gps/stnav/simple wireless measurement

[carlislemike]

Ok, probably covered elsewhere but here goes:- I want a means to measure speed and distance over rides. I don't want an all singing / dancing gps at £££. I had a small Cateye which ran via a 'transponder' thing on the front fork to the screen on the bars. a) it's died, b) it was a faff swapping between bikes so all I'm looking for is something that may be able to track speed, distance and height but nothing else but easlily swapped between bikes.

[yakdiver]

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165741

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 7qw7vD_BwE

[Psamathe]

Do you use/have a smartphone - if so there are free solutions based on the phone's built-in GPS. Wont go into details unless it is something you have.

Ian

[[XAP]Bob]

Track or display?
I am using one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canmore-GT-73 ... 0938747776

Battery lasts 18+ hours, GPS logging for 70+ hours of 1/second records.
No display, it just logs GPS data. Something like Strava (other sites exist) will then populate the elevation data from OS records etc.
Simple to operate as well - slide the power switch and it starts logging, slide it back and it stops. Not used the "tag" button yet, but that's all the controls.

[Trigger]

Unless the bikes you're swapping it between have identical wheels and tyres then none of the traditional wheel sensor type computers will be any good to you.

For proper clip on/clip off wireless compatibility between bikes you need a GPS computer.

[[XAP]Bob]

Unless the bikes you're swapping it between have identical wheels and tyres then none of the traditional wheel sensor type computers will be any good to you.

For proper clip on/clip off wireless compatibility between bikes you need a GPS computer.

Not necessarily true - some of them have multiple "profiles" IIRC (not the nice cheap ones though)

[simonineaston]

+ 1 for the smart phone solution - simply pop in pocket before each trip, regardless of which bike you use. Works for walking, running etc., too. Have used the app Endomondo myself in the past and found it easy -peasy, great fun and as accurate as I need. (caveat: see recent thread on Endomondo... There's loads of Endomondo-like apps around so Endo. is just one example.)

[[XAP]Bob]

+ 1 for the smart phone solution - simply pop in pocket before each trip, regardless of which bike you use. Works for walking, running etc., too. Have used the app Endomondo myself in the past and found it easy -peasy, great fun and as accurate as I need. (caveat: see recent thread on Endomondo... There's loads of Endomondo-like apps around so Endo. is just one example.)

If you're not looking at it (which that suggests you aren't) then a simple logger has two battery life advantages: They last longer, and also they won't leave you without a phone in case of emergency.

[andrew_s]

What you had before was a "cycle computer".
These work by counting wheel revolutions, and rely on having a magnet of the wheel and a sensor on the fork blade to detect the magnet going past. They may have a cable between sensor and handlebar mount, or use wireless transmission between sensor and handlebar mount. Either way, you need a magnet, sensor and handlebar mount for each bike. Spare mounting kits can be awkward to find for some models.
Basic distance/speed only computers are (or can be) cheap, but if you want altitude, the cost goes up significantly, and it's up to you to calibrate the barometric sensor each ride. Batteries last well - a year or three - but you may need more than one for wireless units (computer head, sensor/transmitter, and sometimes at the mount/receiver too). Wireless versions are prone to the odd high speed spike caused by traffic detector loops or overhead cables etc.

The alternative is a basic GPS. Everything is contained in the unit itself, so all that's needed is a handlebar mount (though they carry on working OK if just in your back pocket). Battery life is somewhere in the 5 to 12 hours if rechargeable, or 2-3 days if 2xAA.
All will do speed/distance/altitude etc, and there are a whole load of extras that depend on which model you get (ride logging, maps, route following etc).

Easiest to transfer between bikes is probably a wristwatch style running model that you can just strap round a bit of pipe lagging, but they tend to have relatively short battery life (down to 5 hours).
I'd recommend a Garmin eTrex 10, which is a basic non-mapping at about £80 + bike mount, and which uses 2xAA batteries (rechargeable if you want) that last for 2 or 3 days of riding and can just be swapped for a fresh pair rather than needing to spend a few hours plugged into the wall if you forgot.

When considering battery life, bear in mind that the quoted life is for a new unit, and that Li-ion batteries age and after about 3 years the life will go down significantly.

[[XAP]Bob]

Also bear in mind that some units can be used whilst being supplied with power from an external source (most usefully a battery with USB output - even better if that battery is supplied with juice from a hub dynamo)

[carlislemike]

Thank you for all this info. I think I may go down the Garmin eTrex 10 route. Thanks again, Mike

[Ayesha]

+1 for memory and a wristwatch.
BikeHike when I get home.