Cycling computer rating and selection

A modern person hardly imagines his life without a variety of gadgets, and if he is also a cyclist with the habit of traveling in unfamiliar places - even more so. Cars have long been equipped with on-board computers, and manufacturers have realized that two-wheeled vehicles are also worthy of advanced equipment. Of course, most active contemporaries have a high-tech smartphone capable of providing almost any useful information, but a bicycle computer fixed directly to the steering wheel is, whatever one may say, more convenient.

Another thing is that the unit must be chosen correctly, and its novelty does not allow anyone to consider themselves a specialist in this industry.

It is possible that many of our readers hear about a certain cycling computer for the first time, so first you need to understand what it is all about. This is a device capable of collecting and displaying various useful information, whether it be the distance traveled for today or for the season, the current location or the state of the cyclist himself, such as his pulse. This information is often not only interesting, but also useful - if you ride not only for pleasure, but also with the expectation of health benefits, such statistics will not hurt.

As in most such cases, before choosing a specific model, you must answer yourself questions about what information you want to receive from the on-board computer and why, what additional functions are considered potentially useful and how much money you have. Depending on the answers, you are likely to classify yourself in one of three groups.

• Lovers... A bicycle for you is just transportation, you ride it to work, or it is one of the options for your vacation. Distance covered, current speed and travel time are all you need to know.

• Semi-professionals. You cannot be called a professional, but you don’t get off your bike voluntarily - this is your favorite pastime. Such a person cannot be intimidated by a multi-day cycling trip and, although he does not participate in competitions, he is ambitious. This means that the bike computer, in addition to the information described above, is obliged to remember the best moments like the mileage for the entire season, the best speed (and average too), the maximum height above sea level.

• Professionals... Cycling is not just fun, but serious training. Everything is already important here, including your own state: the pulse, the consumption of kilocalories and much more matter.

Theoretically, any of these tasks can be solved by a smartphone with software, but its battery quickly runs out, you can't attach it to the screen, and moisture and mechanical damage can lead to the death of the device. A fitness monitor is a little better, however, its scope is too varied, because it is also suitable for running, walking and swimming. This is both a plus and a minus: on the one hand, the gadget is useful even when you are not on two wheels, on the other hand, it needs to be adjusted every time you change the type of activity, and you can forget about it in a hurry.

Globally, cycling computers are divided into magnetic and GPS, the difference between them is enormous. Magnetic models are a magnet attached to a spoke and a sensor mounted on a fork: the distance traveled and speed are determined by the number of "spans" of the magnet past the sensor, and although this is a very economical, reliable and durable unit, all its data suffers from approximation.

Magnetic cycling computers by the type of connection with the visualization unit are divided into wired and wireless, the disadvantage of the former is obvious: the transport looks entangled with unnecessary wires, and they can also break or cling to obstacles. GPS-based models weigh more, are more expensive, and need regular recharging, but with such a unit you will never get lost, you can effectively plan routes and even use the device outside the bike.

Someone needs additional functions, but someone will seem like an excess, not worth overpaying. Let's say backlight - a useful thing if you often ride in the dark, but, even without a flashlight on your bike, you are unlikely to use it.

Many consumers are willing to pay extra for battery, which does not discharge longer, but for short trips it is meaningless, because the same smartphone lasts 5-8 hours, a GPS bike computer - up to 20 hours, and magnetic models are generally "immortal" and live on one battery for several years.

All over the world, consumers, not wanting to go into the jungle of technical characteristics of this or that equipment, prefer to simply trust a brand that has been tested for decades and is in demand right now. This is not a perfectly correct approach to choosing a product, it allows for the possibility of error in determining the appropriate model, but the buyer, as a rule, is not disappointed in the quality of the purchase.

In highlighting some of them, we are based on data no longer than a few years and in many respects this is an advance, so be careful.

• Echowell. The Taiwanese manufacturer is interesting at least because a significant part of its products are bicycle computers, although the history of the company began almost forty years ago. She also produces pocket radios and some small accessories, but in our country it was the devices for cyclists that brought her a certain fame, which is already attracting attention.

• Sigma. The Ukrainian brand at one time started as a manufacturer of mobile phones, and not ordinary ones, but those that are called "babushkofonami". By the way, the official site claims that the term was invented by their company. Such units were distinguished not so much by functionality as by simplicity and reliability, as well as "indestructibility", and these are exactly the features that are so necessary for a bicycle computer.

• Garmin. Due to the unusual name, the brand is often considered French, but in fact it is still the same Taiwan. A company with a thirty-year history at one time greatly contributed to the growth of mass demand for the insanely popular GPS technology today, and today it is listed among the official partners of the world's leading automakers. It is not surprising that the company eventually decided to focus on bicycle equipment, and it’s easy to guess which type of bike computers it prefers.

As it became clear above, a computer for a bicycle is a very extensible concept. Comparing them, so different, is actually quite difficult, because our top will do without allocating places - after all, the markers are different in taste and color, and it is foolish to advise the reader an expensive and sophisticated unit if he needs a minimum of functions from it. Therefore, any comparisons will be lacking, and we will only consider the models of bicycle devices that have earned the attention of the consumer this year.

• Echowell Beetle-1 - an example that the unit may cost a penny (700-800 rubles), but work properly. The error is no more than 10 meters per kilometer - this is far from the most accurate unit, but for everyday use it is not a problem. The model has a quick-detachable mount - the device will not be stolen if you always take it with you.

• Echowell U4 - add 150 rubles to the cost of the above model and get a number of advantages. So, this bike computer is able to summarize the distances covered and calculate the amount for several trips, and it also automatically switches screens, displaying all the useful information one by one without any user commands.

• Sigma Pure 1 it costs a good 2 thousand rubles, but this cost is due to the fact that this unit is wireless, which means that you will not get tangled in the wires. The fastening here is universal, the setting is done within a minute.

• Sigma Sport BC 14.16 for 3 thousand rubles, it gives out much more information than all the competitors described above, for example, here you can find data even about the altitude and the slope of the road, the climb during the trip is shown. If there is not enough natural light, the built-in backlight helps to solve the problem.

• Garmin Edge 520 - This is a bike computer that costs more than many budget bikes. There is, of course, a flow of information: a built-in thermometer records the ambient temperature, there is an option to connect sensors for measuring heart rate, there is even a radar that “senses” the approach of a car! The dual-system navigator allows you not only to determine your location, but also to build the most difficult routes through 200 points.

For many people who first get acquainted with a cycling computer and do not set themselves outstanding sports goals, it is not so much brand recognition and manufacturability that are important, as low prices.China continues to overwhelm our country with inexpensive products and it must be admitted that some models for their money are even nothing. Here is some of them.

• West Biking. The price of 900 rubles with a penny cannot be considered the minimum, but units of this price category are usually devoid of backlighting. Here it is in two versions at once: with constant illumination and with short-term activation.

• Giyo. 2.5 thousand rubles may seem like a high cost only for those who have not read about the capabilities of this unit. The device even monitors the owner's heartbeat and wirelessly transmits all the information received to the screen. Without recharging, such a computer lasts five days without using a backlight, and that one is designed for three different lighting modes.

• YT-813. This model, even in comparison with the simplest branded ones, costs a penny - only 500 rubles. At the same time, some "bells and whistles" are present even in her, for example, she fixes the temperature and humidity, and you yourself configure what exactly should be shown on the screen.

See the video below for tips on how to choose a bike computer.