Speedometer

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
Post Reply
User avatar
Velocio
Posts: 267
Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 4:22pm
Location: Southsea
Contact:

Speedometer

Post by Velocio »

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive speedometer with 3 main criteria...

...wireless
...auto starts
...with a save odo function (for when the battery runs out)

...I've checked online the many types out there but cannot find one under £30 that meets all my needs

Many thanks

:)
...ever cycle ...ever CTC
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Speedometer

Post by Psamathe »

Are you 100% convinced about wireless.

I also required wireless and went through quite a few before going back to a cabled one. Most wireless ones I had suffered from "phantom miles". On two, I would get home, (leaving bike 30m away), take the computer indoors and on the kitchen table I would be getting speeds of 0.0 ... 0.0 ... 15.3 ... 0.0 ... 10.2 ... etc. Some suffered from being very "laggy" (i.e. you speed-up and the computer still says "real slow" so you relax a bit and suddenly you are going "really fast"). One (digital wireless) even recorded me going at 56 m.p.h (whilst I was stationary waiting at a junction with the sensor magnet well clear of the sensor). Digital ones are just as bad as your cheaper wireless ones. And all of this was cycling alone (i.e. no issues with interference from other riders cycle computers).

They were all so bad that I went back to cabled and I'm happy (at last). With a bit of thought you can hide the cable pretty well (mine runs up the back of the fork and then twists round a brake cable and I don't even notice it; and I'm pretty fussy about how things look).

Ian
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Speedometer

Post by mercalia »

Velocio wrote:Can anyone recommend an inexpensive speedometer with 3 main criteria...

...wireless
...auto starts
...with a save odo function (for when the battery runs out)

...I've checked online the many types out there but cannot find one under £30 that meets all my needs

Many thanks

:)


You dont seem to want a lot? if u drop the save odo function ( I make a note after every ride onto my pc ) and also the wireless then any cheap £2.50 from ebay will do. I ve been using such a cheapy for the last 9 months or so and has behaved well & can be left on the bike all the time.
fastpedaller
Posts: 3435
Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: Speedometer

Post by fastpedaller »

I don't think it's got 'save odo' but I got a wireless one for less than a fiver from the bay, which has been good.
User avatar
Velocio
Posts: 267
Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 4:22pm
Location: Southsea
Contact:

Re: Speedometer

Post by Velocio »

Psamathe wrote:Most wireless ones I had suffered from "phantom miles".


Yes Ian ...I was cycling along at an ave speed of 10mph yesterday when I looked down at my current milo and within 2 secs it read both 4mph and 10mph ...OK ...I'll drop the wireless need ...but have lost many miles not recorded as I have forgotten to press start on absolutely every occasion I have set off so would prefer a new one that starts automatically every time I push off ...and would also like to be able to enter / amend odo readings ...if anyone can suggest an actual make /model with this criteria I'd be most grateful

Many thanks

:)
...ever cycle ...ever CTC
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Speedometer

Post by Psamathe »

I ended-up with http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/speedzone-sport-computer-ec034604 (probably cheaper elsewhere). It was selected partly as it was on another bike at the time I discarded the last wireless one. But it is a good one.

Clear display (current speed and a smaller lower line for distance, ride time, max speed, av. speed, clock, odo (button press to change lower line between the different data). Large speed display also has clear indications of faster and slower than av. (and indication as to just faster/slower, quite a lit faster/slower, a lot faster/slower.

Auto starts when you start moving. Auto off after a fixed no-movement time. auto restarts again on movement. Basically trip distance keeps accumulating until you reset it (by holding down a button for an extended time (2 secs +).

You can manually set the odo. Instructions don't say if the odo is preserved across battery changes.

Removable from bike.

Does the job.

Not the cheapest wired device but does what I want, reliably, clear, etc. But I can't argue it is better or worse than any of the other wired ones (as most of my experience is with wireless - the one wired one I have just works and does what I want)

Ian
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Speedometer

Post by mercalia »

Velocio wrote:I'll drop the wireless need ...but have lost many miles not recorded as I have forgotten to press start on absolutely every occasion I have set off so would prefer a new one that starts automatically every time I push off ...and would also like to be able to enter / amend odo readings ...if anyone can suggest an actual make /model with this criteria I'd be most grateful

Many thanks

:)



The £2.50 one I have goes dormant to a clock when not moving after 20 few secs then wakes up when the magnet passes the sensor. The idea is that you reset the trip display to zero ( easy ) before you set off on a trip. The total distance display records all wheel rotations incl walking, hand twirling of the wheel etc, the computer is never off just low state. The alkaline button cell lasts possible 6 months ( they are cheap eg get from a 99p store ) Mine when the battery fails you can set the total distance so far gone so after change the battery start off with your last total. I leave mine on the bike all the time ( who wants to steal a £2.50 computer?)

mine some thing like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BICYCLE-BIKE-CYCLE-COMPUTER-SPEEDOMETER-SPEEDO-ODOMETER-/351133334003?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item51c12d79f3

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Waterproof-LCD-Cycling-Bike-Bicycle-Computer-Odometer-Speedometer-Functions-/281571296075?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item418ef5034b



at that price can afford to get a few. The only problem I found is the base, the computer can slide a bit out so u need to find a way to stop it moving ( is only £3)


simple and cheap but may need a little tlc as above

my cheapy showing time when "dormant"
my cheapy showing time when "dormant"
User avatar
cycleruk
Posts: 6065
Joined: 17 Jan 2009, 9:30pm
Location: Lancashire

Re: Speedometer

Post by cycleruk »

The only problem I have had with cheapy ones has been the contacts. Every now and then they need cleaning. I have had a couple that the contacts have bent. I did have one that would zero if I inadvertently lent on both buttons at the same time. (very frustrating if in the middle of a ride). All of my wired ones have auto-start and but not save ODO function. Some you can input an ODO reading so it is easy to take a note of the reading, change battery and then reset the ODO.
I always reset mine to zero at the start of each year and then take a reading at the end of each ride.
I use a spread sheet to record all my readings just in-case I lose the ODO setting.
My wireless computer does not have auto start and is a right pain when your down the road a couple of miles before you realise it's not working. :x
You'll never know if you don't try it.
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Speedometer

Post by mercalia »

cycleruk wrote:The only problem I have had with cheapy ones has been the contacts. Every now and then they need cleaning. I have had a couple that the contacts have bent. I did have one that would zero if I inadvertently lent on both buttons at the same time. (very frustrating if in the middle of a ride).


I dont ever take my cheap one from the holder, but you are right they are cheap for a reason. I thought of soldering the cable directly to the pins lol. I think the best soln, at any price would be screws/spades to insert the cables into rather some kind of push on spring type contact (which sooner or later will weaken) and leave in place? But mine has been reliable. One occasion mine set to zero but could have been the battery - I am now on battery no.2. Atleast I dont have to worry about it getting stolen which is an important consideration? I have been using mine for atleast 9 months now. ok for £2.50?
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Speedometer

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Why do they make them removable? Anyone finding one that isn't gets a virtual pint...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Speedometer

Post by Psamathe »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Why do they make them removable? Anyone finding one that isn't gets a virtual pint...

So they don't get nicked when your bike is left lockup up unattended (outside the shops/cafe/etc)
So for bikes left outside in the rain the computer can be taken indoors rather than sit out in the rain (being only "weatherproof" rather than "waterproof").
So you can take it indoors to write down trip distance, av. speed, ride time, odo, etc.
etc.

(Do I get awarded the pint ?)

Ian
User avatar
Velocio
Posts: 267
Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 4:22pm
Location: Southsea
Contact:

Re: Speedometer

Post by Velocio »

...many thanks for all your suggestions ...I've gone for this which I found @ half price online...

http://tiny.cc/1ah2sx

:)
...ever cycle ...ever CTC
Brucey
Posts: 44517
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Speedometer

Post by Brucey »

Velocio wrote:Can anyone recommend an inexpensive speedometer with 3 main criteria...

...wireless
...auto starts
...with a save odo function (for when the battery runs out)

...I've checked online the many types out there but cannot find one under £30 that meets all my needs

Many thanks

:)


-inexpensive -check
-wireless -check
-auto starts -check
-saves mileage -check

Image

:lol: :lol: :lol:

but seriously, do you really need anything more complicated than this? As others have noted these electronic gizmos can be nothing but trouble.

I recently dug an old clicky one out of the bits box and overcame the two problems I used to have with it;

a) it overran at high speed and
b) I didn't like the (tiny tiny tiny) noise it made.

I mounted the peg on a very small diameter on the left side of the rear hub itself. This worked brilliantly; no more overrunning, and the noise is both smaller and inaudible to me.

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fat commuter
Posts: 292
Joined: 12 May 2014, 7:54pm
Location: The hilly side of Sheffield

Re: Speedometer

Post by The fat commuter »

This is mine:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bc-812-wirel ... 02636.html

Does the job. Auto starts. You can re-input your distance to date if you change the battery. Bit more expensive than the £5 ones off eBay though - I'm sure that I didn't pay that much though - thought it was just over a tenner.

One issue with it though is the magnet doesn't grip very well. Occasionally, I'd be doing about 30mph and the centrifugal force would move the magnet away from the sensor. I had a spare magnet that screws onto the spokes though - so used that.
Post Reply