Help me replace my bike computer
November 9, 2024 9:10 AM Subscribe
Ye olde bar-mounted computer did not survive some shop work. What's next?
I guess it doesn't have to be handlebar-mounted ...
I'd like to track mileage and speed, and altitude. I'm not a Strava King of anything at all, I'm not pacing laps, I don't need social media interfaces. The last time I tried to use my phone was probably MapMyRide in the mid 2000s, and it regularly killed my battery in less than 30 miles, so I gave up on using the phone.
Are things different now? Should I get a new computer, or just use an app, or ... ? Please recommend something for this dinosaur.
Old: VDO MC1.0+. The fork-mounted sensor broke at the mounting tab. Can't find a replacement on Ebay.
Current phone: Galaxy S22
I guess it doesn't have to be handlebar-mounted ...
I'd like to track mileage and speed, and altitude. I'm not a Strava King of anything at all, I'm not pacing laps, I don't need social media interfaces. The last time I tried to use my phone was probably MapMyRide in the mid 2000s, and it regularly killed my battery in less than 30 miles, so I gave up on using the phone.
Are things different now? Should I get a new computer, or just use an app, or ... ? Please recommend something for this dinosaur.
Old: VDO MC1.0+. The fork-mounted sensor broke at the mounting tab. Can't find a replacement on Ebay.
Current phone: Galaxy S22
I use Strava without any social aspects at all. You can set it so it's fully private, and nobody will see your activities or find you, and it does a great job of tracking everything. The free version is fine for my needs - it doesn't track speed or altitude in real time, so if that's important to you, maybe go for the paid version, but the free version will give you pretty good post-ride analytics and ride histories.
It's pretty easy on battery, too - I typically go on 40ish mile rides, sometimes up to 50-60, and if I leave my place with my Pixel 8 Pro at 100%, I come back with it at like 80% at worst.
(Side rec: if you go the phone app route, I can't recommend Quad Lock handlebar mounts highly enough. I've tried several different kinds over the years and Quad Locks are the most secure mounts I've ever used.)
posted by pdb at 12:52 PM on November 9, 2024 [1 favorite]
It's pretty easy on battery, too - I typically go on 40ish mile rides, sometimes up to 50-60, and if I leave my place with my Pixel 8 Pro at 100%, I come back with it at like 80% at worst.
(Side rec: if you go the phone app route, I can't recommend Quad Lock handlebar mounts highly enough. I've tried several different kinds over the years and Quad Locks are the most secure mounts I've ever used.)
posted by pdb at 12:52 PM on November 9, 2024 [1 favorite]
I think bike computers may have bit the dust. Your phone plus Strava or something similar is just so much more powerful.
I use the free version of Track My Trails, which is more oriented around where you saw something fascinating than how many seconds you shaved off your record. It's focused more on walking and hiking than running and cycling, but able to support all of these, on-road and off-road. If you pay $30/year, you also get access to everyone else's Tracks and Trails, not to race them but to see the photos they uploaded and the hidden trails they divulged.
Nothing against Strava -- I just haven't used it -- but I'm pretty sure that your phone plus your choice of app is where this has already headed.
posted by Scarf Joint at 2:00 PM on November 9, 2024
I use the free version of Track My Trails, which is more oriented around where you saw something fascinating than how many seconds you shaved off your record. It's focused more on walking and hiking than running and cycling, but able to support all of these, on-road and off-road. If you pay $30/year, you also get access to everyone else's Tracks and Trails, not to race them but to see the photos they uploaded and the hidden trails they divulged.
Nothing against Strava -- I just haven't used it -- but I'm pretty sure that your phone plus your choice of app is where this has already headed.
posted by Scarf Joint at 2:00 PM on November 9, 2024
Best answer: Uhhh . . . bike computers have definitely not gone the way of the dinosaur - if anything, they are much, much bigger business than they ever were in the old days.
What has almost disappeared is the old type that had a magnet down on the wheel & a display on the handlebars to show like speed and distance. You can still find a few of that type around, very inexpensive, if that's what you like. Example. Here is a reddit discussion thread.
But what most people have gone to is a small GPS type device - more or less the bicycling equivalent of a sports watch. They can track so many different things it is mind boggling, and at the low end it's not that much more than the old Cateyes & such. If you only want to track speed-distance-trip type info, they are still pretty much better because you just stick them on the handlebar & they work. No finicky wires, magnets on the spoke, etc etc etc.
At the low end, around $100, you've got like a Bryton & Lezyne model. Also Lezyne models ranging from $80-ish to $200-ish. (I've been using Lezyne for about 10 years now & wouldn't go back...)
Wahoo is more like $250-$400.
Believe it or not the lowest-end Garmin bike computer can often be found in the $150-$200 range. They go from there all the way up to $600-$800.
However, if you don't want to spend a lot, the best way is often a used Garmin Edge device on eBay or similar - you can often find perfectly good computers for $100-$200 or even $50-$100.
If you want an in-depth review of whatever you are interested in, DC Rainmaker is the place. Just for example, they will have reviews of the Edge 520 and Edge 530 which are typical models you'll find at a low price used on eBay.
Most of the devices at even $100 and up will do a decent job at navigation - besides the saving of stats, probably the biggest reason people are interested in them.
You can use your phone to track rides etc, too. Both phones & apps have gotten better in the past 10-15 years, in regards to being able to track a ride without draining too much battery.
There are phone mounts for your handlebar, but another option is just start the app (I use RideWithGPS), then turn off the screen & put the phone in your pocket or bag. That saves a lot of battery, but it will still record your entire ride. Of course, you can't see anything, such as speed or distance, while you're riding. However if you have a bluetooth earbud, it can talk to you and give you directions and such. That is how I do most of my navigation - load route & "save for offline", hit "record ride", screen off, airplane mode (saves massively on battery), and earbud telling me things like "left turn in 300 feet onto Mayberry Street". I only get the phone out to look at it if I get lost or mixed up. In airplane mode the battery will last all day long. The RideWithGPS app works well for this, though there are others, including free options.
posted by flug at 10:30 PM on November 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
What has almost disappeared is the old type that had a magnet down on the wheel & a display on the handlebars to show like speed and distance. You can still find a few of that type around, very inexpensive, if that's what you like. Example. Here is a reddit discussion thread.
But what most people have gone to is a small GPS type device - more or less the bicycling equivalent of a sports watch. They can track so many different things it is mind boggling, and at the low end it's not that much more than the old Cateyes & such. If you only want to track speed-distance-trip type info, they are still pretty much better because you just stick them on the handlebar & they work. No finicky wires, magnets on the spoke, etc etc etc.
At the low end, around $100, you've got like a Bryton & Lezyne model. Also Lezyne models ranging from $80-ish to $200-ish. (I've been using Lezyne for about 10 years now & wouldn't go back...)
Wahoo is more like $250-$400.
Believe it or not the lowest-end Garmin bike computer can often be found in the $150-$200 range. They go from there all the way up to $600-$800.
However, if you don't want to spend a lot, the best way is often a used Garmin Edge device on eBay or similar - you can often find perfectly good computers for $100-$200 or even $50-$100.
If you want an in-depth review of whatever you are interested in, DC Rainmaker is the place. Just for example, they will have reviews of the Edge 520 and Edge 530 which are typical models you'll find at a low price used on eBay.
Most of the devices at even $100 and up will do a decent job at navigation - besides the saving of stats, probably the biggest reason people are interested in them.
You can use your phone to track rides etc, too. Both phones & apps have gotten better in the past 10-15 years, in regards to being able to track a ride without draining too much battery.
There are phone mounts for your handlebar, but another option is just start the app (I use RideWithGPS), then turn off the screen & put the phone in your pocket or bag. That saves a lot of battery, but it will still record your entire ride. Of course, you can't see anything, such as speed or distance, while you're riding. However if you have a bluetooth earbud, it can talk to you and give you directions and such. That is how I do most of my navigation - load route & "save for offline", hit "record ride", screen off, airplane mode (saves massively on battery), and earbud telling me things like "left turn in 300 feet onto Mayberry Street". I only get the phone out to look at it if I get lost or mixed up. In airplane mode the battery will last all day long. The RideWithGPS app works well for this, though there are others, including free options.
posted by flug at 10:30 PM on November 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
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I use Strava on my iPhone for multi hour mountain bike rides and it doesn’t strain my battery too bad. Can’t speak for Android.
Outside of that any Garmin is great the only real choice is really how much display you want. Don’t sleep on the Garmin watches too if you want something good for tracking fitness, sleep etc off the bum as well.
posted by bitdamaged at 10:36 AM on November 9, 2024 [1 favorite]