Bike computers
- Thread starter dhr-racer
- Start date
Ya don't say
Wireless bike computers in my experience are very prone to problems. Depending on what you want it for, I'd usually recommend a cheap wired Cateye or Sigma. Having a computer that tries to tell you anything more than max speed and distance traveled is pretty useless on a DH bike IMO, average speed and timers on automatic start/stop computers are no use for normal length DH runs. They're always mounted to the front wheel, the cables aren't long enough to reach the rear wheel anyway, and the front wheel is way less prone to locking up than the rear.
He asked.Ya don't say
What sort of info are you looking for?
I've had regular wired/wireless computers on my DH and AM bikes... they all blow. From cheesy wires and buttons that quit working to wireless senders and pickup's that don't wire or pick up, they all seem to be terrible. There is about $3 worth of electronics and plastic and they cost $30+ and last 20 mins. Besides, knowing your top and average speeds on a DH bike are useless (don't pay attention to that silly top speed thread) as conditions change day to day, sometimes even run to run.
/rant.
BUT, two systems that I've been stoked on is the simple DMC Moto Timer and Garmin's GPS heads. The Moto timer is getting harder to find and the GPS bits are a lot of money though. The DMC is basically just a mini stop watch, and the Garmin is everything.
I've had regular wired/wireless computers on my DH and AM bikes... they all blow. From cheesy wires and buttons that quit working to wireless senders and pickup's that don't wire or pick up, they all seem to be terrible. There is about $3 worth of electronics and plastic and they cost $30+ and last 20 mins. Besides, knowing your top and average speeds on a DH bike are useless (don't pay attention to that silly top speed thread) as conditions change day to day, sometimes even run to run.
/rant.
BUT, two systems that I've been stoked on is the simple DMC Moto Timer and Garmin's GPS heads. The Moto timer is getting harder to find and the GPS bits are a lot of money though. The DMC is basically just a mini stop watch, and the Garmin is everything.
If you like having GPS along with everything, the Garmin is a great way to go, but as Deli said its costly, I wouldnt get it just for the speed capabilities. Is does keep track of your total feet of decent, top speed, average speed, and if you take a wrong turn.......You can find your way back pretty easy.
FWIW, I mounted a wireless computer on my fork arch, and it has worked pretty well. It wouldn't read consistently mounted on the handlebar (even though it was within the alleged signal range), so the fork arch seemed like the only other workable location. As you might guess, I take it off if I'm going to be mud bogging. All that said, the little magnet mounted on the spoke can be prone to getting knocked about so that the sensor won't read anything.
It is kinda fun to see how fast you can go in certain sections, but like others have mentioned, it doesn't mean a whole lot.
It is kinda fun to see how fast you can go in certain sections, but like others have mentioned, it doesn't mean a whole lot.
What he wrote isn't as obvious as you think. I've mounted computers on my stem and even my top tube before. They don't *have* to be mounted on the bars.....Ya don't say