Disclaimer: I do not represent this device or brand. You do as you all like. I am happy with my el-cheap-O purchase. It fit my needs and mission perfectly. To those that say I will never... Disclaimer: I do not represent this device or brand. You do as you all like. I am happy with my el-cheap-O purchase. It fit my needs and mission perfectly. To those that say I will never... OK up to you... I think $300 to $749 for a bike trip computer is dumb, and I will never. Ha ha, I just need to know my speed, distance traveled, and max/min/avg elapsed data is a bonus. There is a WORLD of inexpensive wired trip computers from $4 to $20...Not saying this one I bought is best. I just had the form, fit, function factor I was looing for, oh and and cost was right.
I have used my "no name" wired $7.50 trip computer. for week or so. I can now comment now that I have several rides about 40 miles worth of use on it. It works great. First it has a name SunDING SD548B 14 function cycle trip computer. User review below:
FIRST A NOTE AND MY OPINION ON GPS BASED CYCLE COMPUTERS... Never owned or used a dedicated cycle GPS trip/nav computer. I have used dedicated GPS based NAV/Map/Trip computers in cars, motorcycles, airplanes and boats. All of them dedicated GPS devices. Great, would never want to do without GPS.... However my CELL PHONE does almost all of what dedicated GPS units do. However I personally don't typically need NAV MAP for bike riding, at least locally. Even if I need a MAP, I can stop and use my phone in my pocket (google maps). On a bike the most I will do in a day is 100 miles? Most of the time my rides are way less than that. My "daily ride" is right at 10 miles, sometimes more. I don't need GPS for that.
ALTERNATIVES TO EXPENSIVE GPS BASED BIKE TRIP/NAV computers. There are free map and trip computer APPS for your phone. There are several that act as a dedicated Speed-O and Odometer. Then there are maps, Google map being the most common. However I have an APP on my phone that has all the aviation charts and shows my position on the chart as well as instrument approaches. It was also free. I do not use it for navigation as it is not certified, so it is only for reference.
Personally I don't like using my expensive phone strapped to my motorcycle or bicycle or kayak, for map duty. However I have old cell cell phones I retired from service that still work. YOU CAN USE THEM even of not on cell service. Google maps has offline function if you load the map into memory. I down load APPS and maps via WiFi at home. Then I can use phones internal GPS with App for all kinds of cool things the $749 Bike computer NAV device does. I rarely use my cell phone on bike while I ride. First I need a mount. I have one but it does not work on my folding bike. Which is my daily ride.
I don't need NAV MAP info real time while I ride locally. Even if on an adventure away from home I can stop and pull out my main cell in my pocket. As far as motorcycle I have a dedicated GARMIN that I bought used for $30 with lifetime map update and data base of all the gas stations and other points of interest. It also gets traffic through sub carries on FM radio commercial stations. $30 bucks...
So a bike computer for $300 or $749 does not make sense. . There are cheaper GPS trip/nav based Cycle computers. The cheap ones have cheap data base. If the data base if not GOOGLE or GARMIN, not interested. My cars and motorcycles are all GARMINS have lifetime updates. In an airplane again Garmin dedicated GPS, but the data base is certified with a certified data base. For VFR use an airplane GPS does not need to be updated but the pilot is responsibility for safe navigation and confirming with their eyeballs or ground based navigation aids where you are... BTW my smart watch has GPS. Bicycling to me is about keeping it light and simple. That is my rant.
AS FAR AS WIRELESS WHEEL SPEED SENSORS? OK why? The wire on my el-cheap-O is so discrete, light, simple, reliable (with a few zip ties) I don't see the point. . However if that is something you want go for it. It will be more expensive, add weight, need batteries...
REVIEW...
Calibration of a wired simple trip computer is simple and crazy accurate with a tiny bit of effort. So how mine works is there is a magnet in plastic holder that attaches to spoke. The magnetic pickup straps to fork. So every revolution it gets a pulse. So it needs circumference. You can estimate that. You ride a known distance. If it is high or low you adjust the circumference. In my case my BROMPTON clone folding bike has 16" wheels. The formula is Circumference = Diameter (mm) x 3.14 (Pi constant). The idea of using a string is fine but you will still not get it perfect due to compression of tire. So you go for ride. If you are reading too high distance, set a smaller circumference for example. In my case I came up with 1336 mm. It was reading high. I went to 1334mm. Still too high. So I went to 1330. Bingo. May be 1331 may be better but it's within 0.010 miles. You can set Miles or Kilometers.
Button pushing. Since there are three ways to set unit, two buttons and for reset remove battery. Note first it remembers your OD and last trip. It will go to sleep after 300 seconds but sill show CLOCK. It has a time of day clock in 12/24 format user selected. If you want to reset last trip there is some button pushing. You want to rest total ODOMETER you need to remove battery, but no need to do that, as you can reset trip miles with button. It ONLY has one leg or one trip.
Riding it is great. It will scroll through all the displays one at a time every 4 seconds. Display being small (which I need on a folding bike) it only shows a few bits of data at one time. It ALWAYS has speed, largest FONT with it's own spot in the small display.. The other data trip distance, ODD, max speed, avg speed, elapsed time will cycle through showing in the same field location. You know what you are looking at because the label changes. When it goes to sleep it wakes up and holds all the values. Because it is LCD, has magnetic pulse detection (verses wireless RF transmitter receiver) I am guessing battery will last years.
PROS: Really cheap. easy to install, very accurate once installed, gives you everything you really need.
CONS -. Learning the button pushing and somewhat confusing at first. The Chinese English instructions are not horrible but not great. It will take a learning curve and playing with it to figure it out.... The instructions are also on small double sided piece of paper. The font is small. So I need my reading glasses.. There are two buttons. Sometimes you push both at same time. Sometimes you push just the right or just the left momentarily, other times you push and hold just the left or push and hold just the right button. You get it. However once it is set up the button pushing is minimal and you never have to touch it on a ride. As I said it automatically scrolls through all the functions as you ride. However you can pause it at one. Speed is always prominently displayed. If you don't want reset the TRIP meter from last ride then you don't have to touch it ever.
Display is small, For people with perfect uncorrected near vision, no problem. ... If you need reading glasses and wear them, no problem. However I have perfect distance vision but need reading glasses. So I like to ride with sun glasses (and a helmet) and no prescription glasses or drug store "cheaters"... I can read the display because it is far enough to focus and font is large enough and clear enough to read without glasses with this caveat. . I can READ Speed, large and no problem. The other data is readable but smaller and more of a challange. The decimals are small.
The trip distance is in 1/1000th. Others are in 1/10th or 1/100th. The data LABELS (abbreviated) for parameters are small. However it goes down side of display in different position, Once you know the position and order it's not an issue. I am happy. However some BIG "easy reading" display might be a better choice for some riders, but in my case a large display would not fit on my folding bike as nicely.
Bottom Line: Winner for me. If small display, not totally intuitive button-ology learning curve frustrates you.... then not for you. For my folding bike, a dedicated bike Speed-O, OD, with trip functions, great, There may be better cheap units, better display, easier button pushing...
