine.

does anybody know of a cycle computer that.........works and is durable/reliable?

thanks

I had the Cordless 7 and it crapped out on me after a month or so. Tech support sent me a new sending unit at no charge and it's worked fine ever since. I also just put an Astrale on another bike and aside from the wires, it's been good too. With as few functions as you need, you should be able to get the Mity to work fine. If not, give Cateye support a call and they'll take care of you.

And as others have said, the positioning of the magnet and pickup is very important. If they are not just so, then it won't work right. Make sure the magnet is 5mm or less from that little line on the sending unit. I also read that the sending unit should only be mounted in one direction, so you might check that too.

 

[regan]

I seem to have the worst luck with cycle computers. All that i want/need: Current speed, current trip distance, time of trip, and average speed. No cadence or heart rate or any of that stuff.
I have tried the cateye cordless and the cateye mity 8 with a wire. Both - same problem. One second It says i'm going 22 mph, the next second i'm going 18 mph, the next 20 mph, the next 11 mph.......you get the point. I've cleaned the little metal connectors till they shine like diamonds. I've taken it on and off the mount. I've fiddled with the magnet. And although the magnet is supposedly in the right place i always have a lower average speed than who i am riding with, even though we ride together - funny thing, we will be side by side and i will ask what their current speed says - and its the same as mine.

does anybody know of a cycle computer that.........works and is durable/reliable?

thanks

when you reset the computer, are you setting the tire size when it asks? on my astrale 8, after selecting km or mph, you have the option of specifying the proper value of the tire. I think a 700 x 23 is indicated as a 2105, though check your manual.

if you mess that up, the wheel sensor will never give you an accurate speed, as it doesn't think the tire is as big as it really is.

 

[Bloatedpig]

Planet Bike...hands down

They list for $45.00 but you can get them for less than 20-bucks on Ebay. All info is displayed at a glance and it comes with a heavy duty cable. I have NEVER had 1-problem with their computers. I usually by a new one each year and keep the current wiring and replace the main unit that usually gets scratched-up during the year. Version 9.0 even has a temperature reading...........