I'm lookiing for a fairly basic cheap bike computer.

1. It must be waterproof
   
2. Come on when I start pedalling
   
3. have nice BIG characters
   
4. Record total and trip distance
   
5. Average speed
   
6. Actual time and time spent riding

And that is all I need it to do, any suggestions?

I like the cheap Velo models from Cateye.

 

The Velo 8 model gives all the features you want, but not particularly large readout. Good enough for my 71 year old eyes though, so should be ok. I think it's about £15, but my friends in the trade only charged me £12 last time so I'm not sure.

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I like the cheap Velo models from Cateye.

 

The Velo 8 model gives all the features you want, but not particularly large readout. Good enough for my 71 year old eyes though, so should be ok. I think it's about £15, but my friends in the trade only charged me £12 last time so I'm not sure.

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Thanks again Flecc, just found one on eBay for £10.99 + £2.49 for delivery.

CATEYE VELO 8 -NEW- 8 FUNCTION BICYCLE COMPUTER on eBay, also Computers, Cycling Accessories, Cycling, Sporting Goods (end time 06-Dec-07 15:17:13 GMT)

 

John

That's good. When setting it up, after putting in the battery, use the push button to choose Km or Miles, then press in the recessed button on the rear to set that. The rest of the setup sequence follows the same method, but if the Km to Miles isn't done straight away, the only way it can be reset later is by taking out the battery and losing all the records.

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I like the extra features of the velo 8 over the velo 5 I already have.

 

Does anyone happen to know if the velo 8 is compatible with the bracket and sensor of the velo 5 (that would make a very easy upgrade ), or if the whole shabang (sensor, wiring & bracket) must be changed?

 

Stuart.

Just swap the heads Stuart. It should work fine then. The fitment and contacts are identical, and the body the same except for the posh satin metal outer casing.

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Edited November 29, 200718 yr by flecc

Thats good, I hoped that was the case thanks flecc.

 

Now, where did I put my Christmas... I mean parts to get list .

 

Stuart.

I've got a Cateye 5 on one of my bikes, which is fine.

On another I've got one of these cheap ones from ebay.

 

The Cateye is easier to set up and my ebay one only seems to do km (which isn't really a problem as I like kms - you seem to make more progress!). However it has a couple of things that the cateye doesn't. A light and a thermometer. The thermometer is actually very useful in the morning for helping me decide how many layers to wear!

 

Cateye one is better damped, as the speed on the cheap one tends to bounce around a bit, and has a bit of spurious precision (speed to 2 decimal places), but the cheap one is actually easier to read as it has a bigger display with everything on it - no need to scroll.

Another really useful feature of Velo 8 computer is the speed display goes up to 185mph, so it will still be compatible with the next geration of F1 pedelecs.

 

John

I've got a Cateye 5 on one of my bikes, which is fine.

On another I've got one of these cheap ones from ebay.

 

The Cateye is easier to set up and my ebay one only seems to do km (which isn't really a problem as I like kms - you seem to make more progress!). However it has a couple of things that the cateye doesn't. A light and a thermometer. The thermometer is actually very useful in the morning for helping me decide how many layers to wear!

 

Cateye one is better damped, as the speed on the cheap one tends to bounce around a bit, and has a bit of spurious precision (speed to 2 decimal places), but the cheap one is actually easier to read as it has a bigger display with everything on it - no need to scroll.

Frank, I think you should seek immeadiate medical help if you need a thermometer to tell you whether it is cold or not!

 

John

...yes, but I like to know how cold!

That bouncing of speeds is an irritating feature of a number of the more expensive cycle computers as well. The Cateye Velos are well damped and much more stable, settling quickly to a change of speed.

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I bought a Halfords wireless 5 function speedo which I would avoid.

 

It looses the wireless signal quite often when riding near traffic lights or other certain areas. It also doesn't start automatically when you start riding. It was only a couple of pounds cheaper than a cayeye model too. You live and learn.

i have a cyclemate 2,probably don't do them now as its a few years old.The scan part is good it will go through average speed,distance,total distance and time travelled. Don't know what top speed is,i have only had it up to 38.8mph but i am planning a crazy run now a nice resurfaced hill nearby...no stones to cut you to ribbons if you come off !!!!

On further consideration, the velo8 seems to offer little extra function for me over the velo5 to warrant an upgrade, since the average speed & journey time are both only calculated while the bike is moving, so neither are the total average over any journey where you stop e.g. in traffic, and the calorie consumption will only be an estimate and not really useful on an electric anyway .

 

Stuart.

It's great though for the cyclists who don't stop for anything, red lights included.

 

Their average would be fine until the trip to hospital.

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Yes, I use the Velo 8. Interestingly the journey time on the velo is always the same, at 40 minutes, but the actual time varies. On average it is 50 minutes, in other words 10 minutes wasted stopped at traffic lights. You can see the advantage to not stopping at the lights when you look at it like that.

 

PS I agree it is not really worth upgrading to the Velo 8, I only did so because I lost the original velo 5.

Yes, I'd thought of that as one use for it - to measure the time stopped at lights...

 

If someone was buying a new bike computer, thats something to consider if choosing between the value & usefulness of the functions of velo5 & velo8: if they are about same price, I suppose no harm choosing the velo8.

 

They say that in some cities drivers spend up to 20-30 minutes per hour stationary at rush hour, though its noticeable from those stats that in London the average speed is less than half that in the other cities: 6.8mph vs 15-16mph total average speed (over whole journey, including time stationary) in most other cities.

 

Stuart.

I'm sure those stats are somewhat incorrect Stuart, The central area and inner boroughs London average speed has hovered around 11 mph for years, and the outer areas are faster than that. At under 7 mph I doubt anyone would bother to drive any more. Actual speeds between stationary points in London are very much faster than in any other British city, as noted by the Association of Chief Constables, who also say that London drivers are the most skilled in the country.

 

London drivers, myself included, get very impatient with the slowness of other cities traffic when driving in them.

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I'm just about to set out on a regular 4 mile car journey into Leicester, I'm allowing 1 hour, hopefully I'll do it in 30 mins although 45 is more likely. The same journey has been known to take over 1 hour on rare occasions.

 

I could do it in 30 mins on the bike taking a longer but safer traffic free route however the purpose of the journey is to collect goods so that is not an option.

Yes, 6.8mph did seem extremely slow, and official figures are close to 11mph as you say, so those stats are not an accurate 'average'.

 

I also get impatient in city traffic, even on a bike! maybe its the Londoner in me : some of the traffic calming measures seem to be slowing things up rather too much...

 

Stuart.

 

some of the traffic calming measures seem to be slowing things up rather too much...

 

Stuart.

 

They are, and still think they should all be ripped out as being the most anti environmental measure of all.

 

The answer is dead easy if they want to keep people to a limit. Install those speed sensing boxes that tell you you're going 37 mph or whatever, but instead of coupling to a readout, connect it to a pop up "stinger" in the road to puncture all four tyres.

 

Then everyone would keep to the limits all the time. Simple.

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They are, and still think they should all be ripped out as being the most anti environmental measure of all.

 

The answer is dead easy if they want to keep people to a limit. Install those speed sensing boxes that tell you you're going 37 mph or whatever, but instead of coupling to a readout, connect it to a pop up "stinger" in the road to puncture all four tyres.

 

Then everyone would keep to the limits all the time. Simple.

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Yes I agree, there is nothing more annoying than following a 4X4 down a speed humped road. They seem to be able to do any speed they like while you have your teeth knocked out at 15 mph in a smaller car. Now I wonder why so many people buy 4X4s...

 

Joking aside those speed activated signs seem to do the trick - I have even seen the Police use their brakes when they activate them around our area. Probably the best thing for residential areas would be to pave the road so it looks like one big pavement. This is really disconcerting for drivers and they slow down - simple but expensive (but we don't do expensive in this country).

Edited December 4, 200718 yr by HarryB

 

Probably the best thing for residential areas would be to pave the road so it looks like one big pavement. This is really disconcerting for drivers and they slow down - simple but expensive (but we don't do expensive in this country).

 

Yes, that's the best of all, extensively done in parts of Europe, and if signed as a designated children's play area complete with plant tubs as sometimes done in Holland, doubly effective.

 

We need one brave town or city to take the lead and show what can be done. London's done it in some ways with the congestion charge, a far bigger expenditure on cycling than anywhere else and the odd street play area, but I'd like to see one town do a complete conversion as an example.

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Edited December 4, 200718 yr by flecc

Yes I agree, there is nothing more annoying than following a 4X4 down a speed humped road.

Where I live it's all boy racers who slow to less than walking pace for the numerous humps for fear of damaging their oversized exhausts and plastic adornments through the negligible ground clearance on their modified cars.

Very frustrating as they rush to overtake bikes between the humps and then force the cyclist to slow to a crawl over the hump. It wouldn't be so bad if the cyclists could use the cycle lane that bypasses each hump, but it is invariably blocked by parked cars.