Shipht

I recently picked up a Cat Eye Strada Cadence, and it seems to be setup properly according to the manual. But is there anyway to assure the calibration, my main concern is that it did not specify where abouts on the wheel to place the magnet / sensor.

rcams

Doesn't matter where you place the magnet - one revolution is one revolution. The only things to consider are the distance from the transmitter to the receiver if it wireless, and then the diameter of your actual wheel and tire combination. I like to roll the wheel out for a full revolution and measure the distance on the floor because the diameters given in the instruction manual are usually just estimates and the tire itself can make the actual number vary.

Shipht

Okay, sounds good. I went by the Specialized site for tire size which seems to match up properly. (700x23Cs)

And I'm not too concerned if its only marginally off.

MKahrl

What is your margin? If your cyclometer is off by 3% or more, and many are when using the guide, the end of a century ride is going to be pretty vague.

Measuring your rollout is pretty easy, put masking tape on the ground and a bit if masking tape on the tire and line them up, roll out one or more revolutions along a straight line with you on the bike, put another piece of masking tape down, and measure the distance in millimeters.

BarracksSi

Especially with you on the bike; your body weight will deform the tire just a smidge, changing the axle-to-road distance by just a smidge. If you want to get even more picky, do it for ten revolutions, measure the total distance, then divide by ten.

hmto

Always roll the wheel for correct measurement. Best way to do it and only takes a couple minutes.

Laplacian

Another performance/reliability enhancement would be to place the sensor/magnet as close to the center of the wheel as possible. The wheel (linear speed) is the lowest toward the center so the magnet travels slower past the sensor and gives the the sensor plenty of opportunity to detect it. The cranks spin much slower than the wheel so you don't need to worry about this for the cadence sensor--just put that magnet anywhere (mine is at the end).

Also, I had to put a rubber spacer to push the cadence magnet close enough to the sensor to get it close enough to register movement on the cadence sensor. I think that's pretty common. The magnet (both wheel and cadence) have to pass really close to the sensor (within a few mm).

BTW, I have a Cateye Strada w/cadence and I really like it. It's been perfect so far, the numbers are big and easy to read, and the "one button" operation is pretty nice because you can basically push anywhere along the entire bottom end. My HR computer (separate unit) has regular/small buttons and I never push it while I ride--too annoying to try and push with my thumbnail.