cyccommute 

You set an altitude on them during setup of the computer. The altitude is pretty easy to find now. The device then assumes that the barometric pressure is relatively stable. It isn't, of course, but I wouldn't go looking for 0.01 meter accuracy either. If it's anything like my barometric watch, the altitude is good for ±10 meters.

jefnvk

Cool, thanks. I'm generally a fan of cheap simple computers, but that 14.16 isn't that expensive and wired (non-negotiable on that criteria), the elevation graph would be a fun thing to have on my next trip.

AdvXtrm

Its sister model does have an altimeter, but this one has an ETA function that I thought may end up being even more useful. Too bad they don't have a version of this unit that has both.

staehpj1

I have found that the thermometer in my Planet Bike cyclocomputer is plenty close to accurate as long as I am riding and therefore providing plenty of airflow. It will be way off if you read it when sitting still in the hot sun, but if riding or parked in the shade it is fine. I have been very happy with it.

BTW, stand alone thermometers also give crazy high readings if left sitting in the sun, so I have not really found mine to be any worse than a stand alone one.

Western Flyer 

I consider a thermometer of some sort both convenient and important on tour. It’s convenient to know what to expect when I get out of my warm sleeping bag and to have some idea how to dress when I get on the bike in the morning. Personally I have a hard time estimating the temperature above 35c (95f). I’m down to my shorts and jersey at that point so there is no more de-layering. Given enough water and proper electrolyte replacement I do just find at 35c but push the heat up to 45+c (113f) and heat stroke starts becoming a very real concern. Conversely when the temp start dropping towards freezing and black ice or snow seem to be a possibility I start thinking about getting off the roads or even riding on to get to a lower/warmer elevation before nightfall.

So yes I always tour with a means to tell the temperature. I currently have a Planet Bike Protégé 9 wireless computer. It is accurate enough. When I check it against bank reader board temperatures it is pretty close. But no it is not backlit.

Rowan

The Sigma's temperature reading is handy for me because of the threshold for putting on knee/leg warmers, which is around 15 deg C.

As a by-the-by, I am not a particular fan of wireless. There is a need for a second battery, and the sensor ones usually are not the same as the computer's. They also have a habit, in my experience, of giving up the ghost at the most inconvenient time.

Power transmission lines also can, in my experience, interfere with the signal from the sensor to the computer. And they need careful set-up with the sensor on the fork to ensure it isn't too far away from the computer.

staehpj1

+1
I have found that around home I don't mind or even like wireless ones, but on tour have had more trouble with them than they are worth. I found that they tended to give bogus readings too often. For me the most common problem was mileage read due to interference when the bike is parked near a neon sign outside a store or diner.

AdvXtrm

OK, good info there. I think it will be great to have that function. Thanks for sharing!
I've heard of a lot of interference issues and such mostly from people with the Cateye products. Sigma looks to have some good technology at work on these new ones,

"Digitally encoded three-channel wireless transmission

The tried-and-tested SIGMA TRANSMISSION SYSTEM (STS) is the digitally encoded transmission system for all transmitter data from the speed transmitter, the cadence transmitter, and even the heart rate transmitters for the high-quality basic devices and top models. The transmitters collate the data they have received and send this to the receiver integrated into the computer as a data package. The transmitters also regularly send stored test data for data comparison purposes.

The digital encoding of the SIGMA TRANSMISSION SYSTEM prevents transmitter data from being corrupted by external interferences such as power sources or other transmitters. The interference of Sigma products, e.g. LED lights, can also be prevented."

Also, the batteries for both the computer and the transmitter are the same very common CR2032. They should both last many months without issue even under heavy use. Also, these checks and status warnings should cut down on any surprise dead battery situations,

"All devices from BC 14.16 upward come with a battery status indicator. The power status of the battery in the computer head unit or STS transmitter is checked at regular intervals. If the battery is low, an early warning is displayed on the computer head unit."

cyccommute 

Sigma has done that for a long time. I think their chips don't have enough capacity to do everything so they cut functions. But they do improve over time. Their old altimeter computer didn't have the ability to switch between bikes with different wheel sizes automatically but they seem to have added that in the latest version. That's more important to me than the altimeter so I have the older version of the 16.16. It may be time for me to think about the 14.16 since the "cadence" function on my computer isn't something I use.

One of the nice things about the wired Sigmas is that they work on the same mount and the mounts are relatively cheap (~$15) if you have multiple bikes. The wireless mounts are more expensive, however. Depending on the mount, they are $30 to $60 per mount.

Squeezebox

Funny, For me cadence is probably the most important function.

stevepusser

Pretty much of the small units will be getting altitude readings via barometric pressure, so can require calibration to keep getting accurate readings. Better ones are compensated for temperature changes, or can have smarter algorithms for accumulating total elevation changes.

GPS units don't have these kind of issues, but eat a lot more battery.

jefnvk

Yeah, and costs a lot more than $40!

at_hiker59

3 years ago I broke an expensive speedometer. I bought a speedometer from walmart. the $15(?) speedometer had temperature capability. I checked it against a wall thermometer and it was the same. go figure.

DropBarFan

Tried a VDO (German brand) computer w/altimeter, AFAIK similar to other German brand Sigma. VDO wireless didn't work at all, should have listened to reviews. Oh well, other ways to estimate climbing & for temperature I can usually guess within 2° F.

staehpj1

Yeah, different strokes. I found cadence and heart rate to both be things that I used for a while and then found that after that I had a good enough feel for both to never need those functions again.

For me, features go like this:

NeedVery nice to haveNice to haveDon't really care about

Jim from Boston

I’m a former cycle tourist, including cross-country, so pardon the interruption. That’s a nice list, but for me, mostly as a year round commuter and road cyclist my list would be (I have underlined those I don’t have on my current Sigma Sport 1609) :

Need:
Trip Mileage
Average Speed (as a training tool since I ride pretty constant routes of various lengths)
Cadence (as a training tool)
Elapsed time (for intervals)

Very nice to have:
Speed
Temperature (though weather.com is suitable to tell me what to wear)
Odometer (but I track mileage on Excel, not including short hops less than 10 miles)
Current Time

Nice to have:
Altimeter (never used one; I have a personal grading system for hills of 1 to 6; hills are only up to about 3 around Boston)
Heart Rate (I only monitor my resting heart rate as an indicator of cardiac fitness, though maybe I should start checking riding HR)

Don't really care about:
Maximum Speed

On some past threads in various other Forums, I have posted “Those who disdain cycle computers, remind me of those who state, ‘I’m not religious but I am spiritual’. “

Western Flyer 

I used a wired Planet Bike Protégé 9 on my touring bike for seven years and highly recommend it both for accuracy and durability. I replaced it with a Cateye Adventure wireless (1/2 price at the LBS). It was new with brand new batteries when I rode down the Cascade Mountains starting in Hope, BC and had nothing but problems. By the time I got to Sacramento, CA only the time of day function was still working. I tossed it and bought the Planet Bike Protégé 9 wireless version (1/2 price from REI). The sensor unit’s battery lasts about 9 to 10 months at which time I change out both batteries. There have been no problems in two years of use. For my 20 inch folding bike I got a Cateye Padrone wireless computer with its extra big display but no temp readout (It’s not the smart+ version, which is back lit). Seemed like having an extra cable with the “miles” of cable housings already on the folding bike could only cause problems. I’ve installed Padrones on three bikes now with no problem with reliability or interference of any sort. All the above wireless computers use standard 2032 batteries in both the sensors and display units. 2032s are relatively inexpensive and available in most small town hardware stores and drugstores.