cycle computers, generally
Posted: 20 Jan 2019, 1:14am
I've had a few.
Some thoughts:
* wireless computers are slightly less reliable
* pretty much all do speed, distance, etc.
* a bit more money will get you some or all of thermometer, barometric altitude sensor (IME this is useless on non-GPS models unless you can be bothered to re-calibrate it every time you ride with current altitude. With GPS, it should give you some incline values etc. which is reasonably interesting), smartphone links, power meter linkage, heart rate monitor, etc.
* some have GPS for capturing speed, etc.; this will kill the battery life (hours rather than months), but it gives you more data if you so desire
* some of the features of the more expensive cycle computers are potentially performed better by a smartphone, e.g., navigation, given the greater flexibility, updatability, etc.
* some phones do better than others on battery life and may not last as long as a dedicated GPS device
* bluetooth speed/cadence sensors are available to pair to smartphones, but may not be as reliable as a dedicated device
* as technology more expensive computers are likely to be unsupported and unwanted by most in a few years, so spending lots of money on one is a bit undesirable
* your smartphone is not guaranteed to be waterproof, and some can't cope with rain much at all. Computers otoh should be able to cope with weather.
* there are some cheap GPS devices using non-rechargable button batteries. To be avoided.
Cateye make:
* similar wired computers with or without cadence sensor (some models have backlight)
* standard wireless or the larger screen (2.1") Padrone (again, some have backlight)
* Padrone Digital (£72), which uses Bluetooth so can work with anyone's Bluetooth heart rate monitor, speed sensor, etc. No power meter for reasons of unnecessary product differentiation. Supplied speed/cadence sensor
* Padrone Smart (£33)/Smart+ (£58), which is similar to the Digital in that it is uses Bluetooth, but is not supplied with a speed/cadence sensor, and instead by default uses a Smartphone's GPS circuitry. They will automatically put your activities to third party sharing platforms such as Strava if you wish.
They have stopped making GPS computers, presumably on the basis that their 'Smart' computers can just mirror your phone.
Sigma sport have a rather more diverse selection of computers for those looking for wired ones
https://www.sigmasport.com/en/produkte/fahrrad-computer You can get things like thermometer, altimeter (which IME is not very good, but never mind)
They make wired & wireless computers with largely the same functionality, so you can choose.
The Rox 7.0 (£100) is their GPS without sensor support, while the Rox 11.0 (£150) is the same thing with optional bluetooth sensors (speed/power/heart). The Rox 12.0 (£350) has navigation with OSM. There is Sigma data app/website which autosync to Strava etc if you want. As the Rox 7.0 lacks connectivity option, you will need to use a USB cable to get any data out of it. The 'Pure GPS' uses NFC, which won't work with every phone. The Rox 12.0 uses Wifi (not bluetooth) to connect to the Sigma website for data storage. The Rox 12.0 is essentially a smartphone, running Android, but there's no sim card. It's a bit odd as the Rox 11.0 DOES link to a Smartphone.
Lezyne make a large number of (only) GPS devices
Essentially:
Mini (£75)/Macro (£80) - no GLONASS (Russian GPS competitor), no barometric altimeter, or ant+. Has bluetooth + smartphone connectivity for all expected functions (calls etc). Mini has 1.25" screen + small battery, Macro has 2.1" screen & bigger battery. Has directional navigation but no map. Turn-by-turn routing is via an app or website that isn't exactly market-leading. No ANT+.
Micro (£80) - altimeter, same battery/screen as Mini. Adds ANT+
Micro C (£105) - colour Micro with added GLONASS
Super (£100) - same screen/battery as the Macro, same functionality as the Micro C
Mega XL (£162)/Mega C (£162)- Mega C has 2.2" colour screen, Mega XL has 2.7" rotating screen. Also the best battery life of any GPS on the XL, maps, as well as all other features from the Super/Micro C.
While all the devices have navigation, it is probably not very good at finding the best route, and links to Strava/Komoot routes are only via exporting a GPX, which is a clunky approach.
Garmin are best known, they have
Edge 25 £95 1.28" screen, small battery, has Bluetooth phone link, autosync etc. No power meter. (The Edge 25 is a few years old, the Edge 20 is the same but without even Bluetooth, it might be worth it if cheap second-hand etc.)
Edge 130 £145 1.8" screen, new device. It has some routing but it lacks the 'connect IQ' which makes it more cumbersome to follow a defined route from Komoot/Strava etc. Does have Strava Live and power meter compatibility.
Edge 520 £150. It's several years old, it's similar to the 130, but there are some spec differences including added barometric altimeter, missing from lower numbered models, the screen is also bigger 2.3".
Edge 520 Plus £220, it has the same form factor as the Edge 520 but it's updated to have maps & navigation, better battery, etc. The Edge Explore is better for navigation though.
Edge 820 £220/Edge Explore 820 It's from 2016, the Edge 820 is a touchscreen Edge 520. The navigation is a bit better than the Edge 520 Plus. The Edge Explore 820 is missing power meter, wifi, etc. and is now replaced by the Edge Explore
Edge Explore £200 - it's essentially a slightly cut down version of the Edge 1030 with some training features switched off to sell it to a different market. You get a 3" colour touch screen that's very specifically designed for cycle touring, so has maps, etc., but they don't let you use a power meter or do Strava live segments. You can connect all other sensors though. It's a replacement for the grossly overpriced Edge Explore 1000. It lacks an altimeter.
Edge 1030 £415 The ludicrously overpriced one. It does everything has all the routeing, etc., but surely you can find a cheaper one that meets your needs.
The Edge 1000/Edge Explore 1000 is still quite good, if bought at a saving to newer models, and has pretty much all the functionality of the 1030.
Very old Edge devices lack things like smartphone links so a bit outdated at this point.
Wahoo have three units, the Elemnt Bolt (£175) has a 2.2" screen and the Elemnt (£220) has a 2.7" screen. No touchscreen or colour, routeing is done via smartphone so it's less advanced then the top Garmins, but you do get all the support for power meters etc.
The Elemnt Mini (£70 - 1.8") is the same Bluetooth/Phone link concept as the Cateye Padrone Smart (also no navigation), but it comes with a speed sensor included. It requires sensors to support both ANT+ & Bluetooth to work, in theory it works with competing brands of sensor, but it may be difficult
My thoughts:
Sensors vary, essentially there are ANT+ only, Bluetooth only, or sensors that can do both. Cadence or speed is magnetless, combined sensors will use a separate magnet, which is something to potentially cause annoyance. Aldi have a bluetooth-only combined sensor for £7 https://www.aldi.co.uk/crane-speed-%26- ... 4204568400 but generally the going rate is around £20-30 for a speed or cadence sensor, £30-50 for combined. The different brands should be interchangeable provided your device supports ANT+ and/or bluetooth, as applicable
Heart rate straps are a bit more general as they are used by all kinds of fitness device; Garmin ones are likely ANT+ only whereas other brands probably have ANT+ & Bluetooth and are cheaper. 20 or so
IMO direct phone sync or wifi sync is a must - using a USB cable is a bit ridiculous in this day and age.
The Cateye Padrone Smart can be had very cheaply (£18 used) and with your phone and add some cheap sensors (bluetooth, not ant+). Unfortunately it lacks a backlight, but compared to a device with GPS built-in, the CR2032 batteries will last a long time. Obviously adding in a separate link (phone to computer) is potentially a source of issues, YMMV may vary on this as with anything else.
Of course a traditional dumb wireless or wired computer can do (models) vary speed, cadence, etc., and if you don't care at all about GPS logs, etc., then they are fine; however, the Padrone Smart with connected sensor(s) can also work 'offline' if you want to
Or you can put your phone on your handlebars with some kind of mount, this is a bit dodgy in the rain but you could always consider having both - i.e. a smartphone mount for when you need navigation, and a separate computer, smart or dumb for 'always on' routing.
For around £100 you basically get a separate GPS so that you can charge the GPS rather than your phone (my phone battery lasts a long time - yours might not), and if you can be bothered to upload a route to it then you should get a track to follow with turn warnings. The Lezyne Super is a bit better value for money than the Garmin 25 but the Garmin probably has a brighter screen in the sun. The Micro/Macro are only around £80 if you want the cheapest option.
If you spend any more than that you are likely looking at a Garmin or a Wahoo, I think perhaps Wahoo are due a new model as Garmin's 520 Plus & Explore seem to be intended to recapture lost market share. The Wahoo might be a bit more reliable, but YMMV. The basic problem IMO is that the full routing function of a top-end GPS is a bit much for a dedicated device, and a general-purpose smartphone is likely to have better hardware & software for less money. The Hammerhead Karoo & the Sigma Rox 12.0 are both Android-based but far more expensive than a comparable smartphone. In the end nothing is perfect.
Some thoughts:
* wireless computers are slightly less reliable
* pretty much all do speed, distance, etc.
* a bit more money will get you some or all of thermometer, barometric altitude sensor (IME this is useless on non-GPS models unless you can be bothered to re-calibrate it every time you ride with current altitude. With GPS, it should give you some incline values etc. which is reasonably interesting), smartphone links, power meter linkage, heart rate monitor, etc.
* some have GPS for capturing speed, etc.; this will kill the battery life (hours rather than months), but it gives you more data if you so desire
* some of the features of the more expensive cycle computers are potentially performed better by a smartphone, e.g., navigation, given the greater flexibility, updatability, etc.
* some phones do better than others on battery life and may not last as long as a dedicated GPS device
* bluetooth speed/cadence sensors are available to pair to smartphones, but may not be as reliable as a dedicated device
* as technology more expensive computers are likely to be unsupported and unwanted by most in a few years, so spending lots of money on one is a bit undesirable
* your smartphone is not guaranteed to be waterproof, and some can't cope with rain much at all. Computers otoh should be able to cope with weather.
* there are some cheap GPS devices using non-rechargable button batteries. To be avoided.
Cateye make:
* similar wired computers with or without cadence sensor (some models have backlight)
* standard wireless or the larger screen (2.1") Padrone (again, some have backlight)
* Padrone Digital (£72), which uses Bluetooth so can work with anyone's Bluetooth heart rate monitor, speed sensor, etc. No power meter for reasons of unnecessary product differentiation. Supplied speed/cadence sensor
* Padrone Smart (£33)/Smart+ (£58), which is similar to the Digital in that it is uses Bluetooth, but is not supplied with a speed/cadence sensor, and instead by default uses a Smartphone's GPS circuitry. They will automatically put your activities to third party sharing platforms such as Strava if you wish.
They have stopped making GPS computers, presumably on the basis that their 'Smart' computers can just mirror your phone.
Sigma sport have a rather more diverse selection of computers for those looking for wired ones
https://www.sigmasport.com/en/produkte/fahrrad-computer You can get things like thermometer, altimeter (which IME is not very good, but never mind)
They make wired & wireless computers with largely the same functionality, so you can choose.
The Rox 7.0 (£100) is their GPS without sensor support, while the Rox 11.0 (£150) is the same thing with optional bluetooth sensors (speed/power/heart). The Rox 12.0 (£350) has navigation with OSM. There is Sigma data app/website which autosync to Strava etc if you want. As the Rox 7.0 lacks connectivity option, you will need to use a USB cable to get any data out of it. The 'Pure GPS' uses NFC, which won't work with every phone. The Rox 12.0 uses Wifi (not bluetooth) to connect to the Sigma website for data storage. The Rox 12.0 is essentially a smartphone, running Android, but there's no sim card. It's a bit odd as the Rox 11.0 DOES link to a Smartphone.
Lezyne make a large number of (only) GPS devices
Essentially:
Mini (£75)/Macro (£80) - no GLONASS (Russian GPS competitor), no barometric altimeter, or ant+. Has bluetooth + smartphone connectivity for all expected functions (calls etc). Mini has 1.25" screen + small battery, Macro has 2.1" screen & bigger battery. Has directional navigation but no map. Turn-by-turn routing is via an app or website that isn't exactly market-leading. No ANT+.
Micro (£80) - altimeter, same battery/screen as Mini. Adds ANT+
Micro C (£105) - colour Micro with added GLONASS
Super (£100) - same screen/battery as the Macro, same functionality as the Micro C
Mega XL (£162)/Mega C (£162)- Mega C has 2.2" colour screen, Mega XL has 2.7" rotating screen. Also the best battery life of any GPS on the XL, maps, as well as all other features from the Super/Micro C.
While all the devices have navigation, it is probably not very good at finding the best route, and links to Strava/Komoot routes are only via exporting a GPX, which is a clunky approach.
Garmin are best known, they have
Edge 25 £95 1.28" screen, small battery, has Bluetooth phone link, autosync etc. No power meter. (The Edge 25 is a few years old, the Edge 20 is the same but without even Bluetooth, it might be worth it if cheap second-hand etc.)
Edge 130 £145 1.8" screen, new device. It has some routing but it lacks the 'connect IQ' which makes it more cumbersome to follow a defined route from Komoot/Strava etc. Does have Strava Live and power meter compatibility.
Edge 520 £150. It's several years old, it's similar to the 130, but there are some spec differences including added barometric altimeter, missing from lower numbered models, the screen is also bigger 2.3".
Edge 520 Plus £220, it has the same form factor as the Edge 520 but it's updated to have maps & navigation, better battery, etc. The Edge Explore is better for navigation though.
Edge 820 £220/Edge Explore 820 It's from 2016, the Edge 820 is a touchscreen Edge 520. The navigation is a bit better than the Edge 520 Plus. The Edge Explore 820 is missing power meter, wifi, etc. and is now replaced by the Edge Explore
Edge Explore £200 - it's essentially a slightly cut down version of the Edge 1030 with some training features switched off to sell it to a different market. You get a 3" colour touch screen that's very specifically designed for cycle touring, so has maps, etc., but they don't let you use a power meter or do Strava live segments. You can connect all other sensors though. It's a replacement for the grossly overpriced Edge Explore 1000. It lacks an altimeter.
Edge 1030 £415 The ludicrously overpriced one. It does everything has all the routeing, etc., but surely you can find a cheaper one that meets your needs.
The Edge 1000/Edge Explore 1000 is still quite good, if bought at a saving to newer models, and has pretty much all the functionality of the 1030.
Very old Edge devices lack things like smartphone links so a bit outdated at this point.
Wahoo have three units, the Elemnt Bolt (£175) has a 2.2" screen and the Elemnt (£220) has a 2.7" screen. No touchscreen or colour, routeing is done via smartphone so it's less advanced then the top Garmins, but you do get all the support for power meters etc.
The Elemnt Mini (£70 - 1.8") is the same Bluetooth/Phone link concept as the Cateye Padrone Smart (also no navigation), but it comes with a speed sensor included. It requires sensors to support both ANT+ & Bluetooth to work, in theory it works with competing brands of sensor, but it may be difficult
My thoughts:
Sensors vary, essentially there are ANT+ only, Bluetooth only, or sensors that can do both. Cadence or speed is magnetless, combined sensors will use a separate magnet, which is something to potentially cause annoyance. Aldi have a bluetooth-only combined sensor for £7 https://www.aldi.co.uk/crane-speed-%26- ... 4204568400 but generally the going rate is around £20-30 for a speed or cadence sensor, £30-50 for combined. The different brands should be interchangeable provided your device supports ANT+ and/or bluetooth, as applicable
Heart rate straps are a bit more general as they are used by all kinds of fitness device; Garmin ones are likely ANT+ only whereas other brands probably have ANT+ & Bluetooth and are cheaper. 20 or so
IMO direct phone sync or wifi sync is a must - using a USB cable is a bit ridiculous in this day and age.
The Cateye Padrone Smart can be had very cheaply (£18 used) and with your phone and add some cheap sensors (bluetooth, not ant+). Unfortunately it lacks a backlight, but compared to a device with GPS built-in, the CR2032 batteries will last a long time. Obviously adding in a separate link (phone to computer) is potentially a source of issues, YMMV may vary on this as with anything else.
Of course a traditional dumb wireless or wired computer can do (models) vary speed, cadence, etc., and if you don't care at all about GPS logs, etc., then they are fine; however, the Padrone Smart with connected sensor(s) can also work 'offline' if you want to
Or you can put your phone on your handlebars with some kind of mount, this is a bit dodgy in the rain but you could always consider having both - i.e. a smartphone mount for when you need navigation, and a separate computer, smart or dumb for 'always on' routing.
For around £100 you basically get a separate GPS so that you can charge the GPS rather than your phone (my phone battery lasts a long time - yours might not), and if you can be bothered to upload a route to it then you should get a track to follow with turn warnings. The Lezyne Super is a bit better value for money than the Garmin 25 but the Garmin probably has a brighter screen in the sun. The Micro/Macro are only around £80 if you want the cheapest option.
If you spend any more than that you are likely looking at a Garmin or a Wahoo, I think perhaps Wahoo are due a new model as Garmin's 520 Plus & Explore seem to be intended to recapture lost market share. The Wahoo might be a bit more reliable, but YMMV. The basic problem IMO is that the full routing function of a top-end GPS is a bit much for a dedicated device, and a general-purpose smartphone is likely to have better hardware & software for less money. The Hammerhead Karoo & the Sigma Rox 12.0 are both Android-based but far more expensive than a comparable smartphone. In the end nothing is perfect.