noglider 

Somehow the Facebook algorithm has tagged me as a product influencer. I get dozens of ads every day for companies in China that want to send out stuff for evaluation. The normal deal is I have to pay for it on Amazon, and once I write a review, they refund me the purchase price. Sometimes they want me to promise a 5-star review, and I tell them that I'll write one if the product is excellent, but if it isn't, I'll contact them instead. This way I'm not lying just to get free stuff. Most of the vendors agree to my terms.

One of the latest offers I've received is for the Meilan GPS bike computer. It is due to arrive tomorrow.

I currently don't have a bike computer. A few years ago, I bought a used Garmin Edge 200, and it didn't work so well. In retrospect, it was probably a defective unit, but I didn't know it when I decided to stop using it. Because the experience was frustrating, I invested in using my iphone as my tracker. It has worked mostly well with all the problems you would expect from using a phone. One is that it drains the battery, especially if I keep the screen on. I solved that problem by using an external battery. I had to invest in a Quad Lock case and mounts for my bike. I went all out and installed Quad Locks in both of my wife's cars and a Quad Lock case for her phone. Either of us can clip our phones into either car, so that part works out well. Another problem is that it's hard to operate the touch screen while riding. The touch screen is not designed for a wobbly touch. But overall, I get by. I wasn't planning to buy a bike computer at all, since I need to save money these days. But this offer came along, and I'll see how it goes. I don't have high expectation, because the selling price is only $31 so of course it won't compete with the high end models. But if it can sync with ridewithgps, that will be peachy. It will display my speed, and it might do a better than the iphone app. The speed display jumped from too high to too low until I increased the sampling interval to something bike like 50 seconds. That fixed one problem and created another: out of date data, another form of imprecision. Once the ride is uploaded, I get better data, but I don't get it on the bike.

Bigbus

Have you been doing this for Chinese firms for awhile, because I'm really curious if they actually give you a refund. As far as computers for riding, I'm sticking with my Garmin. It does more than what I need and has been flawless for several years now.

canklecat

Yeah, I occasionally get similar offers via Amazon. I never agree to their terms so I get those offers less often now.

In January I got a XOSS G+ minimalist GPS bike computer and within a couple of days got an offer to buy another half-price. No pressure to give a perfect review, just a discount as a bit of a carrot on a stick.

Setup was a bit tricky but other than a couple of glitches -- GPS sync taking 15 minutes or so, delayed uploads to Strava -- it's been good.

No more drain on my phone, I can see crucial data easily -- mostly heart rate -- and it's much smaller and lighter on the handlebar.

I'd give it 4 stars on Amazon, conditional on the basis that it's a very minimalist computer, no navigation aids, etc. But the data usually matches my phones, so it seems reasonably accurate.

noglider 

I've been doing it on and off for a few years. Since the pandemic, I've been doing it a lot. I've received my refund quickly in every case but one. I just messaged that one asking if they intend to make good on their offer. I'm still ahead if I never get the refund. It's a Macbook Pro charger that I paid only $30 for.

noglider 

The computer arrived today. It sure is small. The speed display is sufficiently large, about 2cm. The manual hardly says anything. I did a little searching, and I see there is a downloadable manual here which has more information, and it's in many languages.

As I had suspected, there is no way to upload my data. It stays in the unit. Because of this, I may not use it, because I like keeping my data in the cloud. Then again, maybe I can record with my phone, keep it in my pocket, and keep this computer on my handlebars so I can see my speed. Or maybe my spouse would like to have it.

The mount seems to be a copy of the Garmin mount which is readily available, so that's nice.

I haven't taken it on the road yet.

canklecat

I don't see much point to a GPS computer that doesn't offer any way to transfer data to an activity app or website, or to ones own database. I suppose the GPS could make it easier to get a speed estimate for folks who don't want to bother with attaching magnet or earth induction sensors.

While I have some reservations about the XOSS G+, it does at least do pretty well at syncing with Strava and Training Peaks. I'd prefer it would enable easy data transfer via the USB port to my own records, or other app/software.

noglider 

Agreed. There isn't much point for people like you and me and most of us in this subsection. But not everyone cares.

njkayaker

Those who don't care probably don't want yet another thing they have to keep recharging after one or a few rides.

noglider 

Haha. Maybe. I take care of charging my spouse's things except her phone. Then again, we used to like those pre-GPS computers, and this is basically the same thing but with a GPS as a speed and distance sensor.

njkayaker

I married an IT support client too.

The pre-GPS computers last​​​​​ many months on a battery. So, what's the advantage of this? (Having to marry somebody who will change it for you isn't an advantage.) These don't use a sensor but GPS is less accurate for instantaneous speed.
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noglider 

Why do I have to sell this? I explained I got it for free.

Yeah those old computers are great. I bought the $3 wired models, and they work flawlessly.

njkayaker

You don't.

I'm commenting about whether the product makes any sort of sense.

Unless your time has no value, it's not really free.

noglider 

Stop making so much sense!

canklecat

Welp, there's your review for Amazon: "Sense. This product makes none. 5 sneers."

Nah, don't do that, they'll cut you off and you won't get any toys to play with.

I made the mistake of giving some honest, constructive and mostly positive reviews, with 3 to 4 stars. Not what the vendors wanted.

Also, Amazon seemed to catch on to vendors who offered discounts and refunds for reviews. I bought two pair of Przewalski shorts a couple of years ago. They were already very inexpensive but the vendor practically gave away the second pair for something like $5. And they really were terrific buys. I still wear 'em often.

But Amazon rejected my glowing review, which was completely honest. The only detail I dinged the shorts for was the fancypants script logo, which wore off quickly even with hand washing. But I still gave 'em 5 stars. The DuPont CoolMax pad alone made the shorts a must-have for me. But Amazon thought my review sounded like a shill and rejected every attempt to publish it, even after I toned down the effusive praise.

noglider 

That's weird, @canklecat. I haven't had any trouble from the reviews I've written, and I've written many.

It's nice to see another endorsement of Przewalski shorts. I've seen many, so I plan to buy a pair and maybe some tights.