QUESTION: Are bike computers worth it? There are a lot of options, and some of them cost hundreds of dollars. Can’t I just ride without one? –
Stan Purdum replies: The short answer is “Yes,” but since there are two classes of bike computers, the longer answer is “It depends on what you want to know about your ride.”
Bike computers can be classed as “basic” and “advanced,” though they aren’t usually identified by that terminology.
Basic Computers
Basic computers, which range in price from $10 to about $100, typically provide a handful of data readouts: odometer, current speed, maximum speed, average speed, trip distance, trip time, clock. Some at the upper end of the price range may also include stopwatch, altimeter, cadence, temperature and/or target heart rate functions,
That’s a lot of information, and with it you can compare your performance on one ride with the next, gauge the effect of hilly routes with flatter ones, determine what ride length works best for you, keep track of how long you can go between maintenance of bicycle components and replacement of wear-and-tear items like tires and chains.
Basic computers tend to be simple to set up and once in use, don’t usually require you to fiddle with them to keep them functioning. This is important if you aren’t techno-geeky or just want simplicity. And unlike units in the advanced class, the basic models don’t link to a phone app and are complete in themselves.
Many serious and longtime cyclists are content with the basic units and consider the data they provide sufficient.
Advanced Computers
Advanced computers, which typically cost a few hundred dollars, provide all the data that the basic units do, but they also provide navigation help — GPS, route planning and tracking, turn-by-turn guidance — as well as the ability to download your data and routes to a linked app for analysis, to share with others and to compare to the performance of riders in the online community. To be able to use the full functionality of the app, you usually need a subscription, which, of course, adds to the cost of using the computer.
Many riders, however, find the sharing of data a useful way to set performance goals and measure their fitness progress. The shared routes help them find new rides and the navigation functions enable them to explore without having to keep checking a map.
Expect that as technology improves and becomes more affordable, some of the functions included in the advanced devices will become available on the basic models.
You Can Also Just Use Your Phone
If you have a smart phone, there are multiple free and low cost apps that give you most of the features of a GPS bike computer right on your phone. One friend of mine uses the Strava app to record his bike rides so he can look later and see how far he rode, how fast, etc. He keeps his phone in his jersey pocket and doesn’t look at any of the information while he’s riding.
But other cyclists buy mounts so that they can glance at the screen while they are riding and see all the typical information like their speed, average speed, distance, time, navigation etc. A high quality mount will hold your phone securely.
Readers, what is your bike computer set up, and why?
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
I’ve been using Wahoo computers for several years now. I like the GPS functionality (my club has a large library of routes which can be upload to my computer), and I think the Wahoo interface and phone app are the best. Many of my friends use other brands that always seem to have some kind of issues/problems. But the Wahoo users don’t seem to have those issues. Plus, price-wise, they’re often more affordable than similar models from other manufacturers.
I started using my iPhone w/ Ride with GPS. It worked pretty well, but there were two things that made me upgrade to a Garmin 1030:
1. Battery life. Not good enough for century rides. While you can certainly turn down the screen brightness to preserve battery life, that’s not too practical when you’re relying on the phone display for navigation in the daylight. Yes, I did hook up an external battery in my seat pack and wired it to the phone. However, on one century it downpoured (not in the forecast) for several hours and all I could do was worry about the electrical connection shorting out/ruining my phone (it had a waterproof cover, which also made it more difficult to view w/ rain/water on it).
2. GPS accuracy was lacking. Very frequently, I would find my phone would tell me to turn a few hundred yards too late; this got embarrassing on group rides where I’d be the one w/ the phone/route and others would rely on me. We’d have to stop and backtrack, not ideal.
So I upgraded to the 1030 – not an inexpensive proposition, but one I haven’t regretted. I have skipped the 1030+, will evaluate the ‘1040’ some day. The clubs in my area have substantial map libraries I’ve downloaded and used/modified. Also, my club has stopped painting routes due to a lot of pushback from towns and the large amount of time/effort it takes. I could never get used to cue sheets; having to stop, put on the reading glasses, and sort out directions was just too much effort.
Depending on my “mood”, I switch between a Garmin Edge 520 (my first one, but it still works!) and an Edge 830. The touchscreen on the 830 makes re-configuring and fixing pairing issues “on the fly” easier than the buttons on the 520. The big value of both is the optional Varia radar! I can usually hear and usually see a car coming from behind. What the Varia does is, it shows a spot moving up the screen for each car in the line (which are usually NOT detected).
Sigma Sport Pure 1 – gives me ride time and distance. That’s all I need.
I’ve been using a Garmin 130 recently; prior to that was Polar, and before that Cateye. I like the compact size; I spend enough time looking at my phone and don’t need to do that on my rides, too. I’ve been riding since long before the days of GPS and power meters and so am accustomed to using cue sheets and cyclecomputer for route finding. Now that I’m retired from ultras most of my riding is on familiar routes so GPS is for retrospective use rather than route finding; Its always fun to look at the routes and data afterward, especially on multi-day tours. My primary use for a device the last 25 yers or so has been heart rate training, where a change of 2 or 3 beats a minute can have a major impact on extended performance at high outputs, so the constant feedback of the number in my face is very useful.
I took them off all my road bikes.
Digital-detox and never been happier.
I noticed I was spending too much time looking at a screen when I should be enjoying the scenery of the bike ride.
I still check total time for a ride but that’s it!
I do carry a map with corners identified for new rides.
This makes me pay attention to where I am but without having to follow a dot on a screen which IMO really diminishes the cycling experience.
Many friends have gps and to be honest, none of them seem to know how to use them.
Upgraded from a Garmin Edge 800 to an Edge 810 to an Edge 1000. I use a Garmin RTL510, HR strap, cadence, speed & power meters.
I also find I spend way too much time looking at my computer rather than enjoying the ride. So, if I am just out to enjoy myself I don’t turn it on. However, if I am training for something the computer is very handy. I use an old model Garmin, the Edge 500, and it gives me everything I need. I do not use any power power metrics nor a heart monitor that some riders might find a necessity but I find speed and cadence along with glancing at my gear gives me a pretty good sense of things. And, although the navigation is “bread crumb” only, you can still create and download maps as well as download maps for organized rides and those created by local bike clubs. No touch screen but I find buttons way easier to use on a bike and I don’t understand why anyone needs color. I guess I fall into the “basic advanced” category.
Cateye Padrone ($65) basic computers on all my bikes tell me MPH, average speed and distance and that’s really all the info I want or need, I have always logged each ride in note pads and it is interesting to compare
my present-day performance to 40 years ago. They have also revealed other things, including I do not climb much faster on my new carbon-fiber Cervelo than than on my old steel-frame LeMond.. My average speed as a recreational rider (now 80 years old) has remained pretty much the same all these years
I used an entry level Garmin GPS unit for years but switched to a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt about 3 years ago when the battery on the Garmin degraded to where it wouldn’t last more than 3 hours. I’ve never used any cadence, power or other sensors but I upload to Strava and Ridewithgps.com. I just like to keep a record of what I’ve done and the routes taken. I also occasionally map out a new route ahead of time (on Komoot) and follow it using the Wahoo. And I also take it along on walks and hikes.
Cateye Velo 7. All I want to know is miles, time, and speed.
Having a Garmin, a similar device or a phone with RidewithGPS is almost a necessity with our club. We start from many different points across several counties in NY and CT and use multiple routes. Out route library has over a thousand routes and the club’s RWGPS subscription allows any club member to navigate using the app on their phone. Having a NAV assures that sub-groups and individuals can ride at their own pace and that no one gets (too) lost.
Garmin Edge 1000 with routes downloaded from Ride with GPS. Also navigate route on phone with rwgps for voice directions to supplement edge map directions. Use Aftershokz headphones for phone conduction sound which still allows me to hear vehicles and other riders. Use Edge 1000 for screen size. Ride 3 to 4times a week with out bike club, routes are on rwgps. Waiting for next Garmin in this eries to be released. Record speed, cadence, heart rate, elevation; no power meter.
All I really want is current speed, distance and sometimes navigation. Having used several basic wired computers, I find that the wire transmission fails after a couple of years. Using a basic wireless computer does not allow transmission of the signal when I use a nite rider light during early morning rides. After much frustration with these issues, I finally bought a Karoo 2 and it is capable to provide more info than I’ll ever use, yet it will give me the basic data that I want reliably and I hope to not replace it for a very long time. I probably spent the equivalent on basic computers over the years.
Uploading unknown routes for bike touring is a big bonus and I won’t have to deplete my phone battery for that purpose in the future.